Senior Executives and Young Entrepreneurs Talk About Finding Dream Jobs at PolyU SPEED Career Talk Series

PolyU SPEED Career Talk Series: “Finding Dream Jobs” was held at the Chiang Chen Studio Theatre, PolyU on 14 June 2016. Mr Tony Ma, CEO of ESDlife and hutchgo.com, Mr David Yeung, Co-founder of Green Monday, Ms Catherine So, General Manager of North Eastern Asia Region, Expedia, and Mr Steven Lam, Founder of GoGoVan were the guest speakers. The four speakers represented different generations and they have rich experience in the management of digital platform, social enterprise, individual-travel web portal, as well as mobile app development. In the talk, they shared about how to identify an ideal career and also their views on “a dream job.” Mr Lai Kam-tong, Human Resources Director, A-World Consulting Limited, served as the moderator of the talk.

Dr W.K. Yung, Deputy Director of PolyU SPEED, said in his speech that society and economy keep changing. Nowadays, the youngsters may define “a dream job” in a totally different way with their parents’ generation. The youngsters may not merely look for a high-paid job or a stable work environment. Some may aspire to try different lines of work. In response to the development of community, PolyU SPEED strives to providing students with professional knowledge and internship opportunities in order to help them prepare for their ideal career.

Job satisfaction is more important than salary 

Job seekers’ perception of a “dream job” has evolved over different generations. Mr Tony Ma, the longest serving executive among the four guest speakers, noticed that during his youth, people commonly perceived “a dream job” as joining a big corporation with high salaries, steady remunerations and a stable work environment. Nowadays, the young generation may only consider if they “like” the job. He said, “Young people neither get high salaries nor a steady work environment from working holiday, which however is becoming popular.”

Mr David Yeung echoed that a post in a big corporation is not necessarily equivalent to “a dream job”. He suggested that job seekers should try out the match-making process and consider two points: First, the vision and culture of a company should align with one’s personal values; secondly, its business should have long-term growth potential. Mr Yeung recalled that when he was young, his passion for NBA motivated him to recommend himself to work as a part-time reporter for a locally renowned sports magazine. At last, he was fortunate enough to report the matches at the Olympic Games. He said, “It was indeed ‘a dream job’ to me. I would do it even without any wages!”

Both guest speakers agreed that “a dream job” should bring satisfaction to an employee, providing an opportunity of self-actualisation. This is considered more important than the salary or stability of a position. 

Understand your prospective employer Identify your personality and strength
Mr Steven Lam said that when he recruit candidates, he would evaluate their work attitude and capabilities, and consider if their personalities could fit into the corporate culture. Citing his company as an example, Mr Lam said that its corporate vision is to “deliver happiness”. Therefore, he is looking for someone who dares to venture, take risks and have fun. 

Mr Tong Ma shared that some job seekers would make use of the social media to learn about their interested companies and positions. He said, “For example, candidate could collect pertinent job intelligence by asking questions to the incumbent employees of their interested companies on LinkedIn so that they can better prepare for the interviews.” Ms Catherine So supplemented that training opportunities, corporate ladder and employee communications are all necessary factors in determining “a dream job”.

More communications on job hunting More try-outs on start-ups 

There was a story on the Internet earlier saying that a candidate waited for a job interview for more than half an hour and left the interview angrily since the candidate felt “disrespected” by the company. Ms So viewed that candidates should enquire politely when facing similar situation. She said, “Maybe the interviewer was being delayed by other important matters. If you wait patiently, it actually shows your sincerity.” She also shared an example of communicating with young colleagues, “When we remind colleagues about the importance of punctuality at work, we have to put it delicately. Otherwise, they may feel disgruntled. Some colleagues may even resign because they think their supervisor does not appreciate them.”

Mr Lam said he sat for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination twice but did not achieve good results. Then, he furthered his studies in the USA. After graduation, he sent over 200 job application letters, but never received any job offers. As a result, he decided to start up his own business. “GoGoVan is my third start-up venture.” He thought that where there is a will, there is a way, and one will find the “dream job” eventually. “This current job has become my interest. I don’t feel tired at all even after working for 18 hours each day.”

Lastly, the four guest speakers shared their words of wisdom with the audience: Mr Tony Ma, CEO of ESDlife and hutchgo.com: “Believe in your intuition. Act on your inner voice.” Mr David Yeung, Co-founder of Green Monday: “Whenever you are seeking a job or having one, keep learning. It is normal to be lost occasionally. Grow out of reflection and you will find your ‘dream job’.” Ms Catherine So, General Manager of North Eastern Asia Region, Expedia: “Attitude comes first. Remain proactive and any job may become ‘a dream job’.” Mr Steven Lam, Founder of GoGoVan: “Try your hand at the work that you love, but do try it earnestly. If you keep changing jobs just for the sake of trying, say six jobs in five years, the employers may lose faith in you.”