Blog ▸ Candidates ▸ Considering a work relocation out of HK?

Considering a work relocation out of HK?

By Vahid Haghzare, Director Silicon Valley Associates Recruitment &

Victor Chen, Senior Recruiter, Silicon Valley Associates Recruitment

One of the top IT Recruitment Agencies in Hong Kong, Dubai, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Singapore, and Japan, SVA Recruitment is an IT and employment agency that provides jobs, executive search, and recruitment services.

At Silicon Valley Associates Recruitment, we have seen a spike in interest by locals for roles that involve relocation out of Hong Kong to places such as Singapore. If this appeals to you, how can you position yourself strongly to secure that next step in your career path and leapfrog the competition?

Do Your Research

The fields of IT and technology are evolving fast and perhaps your interests and skillsets now align you towards a fresh direction, or you're open to a career pivot. Do your research to see what's out there and to define the role that you want. Do you need additional training to secure this role? Can you evidence enough experience or transferable skills to impress a potential employer?

Be purposeful, strategic, and analytic in your research of the market, pinpointing geographical locations, employers and industries, and roles of interest. Use this to guide your targeting and to hone in on your efforts. Job-hunting can be time-consuming so it makes sense to be as considered as you can and to focus your activities where they will generate the best returns.

Audit Your Social Media Profile

Make sure your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles are up to date, relevant, have recommendations, and that you have positioned yourself as a ready candidate for the role that interests you. Join groups, contribute to industry discussions and debates, help others, and be active. Make sure your private social media accounts are just that and remember that any employer can carry out a Baidu, Google, or search engine search on you at any time to see publicly available information. Lockdown your online presence as necessary!

Focus On Your Network

Networking is vital for accessing the hidden jobs market. Connect with old industry contacts, friends already based where you want to move to, and make new ones by being active and seek to add value and help others as a means of building up goodwill, and positioning yourself as a good person to know - and recommend. Be clear that you are open to a new opportunity, but don't pester people. Remember, networking is a two-way exchange of value and goodwill and should be invested in accordingly.

Don't Underestimate the Traditional CV

Yes, the world is digital, but don't forget that a great CV and cover letter will make all the difference when it comes to getting an interview invite. Review your CV carefully, update it, and ask a trusted contact to read it too. Make sure that it includes keywords that CV scanners can use to flag your CV up during the sifting process.

Refresh Your Portfolio

If you have a professional portfolio, refresh it, and make it ready to show to a potential employer at a moment's notice. Show your standout pieces of work and focus on quality rather than quantity. Only present the most recent and relevant work and remove historic and legacy pieces unless they are particularly interesting or important.

Devise Your Elevator Pitch

Craft your brief elevator pitch that describes who you are and what you do. Have ready answers to typical questions, so that you can be primed to respond when a chat with an industry contact gets interesting. Make it natural, up to date, and personal to you. Remember that you need to be able to give these answers promptly and in a way that is authentic.

Find The Right Recruiter

The right recruiter will make all the difference to success or failure. Find a good recruiter, who is locally based in the market you want to move to, will greatly accelerate your chance of being put forward to the right roles, in the right companies. Invest in the relationship to make it mutually beneficial.

We would usually be able to help if you are looking to stick to Asia. But if Silicon Valley Associates can't help market you or make the introductions, we will be upfront about that, but also refer you to our friends based locally who can!

Arrange to Visit the Country for Interviews

Once you have networked and connected with potential companies and Recruiters, you should have some interest expressed. It is important you suggest during your research process and communications that you are on standby to visit the country within a week or two for an interview if there is interest.

Some companies with bigger budgets and a specific focus on hiring expats will expense for you to visit them for a face to face. But the odds are actually low, so be prepared to pay for your own trip

Ideally, when you get there, you can have several meetings arranged for your trip. But you may potentially have to be prepared to visit a couple of times for new interviews or seal the deal.

Having to fly a couple of times, and stay in hotels, can become expensive, but it shows you are serious, and if you want to badly enough it is an investment you should be prepared to make.

But perhaps you are tempted to stay?

Along with other recruiters in the space, Silicon Valley Associates is seeing a growth in demand from non-US tech firms that are looking to expand in Hong Kong. So if you are looking for a new role in IT, tech, development, or associated fields, why not contact us to find out more.

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Silicon Valley Associates is ideally positioned to support the continual demand from tech companies and IT Departments looking to hire in Hong Kong, Asia, and Worldwide. Please let us know if you would further advise on the above topic or your hiring needs