Finding your dream job could be the greatest search of your life – and you should start with your soul, writes Bong Miquiabas.

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Nice work if you can get it,
And you can get it if you try.
Ira Gershwin

For some, the dream job emerges after a series of dead-ends. “Peter,” a 30-something expat American, says it wasn’t until recently that he realised where his passion lay.

“The first company I worked for was an internet/media company, the second was a venture capital fund, and the third was a real estate fund in physical property,” says Peter, who was drawn to Hong Kong a decade ago by family ties and business prospects in China. “The first one went bankrupt, the second one I hated, and the third one burned me out.”

His last job sent him on far-flung travels every week, causing strain with his wife. He knew in his heart that running his own business was the only way he’d be happy, yet it took a variety of painful working experiences to strengthen his resolve. In 2007, after months of assessing the risks and rewards, Peter began his own property investment company. He says he’s now earning more, traveling less, and enjoys more quality time with his wife and young daughter.

Whether out of necessity, curiosity or something else, getting a job can be one of the most daunting challenges we ever face. We scoured the city for practical tips and anecdotes for our uncertain times to address a simple question: how do you get a job you like?

Go your own way
“Now is a good time for people who are normally risk-averse to assess what they’ve done,” Peter says. “The world has been too good the last few years. You’re not supposed to get a two-year bonus in one year. There are a lot of false business models.”

He adds, “If you set up your own business the sky’s the limit. You get to pick your own staff and who you want to work with. I work harder, too. Of course, a few things must be lined up. It’s not just lawyers and accounting. You need initial capital and the idea or knowhow.”

Minimal regulation, a simple tax structure, and a can-do culture make Hong Kong ideal for entrepreneurs like Peter. For a limited company, the two-page business registration form (see www.ird.gov.hk) requires only an applicant’s name, the business name and description, a commencement date, and, until this April when the rates change, a $450 registration fee valid for one year from application. Most cases can be approved within 30 minutes.

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (info.hktdc.com), a semi-government authority charged with encouraging new businesses like Peter’s, also offers a range of services to small-to-medium enterprises from its business information centre in Wan Chai.

“We have business contacts, market reports, statistics, China trade reports, and periodicals,” says Katherine Lo, HKTDC’s senior customer service manager. “Our service covers a wide spectrum, like how to do a marketing strategy, how to develop a business plan, and how to get financing.”

Lo urges caution amid the still-roiling global financial tsunami. “[New companies] have to make sure they have their buyers in place if they’re trading or manufacturing. Talk to the banks first for financing your business plan.”

Ask the professionals
Those looking for systematic support in their job search can turn to professional recruitment agencies or headhunters. “Winnie” enlisted a headhunter over a six-month period to land a new financial services position. She credits the experience with forcing her to articulate what she wanted. In January, she left her company of four years.

“It was hard to decide, but I didn’t want to regret missing this opportunity,” Winnie explains. “Basically I now do similar work, but this new position has more interesting responsibilities.”

Winnie singles out persistence as the quality that helped most. “I had done the job search before and frankly didn’t want to settle for just anything. So I kept at [my recruiter] and made sure she knew what I wanted.”

Dan Chavasse, of international recruiters Michael Page (www.michaelpage.com.hk), says an engaged approach is exactly what is needed. In Chavasse’s experience, 20 per cent of job seekers succeed through recruitment and 80 per cent through their own means and contacts.

“Looking for a job is a full-time job in itself,” Chavasse advises. “Make sure you get up early in the morning and get online. Look at job boards, write to companies that interest you, get a name. Pick up the phone rather than e-mail. You have to be self-motivated.”

Andrea Williams of Ambition (www.ambition.com.hk), another recruitment company, adds that soft skills are even more crucial as greater numbers join the hunt. “There’s a lot of competition out there. Outstanding candidates have very strong interpersonal skills, probably in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin. They have demonstrated people management and people-influencing skills. Everybody thinks they’re dynamic, and it must show on paper and face-to-face. That really never changes.”

Network, network, network
If networking were an Olympic sport, Hong Kong would be churning out medal contenders. There are countless organisations devoted to blending social and professional networking, and one of the biggest is Web Wednesdays (www.webwednesday.hk). WW claims over 900 members and routinely draws 100 people to its informal monthly events in Lan Kwai Fong.

Digital media consultant Napoleon Biggs started WW in June 2007 “to learn what’s going on in the [technology] industry and meet lots of people.” Biggs says his group quickly grew from a handful of people on the strength of its guest speakers and presence of companies looking to hire and others looking to connect quickly.

Some groups network without an industry focus. Fruits-in-Suits (www.fruitsinsuits.com.hk) is a monthly professional networking group targeting the GLBT community. Begun in 2004 by entertainment consultant and self-described ‘chief dreamer’ Eric Herrera, Fruits-in-Suits welcomes people of any sexual orientation interested in “gay-owned, gay-operated, gay-friendly and gay-employed business” in Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region.

Herrera says Fruits-in-Suits has more than 1,000 members, with expats and locals represented in equal measure and a sizeable number of tourists always dropping by. “When we have a company as co-sponsor at Fruits-in-Suits to showcase their company profile, they always involve the owners and several employees,” he says.

A chamber of commerce can also present natural networking opportunities. The Australian Chamber of Commerce (www.hongkong.china.embassy.gov.au) convenes a monthly social gathering called Mix at Six. Events coordinator Katie Kenealy says that while most attendees are Aussies, anyone regardless of nationality can attend an event or even join AustCham. “Membership provides a directory compiled annually that has all members’ details. That can be a really valuable resource.”

Best of both worlds
Rodney Lloyd came up with a different path. A year ago, the Hong Kong-born, UK-educated investment banker co-founded Socialutions (www.socialutions.com), a company providing internet-based platforms for carrying out business strategies. Lloyd was always interested in technology. What makes the former history major unique is that he didn’t have to quit his day job.

“I enjoy both,” says Lloyd of his part-time arrangement with Socialutions. “I balance my full-time job with this by being ruthlessly efficient.” But Lloyd first got his moonlighting cleared by his full-time employer of three years. “You have to be frank with your employer.” As for the juggling act, he says, “It’s a matter of energy and still allowing yourself not to burn out.”

Lloyd had been thinking about starting his own company “for some time”, but the impetus came from a chance meeting at a Web Wednesday event in late 2007. “The reason I went to that event was because the CEO of Outblaze was guest speaker. Immediately after, I went to talk to the CEO and Henry was there.”

Henry was Henry Oh, an American lawyer who then worked on film projects in town. Recalls Lloyd, “Henry and I got to talking about internet startups and business opportunities. He had an idea to do an entrepreneur-focused website matching projects and investors; my idea was more academics, NGOs, and their projects. We decided our ideas were not too dissimilar.”

The next day, the two began to discuss forming a company, turning first to Oh’s contacts in Silicon Valley. Soon a law firm that had previously brought giants like Google and Apple to IPO signed on. With three others, Lloyd and Oh co-founded Socialutions. It was February 2008, a mere three months after they met.

Go for broke
Peter, the self-employed property investor, says the dreary economy could be a blessing for people who want the kind of professional fulfillment he and others recently discovered.

“Take a hard look at yourself,” Peter advises. “Go back to the basics. Keep asking yourself what your passion is, and ask yourself what’s most important in your life. If you’re married and older, then I believe family comes first. Make sure you get your wife’s support. Starting a business takes time and can damage family relations.”

“But if you’re in your twenties you should go for broke. If you’re not married, give up your life on Caine Road and move to Tin Shui Wai and fuckin’ share a flat and put all your resources into pursuing what you wanna pursue. At down times like these, you don’t have much more to lose.”
 

Read our other features:
Get a Job
Keep Your Job
Reinvent yourself