Movies can offer important career lessons – I watched 3 Idiots recently which offers lots of career and life lessons, it also gave me the impetus to write about the below from some of my favourite films.

Good Will Hunting – The importance of mentoring

‘It’s not your fault’ (that you dated Minnie Driver) Robin Williams tells Matt Damon in one of their mentoring sessions, whereby he helps Will Hunting  turn his life around and put his life back on track. Having talent and ability is useless unless you know what to do with it. Being able to get career advice and share thoughts and frustrations with a mentor  undoubtedly will help everyone in their work life.

Catch Me If You Can – Don’t burn bridges and second chances

In this film, Tom Hanks spends the whole movie trying to catch Leonardo Di Caprio who is a career con-man. When he finally does catch him – rather than put him in jail he offers him a job within the counterfeiting investigation department. The moral of the story is that we should never burn bridges as you never know who you will end up working with. Keep all work relationships positive – Hank’s character also recognised Leo’s potential and gave him a second chance in his career.

3 Idiots – Pursue your passion 

Growing up, I’m sure you’ve all felt societal and family pressures to get into certain professional careers. One of the central themes of the movie is that we should stand our ground against outside influences and pursue a career in life that we are truly passionate about. ‘Pursue excellence and success will follow’ – i.e. be good at what you do and do it with passion.

The Avengers – Teamwork

The Avengers are superheroes with different strengths and weaknesses, as individuals they cannot defeat Loki and his cockroach-like aliens, but working together as a team they do win. Superstars in their own right; they also recognise that they need to step out of the limelight, leverage off each others strengths and work together for the common good. No matter how good you are, real successes will come from being able to adapt and work collaboratively with others.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – The rise of temporary work 

Mikael Blomqvist hits a road-block in his missing person investigation, until he hires Lisbeth Sander as a short-term contractor. Her expertise in new media and ‘computer programming’ complement his old-school skills of journalism and investigation. They are from different walks of life, but for a short period they work together successfully and the crime gets solved. In 2012 we’re definitely seeing an increasing trend in temporary work and it’s becoming something both employers and job seekers should be comfortable with as an alternative to permanent work.

Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back  – Working with family

Darth Vader to Luke: ‘It is your destiny, join me and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son’. Luke doesn’t turn to the dark side; however in the real world family can work successfully together, but not when you drop a bombshell about your arch-enemy being your father!!

I’m sure I’ve missed a few here –  have any movies taught you lessons which have impacted your career?

3 Idiots, career lessons, Catch Me If You Can, Good Will Hunting, mentoring, Star Wars, teamwork, temporary work, The Avengers, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, work with passion

One of the most important aspects that job seekers tend to neglect is preparing themselves mentally for what lies ahead. This is extremely important and it is essential to establish a positive attitude and be emotionally prepared when finding a new job. Our colleague Justin Kamihara from the Tokyo office discusses this.

To read more, click here.

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Chinese whispers: “When information is verbally passed from person to person, it inevitably gets distorted and exaggerated and the new form moves towards becoming the norm”

Multiple studies show that an average person speaks between 2000 to 7000 words per day. As information is relayed from one person to the next, it is regularly distorted and exaggerated from its origin, oral ‘mis-transmission’ occurs.

As a recruitment consultant, I come across this on a regular basis…

Recruitment consultant: “…so, having discussed about your experience and what sort of roles you are looking for, I believe that you will be a strong fit for this role at company X.”
IT professional: “I don’t think I’ll consider this…I “heard” that Company X is terrible.”
Recruitment consultant: “Can you tell me more about “what you have heard”?”
IT professional: “Well, I heard from an ex-colleague that has a friend who knows someone that works at Company X and they said that the manager there is really straight talking and the company is a bit so so…”

When considering a career move, your first step may be to sound out the market from people you know, i.e. alumni, ex-colleagues etc. this is when the opinions of others form your first impression on industries, companies or roles. Are the opinions of others enough to decide on whether you are interested in a role?

When people look for a new job opportunity, the reasons behind it may be very different; it may be for a better career path, new exposure; a change of environment, the list goes on. So when one says a job is “not right” for them, this may not necessarily mean that it’s not right for you.

So when an opportunity arises, never refuse it because of “what you have heard”. Listening to rumours about working for a company is not ideal, depending on the source they may be inaccurate comments. Find out more details, ask questions and decide for yourself otherwise you never know if you have just missed out on your dream job!

Recruitment is not only about what a company is looking for in an employee but also about what you are looking for in an employer.

Career advice, career move, chinese whispers, IT jobs in Hong Kong, recruitment, recruitment consultant

The recent election of CY Leung as Chief Executive has been the matter of great interest to the people of Hong Kong. Many people have protested that he was not elected by universal suffrage and that he has been seen as being too closely linked to Beijing.

Freedom of speech is something that I value highly and am proud to live and work in Hong Kong where this is protected by law. I do feel though, that a constance barrage of negativity directed at someone before he has even taken office might be counter-productive.

In any organisation, whether a city or commercial organisation, it is important to speak up when we can make a positive difference but surely it makes sense to work with people, even those with whom we disagree, for the common good?

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Morgan McKinley’s 2012 Salary Guide is now available. It provides market intelligence on remuneration and hiring trends across the financial services sector and commerce & industry organisations in Hong Kong.

Download the 2012 Salary Guide now

We hope you find our Hong Kong Salary Guide 2012 informative. If you have any questions, feedback or would like to discuss any of the findings, please contact us directly.

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“Change We Can Believe In” was a powerful election slogan of Barack Obama that won him support and near-adulation among many people in the run up to the last US election. Some people believed that change was important and necessary although others wondered what substance there might have been behind the slogan.

Many organisations have slogans, mission statements and corporate objectives. These are good if they have substance behind them but what if they do not? An empty slogan is like a false promise – a sign of a lack of integrity.

A significant minority of job seekers who seek my advice are looking to leave their jobs not because of compensation or promotion prospects but for ethical reasons. Perhaps it’s worth taking the time to do a career audit and ask:

• Am I a valued part of the team?
• Do I feel comfortable working here?
• Can I make a difference to this company?
• Am I listened to and are my views respected?
• Are the senior management people of integrity?

If the answers to the above questions are more negative than positive then it might be time for a change you can believe in – actively seek a better opportunity elsewhere.

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The market is very tough now and competition is extremely high between professionals for a smaller pool of jobs. Our colleague Justin Kamihara from the Tokyo office discusses why job seekers should keep an open mind when seeking job opportunities.

To read more, click here.

Career advice, job search tips, job seeker

A week ago, no-one had heard of Jeremy Lin. Since then he has electrified the NBA with his inspirational play and has become a media sensation and a fan favourite. The Jeremy Lin phenomenon continues to grow and has far reaching effects outside of the sports world.

Barely recruited after high school, Lin went on to Harvard and remained unnoticed by NBA teams after college. Undrafted and in his second professional season in the NBA, he was cut by two other teams before being offered a non-guaranteed contract by the New York Knicks. Due to injuries to teammates, he has recently been given the opportunity to play and has excelled.

As I write this, Lin has led the New York Knicks to an amazing and improbable six game winning streak. He has embraced and maximised his opportunity to play, going from being an afterthought on the team to becoming the starting point guard for the Knicks. He has single handedly turned their season around.

Recently, after Lin had beaten and out-scored NBA legend Kobe Bryant; Kobe had the following to say:

“It’s a great story. It’s a testament to perseverance and hard work. I am sure he has put in a great deal of work to always have that belief in himself, now he has the opportunity to show it.”

In the work place, opportunity can present itself in many forms – getting a promotion; a position opening up when a colleague leaves; an overseas assignment, or simply taking on more responsibilities and duties above and beyond your current role.

Take a long hard look around your workplace – for those in management positions, is there a Jeremy Lin in our midsts who is a star in the making?

You never know when you may get that opportunity, but when you do – it’s your chance to step up like Jeremy Lin and to embrace it. At times we feel that we are not given the opportunity to shine, however be patient; continue to work hard and you will be given a shot when you least expect it. When that opportunity does come up, grab it as you never know when it may come around again.

Until next time!

Career advice, determination, Harvard University, Jeremy Lin, job promotion, Kobe Bryant, Linsanity, NBA, New York Knicks, seizing the opportunity, talent management, 林書豪

Our colleague Anthony Truchot from the Tokyo office looks into how to survive in a tough market, providing you with tips for what you can do during this difficult time.

To read more, click here

Career advice, coping with job loss, how to handle job loss, staying positive while looking for a job, Unemployment

We recently witnessed history in the making: an epic Australian Open tennis final. Novak Djokovic outlasted Rafael Nadal in the longest ever men’s singles grand slam final lasting 5 hours and 53 minutes. The lead changed numerous times throughout the match and remained dead-locked until the fifth set, where the game remained in the balance. Earlier on in the final set, Djokovic seemed down and out as he lay flat on his back after losing an exhausting point to Nadal. Eventually however, Djokovic won through.

“You’re in pain, you’re suffering, you know that you’re trying to activate your legs, you’re trying to push yourself another point, just one more point, one more game,” Djokovic said after the match.

“You’re going through so much suffering your toes are bleeding. Everything is just outrageous, you know, but you’re still enjoying that pain.”

What gave Djokovic the edge over Nadal? Arguably they are equals from a physical talent perspective and both have the necessary experience and drive to win.

I believe the answer is mental toughness. Djokovic had a career best year in 2011 and a lot of experts put that down to his increased mental strength and resilience.

On a daily basis, we all come up against unexpected issues and problems in both work and our personal lives. When the going gets tough, giving up or quitting is the easy way out. Those who are able to repeatedly pick themselves up after set-backs and duress will only get stronger through the experience. In my experience, people who have been able to push through and persevere in tough times have been more successful when compared to peers in their industry.

The year of the dragon will be a challenging year career wise for a lot of us, so those who can display mental fortitude will put themselves into the best possible position to thrive.

Until next time.

Career advice, mental toughness, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal. Australian Open 2012, year of the dragon