Chinenye Eqbuna

Baptist University

Believing there is value in seizing every opportunity to learn about different industries and career options, Chinenye Eqbuna, an accounting and finance student from Nigeria studying at Baptist University, said the Career Forum surpassed her expectations. “It was an excellent opportunity to ask lots of questions and discover a lot about different industries, all under one roof,” said Eqbuna, who spotted details about the Career Forum online.

Although she was looking for general information and insights about internships and career opportunities, Eqbuna also became excited about the Shadowing a CEO programme, an opportunity to spend three days accompanying a senior executive to learn about the daily activities at the top end of a business.

 When she completes her studies, Eqbuna’s long-term goal is to return to Nigeria and use her finance knowledge to set up her own business. She plans to learn as much as possible about the way business is conducted in Hong Kong and the mainland.

“I am looking to transfer some of the trends to Nigeria,” Eqbuna said. One area of business she is keen to explore is a gap she has noted in the Nigerian fashion industry between high-end fashion and low-cost, mass-produced items.

Keith Tang

Hong Kong Design Institute

Visiting the Career Forum to participate in the Young Marketer of Tomorrow competition with three of his classmates – and, at the same time, being able to find out about internships, graduate trainee programmes, and career opportunities – was informative and convenient, according to Keith Tang, an exhibition design student.

Tang said he was surprised to find the variety of businesses and organisations providing information at the same event. “Walking around visiting the different booths and talking to the recruitment people was insightful and helpful,” he said. With a year of study remaining until he graduates, Tang said that for the time being he is keeping his options open.

“Visiting the Career Forum was helpful because it allowed me to find out about the different activities businesses are involved in within their industries.” He pointed out that regardless of the type of company or business they are, all use design of different types and that most companies take part in exhibitions of one kind or another.

“It became apparent to me that the more I find out about different companies and their business operations, the better prepared I will be in the future to understand their design and exhibition needs,” noted Tang, who also appreciated the event’s informal atmosphere.

Kelvin Wong

Hang Seng Management College

For accounting student Kelvin Wong, the Career Forum offered a prime opportunity to have his CV checked over by recruitment experts from Kelly Services.

“They were really helpful and pointed out several areas where my CV could be improved,” Wong said. For example, without the evaluation and feedback he received, Wong said he would not have realised that his CV was too simple.

 His personal statement lacked detail about his strengths, and he had also failed to elaborate on his involvement in extracurricular activities. Wong said he realised the importance of the impact the first part of a CV needed to make when he was told that the average time spent on looking at a CV was usually no more than five to seven seconds.

“By attending the Career Forum, I realised that rewriting my CV could make a difference in the future as to whether or not it was looked at properly, which could lead to me being offered an interview,” said Wong, who was surprised to learn how little time a CV has to make a strong first impression.

While accounting is the main focus of Wong’s studies, he is also interested in exploring various areas of business.

“I was able to visit booths and ask if I would be eligible for internships in departments that were not necessarily involved in finance,” he said. “I wanted to find out how employers offered opportunities to accounting graduates in different parts of their business.”

Wong also took part in the Young Marketer of Tomorrow contest with three Hang Seng College marketing students, helping with the marketing plan’s budget.

Carey Li

Open University

For Year 1 marketing student Carey Li, the Career Forum offered a double attraction: the opportunity to participate in the Young Marketer of Tomorrow competition, and the chance to find out about internships and graduate training programmes. Li also signed up for the Shadow a CEO programme.

“It’s really interesting to attend a careers event where there is so much going on,” commented Li, who was visiting the Career Forum with her Young Marketer of Tomorrow teammates, who are also marketing student classmates.

Li said participating in the Young Marketer of Tomorrow competition was an opportunity to benchmark the skills she and her classmates had acquired during their first year of studies.

She also hoped she would be chosen to shadow Dr Wendy Lee, country sales manager at Autodesk Far East, Hong Kong and Macau, explaining that she admires the way Lee manages to combine a demanding executive role with piano performances and writing songs.

 Li said there were plenty of chances to find out about careers and job opportunities she had previously not considered.

“My studies are focused on marketing, but I would be very interested in doing an internship that involved finance,” said Li.