Louis, NG Yu Hin

Academic background:

Bachelor of Business Administration (HKU, 2002)

Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 3                  

Current Employment:

• Company: Sumida Trading (Shanghai) Company Limited

• Location: Shanghai

• Period: Oct 2005 - Present

• Responsibilities: I was transferred from the Tokyo Headquarter to the newly established sales office in Shanghai developing new businesses mainly in the area of automotive components

Employment history:

• Location: Headquarter of Sumida in Tokyo

• Period: Aug 2003 - Sep 2005

• Responsibilities: Duties related to sales & marketing including market research, preparation of sales quotation based on cost analysis etc.
  　

• Company: Harriman Leasing Co. Ltd.

• Location: Hong Kong

• Period: Sep 2002 - Jul 2003

• As a Trainee working in the office premises leasing team

How did I find my present job with overseas posting?

The answer to this question is "by chance". Yes, by chance. In reality, due to financial constraints and other reasons, a company may not possibly be willing to spend the time and money to invest into potential candidates by offering them overseas posting and training, especially when talents can be found in the local market. Just like any job openings, vacancies only exist when there are needs. This also applied to this job. I found this job just through ordinary classified advertisement.

Preparation for overseas / training

For any overseas posting, proficiency in language skills is a very important element. For a candidate coming from Hong Kong, fluency in English, Putonghua and Cantonese is expected. Also, be prepared to cope with extreme culture shocks. A practice that is considered as common in one country may not be the same in another country.

The ups and downs of working outside HK

I was assigned to work in Tokyo for the first two years. Right now I am working in Shanghai. Cultural differences and language barriers (in terms of the local language) in both places sometimes created lots of misunderstanding and frustration. But on the other hand, I experienced a lot of fun and excitement by coping with the challenges.

What is Shanghai like?

People from Shanghai are highly educated with a strong command of English. They are not only knowledgeable in terms of the issues inside China but also world matters. Turnover rate in the labour market is pretty high as talents are in high demand. People from Shanghai tend to be more fashionable compared to other regions in China. Now more and more companies are setting up their representative offices or companies in Shanghai to catch business opportunities in China.

Learning outcome

The most that I gained was Japanese language skill. I couldn't speak any Japanese before I went to Tokyo. Other improvements included interpersonal skills and international exposure. 

Advice for students who would like to work outside HK

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