Work Placement – FAQs for Students

Job searching and recruitment process

All HSU students with the right to work in Hong Kong are welcome to apply for placement opportunity through the CPD. According to the Immigration Department, exchange students are not allowed to take up any internship or work during their stay in Hong Kong.

If you are a non-local students undertaking a full-time degree programme at HSU with “No Objection Letter” (NOL) issued by the Immigration Department, you may work part-time for up to 20 hour per week on campus during the academic year (Note: according to the on-campus employment policy in HSU, students can work for 15 hours per week at most during term time) and full-time from 1 June to 31 August. Students may also take up internship given that the internship must be study/curriculum-related and arranged or endorsed by the institution they are studying in; and the duration of the internship is up to one academic year, or one-third of the normal duration of the relevant full-time academic programme, whichever is shorter.

For details, please refer to the Immigration Guidelines for Entry to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.

CPD is a platform to connect recruiters with targeted students and present to students an array of career opportunities. Details of placement opportunities are posted at the Job Portal of CPD website throughout the year. Students are required to sign in their account for the recruitment details. New students would receive an activation email at the beginning of the first semester. If you have missed the email, you may contact the CPD to obtain one through email at careers@hsu.edu.hk .

Students are advised to visit the website regularly to get the latest information. You are also encouraged to keep an eye on other common recruitment sites.

It depends on employers’ requests. In many cases, students are required to send applications to the CPD for consolidation, while sometimes students need to apply directly to the employer. Students should pay attention to the job requirements and application method as stated in the recruitment advertisement. Make sure the applications are sent to the right addressee before the application deadline.

You may refer to the Useful Tips for writing of CV and cover letter at this website to have a basic understanding. CPD will also post relevant resources on Facebook fans page from time to time. To make sure that you will not miss out any updates, simply follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=career%20planning%20%26%20development%20sao%20hsmc.

Want to get personalized feedback on your application materials? Bring your CV to meet with our Careers Officers simplly sign up a timeslot at our “CAS” which is open throughout the year via CAS online link.

It depends on the requirement of different academic programmes. Students are advised to refer to the guidelines set out by their respective academic programme.

Apart from the stipulated requirements on qualification and field of study, student should also pay attention to the placement duration. Before submitting your application, please make sure that you would be available for the whole placement period suggested in the recruitment advertisement. It would bring much inconvenience to the employer if you actually could not commit to the whole placement period at the end.

Also, working on a placement may take up some of your time for study. Make sure you can well manage the time for academic pursuit and taking a placement.

To make the best out of a placement experience, the Career Office has some tips for you. Click here to learn more.

All placement information is available at the Job Portal of CPD website. Students are welcome to submit applications for the job openings that match with your skills and field of study.

However, students should bear in mind that once you have accepted a placement offer, you should refrain from sending any more applications or attending interviews of other placement that would crash with the one you have committed to. You should also notify the CPD to withdraw your other concurrent applications, if any.

CPD is to connect suitable students with the employers. Students who have already fulfilled the module requirement of internship may still apply for a placement opportunity through the CPD. However, priority may be given to students who have not yet completed internship module, subject to the corresponding requirements of the employers and academic programmes.

It is quite common that employers would invite the CPD to nominate candidates based on the job requirements. Generally, the CPD would notify the short-listed students by email within 2 weeks after the application deadline.

Subsequently, the employer would make decision on selection and appointment. It is not guaranteed that the employer would accept all short-listed students to the next step of selection process. You should pay attention to any notice by phone or email. Normally, it takes 4-6 weeks for employers to complete the whole screening process and confirm the appointment. Having said that, some employers may need a longer period of time to process the application and appoint suitable candidates.

It depends on the employer’s arrangement. Normally, employers will contact students directly for further screening such as an interview or a written test. In some cases, employers might request to conduct interviews on-campus through the CPD. You are encouraged to always get prepared for interview in any formats, including phone interview, face-to-face interview, group internview and individual internview.

You are encouraged to dress in business formal for a job interview. Depending on the job nature and industry, business causal may be acceptable in some situations. Check with the employer or the CPD if you are in doubt.

It depends very much on the job nature and requirements of employers. In general, students would be assessed by their qualifications, personality, attitude, academic performance, any relevant work experiences and participation in extra-curricular activities. Different employers may have varying focuses – some may put more emphasis on language ability or proficiency in computer application, while some may look for candidates with characters that fit for their company culture.

You should pay attention to the information provided in the recruitment advertisement. Final arrangement should be agreed by both the student and employer before the placement starts.

Sure! CPD provides a variety of training workshops and career talks to help you equip with job-hunting skills, especially during Job-hunting months in October, November, February and March. Do keep an eye on our Latest Events and register in advance.

What’s more? CAS is open throughout the year for you to get individual consultation. Bring your CV to mwwt with our Careers Officers and register for a session at http://careers.hsmc.edu.hk/student-info/career-advisory-session-online-booking simply.

For job application submitted to CPD, suitable candidates would be nominated to the employers based on the job requirements. In view of the large number of applications received, only the short-listed applicants will be notified.

Please also understand that screening process takes time. Be patient and stay alert for any notifications from the CPD or the employer by phone or email.

As a responsible candidate from HSU, you should notify the employer and also the CPD with the reasons as soon as possible if you are not able to attend any particular job interview. In some cases, employer may be able to arrange a make-up interview for you. You may try to suggest sincerely and politely. Under any circumstances, failure to show up for a job interview without prior notification is definitely unprofessional and detrimental to other’s impression on you.

If you will be away from Hong Kong for a period of time which would probably crash with the interview, you should state in your application or notify the CPD (or the employer if you apply directly) in advance.

You should notify the CPD via email at careers@hsu.edu.hk with the reason of withdrawal, employer, company name and position name as soon as possible.

Attaining a placement opportunity

You are required to come to the CPD to sign “Placement Offer Notice” in person before your placement begins. Students who would like to take the placement as credit-bearing internship shall be aware that failing to sign the Placement Offer Notice before the placement begins may lead to delay of internship endorsement. Your working hours accumulated before signing the Placement Offer Notice may not be recognized. You should notify the CPD once you have accepted a placement offer to make sure the timely arrangement.

Yes. The rationale behind signing the Placement Offer Notice is to certify that the placement offer arranged through the CPD is covered by the group insurance under the College. On the other hand, you are reminded to behave properly in accordance to the terms stipulated in the Placement Offer Notice as you carry the name of HSU in the placement.

The arrangement varies among different academic programmes. For BBA, BBA(MGT), BBA(CG) and BTB students, your placement information would be passed to your respective academic programme for endorsement after you have signed the Placement Offer Notice. For BJC, SCM and MSIM students, you would need to separately submit an “Approval Form” to the Internship Coordinator of your academic programme after you have signed the Placement Offer Notice.

Your academic programme will inform you the result. Should you have not received any notification for a time period, you are encouraged to contact the office of your academic programme.

Placement may not necessarily constitute an employment relationship by law. It depends on the employer’s arrangement. If no employment contract is available, you should check with your employer to confirm the placement period, working hours, allowance and relevant terms and conditions when you accept the offer.

The College has in place a Group Personal Accident Insurance Policy covering students participating in college-endorsed student activities, including placement taking place within or outside Hong Kong. Students may arrange for themselves additional personal, medical and/or travel insurance at own cost if deemed necessary.

The Group Personal Accident Insurance Policy covers all student activities including placement (internship) as long as they are endorsed by the College. For self-searched internship, the arrangement is done via respective academic programme. Other part-time jobs or temporary jobs taken on your own without endorsement from academic programmes or the CPD would not be covered by the College’s insurance policy.

It depends on the employers’ arrangement. Some placement organizations may establish employer-employee relationship with the student interns, and therefore MPF would be applicable if you are employed for a continuous period of 60 days or more. For details, please refer to the Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme Authority.

The Minimum Wage Ordinance was enacted on 1 May 2011, with exceptions in the Ordinance for students serving as “Student Intern” or taking the job as a “Work Experience Students”. For details, please refer to the notes for student employees and employers published by Labour Department, HKSAR.

If you are employed with remunerations below the minimum wage, your employer may ask you/ the College for a Confirmation of ‘Student Interns’ or ‘Work Experience Students’ status. You may download the application form (click the file under the Useful Information) and hand in the completed form with supporting document to SAO counter (M603) in preson or by email at careers@hsu.edu.hk. CPD will process in 3 working days and notify you via email.

The evaluation form is available for download at eCampus under your academic programme/module. Students shall invite your supervisor sincerely to fill in the form 1-2 weeks before the end of your placement period and hand in to your academic programme.

For placement channeled through the CPD, students shall also submit a copy of completed evaluation form to the CPD for retention. Besides, students are encouraged to keep a copy of your own as reference.

Withdrawal from an accepted offer or during the placement period is not acceptable unless you have a justified reason. Students should bear in mind that a lot of resources were put by both the employers and the College on the placement arrangement. Your withdrawal would not only pose much inconvenience to employers, but also likely brings detrimental impact on the image of yourself and the College.

Withdrawal from an accepted offer or during the placement period may result in a penalty. Make sure to contact the CPD before you inform the employer your decision to quit or suspend the placement.

If you have already applied the placement for module requirement, you should also discuss with your programme office as soon as possible.

We are happy for you as you should have been doing great in your placement. Students are advised to pay attention to the following:

  • Revision of employment contract (if any),
  • Inform the CPD (or respective programmes for self-searched internship) to extend the insurance coverage,
  • Accommodation arrangement (for internship outside Hong Kong) and possibly the extra expenses incurred.

You are reminded to inform your parents as well as the CPD and your academic programme about the arrangement.

We understand that sometimes students do face difficulties during their placement and the CPD is willing to assist as far as possible. If you encounter any problem or need advice during your placement, please call us on (852) 3963 5560 or drop by our office at M603.

Prepared by CPD, HSU
Updated in June 2017