Navigating lunch in Central can often lead to a delicious but heavy meal. If you're looking for lighter, more nutritious options that don't compromise on flavour or convenience, Hong Kong's bustling financial district has you covered. Here are seven great spots for a 'healthier' bite, perfect for a busy workday.

Applying for jobs in Hong Kong's competitive Financial Services world can feel like a constant puzzle. You perfect your CV, highlight your degrees and past roles, and hope it's enough. But have you noticed some companies starting to look for something a little different? Perhaps you've heard the term "skill-based hiring" floating around, or maybe it's completely new to you. It's an approach some forward-thinking firms are starting to explore when looking for talent – focusing less on traditional boxes and more on what you can actually do. For you, as a job seeker, understanding this trend could transform your job search, potentially opening doors you never thought possible , especially if you're looking to change careers or bring unique expertise from diverse backgrounds into areas like Accounting, Audit, Risk, Compliance, or Actuarial. So, what exactly is skill-based hiring, how can you spot if a company is using it, and most importantly, how can you make sure your unique abilities shine through in this evolving landscape? Let's dive into an honest look at this approach and how you can prepare, with practical tips and AI tools. What Exactly is Skill-Based Hiring (for You)? At its heart, skill-based hiring is when companies focus mostly on what you can actually do, your core abilities, and your potential to learn and grow. They pay less attention to just your university name or how many years you've spent in a very specific role. Think of it this way: companies are becoming more interested in how you apply your knowledge and experience to solve problems, rather than just seeing a list of qualifications. It’s about understanding if you can effectively: For Audit/Risk: identify complex fraud patterns or analyse financial risks within a portfolio. For Compliance: interpret new regulatory guidelines and design practical implementation frameworks. For Accounting/Actuarial: build robust financial models, interpret new IFRS standards, or perform complex actuarial valuations. Across all FS: communicate complex information clearly, lead a project, or solve a tricky problem under pressure. This approach often means: Understanding the Job by Skills: Companies break down a job into the specific skills (like critical analysis, data interpretation, stakeholder communication) needed for success. Testing What You Can Do: Interviews might include practical exercises or challenges to see your skills in action. Looking for Potential: They value your ability to learn quickly and adapt, even if your past experience isn't an exact match. The Opportunity & The Reality. Skill-based hiring offers exciting possibilities for job seekers, but it's also important to understand the full picture. The Potential opportunity for You : Wider Access to Roles: This is the big one. You might be considered for roles where your degree or specific previous job title wasn't an exact match, but your skills are highly relevant. This is a game-changer for career changers, professionals from different industries (e.g., data scientists from tech moving to Financial Risk), or those looking to pivot within FS (e.g., from Operations to Compliance). Fairer Evaluation: Your genuine abilities and potential can be seen more clearly, which can help reduce biases based on your background. Your demonstrable skills become your strongest advocate. Focus on Growth & Adaptability: Companies are keen to see if you can learn and adapt. This means your willingness to grow is a valuable skill in itself, crucial in a constantly evolving sector like FS. The Reality (What You Need to Know): It's Not Everywhere, yet: This approach is an emerging trend , but it's not the main way most companies in Hong Kong are hiring , especially for every role in Financial Services. Many still rely heavily on traditional methods. Key Rules Still Apply: For many FS jobs (e.g., licensed traders, qualified actuaries, senior compliance officers, audit partners), specific certifications, legal qualifications, or deep regulatory experience are must-haves . Skill-based hiring doesn't usually change these basic requirements. You Still Need to Stand Out: Even with a focus on skills, competition is high. You need to clearly show how your skills connect to the job and why they make you the right fit. Less Traditional Might Mean More Support Needed: If you get a job with a less traditional background, you might need more support or training at the start. It's good to think about if the company is ready to offer that. Is a Company Exploring Skill-Based Hiring? Clues to Look For. How can you tell if a company might be using a skill-based approach? Here are some simple clues: Job Descriptions (JDs): Look for words that focus on what you'll achieve, your abilities, problem-solving, learning quickly, or potential to grow , rather than just long lists of "years of experience" or very specific degrees (unless they are regulatory requirements). They might use phrases like "ability to..." or "proven experience in..." Specific to FS: A JD for an Audit role might emphasise "data analytics skills for identifying anomalies" rather than just "audited X number of clients." For Compliance, it could be "ability to translate complex regulations into actionable policy" rather than just "familiar with SFC guidelines." Application Process: If the job post or first steps ask you to do a short online test, a mini case study, or a practical challenge (like analysing a risk scenario for a Risk role, or drafting a response to a regulatory query for Compliance). Company Culture: Check their career page. Do they talk about helping staff move to different roles internally, offering training for new skills, or valuing people from different backgrounds? These are good signs. Showcasing Your True Abilities: Adapting Your CV for Skill-Focused Roles. You should always keep your main, traditional CV ready. It's still the most common way to apply for most jobs in Hong Kong's Financial Services sector. However, for roles where you might not have all the traditional boxes checked but you think you have the right skills (like changing careers, or moving into a new tech area), a skill-focused approach for your CV can be a powerful tool to truly represent your capabilities. How to Make Your CV Shine (Strategically & Honestly): Add a Strong "Skills" Section: Put this near the top. List your technical tools (e.g., specific accounting software, programming languages like Python for data analysis, GRC platforms), any industry rules you know (e.g., IFRS, Basel III), and key soft skills (like critical thinking, stakeholder communication, ethical judgment). Transform "Duties" into "Achievements & Skill Application": For every relevant role, move beyond just listing responsibilities. Show how you used your skills to achieve quantifiable results, specifically tailored to the skills mentioned in the job description. This isn't about simply copying words, but about translating your genuine experience into the language of the role. For an Auditor: Instead of : "Performed financial audits." Try : " Utilised advanced Excel and data visualisation tools to identify control deficiencies and analyse complex financial transactions, leading to 10% more efficient audit cycles . " For a Compliance Officer: Instead of : "Advised on regulations." Try : " Developed and delivered training on new AML regulations to 50+ staff members, ensuring firm-wide adherence and reducing potential compliance breaches. " For a Risk Analyst: Instead of : "Monitored market risk." Try : " Built Python-based scripts to automate daily market risk reporting, improving accuracy by 12% and providing real-time insights for traders." Highlight Projects & Other Experiences: Did you complete a significant personal project, volunteer work, or even an internal task that clearly demonstrates a relevant skill? Feature it! This is where you prove practical application, even if it's not from a formal job title. Your Toolkit - Manual & AI Assistance. Manual Approach: Deep Self-Reflection: Truly identify your strongest, most transferable skills. Thorough JD Analysis: Carefully read job descriptions to understand the specific skills and outcomes they are looking for, not just the usual requirements. Purposeful Customisation: Manually adjust your CV for each application. Focus on how your actual skills align with the role's needs, and use language that clearly shows this. Practice Your Stories: Think of detailed examples for each key skill you have. AI-Powered Assistance (as a helpful guide, not a replacement): CV Review: Use AI (Chat GPT, Gemini, Deep seek) to analyse your CV against a target job description. It can suggest ways to rephrase bullet points to highlight skills or identify areas where your language could be stronger to match the job's focus - DO NOT ask AI to rewrite your CV to match the JD. Behavioural Question Brainstorming: Prompt AI to generate common "tell me about a time when..." questions for specific skills (e.g., "collaboration skills in a compliance team"). You can then practice your STAR method answers. Skill Spotter: Ask AI to analyse a job description and list the key skills it thinks are most important. This helps you focus your CV and interview preparation - Again, DO NOT add AI generated skills to your CV, or prepare answers to interview questions, if you don't have the real transferable experience. IT WON'T GET YOU FAR. Excelling in Skill-Based Interviews. If you think a company is using a skill-based approach, your interview preparation needs to be smart. Get Ready for "Tell Me About a Time When..." Questions, these are called behavioural questions. They want to hear real stories about how you used skills like problem-solving, teamwork, or leadership. Practice using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to tell clear, impactful stories that showcase your abilities. For Audit: "Tell me about a time you had to challenge a senior manager's view based on your analytical findings." For Risk: "Describe a situation where you had to quickly assess a new market risk and recommend a mitigation strategy." Expect "What Would You Do If..." questions, these are Situational questions. This might come as a question, be part of a case study, or a hypothetical problem. Don't just give an answer; explain how you would think through the problem and what steps you would take. For Compliance: "You discover a new regulatory breach. Walk us through your immediate steps and who you would inform." For Actuarial: "How would you explain a complex actuarial model to a non-technical executive?" Be Ready for Practical Tests: For some roles, prepare for small coding challenges (e.g., Python for quantitative roles), data analysis tasks, or even short presentations on a specific topic. Practice these types of hands-on problems. Other areas you should consider; Show you can learn., t alk about times you learned a new skill quickly, adapted to a big change, or proactively sought new knowledge. This proves your potential to grow with the company. You should also ask smart questions, s how your curiosity and engagement with the skills required for the role and the team's challenges. Your Investment: Continuous Learning is Key. In today's fast-changing world, continuously learning new skills is always a smart move. Companies value people who show they can keep growing. Ways to Up-skill: Think about online courses, industry workshops, certifications (like CFA, FRM, specific software/coding certs for data/quant roles, or new regulatory certifications for Compliance/Risk), or even personal projects that build real skills. Show Your Drive: Highlight how you've actively learned new things, even if it's outside formal education. This demonstrates your "learning agility." The Path Ahead: Be Smart, Be Ready, Be You. Understanding skill-based hiring gives you a powerful extra layer in your job search strategy. It’s not about ditching your traditional CV entirely, but about knowing when and how to truly show off your capabilities to open up new and exciting paths in Financial Services. By taking a smart look at job openings and preparing strategically, you can make sure your skills are your biggest advantage.

Crafting job descriptions that genuinely attract relevant top talent can feel like a significant drain of time. But what if you, as a recruiter you could streamline the entire process, improving the quality of the description and the candidates applying, effortlessly? In this blog we'll provide you with an editable, copy-and-paste AI prompt and show you exactly how AI can transform your approach, making it faster and easier to engage high-quality applicants.

Looking to break free from the office (or home) for your next meeting in Central?

In-House Vs Consulting: What’s the Right Move for You? If you’ve worked in a professional services firm — whether in Audit, Risk, Tax, or broader advisory work — chances are you’ve considered going in-house at some point. For many, especially those who’ve qualified in the Big 4, the natural question after a few years is: “What’s next?” Having spent over a decade helping professionals transition across both sides — from consulting into industry, and sometimes back again — I’ve had hundreds of these conversations. There’s no single right answer, but there are consistent themes that come up when professionals weigh the trade-offs between the two worlds. Whether you’re still progressing through the ranks of a professional services firm or already testing the waters for an in-house move. This is a candid, experience-based look at the differences — not the clichés, but the realities I’ve seen play out in real careers. Big 4 & Professional Services Firms: High Standards, Diverse Exposure, & Navigating the System Working in a professional services firm — whether one of the Big 4 or a similar consultancy — gives you a foundation that’s hard to match. The expectations are high, the learning curve is steep, and the exposure to clients, industries, and senior stakeholders happens earlier than in most in-house roles. What draws people in — and keeps many there: High-calibre environment and strong brand equity These firms attract smart, driven professionals. You’re part of a high-performing peer group, working with complex businesses on real problems. The brand recognition opens doors, both internally and externally, and gives clients confidence in your work. Variety, pace, and intellectual challenge The range of client work — whether across sectors, business functions, or issue types — means you're rarely standing still. The work can feel repetitive in some areas (especially annual audits or recurring engagements), but the client personalities, internal politics, technical nuances and pressure points vary just enough to keep things engaging. You develop strong muscle memory for problem solving and communication under pressure. Structured progression and investment in development Promotions, pay bands, and learning paths are generally clear and well-communicated. Formal training, access to leadership, and mentoring are all part of the model. That said, internal mobility — such as moving from audit to advisory — often depends on factors outside your control: timing, staffing capacity, or how difficult you are to replace. It’s well known in the industry that Audit Partners are often hesitant to lose CPAs to other teams, as replacing an experienced auditor can be much harder than hiring for advisory roles. As a result, many professionals who want to shift focus find they need to leave their firm entirely to do so. Client exposure and executive interaction Even at Manager level, it’s not unusual to be sitting across from CFOs, CROs or business heads. You learn to communicate, influence, and manage expectations — skills that are essential for future leadership roles, wherever your career takes you. In-House Roles: Depth, Ownership, and Strategic Perspective Moving in-house — into a financial institution or a company you once advised — is about shifting from external influence to internal accountability. You become part of the fabric of the business, with a seat at the table for decisions that shape its direction. What people often value most: End-to-end ownership You're not just assessing or advising anymore — you’re responsible for making it work. Whether that’s a financial control, a risk framework, a compliance policy or a transformation initiative, you see the full cycle through: planning, execution, iteration, and business impact. Many professionals describe this as finally being able to “finish the job” they once only reviewed. Functional depth and commercial understanding Over time, you gain deeper knowledge of how your function integrates with the business. You learn how strategy is formed, how risk and finance influence decision-making, and how resources are prioritised. You see where the friction lies and how different teams — front office, ops, legal, finance, risk — come together in practice. It gives you context that consulting rarely offers, because you're inside the machine rather than observing it. Strategic involvement In-house roles can offer genuine influence over business direction, especially in mid-sized or growing firms. You may find yourself shaping product development, market entry strategies, internal controls, or regulatory approaches — particularly as you rise through the ranks. Work-life balance — but not guaranteed Many professionals move in-house expecting more predictable hours, and in many cases, that’s true. But it’s not universal. Larger or more innovative firms — especially those going through change — can demand just as much time and energy as consulting. Culture, leadership, and internal expectations often matter more than job description alone. So, Which Is Better? That depends on what you're looking for. Some professionals thrive in the dynamic, multi-client pace of consulting. Others crave deeper influence, stability, or the chance to own something long-term. Some eventually come full circle: spending time in-house before returning to consulting with sharper insight and greater empathy for their clients. Others build long, fulfilling careers on either side. Whatever you’re considering, the most important thing is to ask the right questions — of yourself and of the roles in front of you. Don’t get caught chasing a title, a brand, or a vague idea of “better work-life balance.” Every role has trade-offs. The key is to understand them upfront.

The Reality of Switching Big 4 Firms When people think about their next career move after joining a Big 4 firm, the most common path is out—not across. Most professionals use the Big 4 as a launchpad before moving into industry roles, in-house positions, or even outside the financial world. While many professionals take that route, switching between firms is a fairly common step for those looking for a change without leaving the Big 4 environment. As a recruiter who works closely with professionals and teams across the Big 4—particularly within Financial Services—I’ve had a front-row seat to these kinds of moves. So here’s a balanced, honest take on what it really looks like to switch from one Big 4 firm to another. Why Do People Consider Switching? The reasons vary, but here are some of the most common motivations: Promotion Opportunity – Sometimes people feel they’ve hit a ceiling in their current team and believe another firm might offer a faster path to manager, director or Partner. Culture or Team Fit – Not all Big 4 environments are the same. A team’s culture, leadership style, or even just personalities can have a big impact on your day-to-day life. Location or Visa Needs – A move might be driven by a desire (or need) to relocate, and another firm may be more supportive or flexible with international transfers or sponsorship. Frustration with Current Role or Manager – It’s not always about the firm itself, but the dynamics of the current team or reporting line that make someone look elsewhere. Client Exposure or Project Variety – Some candidates perceive another Big 4 firm as having more interesting clients or a broader range of projects in a specific sector. What Are the Potential Benefits? Switching firms can offer a valuable refresh: A Clean Slate – If you’ve been stuck doing the same kind of work or feel overlooked, a new environment can help reset perceptions and open new opportunities. Broader Experience – Each Big 4 firm has its own methodologies, client portfolios, and internal structures. Exposure to multiple can strengthen your CV and experience. Expanded Network – New firm, new relationships, new mentors—this can matter more than people realise. Promotion Leverage – Sometimes, moving firms can fast-track a promotion, especially if you’re already operating at the next level but blocked internally. What Should You Watch Out For? It’s not always the right choice, and expectations should be realistic: High Expectations from Day One – You’re not treated like a graduate hire. You’re expected to ramp up quickly, often without much handholding. Not That Different – The Big 4 are more alike than different in many ways. If you’re expecting a totally new lifestyle or culture, you might be disappointed. Culture Fit Is Still a Gamble – Even within the same service line, culture can vary between firms—or even between teams in the same office. Burnout Can Follow You – If you’re switching to escape long hours or high pressure, those challenges may exist at the next firm too. So, Is It Worth It? The honest answer: It depends. If your goal is to reposition yourself, break out of a box, or align with a team that better fits your personality and career goals, switching can absolutely make sense. But if you're hoping for a radically different experience or relief from the usual pressures of Big 4 life, a switch might not deliver what you're looking for. If You're Considering a Move… Here are a few thoughts before making the leap: Get Clear on Your "Why" – Is this a strategic move or an emotional one? What do you hope will be different? Do Your Research – Speak to people who’ve made the move. Ask real questions. Culture isn’t just a buzzword. Be Realistic – No job is perfect. Every firm has internal challenges, politics, and pressures. Think Long-Term – Will this move help you get where you want to be in 3–5 years? Final Thoughts Switching from one Big 4 firm to another isn’t a bad move—but it’s also not a magic fix. It’s one of many options, and for the right person, at the right time, it can be the right next step. Whatever you choose—whether it’s staying, switching, or stepping out of Big 4 altogether—the key is being intentional about your path.

Congratulations on your new role! As you embark on this journey, the first 30 days will play a crucial role in setting the tone for your success and growth within the organisation. This period offers a unique opportunity to make a lasting impression and establish a strong foundation for your career. Within the first 3 months (average probation period) you're on probation, you're still being assessed on your capabilities and fit for the role, team and company. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to make a powerful start in your new job.

The success of any hiring process in the financial services sector heavily relies on attracting top-notch talent, and an essential aspect of this is crafting a compelling job description. A poorly written job description can be a major turn-off for skilled professionals, leading to low applicant numbers or attracting the wrong candidates. In this blog, we will explore the common problem of writing a bad job description and provide practical solutions to help hiring managers create job postings that attract the best talent in the industry. 

In today's highly competitive job market, attracting top talent has become a challenge for Financial Service companies. As demand for skilled professionals in Accounting, Audit, Compliance and Risk outpaces supply, hiring managers must adopt innovative strategies to secure the best candidates for their organisations. In this blog, we'll explore the common problems faced by companies in this scenario and provide effective solutions to overcome these hurdles.