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Coming to Morgan McKinley wasn’t part of the plan.

 At all. But what can I say? Life surprises you when you least expect it. My experience at Morgan McKinley has been very rewarding and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my summer break. 

I was accepting the fact that I was not going to be productive this summer when Morgan McKinley called me. At that time, I had little to no background knowledge in recruitment consultancy. I talked my way through the interviews by explaining my passion in Human Resources Management as well as how I find it interesting to talk with complete strangers. The next thing I knew, I was officially invited to work in the office as an intern in the HR department. 

The first week was busy, the good busy. The consultants in our team taught me on the basic knowledge of recruitment as well as some fundamental industrial categorisations. It wasn’t easy for someone with no HR background, but my passion in the industry has driven me to do a lot of research myself in and out of office about the HR and recruitment industry. The first week was also a lot of observing; you have other consultants around you making candidate calls, discussing certain roles, describing candidates to one another; there is certainly a lot going on in the office. Speaking of the office, I like how it is set up as an open plan office instead of individual rooms: you get to see how everyone is doing, when everyone is focusing on their work, and it's a better atmosphere to get motivated. I believe there is a psychological study behind this but whatever that is, it is certainly working. I got to sit right next to my manager and ask him for advice whenever I was uncertain or confused. Besides the administrative work, I was invited to sit in candidate meetings conducted by different consultants. It was intriguing to see how they speak with their candidates with different approaches while achieving the same goal, which is to understand them thoroughly before presenting them to the clients. There is definitely a lot to absorb and digest, but I am grateful I have the opportunity to do so.

In later weeks, I was asked to assist my fellow teammates to find potential candidates for the roles they were working on for their clients. CV screening became my major duty; I learnt to read a person from his resume, and analyse one’s capability from his past experience. It is definitely a time-consuming process but nothing beats the satisfaction when you find someone who might be a good match. I was also allowed to make calls to candidates and explain to them the roles we were offering. Learning to grasp one’s eagerness and interest in a role from merely their voice is another skill that I have been learning from all the calls I made. 

What I love about recruitment consultancy is that you are able to work while constantly learn and absorb new knowledge. With every task you are involved in, you get to research the company’s background and its industry in order to provide your candidates with a realistic perspective. The variety and flexibility of the job nature allowed me to work out my own work schedule. It is funny and compelling to see how every consultant achieves the same goal at different pace, in different paths. 

Lastly, I wanted to talk about the company culture at Morgan McKinley Hong Kong. Everyone here is so friendly and helpful in many ways. In an industry where it could be very profit-oriented and results-driven, the culture of the company allows employees to work in a competitive yet healthy environment. I am very fortunate to be a part of the Morgan McKinley family and I can’t wait to further explore my inner potential in recruitment in my near future. 

Edmond Leung | HR Recruitment Intern