Q:Would employers in Hong Kong consider employing senior merchandisers from mainland China to work in Hong Kong?

A:HK employers tend to transfer Senior Merchandisers to PRC to train up the PRC merchandisers because HK employees have a wider vision, international exposure and know-how in this area. In addition, with most of the suppliers and vendors' manufacturing plants are located in PRC, employers may also think that it will be more efficient for them to hire HK people who are ready to station in PRC rather than getting a Mainlander to work in HK and then asking him/her to travel back to PRC on a frequent basis.

Only for very specific reasons that it is worth in getting a Senior Merchandiser from Mainland to work in HK, otherwise, asking them to station in their hometown seems to be a wiser choice.

Q:I am a university graduate studying B. Art in Sydney and majoring in business law. My academic result is below average with no working experience. Will I be able to get into merchandising field with a salary of around HK$11K?

A:In fact, merchandising industry is pretty flexible (in terms of related qualifications) towards the selection of junior/entry level merchandising staff. Apart from garment merchandising field in which some employers may prefer to get graduates from textile or related faculty; it does not make any big difference if you are a Law student or a Marketing student when applying for a non-garment merchandising entry post though.

For the starting salary, I will say, for fresh U-graduates with no experience like you, the benchmark is around HK$9K. HK$11K will be for those with at least 1 year working experience.

Q:In merchandising industry, can job seekers change jobs from one field to another? For example, can a fashion merchandiser change the job to be a footwear merchandiser?

A:Well, this is surely a very logical and good question to ask about, especially if you are thinking of taking merchandising as your long-term career.

It very much depends on WHEN you ask this question. For instance, if you have started off as a footwear merchandiser and wanted to change to the garment field after 2 years, then you can have a higher chance to do so BUT you have to be prepared that you may need to start from the Assistant role once again. However, if you have been in the same area for over 5 years and that you are not preparing to lower your salary or to take up a relatively more junior post, then, it will be difficult to change to a new field.

Basically, garment, electronics and footwear are unique areas in the merchandising industry, so it is wiser to stick with the field that you have selected and build up your professionalism from there because employers do count on the relevant technical experiences and the connections that you have built up with various vendors in your own expertise. The longer period of time that you have stayed in one specific field, the more difficult it will be to change to another field.

However, there are still some areas that are comparatively easier to be "interchanged". For example, sundries, hard tools, DIY products, festive items, X'mas items, gardening and camping products, inflatable products, etc.

Q:What are the career developments of merchandising industry?

A:If you find that you have the qualities that I have mentioned in the other question, and prepare to take more business trips when moving up to a more senior position, then the career development in the field is promising. It will take around 3 to 5 years to promote from an Assistant Merchandiser to a Merchandiser and another 3 years to become a Senior Merchandiser. Those who have technical qualifications can also think of moving from a Merchandiser to a Quality Controller or Sales staff when walking along the career path.

Q:What are the personal qualities employers look for when recruiting merchandising staff?

A:There are several areas that the employers will look into. For example, for garment merchandisers, it will be an advantage if the candidate has a related qualification (such as fashion design, textile, etc). For electronics merchandisers, those with related qualification (Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, etc.) will be favorable.

Generally speaking, good language skills (English and Mandarin), readiness to travel to PRC and any other designated countries on a frequent basis, readiness to work on long working hours, good interpersonal & communication skills and an independent personality are all preliminary criteria that the employers will consider.

On the other hand, a high quality merchandiser should have a high degree of integrity and honesty. A stable working history is also a very important quality that the employers will consider much when selecting a merchandiser, especially when they are recruiting someone with over 5 years of experience in this field.

- Maggie Tso, Operations Manager, Staff Service (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd.