On 22 February 2014, the Alumni Association of the School of Journalism and Communication organized a career talk for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and invited 5 speakers from the fields of public relations, advertising, TV production, new media and broadcasting news. The speakers included the Publisher and Chief Curator of “Bastille Post” Mr. Lo Wing Hung, Founder and Chairman of Strategic Public Relations Group Mr. Richard Tsang Lap Ki, Vice-president of now TV News Ms. Annie Cheng Lai King, Producer of “Hong Kong Connection” in RTHK Ms Bao Choy Yuk Ling, and Founder and Director of Secret Tour Hong Kong Mr Stephen Chung. The speakers advised the students that no matter which industries they were interested in, they should first do some research and understand the industries’ situation and trend before getting into it.
Having served in the news industry for over 20 years, Mr. Lo Wing Hung said “This is the WORST but also the BEST industry.” He said it was undeniable that it was getting difficult for traditional media to survive, and it was inevitable for media workers to bear heavy workloads and low salary. On the other hand, the news industry was flexible and fast-changing that provided valuable opportunities to diligent and passionate youngsters to succeed.
Experienced public relations professionals Mr. Richard Tsang Lap Ki reminded the students that there were various types of PR agencies, some were specialized in IT, and some served the finance sector. It was suggested that students should be very clear whether the company they apply for matched their needs and interests.
“Even you are not going to develop a life-long career in the news industry, it’s still worth trying to be a journalist.”The Vice-President of nowTV news Ms Cheng Lai King said, “The media industry can bring you to important people and significant events which are usually not accessible to ordinary citizens. It will definitely broaden your horizon, and train your critical thinking and ability to adapt to new environment.”
Ms Bao Choy Yuk Ling, the Producer for “Hong Kong Connection” in RTHK, encouraged students who were interested in TV production to start their career in large-scale and well established TV stations so that they could acquire basic skills and thorough understanding about the workflow of TV programme production.
Mr. Stephen Chung, the Founder and Director of Secret Tour Hong Kong pointed out that most of the advertising firms would not post any recruitment advertisement. Students were advised to take initiatives to approach the employers. He also shared his own experience in finding his first job, “I sent a chair to some 4As advertising firms and left a note saying ‘It is not that difficult to create a seat (position), isn’t it?’. That’s how I got recruited as a copywriter. ”
