Employment Portfolio - Position of Premier Relationship Manager - Personal Statement Example

Employee Portfolio & Reflective Journal Part Covering Letter Hung Kwun Kit Kenneth 87 Irving road, Coventry, UK CV5 6AX 26th April Dear Sir/Madam: Application for Position of Premier Relationship Manager, HSBC Retail Banking and Wealth Management: 0003STY I am writing in response to your job advertisement for the position of Premier Relationship Manager posted on your website. I am very interested in the position and believe I possess the qualifications that the job requires. I have always been fascinated with HSBC and have tracked its development from the time I was exposed to the financial world. I am highly impressed with the services you offer to your vast and varied networks and the fact that you are a global leader in the banking and finance industry. The Retail Banking and Wealth Management, in particular, interests to me due to the innovative range of service packages you offer to your customers. Not only have you thought of the intricate details of how finances can be maximized to benefit customers and the wise investments they can make, but you have gone beyond that to delight your customers with high quality customer service. Customers of this bank are surely fortunate to be looked after by your efficient system wherever they go in the world. Entrusting their finances to HSBC is something they must be grateful for as the bank anticipates all their needs even before they are aware of it and provide the necessary services to address them. Knowing more about your company fuels my desire to be part of your team and the job position being advertised is one avenue towards that goal. I know that the Premier Relationship Manager is a position that nurtures and develops prime quality business relationships with the bank’s customers. It involves working with the customers in managing their wealth by investing in various financial and investment product solutions of the bank. It also promotes the bank’s services to address the customers’ needs such as availing of loans for further investments, insurance and retirement benefits. Apart from the knowledge and skills I have learned from my Accounting and Finance modules from the University of Warwick as well as the highly relevant work-related experiences I have gained in honing my leadership, human resources management, sales, promotion and organization skills, I believe I have the potential to perform to the highest quality the duties and responsibilities of the position aspired for. I am proud to say that I meet most of the qualifications you require for the position I am applying for considering that I am an Accounting and Finance student working hard to earn my degree in just a few more years. University training has developed in me the critical and analytical skills in the application of the knowledge I have gained as well as the team-working and interpersonal skills it entails to be successful in my future career. Ever since I was younger, I have always excelled at Math and Accounting, so this achievement has led me to pursue a degree related to my interests. I have managed to balance work and studies, believing the theoretical foundations gained from university are strengthened as I apply it to my work experiences. My summers from 2011 to 2013 were spent acquiring work experiences in the fields of Human Resources, Finance, Sales and Business Management in prestigious companies and organizations. Apart from the skills I have learned from my work experiences, I am adept at clerical, computer skills and communication. Considering that the job position shall be based in Hong Kong, where I am a native and am fluent in English, Cantonese and Putonghua languages, I am knowledgeable about the host culture and can adeptly carry out the duties assigned to me. I am confident that I am a candidate truly worth considering for the position. Should you need more information about me, I have attached my CV for your consideration. My contact details are likewise indicated there. I am available for an interview at any time, at your convenience. I am hoping for a favorable outcome on this matter and look forward to working with you soon. Yours faithfully, ________________________ Hung Kwun Kit Kenneth Telephone: +44 7778725777 / +852 95199978 Email: kennethhung102@hotmail.com Part 2: Application Form Application form 1 Personal details Surname: Hung Forename(s): Kwun Kit Kenneth Student ID: Course: Accounting and Finance Job role applied for: Premier Relationship Manager Company: Hong Kong-Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) 2 Career motivation 1. Please tell us about your decision to apply to work for our business and what you believe is the main difference between us and our competitors. My decision to apply in your company is due to the fact that I believe in the values you uphold. I was raised with the same values of being “dependable and doing the right thing; open to different ideas and cultures; and connected to customers, communities, regulators and each other” (HSBC Our Vision, Mission & Values, 2014). These positive values have guided your company in the formation of your business principles, all of which I have a strong affinity to and greatly desire to learn and master. Seeing the performance of your bank throughout the years, I have witnessed how you were faithful to your values and business principles, gaining you the highest positions of honour in the banking and finance industries. I strongly subscribe to your corporate social responsibility causes and projects knowing that you pay forward to others the success you have earned with your excellent performance and service. I want to belong to an organization with such strong convictions to be of service to mankind as well as become knowledgeable with the training and experiences I expect to derive from working in your company. Another reason why I decided to apply in your company is the fact that you are one of the distinguished leader in globalized banking. Serving over 54 million customers worldwide in 75 countries and territories (HSBC Homepage, 2014) is an outstanding achievement as it is, not to mention the innovative products and services you offer your clientele. The fact that the job position I am applying for will be based in Hong Kong, which is my native land, is an added bonus for me. Not only will it serve my own preferences but I know I can contribute more to the company because I am adept with the culture, the people and the language. 2. Please tell us about your reasons for applying for this job role and what relevant skills, experiences and attributes you have. I have always been good in Math and have earned straight A’s in the subject. As I finished my secondary school, I knew I wanted to pursue further studies in Accounting and Finance, as I wanted to be further immersed in the world of numbers and how it can be beneficial to people. I have prepared myself to join the corporate world, armed with the knowledge and skills gained from schooling and work experiences. I believe they match the qualifications you require for the position I am applying for. In my university courses, I have taken up the necessary modules in the subjects of Accounting, Economics, Finance, Management, etc., which equipped me with the skills I would need for the job. My short stints at work every summer since 2011 in various prestigious companies and organizations have gained for me knowledge and skills in business management, sales and promotion, wealth management and human resource management. I am very good at communication and am fluent in English, Cantonese and Putonghua languages and am very adept with clerical and computer skills. Personally, I am a fast learner and get along well with other people. I have good leadership potentials which I have honed from my past experiences as well as a cooperative team player. All these, I believe would put me at an advantage over other applicants for the position. 3 Key competencies 3. Please describe a time when you have delivered distinctive customer service. Please describe how you added value to the customer experience. In the summer of 2012, I interned as a part-time sales representative for a call center, taking in both inbound and outbound calls. My colleagues and I were trained in selling skills which helped us use promoting and consultative selling approaches. Because of my convincing communication skills, I was able to close sales left and right to the delight of my supervisor. However, what made an impact in me is the fact that I was able to deliver high quality customer service. Although my goal was to make a sale, I did not neglect the needs of the customers. I patiently explained answers to their questions about what I was selling. Sometimes, it took a lot of gaps, but I was encouraging enough for them to keep asking. I was willing to provide what they needed from me to the best of my ability, and they saw through my sincerity. I even got commendations on my customer service, and received compliments on how I made the customers feel at ease and not intimidated with my calls. I remember one time, an old lady I spoke with on the phone poured out to me her disappointments about her daughter who never called her. She said she was grateful to have someone to talk to because had the flu at that time and nobody bothered to visit her, moreso, take care of her. Sensing her need, I tried to cheer her up, even though I know it was against the company policy to deviate from the script. Still, I wanted to make her feel better and did not see her as a customer but as a person in need of care. In the end, I was able to close a deal with her just because she was impressed with how I dealt with the situation. I believe that customers should first be treated like people before customers who can bring business to a company. That, I believe, is the essence of quality customer service. 4. Please describe a time when youve taken responsibility for the delivery of a team activity/project. What actions did you take and what did you learn? I have had numerous opportunities to work with a group or team both in school and at work. Being a good team-player, I know I had to be cooperative and collaborative with my team mates. I put my best effort forward and encourage others to do the same, as we all share the goal of coming up with a relevant project that will benefit everyone, not to mention, positive feedback in the form of high marks or commendation from our supervisor. One time, my group in an Economics module was tasked to do a feasibility study for a home business. We surveyed each other’s inherent skills and interests and decided to use those in coming up with a good project. It was selling home-made cookies, as one of my group mates was known for her delicious cookies and cakes. Our group launched a baked goods home business to see its feasibility with college students. My task was marketing it using both traditional marketing strategies such as distribution of flyers, posters, sampling of products around campus, etc., as well as using online resources such as coming up with a Facebook account, emailing friends and acquaintances and creating blogs to advertise the cookies. Our other group mate was in charge of the finances, monitoring expenses and income. Our time frame was just two weeks, and the outcome was phenomenal! Not only did we earn much from the baked good business, but we learned so much from doing it. We learned how to tap the interest of the target market, come up with high quality products that would appeal to them, create an effective marketing plan and budget our limited finances. To top it all, we got an A! 4 Other interests 5. Please tell us about the extracurricular activities you are involved in, your interests and a key achievement from the last year. (e.g. sports, societies, charity or volunteer work). My interest and competency in Math have been put to good use this past year as I volunteered to tutor some children in a school situated near the university. It happened when my schedule allowed me lots of free time and a friend of mine asked me to help her out with some children having difficulty in Math. Since I wanted to be productive, I agreed and was assigned two Year 10 students to tutor basic Algebra that I see three times a week for half an hour each. I believe in the importance of education and am willing to extend help to anyone who needs it as long as I have the means, ability and time to do so. Another activity which kept me busy in the last few months was helping some people with their taxes. These included my aunts and uncles as well as two of their friends who had a small shop in organizing their financial books in preparation for tax season. Still another activity is helping out another friend, my groupmate in the Baked Goods project, in her small business. Since our feasibility study project was a huge success, she realized she can actually continue baking goods to sell because they were such a hit with the students in the campus, and orders kept coming in even after we terminated the project. I continue on as her marketing consultant, spreading the word about her fabulous cookies and cakes. I certify that the information given on this form is correct. Signed Date _______________________ ____________________________ Part 3: Reflective essay I have worked so hard all my life with the objective of optimizing my God-given talents and potentials. I have been fortunate enough to have been provided the opportunities and resources to do so, such as studying abroad, gaining work experiences and valuable knowledge from internships and trainings during my summer breaks and meeting all kinds of people. I know I have what it takes to pursue my dream of joining the professional ranks in a globalized corporate setting. Future Plans: Upon graduation from my degree of Accounting and Finance from the University of Warwick, I intend to embark on a career in Banking and Finance. Should I be fortunate enough to be taken on as an employee in one of the prestigious banks, I will fulfill all my duties and responsibilities and do my best as I climb the corporate ladder. In the following year, I shall take graduate studies for an International Banking and Finance course. It will be on a part-time basis since I will continue with my career in the bank. I would like to learn more about financial investments in different countries and update myself with the current trends in Wealth Management. As I gain more proficiency in the area of banking and finance and its corresponding effects on the economy, I can offer my services as a financial analyst to some prospective individual clients. My experience in helping out my aunts, uncles and their friends in their taxes has been fulfilling for me and I realized I wanted to continue helping people manage their finances in the future. I can help my clients invest in stocks, mutual funds, and the like to help ensure them of financial stability in the future. Steps Taken Towards The Achievement of Future Goals My career plans may be overwhelming for now, but I believe in foresight and advance planning. In order for me to achieve my future goals, I should already take the necessary steps as early as now. I am proud to say that I have been doing so for the past 4 years now since I took on summer jobs to enhance my work skills in various areas of corporate work. Having begun a tradition of productive working summers, I intend to keep searching for more opportunities similar to the work experiences I had. This past year, doing volunteer work for worthy causes may seem unrelated to my future goals, but I know that these have all served a purpose in furthering my knowledge and skills. Tutoring students trains me with leadership tasks. Being a mentor to the young may be a precedent to being a trainer of workers in my department in a future job position. Providing clear instruction so that they understand what they need to learn is a valuable skill of leaders. I know that in tutoring others, I learn as well, and I will take this learning seriously, for in the future, it will be useful for me. Helping others either in managing their taxes or their business also enhances my business and communication skills. In helping people with their taxes and providing guidance on how they should have spent or earned their money may forecast my dream of becoming a financial analyst someday. Helping people with their business exposes me to the various aspects of running it, from the conceptualization of products or services to sell, to the implementation, marketing and financing, etc. University life still dominates my learning as of now. My instructors at the university are all doing their part in helping me learn what I need to learn so I can apply it to my future career. The modules I have taken so far have exposed me to a world I have only envisioned in my dreams as an aspiring business expert. The modules have a good balance of theories and practice so my understanding of the lectures is applied to real life settings. The exercises we are given rehearse us for what we are to do once we commence our professional practice. Hence, I am making the most of my academic training. For now, I am filled with anticipation of what is yet to unfold in my future career. I study hard and maximize my learning with supplementary research and doing activities outside my studies that I know will build up my skills. I continue my volunteer work because in helping others, I also help myself as I gain knowledge, skills, and most of all the rewarding experience brought about by altruism. What I want to add in my repertoire of activities is to research on what I would want to really specialize in. I am interested in so many things, but I know, I would need to focus on something I can develop my expertise on. Action Plan: My short term goal is to finish my studies and be hired by a prestigious bank. In order to achieve that I commit to the following: Study hard and perform well in all my classes. Balance my studies with rest and relaxation Develop my network to include people active in the banking and finance world. Continue with my volunteer work. Research on what I can specialize in based on my skills and interests. Improve on my organizational, communication and time management skills. Begin researching on prospective companies I want to work for in the future. My long term goal is to be an accomplished professional in the field of banking and finance. To achieve that, I commit to the following: Pursue graduate studies while working in a corporate organization. Develop a network for prospective clients for financial management. Be a member of a professional organization. Continue attending conferences and trainings to be updated with the latest trends in the field. I know the secret to being a successful person is lifelong learning. I am happy to know that it is inherent in me. I am optimistic that with my hard work comes opportunities for me to develop my personal and professional skills so that I can be a strong contributor to the improvement of society. References HSBC (2014) Homepage, Retrieved from: http://www.hsbc.com/ HSBC (2014) Our Vision, Mission & Values, Retrieved from: https://www.hsbc.com.tr/eng/about_HSBC/our_vision_and_values/ HSBC (2014) Premiere Relationship Manager job opening. Retrieved from https://hsbc.taleo.net/careersection/external/jobdetail.ftl HSBC (2014) Retail Banking and Wealth Management. Retrieved from: http://www.hsbc.com/about-hsbc/structure-and-network/retail- banking?WT.ac=HGHQ_Hql4.1_On Read More