What it does: building and construction, hotel and real estate management, and property development.
Best known for: Sun Hung Kai Properties was known in 2012 as the most valuable property company in Asia and the second-most valuable in the world.
Staff stats: More than 37,000 employees.
The good bits: Top interns will be prioritised for SHKP Management Trainee selection. Trainees can become assistant managers or senior professionals after three years of working for SHKP.
The not so good bits: Career advancement can be a long wait for SHKP graduates. Assistant managers, for instance, need to wait three years to assume the higher role of business managers).
Kwok Tak Seng, Fung King Hey and Lee Shau Kee founded Sun Hung Kai Enterprises Co Ltd in 1963. The company later became SHKP, that was eventually listed and incorporated in Hong Kong by 1972. SHKP has become one of the biggest property developers in the region. As of 2019, the company’s footprint in Hong Kong spans 25.8 million square feet of development projects and 33.1 million square feet of completed properties.
SHKP values punctuality as evidenced by the strict policy on tardiness, but the company also knows the importance of a healthy work-life balance. At least 50 company-sponsored activities happen every year. These include cooking, gardening, swimming, tai chi and yoga classes. Some employees, however, believe that the company is too hierarchical.
The company’s size also implies tough internal competition, aside from waiting for several years to advance in a higher position. Competitive salaries and benefits still motivate employees to perform well even with long working hours during certain times of the year.
The company’s biggest competitors include Hang Lung Group, Henderson Land Development, Hongkong Land, New World Development and Swire Properties.
SHKP focuses on its ‘Building Homes with Heart’ motto for property development. The principle complements corporate social responsibility programs comprising academic initiatives, charitable donations, health and sustainability.
Graduates and students need to be patient when applying for a job at SHKP. The recruitment process can take months for internship and management training programs. Patience and hard work remain necessary even after the company recruits them. Promotions normally happen after several months, which can be demotivating for top performers. New employees should also prepare themselves for long work hours particularly during the company’s peak season of sales.
SHKP normally begins to accept applications for summer internships from mid-December. Interviews take place between February and March. Selected candidates can expect an offer by April. Applicants should prepare for at least two rounds of interviews where they will need to answer behavioural and CV-based questions.
The company may take more than three months to process candidates for management trainee positions. Applicants will need to pass an aptitude test before receiving invitations for phone and in-person interviews. Shortlisted candidates may need to attend a half-day assessment, including group activities, presentations, panel interviews and written exams.
Interns at SHKP earn between HKD8,000 and HKD9,000 per month on average. The average monthly salary of management trainees ranges from HKD25,000 and HKD27,000. Some employees say that they receive 12 days of annual leave, a 1.5-month bonus, discounts for company real estate projects and free lunch. New employees should avoid being late for work because SHKP imposes salary cuts for tardiness.
Students in their final year of studies in civil or structural engineering can join SHKP as graduate engineers. Recent graduates in these fields can apply for the same role. Graduate engineers must be fluent in Chinese and English. The company trains them to complete professional certification such as the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers’ Scheme A training qualification.
Summer interns for SHKP work in different roles: corporate communications, data analytics, economic and property research, industrial leasing, non-property portfolio businesses, office leasing, residential leasing, retail leasing, retail marketing and customer relations, SHKP Club Marketing and shopping mall promotions. Top interns in every job function will have the chance to be recruited into the SHKP Management Trainee (MT) Program.
MTs stay with SHKP for three years to gain an in-depth understanding of the company’s property and non-property businesses. They are shaped to become future leaders in their chosen career path. MTs can become assistant managers or senior professionals in their fourth year with SHKP. They can be promoted as business managers and senior managers/general managers in their seventh year and eleventh year, respectively. The company may further promote individuals as business/functional directors in their 13th year of service.
There are plenty of learning and development opportunities at the company. The SHKP Quality Academy focuses on construction, management, personal development and property management topics for relevant staff. Every employee can develop their careers through structured programs from general staff foundation to executive development.