Joey Xu, Manager - Financial Services, joined Robert Walters Hong Kong in late 2020. She brought with herself great expertise and rich experience of 10 years in executive search and recruitment. We asked her to share with us her journey so far and what are those things that motivate her and drive her to lead a high performing team.

Getting into Robert Walters

Towards the end of my 10-year tenure at a boutique executive search company, I had begun to wonder what’s next that I wanted to do. It had become quite comfortable, looking at the way my career was progressing but at the same time, I wanted to do something different and wanted to challenge myself.

When the prospect of joining Robert Walters came by, I declined the offer initially. I had never visualized myself working in a large corporate and was apprehensive of how I would grow in a large organization. I then had a chance to speak to the Regional Director and realized that this role would not only give me the autonomy and empowerment to manage my own team but also grow the business as well. This made me feel that my contributions were integral to the growth strategy of the financial services discipline. I immediately felt a sense of assurance and said yes.

Professional Development & Career Purpose

I joined Robert Walters as a Principal consultant and moved on to become Manager responsible for the Private Banking desk after one year. The one thing that got me excited was the opportunity and responsibility for running the business unit and managing a team just the way I was assured right in the beginning. I had a chance to pave my own career path ahead and also help each member of my team feel the same sense of career purpose while focusing on the business at the same time.

High performing teams

I can confidently say that I am proud to work at Robert Walters. Not only do I have very supportive seniors but even my team is vibrant and full of ideas and outspoken. It’s our company culture that permeates through each function & team making it collaborative. We believe that having a high performing team is often a result of a few steps taken in the right direction:

• A place for everyone

For me, establishing a conducive culture is very important. We have a team of 4 members, and we all come from different backgrounds, levels of experience and I think that’s the beauty of it. There’s a place for everyone here. You could be a non-recruiter, a fresh graduate or an experienced professional and there will be a career journey here for you. The most fruitful and exciting thing we do as a recruiter is meeting new people. It is something that energizes us and helps foster relationships.

• Collaborative Spirit

Being a part of a high performing team, we believe in collaboration. We work closely and interact across functions to cover the length & breadth of our expertise and offer the best services to our clients and candidates. For us to function this way, we strongly believe in the Robert Walters value of teamwork which enables us to continue being a high performing team. I believe that if one focuses only on their own growth and work in a silo, one can only go so far, but to run the marathon, you need your team.

• Recognition & appreciation

I have been lucky to have my seniors encourage me throughout my learning curve. I took a little longer to pass my probation, but never felt any sense of pressure. In fact, I was supported and was made to feel secure that I am progressing fine. This feeling of being appreciated makes one feel that they are heading in the right direction and makes them want to push further towards their goals to succeed together as a part of a high performing team.

• Feeling valued & fostering future leaders

As a team manager, another thing that keeps me motivated is the leadership themselves. The management promotes for autonomy to define my work, structure my team and work together in expanding the business unit. It’s from the leaders themselves from whom I have learnt the art of managing a high performing team. The way they empower me and motivate me to grow, we motivate the team similarly to keep them going, be successful at their work and feel proud of the success they bring in for not only themselves but for the team at large.