Hu’s career transition journey at Donington...

Hu Yao commenced his career transition journey with Donington in May of this year after his role as a Process Engineer at a large construction company was made redundant. I had the pleasure of discussing with Hu in detail his journey so far and his aspirations for the future.

Before migrating to Australia in August 2007, Hu was the Chief Engineer or the Chief Processor Engineer on many petroleum projects.
When Hu’s role was made redundant he initially felt saddened although he proclaimed that because of the clear communication within the company and his involvement with some major projects which had become dissolvent he understood the rationale behind the redundancy and the extent to which the financial crisis is impacting on many industry sectors including small and multinational corporations.

Hu stated that he has learnt many positive lessons though his transition process and that his Donington consultant Lisa Revell was very helpful in highlighting some of the major pitfalls and how to avoid them. “I think that the career transition process is very important for people who have just lost their job, I have found it to be very helpful and positive and I have learnt a lot of skills I did not have before” Says Hu . In facing the challenge of a new job search, Hu stated that he was nervous about the interview process but through his consultations with Lisa he became more confident as she as she provided him with techniques, practices scenarios and interview questions. Hu managed to secure a telephone interview with an organisation via is newly adapted CV, however unfortunately he was unsuccessful. Although Hu, in recognising that it is a competitive market says, ‘that is to be expected and it is important not to become disheartened’.
Hu has looked at his redundancy as an opportunity to further develop his fluency in the English language in order to assist him in getting back into the job market. “At the moment I think it will be another year before the economy picks up so right now I am concentrating on studying” he said. Hu was encouraged by his consultant to converse more with individuals to increase his confidence, and as a result Hu encouraged himself to speak to two ladies at a bus stop and he now attends their craft group as it allows him to practise his English.

Throughout our discussion it became evident that Hu’s aspiration for the future is to attain a job as a Site Process Engineer as Hu states “a Site Process Engineer would enable me to interact directly with those involved in the project/s. I enjoy working and seeing the progression of a project so ultimately I am working towards a role that would allow me to supervise construction, commissioning and production”.

We continue to support Hu and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

At Donington were all about sharing and if you have a career transition story we would like to hear it! To share your journey post a comment or contact us at admin.qld@donington.com.au