Target Employer List and Application Tracker

Targeting a few functions first, then tracking each application in one spreadsheet, makes a multi-city search easier to manage. This guide covers a practical employer list and tracker. It does not provide recruiting dates; check the platform’s job radar and each employer’s announcements for current openings and deadlines. See Batch 1, no. 15, for English CVs, and Batch 2, no. 18, for LinkedIn and networking.

Mainland students studying in Hong Kong may apply at the same time to employers in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and other mainland cities. Roles may span finance, technology, consumer goods and public bodies, while applications go through employer sites, university systems, LinkedIn and mainland campus-recruiting mini-programmes. Without a list and tracker, it is easy to apply twice for the same role, miss an assessment link’s expiry, double-book interviews or forget who referred you.

1. Set a direction before listing employers

1. Write down two or three target functions, no more than three. Examples include middle-office risk at a bank, corporate financial analysis, and product operations. Function matters more than employer because your CV, interview questions and required skills all depend on the work.
2. For each function, write one sentence answering “Why me?” Identify courses, internships or projects that connect directly to it. Put a function on a watchlist if you cannot make that connection yet; there is no need to apply immediately.
3. Check your eligibility. Graduates who want to work in Hong Kong commonly use IANG; see Batch 1, nos. 1 and 2, for visa rules. For roles in Shenzhen or elsewhere on the mainland, check each employer’s requirements for overseas-qualification verification and graduation dates on its campus-recruitment page.
4. Divide employers into three tiers:
   1. Reach: your most desired and most competitive roles.
   2. Match: roles whose requirements fit your background.
   3. Safer options: roles with relatively lower barriers that you would still accept.

Set the proportions yourself, but include all three tiers rather than putting every application into the reach tier.

1. Record the relevant division or team at each employer. Do not write only “a bank”. Front-, middle- and back-office teams, as well as technology departments at the same institution, may use different application channels and interview formats.

2. Where to get information

1. Check the employer’s campus-recruitment and FAQ pages for the process, application limits, whether a CV can be edited, and whether an assessment can be retaken. For example, China Merchants Bank’s campus-recruitment FAQ says that a submitted CV cannot be changed and that applications to different institutions are handled separately. Rules like these affect application order.
2. Use your university career centre’s job system and employer presentations. See no. 18 in this batch.
3. Check public industry sources. Listed-company annual reports, regulator registers of licensed people, and industry-association member lists can help you find smaller employers that do not appear on popular rankings.
4. Ask alumni and people in the industry for informational conversations. Ask what the role actually involves, rather than whether it is “easy to get into”.

3. Columns to include in the tracker

Use a spreadsheet with one row per role, not one row per employer. At a minimum, include:

1. Employer, division, role title and job reference number.
2. Location: Hong Kong, Shenzhen or another city.
3. Tier: reach, match or safer option.
4. Source: employer website, university system, referral, recruiter or careers fair.
5. Referrer’s name and contact details, if applicable, and anything you promised to do, such as letting them know after applying.
6. The file names of the CV and cover letter used. No. 2 explains how to tailor versions to different job descriptions; this column lets you retrieve the version you submitted before an interview.
7. Current status: not applied, applied, assessment, interview, awaiting result, offer, rejected or withdrawn.
8. Next action and date, such as “complete assessment”, “prepare for group interview” or “send follow-up email”. Use the date in the invitation, and write it down instead of relying on memory.
9. An account reminder showing which email address you registered with. Do not store passwords in the tracker.
10. Notes, such as interviewer names, questions asked and points the employer emphasised.

4. How to use it day to day

1. Check email and the application-status pages on a set schedule each day, then update the status. Mainland employers often ask applicants to monitor email and their status pages. Tencent’s campus announcement, for example, says that some written-test invitations are sent by email; Huawei’s FAQ says interview results can be checked under “Application Progress” on its site.
2. As soon as you receive an assessment or recorded-interview link, record its expiry date and highlight it in the tracker.
3. Review the distribution across the three tiers once a week. If all your reach applications are still pending while you have barely applied to match roles, adjust where you spend your time.
4. When an interview invitation arrives, check the tracker for conflicts before replying.
5. When a process ends, change its status but do not delete the row. You will need the record for a later review.

5. How to review your search

After each group of applications, or every two weeks, make a simple summary:

1. By source: how many applications went through employer sites, university systems, referrals and recruiters, and how many advanced.
2. By CV version: which version led to a higher interview rate.
3. By stage: whether applications most often stalled at the CV, assessment, first interview or final interview.
4. Choose an action based on the bottleneck:
   1. CV: return to no. 2 to check keywords and fit, or ask the career centre to review it.
   2. Assessment: see Batch 1, no. 10.
   3. First interview: practise your introduction and HR screen; see nos. 4 and 7 in this batch.
   4. Final interview: practise cases, presentations and questions; see nos. 5, 9 and 11 in this batch.

These are your own data. A small sample describes your experience only; it does not establish an industry-wide pattern.

6. Common mistakes

1. Listing employers by reputation without considering the function. The result is a CV that does not fit any particular role.
2. Applying for the same role through the employer site and two referrers. This may create duplicate records and put the referrers in an awkward position. Check the process before applying.
3. Failing to record the CV version, so the interviewer’s copy does not match the one you prepared from.
4. Putting passwords or identity-card numbers in a shared spreadsheet. Keep only the information you need.
5. Forgetting to withdraw. After accepting an offer, use the tracker to notify every employer whose process is still open. See no. 16 in this batch.

Sources

• China Merchants Bank Campus Recruitment FAQ, checked 20 October 2026.
• Tencent campus-recruitment homepage and announcements (some announcements republished by Shenzhen Local News), checked 20 October 2026.
• Huawei Recruitment FAQ, checked 20 October 2026.
• The remaining material is a general method note and does not contain official data.