December 26, 2008

Mary Yu pitches hard to the recruiter sitting in front of her. “I’ve got experience in risk management,” she explains, naming the bank where she works and watching anxiously as the recruiter scribbles on her résumé.

Ms. Yu, 43, breathes a sigh of relief when the recruiter places her résumé in the review pile — she might be called back for another round of interviews.

Ms. Yu was just one of hundreds of jobseekers who attended a recruiting event in the ballroom of the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel in Flushing, Queens, where some of China’s largest financial institutions have traveled to recruit talent from abroad. The recruiters are picking from the ranks of financial sector employees who fear what the future might bring. “I flew all the way from Charlotte, N.C., for this event.