What it does: A Philippine-based pawnshop and non-banking financial company offering services such as pawn-brokering, insurance, collections and bills payment.
Best known for: Its team brand ambassadors including some of the Philippines’ most popular celebrities (eg Sarah Geronimo, Coco Martin, Alden Richards). Cebuana Lhuillier (Cebuana) holds the Philippines' largest network of pawnshops with over 2,500 branches nationwide. In 2000, Cebuana was recognised by the Guinness World Records as the largest chain of pawnshops in the world. Seven years later and it became the largest lending network in the country.
The good bits: Numerous fringe benefits (the company is big on performance incentives) and comprehensive training.
The not-so-good bits: Slow decision making and approval process, minimal career opportunities, and long hours that contribute to poor work-life balance.
Hiring grads with top marks in: Several roles are open to graduates from all fields, but more specialised roles require graduates of business-related courses including business administration or business management; statistics, mathematics or any quantitative degrees; information technology, computer science or related courses; marketing or communication-related courses; Courses with curriculums that include advertising, public speaking, public affairs, political science, or creative and technical writing.
In 1953, Henry Leon Lhuillier, an enterprising Frenchman, opened the first Cebuana branch in Cebu City under the trade name, Agencia Cebuana. Lhuillier's son, Philippe Jones Lhuillier, brought the business to Metro Manila by opening the first Cebuana branch in Pasay City. It was in 1987 that the name Cebuana Lhuillier was adopted and the company expanded further nationwide.
When Philippe Jones Lhuillier was appointed Philippine Ambassador to Italy in 1998, his son, Jean Henri Lhuillier, took control of the company and became its President and Chief Executive Officer. Philippe Jones’ heir expanded Cebuana's auxiliary services to include insurance, money changing, remit-to-account, collections service, remittance, bills payment, e-load, and corporate payout.
Today, Cebuana is the country's biggest pawnshop chain with around 1,700 branches around the Philippines and more than 80 international and domestic partner companies. The company is a member of the PJ Lhuillier Group of Companies, a multi-industry company that operates and owns businesses that dabble in financial services, hotel and restaurant management, sports management, real estate, retail, and information technology.
Cebuana's mission is to provide more access to financial solutions in the Philippines, while its vision is to be the best microfinance and business-to-business solutions partner with a heart.
The recruitment process varies from role to role, but graduates may expect the hiring procedure to begin with a series of tests including a behavioural test and a 3-part aptitude test in English, math, and logic. Exam passers will be allowed to move forward with a series of behavioural interviews with HR representatives and/or branch managers. The process may take around two weeks.
An industry-average basic pay with fringe benefits that may include health insurance, performance incentives, and free transportation allowance, among others.
The Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation is Cebuana's corporate social responsibility arm. Directed by Jean Henri Lhuillier, the non-profit organisation was incorporated in 2000 and conducts feeding programs, relief operations for calamity-stricken areas, and several medical missions.
Cebuana's educational advocacy is highlighted in the foundation's Alternative Learning System (ALS). In partnership with the Department of Education, ALS offers social, livelihood, spiritual, and academic education to former out-of-school youth and adults in both elementary and secondary levels.
Cebuana offers extensive training, attractive fringe benefits, and prestige -- most of which are attractive to fresh graduates looking for their first job. Once in, however, hopefuls may notice that several factors are rough around the edges: long hours and few career development opportunities may sway them to shorten their stay.