The government has increased retirement age from 58 to 60. But that’s for the civil servants. The private sector still has to keep 55 as its retirement age.
Like most of us, our Human Resources Minister, Datuk. Dr. S. Subramaniam feels the retirement age should be raised in private sector too.
He was quoted by The Star newspaper as saying that the current retirement age of 55 was set many years ago when the life expectancy of Malaysians was around 55.
“Now, it is around 75, so we can’t keep the retirement age at 55,” said Dr Subramaniam at a press conference after launching the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) national conference 2011.
Earlier in his speech, he said Malaysia was “lagging behind” in terms of its retirement age requirement compared with other countries in the region such as Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore.
He said representatives of employers, employees and the Government were currently in discussion to decide on a new retirement age for the private sector.
He added that the MEF had agreed in principle to the proposed rise in the retirement age, but had some reservations that needed to be addressed.
“The Private Sector Retirement Age Bill is currently being drafted. The Act will give us the power to stipulate the retirement age for the private sector,” said Dr Subramaniam.
He said that currently, the Em- ployment Act only stipulated the retirement age for the government sector.
“Now that the retirement age for government workers has been extended, people will expect the private sector to follow suit,” he said.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that the retirement age for the civil service would be raised from 58 to 60 years when announcing Budget 2012 last week.
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Selasa, 11 Oktober 2011
Kamis, 29 September 2011
Socso also covers outside working hours
Not many knows this, but Social Security Organisation (Socso) contributors are also covered outside working hours.
This is where they can apply for aid under the Mishap Pension Scheme (Skim Pencen Ilat) for accidents, mishaps or illnesses that occur outside working hours.
A recent report from The Star Newspaper quoted social worker Chong Sin Wooi, 36, as saying that that not many people were aware that Socso provided aid for such cases.
“The common perception is that claims can only be made for mishaps for work related injuries. So long as one is a Socso contributor for at least one-third of his career and is below the retirement age of 55, one is able to apply for such aid,” he said.
He said that this scheme included illnesses such as cancer, asthma, and heart attacks certified by doctors.
He added that Socso also provided aid for those undergoing kidney dialysis.
“Those undergoing dialysis treatment do so at least twice a week, with a charge of up to RM150 for each treatment. They can apply to have their treatments subsidised by Socso,” said Choong.
He said this at a workshop held at the Tanjung Bunga Community Development and Security Committee (JKKK) office that about 20 members took part in.
So, know your rights. Your contributions should not go to waste.
Job Tags:
Property Jobs | HR Jobs | R&D Jobs | Advertising Jobs | Sales Jobs
This is where they can apply for aid under the Mishap Pension Scheme (Skim Pencen Ilat) for accidents, mishaps or illnesses that occur outside working hours.
A recent report from The Star Newspaper quoted social worker Chong Sin Wooi, 36, as saying that that not many people were aware that Socso provided aid for such cases.
“The common perception is that claims can only be made for mishaps for work related injuries. So long as one is a Socso contributor for at least one-third of his career and is below the retirement age of 55, one is able to apply for such aid,” he said.
He said that this scheme included illnesses such as cancer, asthma, and heart attacks certified by doctors.
He added that Socso also provided aid for those undergoing kidney dialysis.
“Those undergoing dialysis treatment do so at least twice a week, with a charge of up to RM150 for each treatment. They can apply to have their treatments subsidised by Socso,” said Choong.
He said this at a workshop held at the Tanjung Bunga Community Development and Security Committee (JKKK) office that about 20 members took part in.
So, know your rights. Your contributions should not go to waste.
Job Tags:
Property Jobs | HR Jobs | R&D Jobs | Advertising Jobs | Sales Jobs
Selasa, 19 Juli 2011
Sales jobs in Malaysia: Listening skill
Have you ever been in a middle of an pitch or even in a conversation in that matter, when the person you are talking to just gets up and walks away? Or fiddles in the chair? Or even looks everywhere but at you? How does this make you feel? Most people feel hurt. The listener acts as though he or she is absolutely not interest in what the speaker has to say or already said. And yet, when it is their turn to talk, they expect, if not demand, attention especially when you are doing sales job in Malaysia.
Have you ever been in a heated conversation and realize that your partner has no idea what you have been saying? It could very well be the manner that you are delivering the argument or speech, or it may even be that your partner is a poor listener. Poor listening skills seem to be the majority and not the minority of fresh graduates. Since Malaysia, in particular those in the sales category is so used to being fast paced in all matters, we often forget how to slow down and just listen.
So how can one learn to be a good listener? Below are some common tips that can help poor listeners work wonders in all situations not only during interviews.
Learn to listen by using lots of eye contact:
Let the speaker know that you are interested in what is being said
Be slow to speak:
Sometimes, people speak to think out loud. Sometimes, all they really want is a shoulder to lean on and a willing ear to listen. By being slow to speak, you are allowing the speaker to work out or solve problems themselves. Also, one must think before he/she speaks
Keep the secret:
People trust you with information because they believe that you will not gossip and spread slander. Keep their trust by keeping things private; between the two of you
Be Attentive:
Learn to actively listen. Let the speaker know that you are actually listening, although you are not speaking, by saying things like, "yeah, hmmm, I know, that's true, okay, that makes sense," and so forth. This shows that you are in tune with what they are saying and also following what they are saying
Show Gratitude:
Let the speaker know that you feel honored that they were able to open up to you. If nothing personal was said, than let the speaker know that you had a great time listening and that you learned a lot. In a society that forgets to show gratitude, a simple use of kind words, can make someone's day a little brighter. Showing kindness and appreciation will also help you with the interviewer
Stay in Tune:
Do not simply disappear in the middle of any conversation because your mind wandered. Whether you actually get up and walk away or let your mind wander elsewhere, it is just being plain rude. If you find that your attention span is small, actively repeat what is being said to you as the speaker is speaking. That makes you one step ahead as someone doing sales job in Malaysia.
Job Tags:
Finance Jobs | HR Jobs | Manufacturing Jobs | Management Jobs
Have you ever been in a heated conversation and realize that your partner has no idea what you have been saying? It could very well be the manner that you are delivering the argument or speech, or it may even be that your partner is a poor listener. Poor listening skills seem to be the majority and not the minority of fresh graduates. Since Malaysia, in particular those in the sales category is so used to being fast paced in all matters, we often forget how to slow down and just listen.
So how can one learn to be a good listener? Below are some common tips that can help poor listeners work wonders in all situations not only during interviews.
Learn to listen by using lots of eye contact:
Let the speaker know that you are interested in what is being said
Be slow to speak:
Sometimes, people speak to think out loud. Sometimes, all they really want is a shoulder to lean on and a willing ear to listen. By being slow to speak, you are allowing the speaker to work out or solve problems themselves. Also, one must think before he/she speaks
Keep the secret:
People trust you with information because they believe that you will not gossip and spread slander. Keep their trust by keeping things private; between the two of you
Be Attentive:
Learn to actively listen. Let the speaker know that you are actually listening, although you are not speaking, by saying things like, "yeah, hmmm, I know, that's true, okay, that makes sense," and so forth. This shows that you are in tune with what they are saying and also following what they are saying
Show Gratitude:
Let the speaker know that you feel honored that they were able to open up to you. If nothing personal was said, than let the speaker know that you had a great time listening and that you learned a lot. In a society that forgets to show gratitude, a simple use of kind words, can make someone's day a little brighter. Showing kindness and appreciation will also help you with the interviewer
Stay in Tune:
Do not simply disappear in the middle of any conversation because your mind wandered. Whether you actually get up and walk away or let your mind wander elsewhere, it is just being plain rude. If you find that your attention span is small, actively repeat what is being said to you as the speaker is speaking. That makes you one step ahead as someone doing sales job in Malaysia.
Job Tags:
Finance Jobs | HR Jobs | Manufacturing Jobs | Management Jobs
Senin, 11 Juli 2011
Sales job and Psychology in Malaysia
Selling is not all about talking, persuading and garnering commitments. It goes beyond knocking the doors, getting appointments and convincing the potential customer till one runs out of saliva. This applies so, no matter where, whether it's sales job in Malaysia or elsewhere.
In the knowledge era, one should eradicate the nostalgic, but thoroughly reviled memory of door-to-door salesman whose qualification is that he's desperate for the job and can talk till the cow comes home.
Note that salesperson of the days of yore are referred to as "he". The job has become sophisticated and requires nuances of a chic personality that ladies are neck to neck in competition with the old school gentleman with feminine charm, female wit and womanly power of persuasion. Sales personnel doing the job in Malaysia are just that.
Sales job has come to a point where one needs more than a selling skill, or marketing ability to get the products or services paid for and used by clients. It's not surprising that the most successful have become a sort of a psychologist themselves.
"When you use psychological (techniques), you glide ever so smoothly over people's natural predispositions that it's practically effortless for you to generate sales," says Kevin Wilke Founder, NitroMarketing.com This spells the greatest difference between the ethical form of mind control used in marketing, versus its evil stepbrother – the kind involving covert behavior modification techniques especially so for such jobs in Malaysia.
Wilke said the latter concept of "mind control” probably conjures up intrusive devices reminiscent of the "Manchurian Candidate," that coerce or manipulate people to do things against their will, or even introduce electrical impulses that affect the cerebral cortex and produce robotic behavior in human beings. Needless to say, this is not the context of mind control that I am referring to – and neither is it the kind I would advocate nor promote in the field of sales.
Job Tags:
Finance Jobs | Human Resources Jobs | IT Jobs | Marketing Jobs |
Manufacturing Jobs | Sales Jobs
In the knowledge era, one should eradicate the nostalgic, but thoroughly reviled memory of door-to-door salesman whose qualification is that he's desperate for the job and can talk till the cow comes home.
Note that salesperson of the days of yore are referred to as "he". The job has become sophisticated and requires nuances of a chic personality that ladies are neck to neck in competition with the old school gentleman with feminine charm, female wit and womanly power of persuasion. Sales personnel doing the job in Malaysia are just that.
Sales job has come to a point where one needs more than a selling skill, or marketing ability to get the products or services paid for and used by clients. It's not surprising that the most successful have become a sort of a psychologist themselves.
"When you use psychological (techniques), you glide ever so smoothly over people's natural predispositions that it's practically effortless for you to generate sales," says Kevin Wilke Founder, NitroMarketing.com This spells the greatest difference between the ethical form of mind control used in marketing, versus its evil stepbrother – the kind involving covert behavior modification techniques especially so for such jobs in Malaysia.
Wilke said the latter concept of "mind control” probably conjures up intrusive devices reminiscent of the "Manchurian Candidate," that coerce or manipulate people to do things against their will, or even introduce electrical impulses that affect the cerebral cortex and produce robotic behavior in human beings. Needless to say, this is not the context of mind control that I am referring to – and neither is it the kind I would advocate nor promote in the field of sales.
Job Tags:
Finance Jobs | Human Resources Jobs | IT Jobs | Marketing Jobs |
Manufacturing Jobs | Sales Jobs
Rabu, 06 Juli 2011
Why sell to one when you can sell to thousands?
Pssssst... Want to know the secret to quick sales success? You make your time count.
Sure there are time management sheets, activity sheets, goal setting sessions and electronic tools that help you make your time count, but they are boring. These tools don't excite you to sell more. Who wants to spend their time filling out activity sheets? The more exciting way to make your time count is...
To STOP selling just one to one. If you meet 5 customers a day for 366 days, never take a break, turn all your hair white and then end up losing your hair, you will get to meet 1825 customers a year. And by the time you get to customer 1825, you'll be crawling your way to your meeting, your customer will be so aghast with this ragged bald man trying to sell them something they will run for their lives.
What if you can sell to thousands instead of one to one? Meet more than 1825 customers in one fell swoop and do it once a month. This is a surefire way to become a legend in your industry, increasing your sales to the stratosphere. In case you’re interested, here are some tips to use the stage to your advantage.
Firstly use structure. Nothing's worse than a person with a mic rambling off anything that comes to his mind. Definite turn off and if you're a turn off in front of thousands, you are better off staying at home. Using structure is easy, at the most basic level, even for a speech 2 minutes long or 2 hours long. Have an introduction, point 1, point 2, point 3 and a close. A 2 minute speech will have less stories than a 2 hour long speech but the structure must still be evident. If you want people to remember what you say, then the speech must be structured so it can be stored efficiently in their brain.
Secondly evoke emotion. To do this, you can do it two ways, you can be yourself or you can be a very talented actress. If you're not a talented actress, then learn to be transparent, learn to be yourself and learn to stop being prohibitive on stage. If you sound boring on stage, then I can assure you, everyone else on the floor will be 10 times more bored. To do this it's simple, tell stories, lots of stories. Remember the time you were a kid, listening intently to a story your uncle was telling you? Even though we are adults, we are still the same. Stories put us into another world, stories paint a picture for us, stories makes us feel and understand the characters in the story you're telling. So, learn to tell stories.
Thirdly use your body and vocals. Variety is the spice of life and the same can be said about variety on stage. When you'e animated and you're varied, your audience becomes glued to you. There's a truth to be said about effective speaking being an entertainer first and a speaker second. So try to never use the rostrum if you can help it, try to vary your voice and try to move your body and be expressive with it.
If you use these 3 tips, you are well on your way to speaking effectively and selling effectively to a large crowd and like a wise man once said "wife one enough, audience one not enough".
Sure there are time management sheets, activity sheets, goal setting sessions and electronic tools that help you make your time count, but they are boring. These tools don't excite you to sell more. Who wants to spend their time filling out activity sheets? The more exciting way to make your time count is...
To STOP selling just one to one. If you meet 5 customers a day for 366 days, never take a break, turn all your hair white and then end up losing your hair, you will get to meet 1825 customers a year. And by the time you get to customer 1825, you'll be crawling your way to your meeting, your customer will be so aghast with this ragged bald man trying to sell them something they will run for their lives.
What if you can sell to thousands instead of one to one? Meet more than 1825 customers in one fell swoop and do it once a month. This is a surefire way to become a legend in your industry, increasing your sales to the stratosphere. In case you’re interested, here are some tips to use the stage to your advantage.
Firstly use structure. Nothing's worse than a person with a mic rambling off anything that comes to his mind. Definite turn off and if you're a turn off in front of thousands, you are better off staying at home. Using structure is easy, at the most basic level, even for a speech 2 minutes long or 2 hours long. Have an introduction, point 1, point 2, point 3 and a close. A 2 minute speech will have less stories than a 2 hour long speech but the structure must still be evident. If you want people to remember what you say, then the speech must be structured so it can be stored efficiently in their brain.
Secondly evoke emotion. To do this, you can do it two ways, you can be yourself or you can be a very talented actress. If you're not a talented actress, then learn to be transparent, learn to be yourself and learn to stop being prohibitive on stage. If you sound boring on stage, then I can assure you, everyone else on the floor will be 10 times more bored. To do this it's simple, tell stories, lots of stories. Remember the time you were a kid, listening intently to a story your uncle was telling you? Even though we are adults, we are still the same. Stories put us into another world, stories paint a picture for us, stories makes us feel and understand the characters in the story you're telling. So, learn to tell stories.
Thirdly use your body and vocals. Variety is the spice of life and the same can be said about variety on stage. When you'e animated and you're varied, your audience becomes glued to you. There's a truth to be said about effective speaking being an entertainer first and a speaker second. So try to never use the rostrum if you can help it, try to vary your voice and try to move your body and be expressive with it.
If you use these 3 tips, you are well on your way to speaking effectively and selling effectively to a large crowd and like a wise man once said "wife one enough, audience one not enough".
Kamis, 14 April 2011
Top 5 reasons why you hate your job... and what to do about it
There are very few things in the world that is worse than being stuck, 9-5 in a job that you hate. Dragging yourself out of bed in the morning, going through a day filled with MSN and Facebook, going back tired, late, hungry, lonely. If this sounds familiar, maybe here's why: -
No.5: You're bored
The opposite of happiness is not sadness, they're just opposite sides of the same coin. The opposite of happiness is boredom. It's ok if you're bored 10% of the time, it happens in every kind of work, even the most exciting ones. It's not ok if you're bored 90% of the time, with boredom occasionally relieved with lunchtime or trips to the water cooler.
What can you do?
Ask to be challenged, volunteer to do what no one else wants to do, put yourself in a position where you can contribute. If this all sounds like too much work, look at reason no.3.
No.4: Your work violates your values
If you're an honest sales person and you know you're helping your company sell a lousy product, you will hate your job. If you're an accountant with integrity and you're working for a shady accounting firm who cooks up their books, you will hate your job. If you're a truthful engineer but your company asks you to cover up their illegal cost cutting measures on your latest construction project, you will hate your job.
What can you do?
If a company violates your core values, leave. There's nothing that you can do with this organization that will make you truly happy.
No.3: You feel like you're supposed to be doing something else in life
This is a long term sinking feeling. It's like being in quick sand, slowly sinking into this muddy hole without any idea how to get out and not having anyone who can help pull you out. Sure you can continue working on what you're doing right now, but you'll never achieve your best.
What can you do?
Start doing what you enjoy doing. If you don't know what it is you need to search for it. Volunteer for a cause, indulge in hobbies, talk to lots of people in other professions. Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot make money doing what you enjoy, there's always a way to monetize your passion, even stamp collecting has created millionaires.
No.2: You're not making a difference at work
One of our basic human needs is to make a difference to people around us, if we stop making a difference, we start thinking "what's the point of all this?" and then we start thinking "what am I even doing here?" then you realize that "I'm here to pay the bill", then you feel trapped in a high paying job that you hate.
What can you do?
Actively look for ways to make a difference inside and outside of work. Making a difference is not a passive event, people who make a real difference look for ways to do so, they drive through thick and thin, through rejection and idiots to triumph at the end of their efforts. You cannot steer a parked car, similarly, you cannot make a difference by just waiting.
No.1: You've got a boss from hell
If this is truly the boss from hell, and it's not just you in your entire company thinking that this is the boss from hell, then what are you still doing working for him?
What can you do?
Work for someone else. If your past 10 bosses are bosses from hell, then something's wrong with you. Break your patterns for choosing to work for bad bosses or grow your people skills.
Remember that you always have the power to take action to make your life better. A better career begins with hope, starts materializing with a plan and becomes a reality with action.
Hope, plan, and make it happen, it's the 3 ways you can do to begin to enjoy your work.
No.5: You're bored
The opposite of happiness is not sadness, they're just opposite sides of the same coin. The opposite of happiness is boredom. It's ok if you're bored 10% of the time, it happens in every kind of work, even the most exciting ones. It's not ok if you're bored 90% of the time, with boredom occasionally relieved with lunchtime or trips to the water cooler.
What can you do?
Ask to be challenged, volunteer to do what no one else wants to do, put yourself in a position where you can contribute. If this all sounds like too much work, look at reason no.3.
No.4: Your work violates your values
If you're an honest sales person and you know you're helping your company sell a lousy product, you will hate your job. If you're an accountant with integrity and you're working for a shady accounting firm who cooks up their books, you will hate your job. If you're a truthful engineer but your company asks you to cover up their illegal cost cutting measures on your latest construction project, you will hate your job.
What can you do?
If a company violates your core values, leave. There's nothing that you can do with this organization that will make you truly happy.
No.3: You feel like you're supposed to be doing something else in life
This is a long term sinking feeling. It's like being in quick sand, slowly sinking into this muddy hole without any idea how to get out and not having anyone who can help pull you out. Sure you can continue working on what you're doing right now, but you'll never achieve your best.
What can you do?
Start doing what you enjoy doing. If you don't know what it is you need to search for it. Volunteer for a cause, indulge in hobbies, talk to lots of people in other professions. Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot make money doing what you enjoy, there's always a way to monetize your passion, even stamp collecting has created millionaires.
No.2: You're not making a difference at work
One of our basic human needs is to make a difference to people around us, if we stop making a difference, we start thinking "what's the point of all this?" and then we start thinking "what am I even doing here?" then you realize that "I'm here to pay the bill", then you feel trapped in a high paying job that you hate.
What can you do?
Actively look for ways to make a difference inside and outside of work. Making a difference is not a passive event, people who make a real difference look for ways to do so, they drive through thick and thin, through rejection and idiots to triumph at the end of their efforts. You cannot steer a parked car, similarly, you cannot make a difference by just waiting.
No.1: You've got a boss from hell
If this is truly the boss from hell, and it's not just you in your entire company thinking that this is the boss from hell, then what are you still doing working for him?
What can you do?
Work for someone else. If your past 10 bosses are bosses from hell, then something's wrong with you. Break your patterns for choosing to work for bad bosses or grow your people skills.
Remember that you always have the power to take action to make your life better. A better career begins with hope, starts materializing with a plan and becomes a reality with action.
Hope, plan, and make it happen, it's the 3 ways you can do to begin to enjoy your work.
Rabu, 18 Agustus 2010
Finding Your Voice : Making Your Resume Work for You
The role of a resume has always been subjective. It depends on the owner. Some serves as an identity of the candidate, some serves as the credibility certificate and most, as the communication skills of job seekers finds new low, as the only source of information on the jobseekers.
What is a resume by the way? Originally spelled as résumé, Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as a summary of a set of accomplishments. Answer.com says it is “a brief account of one's professional or work experience and qualifications, often submitted with an employment application”.
It’s time to take another look as one thing is for certain, resume is not your business card to be stored away by employers for future reference, and a resume is your personal assistant that should work for you!
Indeed, it is a summary of you and your qualifications, a tool and a marketing brochure of you and your career. It is true and it is persuasive in its approach and not just a mere template.
Its purpose is simple: to get you an interview!
Your readers
Yes, you have a reader, whether or not you realise it. A writer craves recognition from his or her readers. A sports columnists throws his views and opinions that should intrigue and trigger response to sports enthusiasts, while a political journalist would comment on the current state of the nation to the amusement or the dismay of newspaper readers with a nose for armchair politics.
Likewise, a resume is basically a piece of literature, albeit non-fiction of yours, that should pique the interest of your readers.
Who are your resume readers then?
Well, there are actually two stages of readers. On the first stage occupies human resource (HR) executives and HR Managers. The second stage would see readers such as the hiring managers (big corporations), department heads followed by general managers, managing directors and chief executive officers.
In short, it’s no ordinary bunch of readers you have there…and it shows how much the content of your resume is worth.
Most writers write with readers in their mind. A typical reader would appreciate this and that content; expect this and that issue, can digest this and that conclusion. It is no different with your resume.
The difference here is you have two set of readers. Here the first stage readers (remember, the HR execs and managers) would do a skim-scan, meaning they have no time to delve into details, just quick to the point on whether or not to shortlist you. This is where brevity matters.
Readers Objectives
Their main objective is two:
1. To disqualify as many candidates as possible
2. To shortlist listing candidates
The first objective certainly sounds nasty, but someone has to do it and an ineffective resume, i.e. totally unreadable and messy resume, no matter how great the experience and qualification is, may not appeal to these eyes.
Once cleared, your resume moves on to the second stage where the decision makers reside. Here, they know that the first stage had shortlisted the best possible candidates and their job has become simpler. They simply have to look at the qualification and match experience with requirements and specific needs, and find Best Possible Fit.
So bear that in mind. Your readers come first when it comes to sitting down and drafting that darned resume of yours. It takes a lot of courage to be honest and honesty is what selling many writers out there and there are no reasons why you resume should be different.
What is a resume by the way? Originally spelled as résumé, Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as a summary of a set of accomplishments. Answer.com says it is “a brief account of one's professional or work experience and qualifications, often submitted with an employment application”.
It’s time to take another look as one thing is for certain, resume is not your business card to be stored away by employers for future reference, and a resume is your personal assistant that should work for you!
Indeed, it is a summary of you and your qualifications, a tool and a marketing brochure of you and your career. It is true and it is persuasive in its approach and not just a mere template.
Its purpose is simple: to get you an interview!
Your readers
Yes, you have a reader, whether or not you realise it. A writer craves recognition from his or her readers. A sports columnists throws his views and opinions that should intrigue and trigger response to sports enthusiasts, while a political journalist would comment on the current state of the nation to the amusement or the dismay of newspaper readers with a nose for armchair politics.
Likewise, a resume is basically a piece of literature, albeit non-fiction of yours, that should pique the interest of your readers.
Who are your resume readers then?
Well, there are actually two stages of readers. On the first stage occupies human resource (HR) executives and HR Managers. The second stage would see readers such as the hiring managers (big corporations), department heads followed by general managers, managing directors and chief executive officers.
In short, it’s no ordinary bunch of readers you have there…and it shows how much the content of your resume is worth.
Most writers write with readers in their mind. A typical reader would appreciate this and that content; expect this and that issue, can digest this and that conclusion. It is no different with your resume.
The difference here is you have two set of readers. Here the first stage readers (remember, the HR execs and managers) would do a skim-scan, meaning they have no time to delve into details, just quick to the point on whether or not to shortlist you. This is where brevity matters.
Readers Objectives
Their main objective is two:
1. To disqualify as many candidates as possible
2. To shortlist listing candidates
The first objective certainly sounds nasty, but someone has to do it and an ineffective resume, i.e. totally unreadable and messy resume, no matter how great the experience and qualification is, may not appeal to these eyes.
Once cleared, your resume moves on to the second stage where the decision makers reside. Here, they know that the first stage had shortlisted the best possible candidates and their job has become simpler. They simply have to look at the qualification and match experience with requirements and specific needs, and find Best Possible Fit.
So bear that in mind. Your readers come first when it comes to sitting down and drafting that darned resume of yours. It takes a lot of courage to be honest and honesty is what selling many writers out there and there are no reasons why you resume should be different.
Senin, 26 Juli 2010
Professional Grooming
Personal grooming nowadays, believe it or not, is associated more with pets than human beings. This is not helped by the TV series or documentaries showing helpless canines and felines undergoing makeover and transformed into well-groomed pet.
Like it or not, your first impression during the interview includes how good you look, no matter how well you perform. Now, here’s an opportunity where you can be equipped with soft skills that will give you the added advantage during interviews or even other social occasions.
You will gain a better understanding on the importance of good grooming, individual skin & hair types and how to care for them, basic personal make-up skills, professional conduct and etiquette in a social and business setting as well as its positive impact in both their personal and professional lives.
Event: Professional Grooming
Date: August 11th, 2010
Time: 10.00 am (registration at 9.30am)
Venue: Jobseekers’ Advocate Centre
29th Floor, Wisma UOA II (opposite KL Convention Centre),
21, Jalan Pinang
50450
Target audience: HR Personnel & Job Seekers.
Trainers: Zarina Zainal & Samantha Chin of Inspiring Individuals
Participants will learn
A) Projecting a Professional Image
Professional Image vs Personal Image
Grooming Standards: Projecting the Professional Image
Wardrobe Styling
Body Types – Vertical & Horizontal
Lines & Designs
Psychology of Colour
Personal Hygiene
Hair Care & Styles
B) Etiquette
First Impressions
Meetings & Greetings
Business Etiquette
Social Etiquette
Professional Behaviour
C) Deportment
Posture
Sitting
Walking
Contact: Bertrand Chua at 03 – 2176 0024 or email at suisoon@jobsdb.com.my
Senin, 05 Juli 2010
Cover Letter: Huh? What is That?
Coming back to our Resume Q&A series, another most frequently asked question was about Cover Letter. What is it? When do one write a cover letter? What do you put inside the cover letter? Dead rat?
Before that picture this if you will: back when there was no internet, no mobile phone (there was but usually they are used to wedge car tyres on a slope) and worst, no satellite TV channels and you are already squirming.
Well, here’s the worst part. Those applying for job has to write in. Yes, write physically. Use pen or a typewriter to write a prose which basically says that you are looking to fill certain vacancies you saw in a newspaper and persuading them to give you an interview where they grill you to concede that you are not the right person for the job. Okay, I am kidding, but that was the cover letter used for…and here’s even more troubling part, you have to post them in what is now known as snail-mail. Those days it was known as snail-on-chain-mail, because it was even slower and sometimes they never even get delivered.
Well, if you had enough of the above horror let me reiterate to you that cover letter have not existed and in fact, very much exists….a reminder especially for those who only apply job through job portal through ours. Let’s get to the questions
So, what is a cover letter in nutshell?
And introduction of yourself, and your intent in having an interview session. Here, you inform them who you are, which vacancy you are looking at filling, and what can you contribute to the organisation.
Contribute? Like Contribution Statement?
Precisely. Remember Contribution Statement from the previous Q&A? Use that here after introducing yourself, it will be a good prelude to the mail receiver before reading your resume.
In fact, some may even not read your resume because you have an impressive cover letter and an awesome Contribution Statement. But remember, you have to be true and persuasive, any smell of bull dung may motivate them to delete your mail. Unlike the old days of getting into rage, tearing your letters to pieces, balling them and aiming the wastebasket and missing it, all it takes these days is just one click and they would do it happily.
Do we really need to write a cover letter?
Not if you use the online recruitment services like JobsDB. Sure, we encourage you to use our search function, go through many job offerings and just click on your job of choice.
It also helps if you also write them a personalised cover letter, cite where you found the job posting (posted on JobsDB on [date]) and upload a resume tailor-made for that particular organisation.
Can you give samples of cover letter?
There are many online, but we encourage you to start from scratch. Here are few introduction paragraphs, just to give you an idea:
“I am writing to introduce myself to you as a student of
“ I am writing with reference to your advertisement in JobsDB.com for want of a Senior Accountant. I consider that my credentials and interests matches with your requirement and want to apply for the same.”
Or a simpler one like this:
“My name is Bob Tan and I am currently working in XYZ Bhd as a sales manager. I am writing in reference to your job vacancy posting in JobsDB.com for Sales Director position”.
For more info, you can write to me, rakeshkukmar@jobsdb.com.my.
Alternatively, you can come to our resume workshop. Details as follows:
Venue: Jobseekers’ Advocate Training Centre
Date: 14th August, 2010
Time: 10 am – 1pm
To register, write to Bertrand Chua at suisoon@jobsdb.com.my or call us at 03 – 2161 0000.
Selasa, 15 Juni 2010
How To Negotiate for A Better Salary
Graduates these days find salary negotiations to being a very difficult aspect and experience during an interview with a prospective employer. Indeed it is uncommon for one to want the job yet also at the same time need more money. To make things worse, having little or no experience being a fresh graduate does not help either during negotiations for a higher salary or improved package of benefits from a prospective employer. These graduates simply lack the ability to being more assertive towards the employer.
The remedy for this lies with the graduate itself in accepting that they may not get what they want. But this does not mean that they should simply give up and settle for less. Graduates need to get a clearer picture on what and how the negotiating process really functions. Aligning themselves to being more active will serve to make the graduate feel more in control and maybe even negotiate for more money in the process.
What are "Negotiations"?
Negotiation according to the oxford dictionary means to confer in order to reach an agreement. In simpler words, it’s when one meets and discusses a subject with another person or party, in order to reach a conclusive agreement. It is to be noted that the art of negotiation is based upon mutual agreement of issues, not confrontation. The end result should be a win-win situation for both parties.
Contrary to popular believe, negotiations do not start towards the end of the interviewing process, but instead begin when the graduate tells the company about themselves, their accomplishments and what they can do for the employer given a chance to work. Using active words in the interview to describe one’s accomplishments such as: I oversaw, I developed, I took charge of, I initiated, I followed up on, I actively contributed to, and I created, will only serve to the graduate’s advantage as it will increase the graduate’s "value" when the time comes to offer them a job. The ability to handle details whether minor or major, multiple projects or excellent time management and follow up skills will also contribute to increase the graduate’s value.
If already graduates have correct information or answers to the above questions, employers will most likely have some objections to request for more money. Some of the common objections are as follows:
The remedy for this lies with the graduate itself in accepting that they may not get what they want. But this does not mean that they should simply give up and settle for less. Graduates need to get a clearer picture on what and how the negotiating process really functions. Aligning themselves to being more active will serve to make the graduate feel more in control and maybe even negotiate for more money in the process.
What are "Negotiations"?
Negotiation according to the oxford dictionary means to confer in order to reach an agreement. In simpler words, it’s when one meets and discusses a subject with another person or party, in order to reach a conclusive agreement. It is to be noted that the art of negotiation is based upon mutual agreement of issues, not confrontation. The end result should be a win-win situation for both parties.
Contrary to popular believe, negotiations do not start towards the end of the interviewing process, but instead begin when the graduate tells the company about themselves, their accomplishments and what they can do for the employer given a chance to work. Using active words in the interview to describe one’s accomplishments such as: I oversaw, I developed, I took charge of, I initiated, I followed up on, I actively contributed to, and I created, will only serve to the graduate’s advantage as it will increase the graduate’s "value" when the time comes to offer them a job. The ability to handle details whether minor or major, multiple projects or excellent time management and follow up skills will also contribute to increase the graduate’s value.
To negotiate does not simply mean that the graduate asks for more money from the employer. Graduates need to ask themselves a few questions prior to discussing the issue of salary, in order to know if they have a chance to get more. The idea of a negotiation is basically to reach a common outcome. That is why, asking a few questions may be necessary to see if there might be a way to reach a similar outcome and or a compromise. Among the types of questions graduates need to ask themselves are:
- What would be the lowest salary that I would consider accepting?
- What the salary range is for the job in question?
- What makes myself worth a higher salary?
In order to get information on salary, graduates could approach people who work in that particular industry or at that very company, libraries, trade associations and trade publications or even at job hunting web sites found on the Internet such as JobsDB.com
If already graduates have correct information or answers to the above questions, employers will most likely have some objections to request for more money. Some of the common objections are as follows:
- That other employees in their company are not making more
- That the graduates do not have enough experience
- That their budget would not permit it
Kamis, 11 Februari 2010
4 Job interview “Don’ts” that you may have committed unknowingly.
Yes, you have had it up here with working people, lecturers, seniors, and some helpful blokes giving you advice on the "dos" and the" don'ts" of job interview. You are always ready, but you can slip.
Yes, there could be some serious no-nos you have commited without knowing. “But dude,” you may ask, “I am very aware of what I am doing and saying, how could I have done anything wrong”. Well, for a start zip up your pants.
See? You got panicky there, because you know you can commit mistake. We are not perfect. To err is human and all that you know. So, here let me share with you some of the things that you may have done in the past. Don’t do it again. Please.
So you equate your previous employer with Hitler or Stalin or even Hitler and Stalin combined with Miley Cyrus, a truly terrifying picture that is not going to help you at all with your prospective employer.
I understand if you view your previous employer with venom. Maybe they didn’t pay your last salary. Maybe they didn’t even contribute your Employers Provident Fund. Heck, they might even have taken away your “Hello Kitty” coffee mug.
But all this does not give you the license to spit venom about the previous boss during the job interview. Right?
Why not?
Because it makes you a schmuck, no different than your previous boss. Your, what-could-have-been, prospective employer will view you as a bitter, selfish person who will have no qualms to bitch about your interviewer to others if things go wrong.
Are you that kind of person? If no, why even want to uncoil yourself that when the interviewer ask you about the reasons for leaving previous place of employment. They don’t want to see you smacking the table, having seizure or steams out of your ears. Stay calm, and just say things like, you wanted to move on, or looking for better prospects. Old, clichéd reasons, but they still work.
2. Don’t show you are desperate for job.
Times are bad, you are broke and your pet cat know very well that you have switched to a cheaper brand cat food, and disgusted, it has hitched with your neighbour’s kitty. You desperately need a job and when the interview session takes place, you blurted out pleading to the interviewer you need the job badly to afford Whiskers again. Well, don’t be so blatant, will ya?
Why not?
Look, if you are just moving on you’d be cool about it and take your time switching job. But if you are desperate and you show, chances are you might be taken for a ride. You may not be getting the kind of paycheque your skills, expertise, talent and experience might deserve, with pet cat or not.
If you had issues with your previous employer, chances are you might head onto the same problems with your new one. Why? They hired you because you are cheap and therefore they can step on you. So, watch it, don’t go in teary eyed with dopey face. They will sign you in and ask the help to bring the chain and handcuff.
3. At the same time, don’t behave like they must hand you the job on gold plate.
Of some of the recent interviews that I have done with some employers, they (some off-record and I won’t say who) commented that many job seekers come in thinking that the job is theirs…and it should be offered on gold plate. They want all the perks, privileges and be driving a brand new Beemer in just few months time. Well, go ahead and walk in with that smug outlook of the outcome, and you will still be reloading your bus card for many more years to come.
Why not?
Dude, that denotes arrogance. If you indeed deserve a gold plate, you must have that credential. If you have none of them, then they won’t even offer the job on plastic plate. I mean, forget about the plate, you are not getting that job. So, I advised you to not to be desperate, but show some moderate amount of humility and modesty, especially if you do have those credentials then you will see. Then, the job is yours though you might have to buy your own gold plate.
4. Know what your potential new job is about.
Again, you’d be retorting, “Look Rakesh, I had enough of your preaching. I know what job I am about to do. Duh!”. Sure, you walk in for that mechanical engineering job, except you didn’t actually looked at the first word when they listed for the “Sanitary Engineer” job. No, sanitary does not mean “mental state”. Look it up, will you.
Many have walked into the interview sessions without matching the job title with the organisation. You must have read that you must always do your homework before attending interviews. Some responsibilities for the same job wary from one organisation to the other. And don’t blame your dog’s dietary habit if you haven’t done your homework.
Why not?
Err…you are not the right person for it? Hello?
Hope you find the above useful and hope you have good sense of humour to take the occasional ribbing there. Happy job hunting and watch our space for more stuff. There is a Career Expo coming up on 7th of May and if you register with us, you’d be entitled to lots of workshops and personal development trainings, and you might even get hypnotised. Now, close your eyes and says this “I am attending JobsDB Career Expo”. Repeat seventeen times.
I can be reached at rakeshkumar@jobsdb.com.my if you need help to dehypnotise yourself. Cheers.
Rakesh Kumar.
Editor, JobsDB
Senin, 01 Februari 2010
2 Random Job Interview Questions Tackled pt 1
First, I thought of picking just tough interview questions for this article, but I guess that would be subjective. You can probably give an easy answer to the question, “what will be the best contribution you can give to the company?”, unless you give answers like, “my entire EPF”. Other candidates may be stumped. They might go, “Contributions? I did it in church last week…” and trail off in total confusion.
So, I thought let’s pick up some random questions and deal with it.
1. Question: Tell me about yourself.
After all the intros about yourself in social networking areas like Facebook, blog, website, toilet (graffiti), and suddenly you are stumped not knowing how to answer this. Here’s the deal: they really want to know who you are before they put you next to a cubicle of an employee who probably doesn’t like coffee. If you are a coffee addict, they would most likely not hire you. Of course, why they hired a coffee hater in the first place could be baffling, but that’s the nature of human being you see. Especially the long suffering Human Resource (HR) managers.
What do they want to know?
Qualities that will fit into the organisation, that’s all. So, if in your Facebook you describe yourself as “Lollypop loving person striving for world peace by posting various famous quotes and not crediting it”, then chances are you have to talk more, especially your love for uncredited quotes.
What should be the best answer?
Hey, here’s a chance to brag about yourself, go ahead and boast what you can. But…but don’t be obnoxious. Your ability to clip your nose hair without a clipper will not interest the interviewer…especially so if you want to do a demo. Sure, there are fine human qualities you possess, like your cheery outlook of life and your friendliness or anything that makes you a swell addition to the organisation instead of another anti-social coffee hater.
So, chose and present yourself carefully. If you are a team player, say so. If not, then you have leadership quality and please if you want to reaffirm that skill don’t say you are a big fan of Star Wars, in particular Darth Vader.
Good answer:
“…People always said that I have leadership qualities and true enough I have led many wonderful projects during my student days...”
Worrying answer
“Well…I am a good boy…I help old people, especially my parents at the old folk’s home…”
Answer that will send you to the exit door.
“I read many leadership books that help build my character, including ‘Mein Kampf’”.
2. Question: How can you contribute to the company?
Sure, I kidded about it in the opening paragraph of this article, but look at it again, it says, “What…” HR managers don’t want you to contribute “things” to the company, so don’t offer your preserved grasshoppers collection. It’s what part of you that can best benefit the company, and we are not talking about your kidney either…unless it’s legal to sell one to private enterprises here.
What do they want to know?
Look. They are taking you in, paying you every month with the best ability, and putting you amongst the best they got and you better have something to offer to this team in terms of capability, skills and experience. Your experience in killing domestic lizards using lime paste (this writer excelled in it when he was a kid) can in no way contribute to the team, unless they are pest busters. Even then the method is questionable and your team member may not be comfortable with you alternating the use of lime paste to killing little reptiles and mixing it to chew betel leaf. I am digressing, but you get the picture. Do you? No? Moving on…
What should be the best answer?
Think carefully. What was the part your former employer, or your college lecturers, fellow students or seniors they praised the most? That you have keen eye for numbers? That you are a great critic? Note that great critic here means someone able to come up with constructive criticism, not an obnoxious whiner. Use these positive aspects of yourself and translate them into efforts you can put in to make the current team stronger.
In short, remember the question about yourself? Yeah, rework on it and say that these traits will definitely be your contribution to the company. Instead of fan of Darth Vader, say that you will be part of The Force and that The Force will always be with you. Of course, if you get strange stares from the HR managers when you say that, it’s time to switch your strategy.
Good answer
“…I can bring my experience as a moderator during many debates we had in college and my aptitude for discipline to help with the company’s mission…”
Worrying answer
“Why contribute when I can distribute? I love to rap, ha-ha.”
Answer that will send you to the exit door.
“…I know how to deal with people, especially with my hands…”
Happy job hunting. Keep an eye on our website, www.jobsdb.com.my and don’t forget to check out other articles, upcoming events, etc. While you were reading this, someone else would probably have snatched your dream job. Try again.
Rakesh Kumar
Email: rakeshkumar@jobsdb.com.my
Senin, 18 Januari 2010
7 Things about Resume Writing (that won’t get you the job).
1. The resume gets you the job.
Nope. It does not. It gets you the interview. That is if you are shortlisted. No use moaning that you have a fantastic resume yet you didn’t get the job, as you were not even invited for an interview. Take a look at the resume again. Is there any goof up? Have you added your contact details properly? There might be an “S” missing in your email address. Or that you have changed your phone number due to stalkers. Have you updated the dates? Have you accidentally cut and pasted a passage from romantic teen vampire fan-fiction? Clean it up and try again.
2. It’s cool to include your blog/website address
It’s great that you have a blogsite or website of your own. It may be about your pet subjects, like stamp collecting or your obsession with poodles. At the same time, think again. Is it going to help with your interview? There are high odds against the HR managers with affection for poodles, and even so they are trained to be unbiased, poodles or not. Or worse, you might be an amateur political analyst with vocabularies of a football hooligan. Forget about it, there is no better turn off than a very off-putting web/blogsites. You better remove them.
3. List all your hobbies/interest.
In addition to the above, think very carefully, how is it your love for collecting teddy bears going to get you that dream accounting job? Or would your penchant to party all night long over the weekend excite the HR managers to the point they hire you immediately as SAP consultant? If the interest corroborate with the job, like reading books if you applying the position of a journalist, or collecting technical manuals if you are a technician, it will be a great boost for your resume. Just make sure they are relevant manuals, not the one about making homemade bomb or something.
4. Fantastic design and great writing skills wins the interviewer.
Sure, if you are applying for the post of designer and writer respectfully. Even then, it’s the content that matters. Putting a cute picture of little pony on every corner at all pages is nice, but not if the HR has allergy to little ponies, even the pictures. He or she is only concerned with what you want to tell them, and tell them in simple manner as possible. Writing lines and lines of skilfully crafted prose would only drive them to either tear their respective hairs or your resume apart.
5. Completing Online resume form once is good enough.
You registered in online career portal like JobsDB, fill up the forms and click “done”. And you don’t go back for years and you end up thinking, “hey, I did upload my resume, filled up the online form, why the heck am I not getting any calls, or any mails”. Only the latest gets to the prospective employers eyes. If you last updated it back in 1999, chances are it is at the bottom pile rotting away to no one’s attention. Online resumes are sorted by computers first, so you have to be careful in what you are putting in there. You better take another look at that online resume of yours, especially if you are looking for IT technician position and you get mail saying that you have been called for an interview for nursing position.
6. Pix of you in cool pose is, err…cool.
No it is not. Just a usual passport sized picture would do. Ask the studio folks to give you a soft copy and insert it on the resume. We have seen some pictures which seemed to be more suited for matrimonial page than a job page. Go easy, willya? It’s okay if you don’t attach your pix if you think you have a face of a handsome horse. Who cares? It’s your experience, your skills, your education and your enthusiasm as an employee that matters…the HR manager can deal with your face later. You know what they say about don’t judge the book by the horse face.
7. There is a magic formula on resume writing.
Yes, it can be found in a spot marked with X in some strange island somewhere. Give yourself a break, there is no magic formula. Ultimately the magic is you, yourself and well, you. Resume guides online, workshops like the one conducted by JobsDB are merely helping hands. These help you to Find Your Voice. We don’t have a lab that makes magical formula that you sprinkle on your resume and voila! A Guaranteed For Job resume that works like love potion with HR managers. If you have what they want, and you have it there in the resume, you have greater chances of getting that job. If your resume is filled with words like “Abracadabra” or “The Force Says You Will Get Me The Job”, prepare for long, silent wait.
For more tips, guides, articles & announcements on career related stuff, check out www.jobsdb.com.my. Happy job hunting, and if you are not looking for one, wait for the head-hunters to look for you. The job head-hunters. What were you thinking?
Sabtu, 14 November 2009
Microsoft PowerPoint Tutorials, Tips and Tricks plus Presentation Skill
Although get other similar applications in the market, but Microsoft PowerPoint is still widely used, especially in corporate business. Business people use it as doing presentation slide, sell product, business plan, marketing concept and more.
Is better you know to use Microsoft PowerPoint; this will make you easier to get job. You even can create a creative and attractive presentation slide to selling yourself during the interview.
Microsoft PowerPoint is not difficult to learn and use. But how to create an effective presentation is another issue. Here get 5 useful Microsoft PowerPoint resources for your reference:
Microsoft PowerPoint Team Blog
An official blog from Microsoft. You can get latest tips, news and announcements from Microsoft.
The PowerPoint Blog
Clean and clear step by step tutorial blog.
PPT – Powerful Presentation Techniques
Useful information and resources about PowerPoint presentation skill.
PowerPoint Ninja
The PowerPoint Ninja Blog covers practical PowerPoint topics, tips, and tricks.
Presentation Zen
Talk all about related professional presentation design. Don’t miss this blog, the article will encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations.
Is better you know to use Microsoft PowerPoint; this will make you easier to get job. You even can create a creative and attractive presentation slide to selling yourself during the interview.
Microsoft PowerPoint is not difficult to learn and use. But how to create an effective presentation is another issue. Here get 5 useful Microsoft PowerPoint resources for your reference:
Microsoft PowerPoint Team Blog
An official blog from Microsoft. You can get latest tips, news and announcements from Microsoft.
The PowerPoint Blog
Clean and clear step by step tutorial blog.
PPT – Powerful Presentation Techniques
Useful information and resources about PowerPoint presentation skill.
PowerPoint Ninja
The PowerPoint Ninja Blog covers practical PowerPoint topics, tips, and tricks.
Presentation Zen
Talk all about related professional presentation design. Don’t miss this blog, the article will encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations.
Selasa, 06 Oktober 2009
Build your Persona and Your Ideal Image
Are able to stand out among the crowd and leave an indelible first impression on others? Are you worried about how others perceive you? Do you dress for the occasion? Do you feel awkward making new contacts? Would you like to start differentiating yourself from the rest to make others remember you?
In creating your personal branding, your appearance is one of your most powerful forms of communication and an effective strategic tool when used properly. It is not how you look but how you dress to look the part. Dressing in our culture and environment has often been synonymous with 'casual dressing' that most of us fail to dress appropriately for the occasion.
"It's not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference." - Bear Bryant
A Dressing and Business Etiquette Workshop:
Date : 24 October 2009, Saturday
Time : 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Price : S$28 (incl. 7% GST)
Venue : National Library Building, 100 Victoria Street Level 5, Possibility Room
Travel by Public Transport
Nearest to EW12 Bugis MRT Station
Location Map
Enquiries : For more information, please call Jassy or Herman at 6861 1000 or email us at marketinginfo@jobsdb.com.sg
Click to read more detail about A Dressing and Business Etiquette Workshop »
In creating your personal branding, your appearance is one of your most powerful forms of communication and an effective strategic tool when used properly. It is not how you look but how you dress to look the part. Dressing in our culture and environment has often been synonymous with 'casual dressing' that most of us fail to dress appropriately for the occasion.
"It's not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference." - Bear Bryant
A Dressing and Business Etiquette Workshop:
Date : 24 October 2009, Saturday
Time : 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Price : S$28 (incl. 7% GST)
Venue : National Library Building, 100 Victoria Street Level 5, Possibility Room
Travel by Public Transport
Nearest to EW12 Bugis MRT Station
Location Map
Enquiries : For more information, please call Jassy or Herman at 6861 1000 or email us at marketinginfo@jobsdb.com.sg
Click to read more detail about A Dressing and Business Etiquette Workshop »
Senin, 28 September 2009
Not Another Rejection!
Job hunting is fast becoming a survival battle of the fittest-both physically and mentally. With the job market now akin to a battlefield, job seekers are a suffering lot, with some having their pride and dignity wounded and some limping with pain and anguish in their minds.
We should all face up to the facts of the market. Like a marathon race, job hunting not only consumes time but energy as well. And only those who have the most determination and endurance will cross that ultimate finishing line.
Not many candidates have the stamina to finish the race, with some dropping out along the way. However, those who have fallen out cannot afford to stay wrapped up in a safety blanket at home to escape the harsh reality of the job market. You may only be hurting yourself deeper when the interviewer questions the gap or the long holiday you took while you were nursing your wounds.
So, how can you toughen yourself to rise out of the rejection blues and get back into the race? Here are some valuable points to keep in your mental first aid kit:
Rejection is perfectly normal
Rejection is a part of daily life and everyone gets their fair share of rejection in every aspect of their lives every day. Therefore, job seekers need to understand that facing rejection while job hunting is normal. Rarely does a job seeker get hired through their first application. Think of job hunting as a learning process that aids you in your personal growth, because the more rejections you face, the more experience you gain, and the better you get at job hunting.
Being turned down for a job does not mean that you are a loser or that you are incompetent
While you may have gotten rejected at the end of the day, it does not mean that your qualifications are lacking because you weren't offered employment with the hiring company. Even highly experienced senior executives have been rejected for jobs. Often, hiring managers look at many other factors that may be out of your control while deciding on the right candidate.
Everyone goes through the same process as you did--even rejection
Understand that you are not that only one getting rejections for job applications. While you are out there flipping through the newspapers looking for a job, there are also others who may be doing the very same things at the same moment; the same people eyeing the job vacancy that you're interested in; the same people who get called up for the interview; but only one will eventually sign the letter of employment. And even the one who does may have gotten the job after ten rejections from other companies. Think about it.
Never give up
You may be just an application away from landing that job you wanted. So don't quit after just a few attempts, or even after a string of applications and interviews. Nothing good comes easy in life; you have to fight for what you really want.
Once you are standing up again after the rejection, analyze why you were rejected
For everything that happens, there must be a reason to it. Once you have gotten over the shock of rejection, sit down and start putting the entire jigsaw together. Did you not perform well enough during the interview? What could you have done to make it better? Or was it just the management's problem for not offering you the job? You may be qualified enough, but there may have been finer details of requirements that you did not know of. Try accepting the negative criticisms flung at you during interviews as constructive feedback.
Do not cut off all ties
Even if the hiring company did not pick you for the job, it doesn't mean that you should sever all connections to the company, or its personnel in charge of human resources. Instead, maintain a good relationship with them because it is not uncommon to be called up for another round of interview even if you were been rejected in the first round. You could even send them a thank-you note for taking the time to interview you. By doing that, you are selling a good impression of yourself; and perhaps the company may just contact you again should there be any job vacancy in the future.
When you've been called up for an interview, you've already been selected from a whole lot of others. So, learn to handle rejection and you will soon reach the finishing line of the race.
We should all face up to the facts of the market. Like a marathon race, job hunting not only consumes time but energy as well. And only those who have the most determination and endurance will cross that ultimate finishing line.
Not many candidates have the stamina to finish the race, with some dropping out along the way. However, those who have fallen out cannot afford to stay wrapped up in a safety blanket at home to escape the harsh reality of the job market. You may only be hurting yourself deeper when the interviewer questions the gap or the long holiday you took while you were nursing your wounds.
So, how can you toughen yourself to rise out of the rejection blues and get back into the race? Here are some valuable points to keep in your mental first aid kit:
Rejection is perfectly normal
Rejection is a part of daily life and everyone gets their fair share of rejection in every aspect of their lives every day. Therefore, job seekers need to understand that facing rejection while job hunting is normal. Rarely does a job seeker get hired through their first application. Think of job hunting as a learning process that aids you in your personal growth, because the more rejections you face, the more experience you gain, and the better you get at job hunting.
Being turned down for a job does not mean that you are a loser or that you are incompetent
While you may have gotten rejected at the end of the day, it does not mean that your qualifications are lacking because you weren't offered employment with the hiring company. Even highly experienced senior executives have been rejected for jobs. Often, hiring managers look at many other factors that may be out of your control while deciding on the right candidate.
Everyone goes through the same process as you did--even rejection
Understand that you are not that only one getting rejections for job applications. While you are out there flipping through the newspapers looking for a job, there are also others who may be doing the very same things at the same moment; the same people eyeing the job vacancy that you're interested in; the same people who get called up for the interview; but only one will eventually sign the letter of employment. And even the one who does may have gotten the job after ten rejections from other companies. Think about it.
Never give up
You may be just an application away from landing that job you wanted. So don't quit after just a few attempts, or even after a string of applications and interviews. Nothing good comes easy in life; you have to fight for what you really want.
Once you are standing up again after the rejection, analyze why you were rejected
For everything that happens, there must be a reason to it. Once you have gotten over the shock of rejection, sit down and start putting the entire jigsaw together. Did you not perform well enough during the interview? What could you have done to make it better? Or was it just the management's problem for not offering you the job? You may be qualified enough, but there may have been finer details of requirements that you did not know of. Try accepting the negative criticisms flung at you during interviews as constructive feedback.
Do not cut off all ties
Even if the hiring company did not pick you for the job, it doesn't mean that you should sever all connections to the company, or its personnel in charge of human resources. Instead, maintain a good relationship with them because it is not uncommon to be called up for another round of interview even if you were been rejected in the first round. You could even send them a thank-you note for taking the time to interview you. By doing that, you are selling a good impression of yourself; and perhaps the company may just contact you again should there be any job vacancy in the future.
When you've been called up for an interview, you've already been selected from a whole lot of others. So, learn to handle rejection and you will soon reach the finishing line of the race.
Kamis, 17 September 2009
Clean Resume
It is important to keep your job application free from typo or grammatical errors. You may ask what is the big deal anyway with keeping your resumé error-free?
By not bothering to keep your resumé "clean", you are telling the person who reads your resumé that you could not be bothered to make extra efforts to check your spelling and grammar, hence you would be seen as "not being interested enough" in your job application.
A faultless job application will give no reason for the prospective employer to mull over petty mistakes that could have been easily avoided by clicking on the spell-check button.
By dotting all your I's and crossing all your T's, the recruiter will be focused only on your cover letter and resumé, allowing your application to be given due consideration.
Always make sure that you get your addresses right.
Get the proper address, i.e. the title of the recipient in your cover letter. Find out who will be the recipient of your job application. If you only know that your application should be sent to the Senior Manager or the Human Resource Manager, go the extra mile and find out who that person is. Call the company up or surf their website for more information. Personal touches never fail to touch, literally.
However, never ever spell the title wrongly or worse, to misspell the name.
A Ms Elisa Jon will not be amused if you spell her name: Mr Eliza John. If you want to do things right, do it right the first time. Never think that it does not matter. All the small things will add up to a lot and a job application tattered with minor errors all over will be regarded as messy and disorganised, jeopardising your chances of getting the interview.
Get the mailing address right too. The last thing you want is for the application to be sent back to you. Even if your application gets to the recruiter, getting the address wrong or misspelling some words in the address underlines the fact that you are careless and could not even copy a simple address onto the envelop and your cover letter.
Also avoid simple grammatical mistakes. By writing `I are' instead of `I am' you are only exposing your poor command of English. Get your subject and verb agreement correct too. Relearn the basic grammar that you learnt way back in primary school and avoid the mistakes when writing your cover letter or resumé.
Remember, some extra efforts to ensure that your resumé is "clean" will not guarantee you the job but will help to increase your chances of being shortlisted.
By not bothering to keep your resumé "clean", you are telling the person who reads your resumé that you could not be bothered to make extra efforts to check your spelling and grammar, hence you would be seen as "not being interested enough" in your job application.
A faultless job application will give no reason for the prospective employer to mull over petty mistakes that could have been easily avoided by clicking on the spell-check button.
By dotting all your I's and crossing all your T's, the recruiter will be focused only on your cover letter and resumé, allowing your application to be given due consideration.
Always make sure that you get your addresses right.
Get the proper address, i.e. the title of the recipient in your cover letter. Find out who will be the recipient of your job application. If you only know that your application should be sent to the Senior Manager or the Human Resource Manager, go the extra mile and find out who that person is. Call the company up or surf their website for more information. Personal touches never fail to touch, literally.
However, never ever spell the title wrongly or worse, to misspell the name.
A Ms Elisa Jon will not be amused if you spell her name: Mr Eliza John. If you want to do things right, do it right the first time. Never think that it does not matter. All the small things will add up to a lot and a job application tattered with minor errors all over will be regarded as messy and disorganised, jeopardising your chances of getting the interview.
Get the mailing address right too. The last thing you want is for the application to be sent back to you. Even if your application gets to the recruiter, getting the address wrong or misspelling some words in the address underlines the fact that you are careless and could not even copy a simple address onto the envelop and your cover letter.
Also avoid simple grammatical mistakes. By writing `I are' instead of `I am' you are only exposing your poor command of English. Get your subject and verb agreement correct too. Relearn the basic grammar that you learnt way back in primary school and avoid the mistakes when writing your cover letter or resumé.
Remember, some extra efforts to ensure that your resumé is "clean" will not guarantee you the job but will help to increase your chances of being shortlisted.
Jumat, 11 September 2009
7 Tips and Resources for Using Social Media - to Make Your Resume Stand Out
Normally 1 job vacancy can attract a lot job seekers apply, the HR department or related Head of department may not have time 1 by 1 go through the entire resume. And using the traditional way to apply job and submit resume and cover letter, the problem is you need to wait for the reply. Wait and wait and wait.
So how to make your resume stand out from other is very important.
Best use the social media, it will added value for your resume. If you build your social media resume properly, you’ll have more job opportunities increases. People cross by your social media site, if they find you are suitable candidate, they will contact you directly. Not necessary must be job vacancy, it can be some freelance works too (can earn some extra income).
By the way, don’t make me wrong, I’m not meant the traditional way is not good. It will be good if combine with the social media; it will make your resume more stand out from crowd.
The Social Media Resume: Making Your Mark in a Web 2.0 World
Very clear explain what social media resume is.
Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job
For those who are not familiar with LinkedIn, this is good for you.
HOW TO: Build the Ultimate Social Media Resume
This useful article is written by Dan Schawbel. Dan Schawbel is the author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success.
10 Social Media Job Search Tips
Tips for finding a job using Twitter, Blogs, Facebook, YouTube and Search Engine Marketing.
Using Your Blog as a Job Search Tool
Tips for how to use blog to find job.
Social Media + Job Search = Good For You
Useful guideline for how to build social media resume.
Using Social Media Tools to Enhance Your Job Search Strategy
So how to make your resume stand out from other is very important.
Best use the social media, it will added value for your resume. If you build your social media resume properly, you’ll have more job opportunities increases. People cross by your social media site, if they find you are suitable candidate, they will contact you directly. Not necessary must be job vacancy, it can be some freelance works too (can earn some extra income).
By the way, don’t make me wrong, I’m not meant the traditional way is not good. It will be good if combine with the social media; it will make your resume more stand out from crowd.
The Social Media Resume: Making Your Mark in a Web 2.0 World
Very clear explain what social media resume is.
Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job
For those who are not familiar with LinkedIn, this is good for you.
HOW TO: Build the Ultimate Social Media Resume
This useful article is written by Dan Schawbel. Dan Schawbel is the author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success.
10 Social Media Job Search Tips
Tips for finding a job using Twitter, Blogs, Facebook, YouTube and Search Engine Marketing.
Using Your Blog as a Job Search Tool
Tips for how to use blog to find job.
Social Media + Job Search = Good For You
Useful guideline for how to build social media resume.
Using Social Media Tools to Enhance Your Job Search Strategy
Minggu, 06 September 2009
4 Strategies to Build Your Brand for Success
Why are people willing to spend thousands on Coach bags, Apple iPods, Motorola handphones, and other such "branded" goods? That is the power of branding. Branded goods are in demand, and people will pay a premium for them, because they carry with them a promise of consistently high quality and value – and keep that promise.
However, branding isn't just for products anymore. Cultivating your personal career brand – your reputation - can help to make you a more attractive and sought-after employee or job candidate. Explore some key tactics of building your own personal brand to achieve success in your chosen career.
Maximize your experience
Your experience and accomplishments form the basis of your brand. Start by taking some time to plan and focus on what you want your brand to be. Then review your past accomplishments and determine how they fit into your personal brand. Find out if there are areas where you need to improve, and take up new and challenging assignments at work – or consider freelancing and consulting - to gain the required experience. Students can pursue internships in related fields.
Fill in any knowledge gaps
Education is necessary for success in many careers. You may find that in order to get your brand to where you want it, you need more training or education. Although it may initially make demands on your time and money, education definitely pays off in the long run. Find out if your company provides any benefits that will at least partially pay for you to further your education. Also, seek out opportunities around your company to attend seminars and other career-enhancing training courses.
Become an expert in your field
Expertise lends credibility to your career brand. Write articles that showcase your knowledge and contribute to trade journals within your industry as well as the mass media. Volunteer to give presentations and speeches at meetings and conferences to make yourself a familiar face around your company and industry.
As more and more people are turning to the Internet to find information, maintaining a professional blog to publish your writings and presentations online is a good way to build credibiltiy that can extend offline as well.
Promote yourself
How have companies like Coca-Cola, McDonalds and Nike built world-class brands that rise above their many competitors? Advertising. You can have the most amazing brand, but if no one knows about it, you won't get very far. You are your own best promoter, so make the most of yourself.
The most important self-promotion item you have is your resume. Make sure your resume reflects your most current accomplishments, skills and education, as well as any awards and accolades that you've earned. Consider creating a Facebook or Myspace to post your resume, mission statement, and achievements online and create an Internet presence for yourself; don't overlook this valuable opportunity to reach a worldwide audience.
Word of mouth is one of the most important keys to building your personal brand. Maintain good contact with your network of friends, colleagues, clients, and former bosses, and keep them informed of your recent successes. Don't forget to seek out network-building opportunities as well - join professional associations and reputable online communities to expand your network of contacts.
Also, don't forget to promote yourself at work by being a star performer. However, never depend solely on your boss to keep track of your accomplishments. Make sure you keep your own records of your achievements and have the up-to-date list ready at every performance review. Also, look out for opportunities throughout the year to remind your boss - and his or her boss(es) - of your successes.
Conclusion
Once you have built your brand, make sure to keep working on strengthening it. As management guru Tom Peters states in his book The Brand You 50: Or: Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an "Employee" into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion!: “We are the CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc.” Everyone is a "Me, Inc." in the making, so you'll always need to stay ahead of the competition. The stronger you make your brand, the more success you'll gain in your current and future career.
However, branding isn't just for products anymore. Cultivating your personal career brand – your reputation - can help to make you a more attractive and sought-after employee or job candidate. Explore some key tactics of building your own personal brand to achieve success in your chosen career.
Maximize your experience
Your experience and accomplishments form the basis of your brand. Start by taking some time to plan and focus on what you want your brand to be. Then review your past accomplishments and determine how they fit into your personal brand. Find out if there are areas where you need to improve, and take up new and challenging assignments at work – or consider freelancing and consulting - to gain the required experience. Students can pursue internships in related fields.
Fill in any knowledge gaps
Education is necessary for success in many careers. You may find that in order to get your brand to where you want it, you need more training or education. Although it may initially make demands on your time and money, education definitely pays off in the long run. Find out if your company provides any benefits that will at least partially pay for you to further your education. Also, seek out opportunities around your company to attend seminars and other career-enhancing training courses.
Become an expert in your field
Expertise lends credibility to your career brand. Write articles that showcase your knowledge and contribute to trade journals within your industry as well as the mass media. Volunteer to give presentations and speeches at meetings and conferences to make yourself a familiar face around your company and industry.
As more and more people are turning to the Internet to find information, maintaining a professional blog to publish your writings and presentations online is a good way to build credibiltiy that can extend offline as well.
Promote yourself
How have companies like Coca-Cola, McDonalds and Nike built world-class brands that rise above their many competitors? Advertising. You can have the most amazing brand, but if no one knows about it, you won't get very far. You are your own best promoter, so make the most of yourself.
The most important self-promotion item you have is your resume. Make sure your resume reflects your most current accomplishments, skills and education, as well as any awards and accolades that you've earned. Consider creating a Facebook or Myspace to post your resume, mission statement, and achievements online and create an Internet presence for yourself; don't overlook this valuable opportunity to reach a worldwide audience.
Word of mouth is one of the most important keys to building your personal brand. Maintain good contact with your network of friends, colleagues, clients, and former bosses, and keep them informed of your recent successes. Don't forget to seek out network-building opportunities as well - join professional associations and reputable online communities to expand your network of contacts.
Also, don't forget to promote yourself at work by being a star performer. However, never depend solely on your boss to keep track of your accomplishments. Make sure you keep your own records of your achievements and have the up-to-date list ready at every performance review. Also, look out for opportunities throughout the year to remind your boss - and his or her boss(es) - of your successes.
Conclusion
Once you have built your brand, make sure to keep working on strengthening it. As management guru Tom Peters states in his book The Brand You 50: Or: Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an "Employee" into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion!: “We are the CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc.” Everyone is a "Me, Inc." in the making, so you'll always need to stay ahead of the competition. The stronger you make your brand, the more success you'll gain in your current and future career.
Kamis, 03 September 2009
Market Yourself at The Career Fair
Career fairs all have one common theme: it's a chance for companies to meet and screen a large volume of potential job candidates. Whether you're a fresh graduate new to the job-search process or a seasoned professional, you would want to strategically position yourself above many of the other job-seekers attending the fair. Keep in mind that career fairs are only just one small part of your entire job search process. However, if managed well, they can actually get you on route to your dream job. By following these strategies, you can improve your odds of not being screened out and should lead to increase your chances of obtaining a second interview. Here is some advice on how to maximize your time at the career fair.
5 Things to Take to the Career Fair
5 Things to Take to the Career Fair
- Copies of your resume (20 to 30 depending on the size of the event). Be sure it represents your knowledge, skills, and abilities effectively. Bring at least two for each company for which you have an interest in. If you have multiple interests or job objectives, make sure you bring enough of each version of your resume. You should also bring versions of your resumes that can be scanned.
- A smile, a strong handshake, and a positive attitude. First impressions are vital. Approach an employer, smile, and offer your hand when you introduce yourself.
- A 30-second promo line. Hand the recruiter a copy of your resume and be prepared to expand on it real quick! Share basic information about yourself and your career interests and it should go something like this: "Hello, I'm Shirley. I'm a senior here at Genius University and I'm majoring in English. I'm very interested in a marketing career. As you can see on my resume, I've just completed an internship in the Marketing Division of the DB Company in KL. I've also taken some courses in business marketing and I'm very interested to talk to you about marketing opportunities with your organization."
- Information about the participating organizations. Gather all necessary information about the company and the job you desire. To maximize the brief time you have with each employer, you need to know how your skills and interests match their needs. And don't just concentrate on the heavyweights. There are often great opportunities with companies which you are not familiar with.
- Energy and strategy! Career fairs require you to be on your feet moving from table to table for an hour or so. Each time you meet someone, be at your best, as refreshed as possible. You also need to devise a strategy or plan of attack for the fair. We suggest meeting with your top choices first thing in the morning, interviewing with your other choices in the middle of the day, and returning to your top choices at the end of the day to thank them again for their time.
- Don't cruise the booths with a group of friends. Interact with the recruiters on your own. Make your own positive impression!
- Don't carry your backpack, large purse, or other belongings with you. Carry your resume in a professional-looking folder or in a small briefcase. It will keep your resume neat and handy, and give you a place to file business cards of recruiters you meet.
- Don't under dress. Conservative business attire is essential. Know what the expected attire of your profession is and dress accordingly because a career fair is a professional activity--perhaps your first contact with a future employer.
- Don't wing it with employers. Do your homework! Research the companies just as you would for an interview. You'll be able to tell on why you want to work for the organization and what you can do for them.
- Don't turn up late, especially during the last half hour of the event. Some employers may have come a long distance to attend the fair and may need to leave early. If you come late, you may miss the organizations you wanted to contact!
- Business cards from the recruiters you have met. Use the cards to write follow-up notes to those organizations which interest you the most because career fairs are all about networking. You can also network with your fellow job-seekers in terms of sharing information about job leads.
- Notes about contacts you made. Take paper and pen with you to write down important details about particular organizations, including names of people who may not have business cards. Take a few minutes after you leave each table to jot down these notes.
- Information about organizations you have contacted. Most recruiters will have information for you to pick up, including company brochures, CDs, position descriptions, and other data. You won't have time to deal with these at the fair!
- A better sense of your career options. If you have used the event correctly, you will have made contact with several organizations that hire people with your skills and interests. In thinking about their needs and your background, evaluate whether each company might be a match for you.
- Self-confidence in interacting with employer representatives. A career fair should have given you ample opportunity to practice your interview skills in a less formidable environment rather than a formal interview.
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