jumpstart your career! august 2007, vol. 5

8/14/2019 JUMPSTART Your Career! August 2007, VOL. 5

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A Quarterly Publicationby PRePARE

August 2007, VOL. 5

What Employers Want

Ignite

He was the first non American to head the Student Body of the University of Bridgeport, USA - becausehe wanted to MAKE A DIFFERENCE

He then joined GE Inc as an intern and in the next 13 years, took up various roles and challenges includingturning around a company that was not making profit - because he wanted to LEARN and SUCCEED

He is now fondly known as the Godfather of the GE Financial Management Programme - because he wasPASSIONATE

All this because of his philosophy - NEVER STOP LEARNING

He is Roshan Thiran, the former Director, Finance Human Resource (Asia Pacific) of General Electric Incand is currently heading the Human Resource Department of Johnson & Johnson. During a recent inter-view with him, you can never fail to be inspired by his experiences and be amazed of how much you can

do if you believe you can make a difference. Here are his thoughts...

I think that by filling your life with challenges and

hardships shape the person you are and who you will

become. You will be tougher (when put in challengingsituations), more driven and passionate about what

you do.

Advice to graduating studentsThink about what you want to do and how to

achieve it. If you want to be successful, you mustfind out what are the skills and competencies you

require to achieve it.

NEVER GIVE UP if cant get a job in the first few

months. Attend as many job interviews as you canand get the experience. Learn from the mistakes

you made and improve yourself.

Find a ROLE MODEL whom you look up to and can

inspire you to succeed.

And finally, NEVER STOP LEARNING to keep growing.

Always strive to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the world.

What sort of fresh graduate impresses you?I look out for someone who exudes CONFIDENCE. I believe

it is with confidence that you built on communication and

other soft skills. No one will be impressed if you do not

show confidence and truly believe in what you say

Youve got to have ability to LEAD and SPEAK-UP

for what you believe in.

And more importantly, someone who is PASSION-

ATE and passion demonstrates itself when youcommunicate.

How can a fresh graduate get all these

traits?You must first fill your life with EXPERIENCES. Expe-

riences on things where people around say you are

incapable of doing but you did it and CHALLENGESwhere you did things that people thought were impos-

sible.

I believe one of the best ways is to get involved in

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES and TAKE ON ROLESwhere you can lead others or make a difference.


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Steer

Victor Chin Mou LoongSchool of Computer Technology (Computer Science), graduated 2005Currently working as Solutions Consultant - Sunway Business Applications. SMART

Initial thoughts of the Working WorldInitially, I thought that as long as I have great enthusiasm and passion for my work, and worked as hard as I could, anything is achiev-

able within a short period of time (i.e. promotion, high salary, etc.). But things are different when youre in the working world, and

although all those attributes mentioned earlier did still matter, there were other factors that come into play such as the organiza-

tional structure, your superior/mentor, the company culture and of course office politics! These can all break or make your career

path.

On Employers Expect at ionsGenerally, I think employers expect you to LEARN quickly, be willing to TAKE ON ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES and of course, at the

end of the day, contribute to the company.

I was fine with those expectations as I am always willing to learn and am never afraid to ask anyone if I had any doubts. Apart from that,taking on additional responsibilities (regardless of whether it is job related or not) came naturally to me because I viewed it as an oppor-

tunity to learn more things. I also did a lot ofSELF-LEARNING on other subject matters so that I can perform better on my job, therefore

INITIATIVE is an important aspect

On preparing oneself for t he Worki ng WorldI definitely would involve myself in as much EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES or perhaps enroll myself into any of the professional

associations to expand my circle of friends. This is because it was only after I graduated that I found myself turning back to friends,lecturers and others in my social network for advice and help. They really made all the difference.

Advice to j uniorsNever be afraid to TAKE ON ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES, even though at times it may seem trivial or that you are doing others work.

In the end, you are the one who will benefit and learn from the experience.

Most importantly, have faith in yourself. Never let anything dampen the passion and enthusiasm you have when you first entered the

workforce. If you can maintain this for the years to come, it will definitely set you apart from anyone. That shows PERSEVERANCE andDETERMINATION.

Finally, improve on your SOFT SKILLS (i.e. presentation skills, teamwork, negotiation etc.). Employers today have a vast variety of

graduates to choose from and the only difference that sets you apart from the rest is not the qualification you possess (most likely

thousands of other graduates have the same qualification as you do) and if you can show these skills, you are well ahead of the competi-tion.

W h a t G r a d u a t e s S a y

Never be afraid to take on additional responsibilities - Victor Chin

You have t o be wi l l ing t o learn and want t o succeed - Roshan Thiran

Event

thumbnails

Career Fair 2007 Network Tea with Employers

2007

Dialogue wi


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Steer

W h a t G r a d u a t e s S a y

Right mindset, attitude and staying focused will ensure thatyour objectives are met - Yune-Une

Chia Yune-UneAustralian University Programme (Marketing & International Trade), graduated 2006Currently working as Management Associate - ING Insurance Berhad

Initial thoughts of the Working WorldInitially, finance was one industry I would never touch with a 10 foot pole, but the Prudential Young Talent Development

Progamme (PYTDP) organized by Prudential Assurance Malaysia & PRePARE gave me my first taste of finance and I was hooked.

It was challenging, at first as finance is a totally different aspect from what I had pursued at university. However, it was an

excellent opportunity to challenge myself out of my comfort zone. It is, therefore, important for you to have the RIGHT MIND-

SET, ATTITUDE and stay FOCUSED to ensure that your objectives are met.

On Employers Expectat ionsI believe the key expectations are:

1. PERFORMANCE-DRIVEN - Therefore, you have to be PROACTIVE rather than reactive.2. ABILITY TO LEAD - A leader is not someone who leads all the time but rather synergizing to create greater success within a

team

3. AMBITION/DESIRE TO SUCCEED - You must be PASSIONATE about the work you do regardless of how simple or challenging

it is.

4. WILLINGNESS TO LEARN - The important thing is to be HUMBLE if you want to learn new things5. ABILITY TO HANDLE CHALLENGES - You should be able to work under pressure and handle deadlines. Therefore, you

should enjoy your work rather than treating it like a chore

Last but not least, I believe being ETHICAL is vital regardless of the company you work in.

On preparing oneself for t he Worki ng WorldIt was great honing my soft skills by participating in EVENTS/ACTIVITIES organized by PRePARE (i.e. PYTDP, Resume Critique,Interview Preparatory Programme, etc). However, I wish I had a more balanced portfolio on marketing and finance. I could

have spent some time to explore other industries perhaps through exploratory events/activities organized by PRePARE.

Advice to j uniorsI believe, ATTITUDE/MINDSET plays a big role, theres a saying that your attitude determines your altitude. And my motto in

life is Carpe Diem which means Seizing the day in Latin, on the other hand, it is also important to be HUMBLE for aperson to be willing to learn.

I would also like to encourage you (whether you are in the 1st year or in 3rd year) to be involved in EXTRA-CURRICULAR

ACTIVITIES and participate in more EVENTS/PROGRAMMES organized by PRePARE as The Scroll is NOT all the employerslook at. I believe a balance of both academic and soft skills are essential.

Challenge yourself in all t hat you do. That s how you learn best - Roshan Thir an

mployers 2007 Leadership Training

The panelists

1. Adzhar Ibrahim Head of Human Resource, Digi Telecom-

munications

2. Gerard Yuen Group Manager of Group IT, Sunway Group3. CT Chan Sales Manager, Diamond Key International

4. Mohd Afzan Osman GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical

Common expectations outlined

1. ATTITUDE Self Confidence, initiative and being proactive

2. WILLINGNESS TO LEARN3. Demonstrated LEADERSHIP qualities4. COMMUNICATION and ability to converse fluently in English


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Accelerate

UPCOMING PRePARE EVENTS & ACTIVITIES99...CAREER EXPLORATION FAIR (August October)

...Come explore careers/professions of various industries. You can also clarify your career

interest by taking our online career tests. Look out for filed trips to companies and talksby industry professionals!

...

.. INTERNSHIP PROGRAMMES (December February 2008)

...Calling students who are interested to learn and gain exposure on theworking world! Email us (Name, H/P and Programme) or visit us at the

Student Services Department

...9

Criteria:

1. A degree student at least in the 2nd year of studies

2. Majoring in Business (Accounting, Banking & Finance, Marketing/International

Trade), Information Technology or Engineering

3. Have at least 6 weeks to spare during your term break

Fuel up:

JUMPSTART BULLETINACCELERATE

CONTACT US

PRePARE - Career Development @ Training Unit

Student Services Department - Student Centre

Call 03-7491 8622 Ext 8021/8069 OR Email [email protected]

Adelene Goh / Elisa Dass / Ee Sarn / Vincent Hah

Interested to be in our mailing list?


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AUGUST...8TV (Bandar Utama)

21 August, Tuesday

1.30pm - 5.00pm

LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE ON FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED BASIS!!

To register, please complete the Registration Form and Letter of Consent and submit to

Adelene Goh or Soo Ee Sarn - Student Services DepartmentContact Info:

email: [email protected]

Digi Telecommunications (Shah Alam)

14 September, Friday

9.00am - 1.00pm

SEPTEMBER...

CryoCord - Stem Cell Bank (Cyberjaya)

8 October, Monday

9.00am - 1.00pm

OCTOBER...PROTON (Shah Alam)

25 October, Thursday

9.00am - 1.00pm

North Port (Port Klang)

2 November, Friday

9.00am - 1.00pm

NOVEMBER...

EXPLORATORY VISITSAN EXPLORATION OF VARIOUS INDUSTRIES

jumpstart your career! august 2007, vol. 5

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