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Friday, September 28, 2007
Fresh grads.....nape musti mau keje ngn kompeni2 IT besa.....tanak try ni ker.....hehehe............Angkatan Tentera Malaysia ::ATM::
Thursday, September 27, 2007
It's Attitude,Not Aptitude That Really Matters...
It has been said, by the Executive Director of the Malaysian Employers Federation, Tn Hj Shamsuddin Bardan (as an aside, strangely enough, the official MEF council page says that he is the Secretary);
�Basically, a degree is not a passport to a comfortable job”, he says. He points out that employment trends in Malaysia have changed tremendously in the past decade.
This is a timely comment by someone who is really in the industry beyond the political hoopla. Somehow I feel that it somehow relates to my previous post. Most Malaysian politicians know nothing about the industrial situation other than what was grapevined to them from not so reliable sources.
In the article, Tn Haji Shamsudin touches on issues such as training fresh grads, as well as how the syllabus of our public universities not really synchronised with the real needs of the industry. Previously, whenever I think of this issue, I primarily put the fault on to the students. Many of them don’t really put much thought into what courses they want to take and for what reasons. Most just blindly accept the first offer that they get, eventhough it’s not something they’re interested in.
However, instead of being proactive with the suggestions made by Tn Haji Shamsudin, certain segments of the academia (in this case, the VC of UKM) went on the defensive;
�For example, we have one day a week dedicated to activities in English. The students even perform dikir barat in English”, he says.
The professor vehemently disagrees with the idea that private education institutions offer a more well-rounded education than public institutions and therefore guarantee better employment opportunities.
A similar response was given by the deputy VC of UTM when I attended their Career Fair dinner in February. It all started when a GM of Panasonic Malaysia (which was the main sponsor for the fair), suggested that universities (especially public universities) should focus more on the real needs of the industry. He also stated that most graduates are ignorant of industry news and happenings. They also never put in enough effort to find out more about the companies where they are applying work. This is all too true, in my experience.
The deputy VC didn’t take the message that well. Instead of listening to a sponsor (ie. a company which has provide funding for your project), he lamented instead on public universities cannot force student to participate in more industry related activities, especially if it doesn’t have an affect on the students’ GPA. He also says that public universities have much better academic personnel compared to private universities , the problem is just that students do not appreciate this fact because the fees of public universities are much lower than private ones. My initial thought when he said this was “WTF? So you want to keep manufacturing losers from your university?”.
Afterwards, I found out that this guy has said other dumb things as well… Heck, I’ve even had the honour to listen to one of his idiotic ramblings with my date for the night. Suffice to say it involves climbing a wall to reach your car when stairs are just 10 metres away.
That night, I lost all faith of Malaysian public universities. Hopefully, things will improve. Drastically.
source : HTNet.com
Be Careful When employing People..(meaning,guyz,be careful when you're looking for a job.. )
I know that most employers know this already; you must be very, very careful when employing people in Malaysia. There are lots of issues to note when employment is discussed. Some are pretty obvious, whereas some require careful, well-planned action plans.
Before you proceed, I’d just like to state that this post is not intended for workers, or those planning to join the workforce. It is merely a reflection of my experience as someone facilitating the employment process on behalf of a company. I will be very objective in my posting, and workers may find this post intimidating. You have been warned, proceed at your own risk.
The interviewing process is the most obvious. The interview should always be seen as the screening procedure. One lesson I’ve learnt during my experience as an interviewer is to always trust your initial gut feeling. There were occasions when I went ahead and recruited someone when my mind (or for those who believe in it, soul) keeps on screaming “No!”. My justifications were simple, the candidate’s academic results matches or exceeds minimal requirements, decent command of English, relatively good communication skills, etc..
Every single candidate that I took, against my gut feeling turns out to be problematic workers. Sure, this is a very unscientific suggestion. Maybe I have stronger intuition compared to others, maybe I’m just plain unlucky… But hey, this is my experience. I never implied that it could or would be yours.
Then comes the academic results. Do not let this be the primary concern when employing someone. Academic results rarely (actually, in my experience; never) reflect the candidate’s work performance. Some candidates have excellent academic records; good CGPA, active in co-curricular activities, etc.. However, when it comes to work, they behave like children. Immature, overly calculative, behaving like a know-it-all. In other words, just being a plain pain-in-the-ass.
On the other hand, the best employees are the one with an industrial brain. Their thinking exceeds the restricted boundaries of plain academia. They are very in touch with the happenings in the industry. Those who are outspoken should be differentiated from loudmouths. They are constantly thinking of ways to improve processes, effectiveness and value-for-money, instead of spending their time planning revolts or inciting colleagues to not perform their duties properly.
Those who offer insightful comments on current weaknesses should be rewarded for their contribution in helping the company grow. Those who are serial badmouthers, should be terminated swiftly and mercilessly.
Experience is definitely far more important than academic results, period. Especially valuable are candidates who have experience working overseas. They tend to be more talented in acclimatising themselves far more quickly in times of constant changes. Candidates who have experience in various fields, albeit unrelated, also tend to cope better during times of changes or crisis.
Now, the thing is to recognise which candidates are industry-savvy, and which are just plain job-hoppers. Always go through the employment history section of a potential employee’s resume. Look at the time they spent at their previous jobs. Especially critical are the last three jobs they did. Job-hoppers tend to be money-chasers, and are always thinking in a “What’s in it for me” kind of attitude. They are not really bothered about self-development or developing a sense of responsibility and attachment to a company. In other words, they’ll jump ship at a drop of a hat.
Also, do not even invite to the interview room any candidates who ask about the racial profile of the directors and/or senior managers. These people tend to only be able to work only if their colleagues and bosses are of the same race as them. Professionals should be able to perform regardless of who their bosses are. We don’t get to pick the races of our customers now, could we? Anyway, there shouldn’t be a place for bigots in business.
A common skill that is required regardless of the position offered is people skills. A common misconception when defining people skills is that it is an ability to talk to people. This is not really the case. People skills is not just a set of abilities to talk to people.
Strong people skills consists more than just talking to people. It requires an acute sense of reading body language, recognising the real meaning behind voice intonations, understanding the subtle meaning of words chosen in a conversation, as well as responding appropriately to the signs being transmitted.
The words used consists of only 5% of communication. Unbelievable? Well, have you tried to talk to someone who doesn’t understand the language you used? How did you get your point across then? More often than not, you will gesticulate. And odds are, the “listener” will have a clearer understanding of what you’re trying to say.
If your company has the time and resources available, you should recruit “average” candidates and train them to develop the necessary skills to perform. Most companies, when hearing the word “training”, often visualise training on the technical aspect of the job. Operating equipment, procedures, hierarchy of responsibilities, SOPs. Rarely does an employer focus on people skills, creative thinking, human relations principles, risk analysis, leadership, communications… in other words, the lifeline of any organisation.
Now after this long rant, how did the post relate to the topic at hand which is “Be careful when employing people”? The careful part is one in which the employer (fortunately) has full control. Some of the attributes I mentioned above are very noticable; in the candidate’s resume, during the interview process, how composed he/she is during questioning, the manner in which the candidate explains his/her past experience in a previous job, etc..
The resume submitted should also have a sense of uniqueness, and must pertain to the position being offered. If the resume itself seems disturbingly templated, it means that the candidate didn’t really put in much effort structuring it. It might even be something he/she mass-distributes. A definite sign of laziness as well as nonchalance. It also shows that the candidate is a “career gambler”, ie. send the same thing to everyone and hopefully something will hook. If someone could be irresponsible enough to gamble with his/her career, imagine what he/she would do in a decision making position.
Another important document that can be used to get an idea on the kind of person the candidate is, is the application form. However, it is also one of the rarely used, and/or improperly designed document in the industry. More often than not, employers tend to design the application form like a census. Asking often unnecessary information such as race, religion, EPF/SOCSO number, family background, hobies, etc.. When I mentioned “unnecessary”, it means that it is unnecessary to be put in the application form. Hobbies and family background are useful topics to be covered during the interview, but not in an interrogative manner. In fact, when listening to how the interviewee elaborates on these topics, instead of what he/she is trying to say, you’d get a better insight on his/her personality. Watch for fluctuations in voice tones and words/phrases which are stressed. Often, these are tell-tale signs on the subtle differences in priorities for which the interviewee places on his/herself.
Back to the application form… Instead of being a census, the form should contain questions which require lots of thought and tests the candidates ability to project ideas in writing. Some examples of good questions are;
- “What do you consider to be your most significant accomplishment and why?
- Many people are drifters; meaning, they just go with the flow. They don’t really place my thought on what they’ve achieved and the manner in which they did it. Avoid candidates who give very short answers that are open-ended. Also be extra careful with candidates who state some academic achievement here, especially if they have previous work experiences.
- “Why are you interested in becoming a
?”
- This question, more often than not, will help sort out the gamblers from those who are genuinely interested in the position. Look out for signs of interest, passion of the industry, commitment, ambition and how the candidate feels he/she could contribute.
- “What, in your opinion, qualifies you to be considered as a
?”
- Less-proficient candidates will have a hard time differentiating the key point of this question and the previous. To many people interest and qualification are similar. Also avoid candidates who answer this question by stating that they meet the minimum requirement in terms of academic qualification and/or experience. They are obviously not ready for “real-world” implementation of business-related skills.
I could go on and on about this issue, but I guess I’ve at least given some things which could be beneficial to an interviewer, especially those who are new to this process. I appreciate any comments and/or other suggestions on the recruitment process.
source : HTNet.com
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Guerrilla Marketing Yourself
Whether you know it or not you're marketing yourself every day. And to lots of people! You're marketing yourself in a quest to make a sale, warm up a relationship, get a job, get connected, get something you deserve. You're always sending messages about yourself.
Guerrillas control the messages that they send. It's all about intention. Guerrillas live intentionally Non-guerrillas send unintentional messages, even if those messages sabotage their overall goals in life. They want to close a sale for a consulting contract, but their inability to make eye contact or the mumbled message they leave on an answering machine turns off the prospect.
Guerrillas send no unintentional messages
Unintentional messages erect an insurmountable barrier. Your job: be sure there is no barrier. There are really two people within you -- your accidental self and your intentional self. Most people are able to conduct about 95 percent of their lives by intent. But that's not enough.
It's the other 5 percent that can get you in trouble -- or in clover. I'm not talking phoniness here. The idea is for you to be who you are and not who you aren't -- to be aware of what you're doing, aware of whether or not your actions communicate ideas that will help you get what you deserve.
Who do you market to without even realizing it?
Employees. Customers. Prospects. Teachers. Parents. Children. Bosses.Prospective employers. Mates. Prospective mates. Friends. Sellers.Landlords. Neighbors. Professionals. Members of the community. The police. Service people. Family. Bankers. These people can help you or stop you from getting what you deserve. You can influence them with how you market yourself.
The three (3) big questions to answer
To market yourself properly, answer these three questions:
1. Who are you now? If friends described you, what would they say? Be honest rather than complimentary.
2. What do you want out of life? Be specific.
3. How will you know when you've reached your goals?
If you can't answer these questions, you're DOOMED to accidental marketing, spending your life reacting instead of responding, the odds against you reaching your goals.
How do you send messages and market yourself right now?
With your appearance, to be sure. You also market with your eye contact and body language, your habits, your speech patterns. You market yourself in print with your letters, email, website, notes, faxes, brochures and other printed material. You also market yourself with your attitude -- big time. You market yourself with your ethics.
How people judge you
Again, you may not be aware of it, but people are constantly judging and assessing you by noticing many things about you. You must be sure the messages of your marketing don't fight your dreams. What are people using to base their opinions, to make their decisions about you?
* Clothing * Hair * Weight * Height * Jewelry * Facial hair * Makeup *
Business card * Laugh * Glasses * Title * Neatness * Smell * Teeth * Smile * What you carry * Eye contact * Gait * Posture * Tone of voice * Handwriting * Spelling * Hat * Thoughtfulness * Car * Office * Home * Nervous habits * Handshake * Stationery * Availability * Writing ability * Phone use * Enthusiasm * Energy level * Comfort online
You're fully aware of your intentional marketing and possibly even invest time, energy and imagination into it, not to mention money.
But you may be undermining that investment if you're not paying attention to things that matter to others even more than what you say: keeping promises, punctuality, honesty, demeanor, respect, gratitude, sincerity, feedback, initiative, reliability. They also notice passion -- or the absence of it. They notice how well you listen to them.
What to do now
Now that you know these things, what should you do? Although Ben Franklin himself said that three of the hardest things in the world are diamonds, steel and knowing yourself, here's a three-step plan to get you started on the road to self-awareness and self-marketing acumen:
1. Write a positioning statement about yourself. Identify just who you are and the positive things that stand out most about you.
2. Identify your goals. Put into writing the three things you'd most like to achieve during the next three months, three years and then ten years.
3. State your measuring stick. Write the details of how you will know when you've achieved your goals. Be brief and specific.
To guerrilla market yourself, simply be aware of and in control of the messages you send. Do that and your goals will be a lot easier to attain.
Author: Mitch Meyerson
[ Website ]
3 Reasons to follow a computer hardware course
See how a computer hardware course can benefit you
How many times did your computer crash on you when you were working on a very important project? No matter how many times you are told to backup your data you are still at risk of computer hardware problems which will delay your project so what will you do? Bring your computer to the store and have it fixed for a longer delay or follow a computer hardware course so you can actually troubleshoot the problem yourself and have it fixed within minutes? The truth is you don't have to be a technician or an engineer to be able to do this and you'll see that if you do want to become one, fine there are very good careers for these types of studies.
Like I mentioned you don't need to have a degree in IT to be able to fix your computer. A simple computer hardware course where they teach the basics of hardware functionality is far more than enough for you to be able to troubleshoot your own computer. By investing some after hours to learn this will of course save you a lot of time when your computer decides to break down on you. Although you learn how to fix your computer more easily that's not the only reason why following a computer course is a good idea.
If you can fix your own computer, you can certainly create a new one. Thanks to a computer hardware course you'll be able to build a customized computer from scratch that will fit your needs and your needs only. It's like finding the perfect computer but at a very reasonable price. Custom built computers are usually cheaper since they include less labor from the company of course. If you can fix your own computer or build your own computer, you basically have no more need for a technician and this will save you a lot of time and money too =) .
Wondering how a career in IT would sound? Well a degree in any field related to computers is in very high demand now because there's not a single company that doesn't depend on computers whether it's hardware or software. So you can easily find job openings to start your new career. The truth is computer are becoming more and more important in a company so that is why companies need many competent specialists to take care of their infrastructure.
As you can see, if you have the extra time learning something new can definitely be rewarding but if you're learning anything related to computer hardware or software, it's going to be even more beneficial to you. Can't find the time? That's ok with all the latest technology
, you can practically follow your computer hardware course at home with your own schedule so that you don't have to worry about putting your main income on hold. Be sure to get more information regarding which courses you want to follow because this is a field that is very vast and learning everything would take a life time with all the progress that technology is going through.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
What not to do while posting resumes
This article highlights on points which should be kept in mind while submitting resumes to employers।
1. Know the expertise of the company you are applying for the job
2. If you have expertise in Java don't apply in a company which works only in PHP as it makes no sense.
3.Just don't post resume to any email id which you get hold of from websites. It may so happen that you mail the wrong person and he may mark that as junk.
4. Please find out appropriate email id's of HR for mailing. They are the persons involved in to recruitment.
5. Many company websites have got on line chatting system/shoutbox in the website. That is just a way to make communication better with the budding clients and to get business. Its not a place to talk about vacancy and sending resumes. Many candidates do that and its leaves a negative image.
6. Don't send resumes to the same employer again and again everyday so that at last he may mail you. If you mail and are not getting any response it just means you are not fitting in any job profile.
7. Never expect that all employers will answer your mail. If you have mailed a particular employer once or twice or thrice don't mail him again. If he is interested he will surely call you.
8. And please don't casually call on any phone numbers which you get hold of on line and ask if there is any vacancy in the company for testers or software professionals. It really irritates. If you come to know there is vacancy just drop a mail.
9. Maintain some courtesy while posting resumes to employers. I have seen candidates not even giving any salutation at the start or at the bottom. This gives a negative image and it may so happen that the HR may not view your attached resume.
10. Don't mail the company that “I am mailing this resume in response to the advertisement “ which the company never placed. I have seen candidates doing this and this is disgusting.
11. I have seen candidates mailing the resume and then calling the HR department that i have mailed the resume please go through it. Don't do this. They must have received the mail and it will not be viewed on your instructions.
12. Please maintain some manners while talking to an employer if he responds to your resume by calling you.
13. Learn some soft skills it will speak in your resume
14. Don't mail an employer that i have posted resume on the following link, please check it for details.
15. Be quick to respond to mails. No one likes delays. You may lose the opportunity.
By Rashmi priya
http://rashmipriya.com
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com