Saturday 13 July 2013
YOUR ULTIMATE CAREER
& TALENT RESOURCE
Do what you love
T: 03 7966 8388
F: 03 7955 3355
Time To
Change?
Understand the
changes in leadership
that your organisation
needs with Dr Glenn
Williams.
Pg 5
Pg 12-13
Pg 14
Pg 15
RECRUITMENT FACTS
SIX AMAZING THINGS
HOW TO MAKE UP
you should know to boost
your chances of job success
you probably didn’t
know about your brain
for your lack of job
experience
2
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
LiLy says
househoLd
names
Leading with
virtues
Positivity and
integrity
I
have always been intrigued by fast moving consumer goods.
From the bright colours, great packaging, ads, to the products themselves, as a consumer, it’s my favorite category of
products to shop for.
The FMCG industry is well-established in Malaysia, and
has built brands that we hold strong emotional connections to.
Just think of a few names in the F&B side – brands like Milo,
Julie’s and Twisties will surely trigger memories of some sort.
It’s the short shelf life of fast moving consumer goods that
ensures we come in such frequent contact with them. From
foods to toiletries, companies in this industry are familiar names
to us and their brands instantly recognisable because their products sit in every facet of our homes.
But what does it take to run the FMCG engine? As consumers
we cannot live without their final products, but what happens
behind the scenes?
In this week’s career guide, we want to showcase the machinations of this fast paced sector. What does it take to get that jar of
cream into your bathroom? Or that ice-cream into your hands?
With industry content courtesy of TalentCorp, we aim to
increase awareness but also showcase the exciting roles available
within the industry.
From generating demand, to supply to support services, flip
through to pages 6-11 to find out more.
Gen-Y readers will be pleased to hear that many FMCG companies also offer great work benefits, like training and development,
and a great working environment. If you’re passionate about
these products and are looking for an exciting industry to join,
this may be the sector for you.
For students, TalentCorp is organising a visit to the leading
FMCG companies in August. What an opportunity! Check out
page 11 for details on how to sign up. For readers already well
underway in their careers, we also want these regular industry
insights to serve as great knowledge tools for your work conversations and decisions.
On our other pages, we feature Rahul Colaco in My First Job
on page 3. Colaco gives some great career tips, including the
importance of exposing ourselves to different cultures, and also
surrounding ourselves with supportive individuals who can spur
us on.
In Hard Talk, HR thought leader Dr John Sullivan tackles the
hard question of WHY for those who find themselves unable to
land a job. He’s pulled together great facts and figures on the
recruitment process. Did you know, for instance, that HR folks
usually only spend 5-7 seconds looking at a resume?
In Be A Leader on page 5, Dr Glenn Williams again digs into
what role virtues play in leadership.
I hope you get great insights out of this week’s career guide,
and maybe even land yourself a role in a FMCG company as a
result (If you do, please write to us to let us know!).
Remember you can also get the e-version of this guide weekly
on myStarjob.com/careerguide, which you can share on Twitter
and Facebook with your contacts.
As usual, you know you can write to us at mystarjob@
leaderonomics.com with your comments and suggestions.
Keep your career questions coming to dearcareernomers@
leaderonomics.com as well.
Wishing you a great week ahead, and
a blessed fasting month for our
Muslim friends.
Until next
Saturday,
LiLy Cheah
Editor, myStarjob.com
Is it time to change
the leadership
dialogue in your
company? Pg 5
Rahul Colaco of Dutch
Lady Milk Industries Bhd
shares his career journey.
Pg 3
Spread your
wings and fly
Recruitment
through numbers
Ng Eng Han’s
hard work
and sense of
adventure pay off.
Pg 14
Find out how every
small detail plays out
with recruiters. Pg12-13
No experience, no job?
Overcome your lack of
experience and nail your first job
by following these steps. Pg 15
Brain facts
Six things you didn’t know
about your brain. Pg 14
The opinions expressed in this career guide are those of the writers or
the people they quoted and not necessarily those of Leaderonomics.
Career Tips
Thinking OuTside The BOx
sTudy! Take a CLass! Often when we are in a specific industry, all that we know about work
comes from our experience within that industry. A good way to think outside of the box is to learn something
unrelated to your work. Study another industry, religion, or even a different country’s history. Your study of
seemingly unrelated topics will open up new ways of thinking and methods for business solutions.
Break free from your rouTines. Wake up earlier, take a different route to work or even
try an unusual drink from a new restaurant. Spend time outside of your comfort zone in major and minor
ways and you’ll be surprised at the new things you’ll encounter. Small things may be able to trigger ideas and
help generate unusual thought processes that may lead to solutions outside of the ordinary.
Work BaCkWards. If all possible solutions end up with an unsatisfactory outcome, then play
cheat by coming up with your ideal goal first. Select your most desirable scenario, then reverse-engineer the
process. You will be able to clearly trace the chronology of the actions needed to be taken. This would also
help you to see if there are any other possible methods previously overlooked.
ask a ChiLd, or TaLk To differenT peopLe. We often refer to childhood as a simpler
time, so why not check with a seven-year-old to see what he/she thinks of the situation? Sure, he might not
be able to solve 100% of your complex problems, but at the very least his untainted moral compass may
be able to steer you in the right direction in the case of an ethical dilemma. The solution might be more
straightforward than we think. Don’t underestimate the opinions of people who you think are less qualified.
ChaLLenge (your oWn) assumpTions. sTudy your fears and
prejudiCes. Sometimes the inability to think creatively stems from our own fears and prejudices
towards things we do not understand. Do a self-check to examine where it is that you may be potentially
limiting yourself. Perhaps it may be negative experiences in the past or baseless discriminations; overcoming
these restrictions will not only help you as an employee but also offer a fresh perspective as an individual.
EDITORIAL
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mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
never stop
By ERIC QUAH
eric.quah@leaderonomics.com
T
HE fast-moving consumer
goods (FMCG) industry is an
integral part of Malaysia’s
retail landscape. The profit
margin may be small for
each product item, but the industry
plays a volume game. All packaged
goods have a relatively short shelf life
so the turnover rate is high, and high
returns come in through this rapid
movement of stock.
Spearheading a company in this
industry is no easy task. It requires
stamina and an agility to formulate
quick solutions that are tactful and
cost-effective.
Rahul Colaco has been leading
Dutch Lady Milk Industries Bhd as
managing director since 2012. Colaco
started off as a management trainee
at Hindustan Unilever in 1997, the
largest FMCG organisation in India,
known for its training.
As part of a 12-month training
management programme, Colaco
was exposed to various departments.
Colaco fondly compared his experience there “to drinking water using
a firehose”. As drastic as that may
sound, “I say that in a positive way,”
he chirps.
The result was an increased capacity for learning and the chance to
stretch his mind and imagination. It
empowered him to explore and discover his limits, encouraging him to
grow even more. Colaco believes that
people fresh out of university or college should take opportunities such as
the one he had and push themselves
to their limits.
The experience had
also taught him to
look at life through
different lenses.
“It allowed me to
experience different
functions. Although
I was a finance
graduate, I was out
in the market selling
soaps to retailers,
and sitting in the twowheeler driving around
from shop to shop. We
really had to start from the
bottom.”
learning
rahul colaco shares tips
for careers success
One of his
sessions included
staying in a village
with no electricity
for six weeks. He lived
in a hut and worked with
villagers on social change and
building projects. That experience
altered his presumptions about villagers and he began appreciating the
lives they lead.
By then he realised he was learning
more about life. It helped him develop
empathy – what he described as
“understanding other people’s points
of views” and that those views could
sometimes work better than his own.
The opportunity to serve in different functions allowed Colaco the
chance to view things at a whole
rather than from just a point of view.
He explained that this ability is very
important, especially for leaders. He
again pointed to developing empathy.
As the challenge of working as a
management trainee at Hindustan
Unilever made such an impact
on him, Colaco readily earmarks this as
his career’s first
milestone. It was
his first job as
a leader and
though he
made mistakes,
he learnt from
them quickly,
he says.
During his
You go all out to
win, but You don’t
do it at all costs.
six-year stint
at Hindustan
Unilever, Colaco
assumed three different roles, the first
of which was in a role
in finance for a new jointventure company of Unilever
in India. He later moved on to
procurement, followed by a position
in purchasing and then supply chain
management.
From there he rose through the
ranks to become marketing operations director for Foods Central and
Eastern Europe, overseeing four categories across 18 countries.
In 2003, he obtained his MBA and
since then has lead the international
arena with appointments in Rome
and Italy as European marketing
operations manager and marketing
operations director respectively.
In 2010, Colaco joined Dutch Lady
Milk Industries Malaysia, and is poised
to take the company farther with his
outlook and vision.
On attitudes
and success
Colaco sees three aspects to working towards career success. The first
is understanding yourself, which is
not easy. It takes time to discover
your capabilities, motivations,
interpersonal skills and limitations. However, knowing
and understanding these is
essential.
Colaco also believes in
investing in yourself. Like a
product, everyone is essentially a brand that needs
to be marketed to how you
want people to perceive you.
One way which he recommends is to constantly
learn from all experiences.
For Colaco, the learning journey never stops
- he added that “the
moment you stop
learning, your brain
dies.”
This belief was the
reason he decided to take a career
break in 2003 to spend a year earning his MBA in IMD (International
Institute for Management
Development) Business School in
Switzerland. Amid questions on why
he was leaving the company, he
rationalised that he wanted a global
experience and to learn more from
different cultures and nationalities.
It was quite a risk, but Colaco
asserts: “Investing in one’s self is obviously the greatest payback. It was a
good decision in hindsight but it was
certainly challenging.”
the allure Of fMcG
Colaco admits that he loves the
FMCG industry because it allows him
to not only understand consumer
needs but also meet them. He regards
it as a challenge and he likes the fastpaced energy it generates. It keeps
him on his feet and presents him with
many opportunities to learn.
The industry also offers cross-function mobility which Colaco believes is
useful for someone to accummulate
different sets of skills. The possibility
of diversifying his skill-set is something that appeals to him.
Furthermore, there is the opportunity to explore international territories as more FMCGs are becoming
more global. This was evident when
Colaco made the leap from Hindustan
Unilever to Unilever Europe in 2004
and now to Malaysia at Dutch Lady
Milk Industries.
Being in the FMCG industry has
also allowed Colaco to distil the best
of his six bosses – three from India
and three from the Netherlands – into
his current leadership style. With that,
he cites all of them as major influences in his learning to become a more
effective leader.
Colaco, an avid tennis player, also
finds inspiration in Roger Federer,
whom he describes as a fantastic
player and someone who embodies
great sportsmanship. “You go all out
to win, but you don’t do it at all costs,”
he says.
career tips
As words of advice for others, he
firstly stresses the importance of
having a great life partner, one who
contributes to your dream and helps
build it together. He adds: “It is hard
to make this journey on your own. If
you have an inspiring and supportive
partner along with you, that makes a
big difference.”
“Because when you go home to
family, it makes a big difference having the life-partner who is on the
same wavelength as you: to be able to
talk to, bounce ideas off with, manage
the stress, inspire or energise you.”
Colaco also emphasises the importance of thinking globally. As business
is rapidly becoming global, one very
important attribute to have is the
awareness of different cultures, he
says.
“Open your horizons, be ready to
learn from different cultures and
different ways of looking at life,” he
advises. He travels frequently, enjoys
learning about new cultures and
exploring new places.
He also stresses on the importance
of integrity; of keeping your word and
delivering what you promised and not
being afraid to be held accountable.
“I feel this is very important
because today we live in a highlydependent world, so it is important
that you are accountable for yourself
and for what you deliver,” he says.
it is hard to make this journeY on Your own. if You have an inspiring
and supportive partner along with You, that makes a big difference.
4
myStarjob.com, Saturday 13 July 2013
A Leader Is
Never Deterred
By Failure
We all fear failure. The best leaders in the
world fail all the time but instead of fearing
failure, they embrace it.
Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he
perfected the light bulb. He never let failure
wear him down. Walt Disney was fired from
his first job for not “being creative”. He went
on to creating the ‘most creative company
in the world’ – DISNEY. Michael Jordon failed
miserably in his first basketball trial and failed
to make his high-school basketball team. That
never stopped him from becoming the best.
Leaders are not born, they just learn from
their mistakes. The great leaders in the world
learn from their failure, and grow from it.
Everyone can be a leader. Its about digging
deep within us and never letting failure
discourage us.
Be A Leader.
iSnap me for a video > http://thestar.com.my/isnap
We can help your organisation develop leaders. Write in to: people@leaderonomics.com or call 6012.343.7716
www.leaderonomics.com
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
By DR GLENN WILLIAMS
mystarjob@leaderonomics.com
I
S leadership changing? Does it need to
change? Is there a need for a different
leadership paradigm in light of some
well-known corporate collapses and
the fallout from the Global Financial
Crisis of 2008/09 (GFC) that continues to
reverberate far and wide?
It seems that leadership literature is
beginning to address the importance of
ethical or moral leadership as a key piece
that is missing in leadership. While there is
no need to be critical of classical leadership
paradigms that primarily focus on traits,
capabilities, skills, and styles, we must have
the courage and insight to explore the
interplay between leadership, virtues, and
performance.
More specifically, we must examine
how the presence or absence of virtues in
a leader may define his or her character,
and the impact this has on performance,
both for the leader and the organisation.
Over the last couple of years as I have
researched this interplay, I have deliberately chosen to use “virtues” over more
commonly used terms such as “values”,
“morals” and “ethics”.
One important reason behind this is
that some of the other terms have become
quite commonplace and their significance
either diluted or dismissed as being something that is more related to the field of
ethics or leadership in a faith-based context.
My hope is that a robust discussion on
virtues will be a catalyst for starting a new
dialogue on leadership that is often only
given superficial treatment: the interplay
between leadership performance and
virtues or as Alexandre Havard states, “the
content of a person’s character”.
For years, I have been fascinated and
inspired by leadership: what it is, what it
is not, what people think it should be or
should not be, and the variety of emotive
responses that are evoked when we see
it demonstrated in a range of different
contexts: at home, in work environments,
sporting clubs, community organisations,
churches, in government and schools, and
across every culture.
InspIrIng leaders
As a young child, I remember watching
a fireman being interviewed after running
into a house to rescue a young infant from
the fire that had almost entirely consumed
the family home. That took courage, selflessness. It took leadership.
When I was twelve years old, I remember being inspired by a courageous
footballer and captain of the Hawthorn
Football Club, Peter Crimmins, as he battled cancer and tried to ready himself to
lead the team onto the field on Grand Final
Day in 1975.
Sadly, he was declared unfit and was left
out of the team. But his courage and dedication, and the commitment of his team
who wanted so badly to win the match for
him, had a profound impact on me, and
the psyche of the wider football public.
His work ethic, and the spirit he showed
in battling cancer and wanting to see his
beloved team win, embodied leadership.
Today, the Hawthorn Football club’s
Best & Fairest award is called “The Peter
Crimmins Medal” in his honour.
In February 1983, 180 bushfires on one
Is It tIme to change
the leadershIp dIalogue?
the Importance of leadIng wIth vIrtues
day ravaged the states of south Australia
and Victoria that resulted in 75 deaths.
Only days later, I found myself with one of
the cleanup teams working in the backyard of a woman in her mid-50s, trying to
restore some sense of order to her world.
Although her house was preserved, she
lost many of her belongings and her property was devastated.
Elaine Shepherd was exhausted and
experienced feelings of loss, but she would
not allow this setback to consume her. I
remember being impressed by her determination and optimism. Ironically, years
later, I would find myself working alongside this remarkable woman in a family
mediation centre.
History is replete with examples of leaders who have both succeeded and failed in
diverse fields of interest. They are researchers, social commentators, military strategists, politicians, and business executives
from the private and public sectors.
They also include leaders from the social
sector or Non-Government Organisations
(NGOs) and Faith-Based Organisations
(FBOs) that serve a broad range of humanitarian objectives, some of them religiously
motivated. Some well-known examples
include: William Wilberforce, Mahatma
Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, St Mother
Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Dr Rev Martin
Luther King Jr and President Mikhail
Gorbachev.
There have been inventors who have
demonstrated great resolve and initiative,
like Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham
Bell, and business leaders like Warren
Buffett and Microsoft’s Bill Gates who have
established corporate empires only to give
billions of dollars away to humanitarian
efforts. There have been military leaders
such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar,
Genghis Khan, George Washington and
Napoleon Bonaparte.
gIvIng leadershIp context
Leadership is often very personal, and
very powerful. It is felt by everyone: by
those who demonstrate it in a large way or
seemingly insignificant ways, and by those
who are affected negatively or positively by
leaders connected to them, or detrimentally by its sheer absence when it is needed.
Leadership is also local, regional, national, and global. As Michael and Deborah
Jinkins note, “Leadership is always grounded in a particular time and place – in a
particular culture. And the effective leader
inevitably maintains a connection with this
specific time and place, this culture, leading these people in this moment”.
Every person in every culture could mention a list of names of leaders who are
more specific to their personal experience,
the places or countries they live, why they
consider them to be leaders, and through
the wealth of information available today
have an understanding as to whether or
not that leader has a role on the world
stage.
However, interpretations of leadership
are often quite different from one country
to the next, and from one person to another. Take a few moments to reflect on leaders you have been impacted by. In what
ways have they influenced your views, your
decisions and your own leadership?
Understanding that every organisation has a culture of its own, what type of
leadership does your organisation need,
and what changes do you need to make to
facilitate that change?
n Dr Glenn Williams is the CEO and principal
owner of Outward Looking International,
an organisation that empowers leaders and
organisations to grow their leadership capacity. To engage Williams for special leadership
workshops for your organisation, email people@leaderonomics.com
what’s the bottom-lIne?
THERE are some excellent leadership models
that contain specific characteristics helpful to
leaders suited to a range of different contexts,
including across cultures. However, some leaders are running so fast responding to shortterm demands, they rarely have time to think
about the type of leader they want to be. Here
are three important questions:
l What characteristics of leadership are critical
to my current organisational
context, and which ones
do I need to focus on
developing?
l What changes do I need
to make to
transition from
a “Level 3” or
“Level 4” leader
to what Collins
describes as
a “Level 5
leader”?
l As a leader do I know
who I am serving?
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
THE WORLD Of fAST-MOving
cOnSuMER gOODS
TOucHing
LivES
EvERyDAy
F
“The FMCG indusTry is FasT-paCed,
wiTh hiGh enerGy, hiGh deGree oF
innovaTion and a perForManCedriven CulTure.” — sunil sethi,
AST-moving consumer goods
(FMCG) companies are behind
the biggest brands in the world.
The FMCG industry is all about the
products which everyone recognises from trips to the supermarket or from
advertisements on television.
From the cup of coffee you start your day
with, to your toothpaste and the face cream
you apply at night time, all these daily necessities are considered “fast” moving goods; they
are the quickest to leave supermarket shelves
and cost relatively lower than other durable
items.
The brands that make up this sector are
what you have grown up with, know and love.
Think Pepsi, Oreo, Milo and Dove.
Also termed consumer packaged goods
(CPG), FMCG are perishable, have high turnover
and are replaced or used up over a short period
of days, weeks or months.
Broadly speaking the industry can be categorised into three large market segments:
Food and Beverages (F&B), Household Care
and Personal Care.
MARKET
SEGMENT
SEGMENTS
BRANdS
Food and
Beverages
Biscuits,
chocolate,
drinks
Milo, Oreo,
Wall’s, Cadbury,
Horlicks
Household
Care
Fabric care, air
care, dish care,
pet care
Breeze, Downy,
Persil, AmbiPur,
Eukanuba
Personal
Care
Oral care, antiperspirants and
deodorants,
cosmetics, hair
care, pre- and
post-shave
products, baby
care
Oral B, Colgate,
Gilette,
Pampers,
L’Oréal Paris,
Garnier, SK
II, Dove,
Aquafresh,
Panadol, Head
& Shoulders
You will be amazed at the number of FMCG
brands you are using and consuming on a regular basis. When you think pharmaceuticals,
you may think Panadol. In Malaysia, Pampers is
synonymous with baby diapers, Nescafé with
coffee, Milo with chocolate malt drinks, and Cif
with dishwashing.
These are global brands, a fraction of the
thousands of brands owned by multinational
corporations employing hundreds of thousands of people all over the world.
A THRIVING INDUSTRY
While there is no official data on how much
the local FMCG industry is worth relative to
gross domestic product (GDP), it is one of the
biggest revenue contributors to Malaysia’s
services sector.
The Malaysian FMCG sector has a good
representation of both multinational and local
companies with big names like Nestlé and
Unilever fighting in the market place with local
companies like Perfect Food Manufacturing
(Julie’s biscuits) and Spritzer.
Most FMCG multinationals have been in
Malaysia for more than 50 years and have
become household names.
These include Nestlé, Dutch Lady and
Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods)
for F&B, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Johnson
and Johnson and Reckitt Benckiser for personal and household care and the likes of
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSK)
for healthcare products.
These companies are bringing in larger revenues and profits year-on-year thanks to the
DO yOu HAvE
WHAT iT TAkES?
managing director of Mondelez Malaysia
(formerly Kraft Malaysia Sdn Bhd) on why
graduates should consider starting a career
in the FMCG sector.
BROugHT TO yOu By
increasing sophistication of
the Malaysian customer and
rising demand, despite the
global slowdown.
Nestlé Malaysia, the largest FMCG company in the country, recorded
a RM4.6bil turnover in 2012, up 7.3%, over
RM310mil in revenue, and employs 5,000
people.
Cosmetics market leader L’Oréal has a staff
strength of 800 while dairy giant Dutch Lady
with a more than 630-strong employee base
earned a revenue of RM882mil in 2012, a 9%
growth compered to the previous year.
Meanwhile, GSK has been in Malaysia for
more than 50 years. It employs close to 600
workers and has an annual sales turnover of
over RM300mil.
Locally incorporated firms include personal care producer Unza (M), which employs
2,000 people; Julie’s, which has been making biscuits since 1982; and mineral water
brand Spritzer, whose revenue jumped 20%
to RM178mil in 2012.
While these local names may bring in
lower revenue compared with multinationals, they are more export-oriented and
provide consumers in Malaysia a choice of
products and pricing options.
EVER IN DEMAND
FMCG sales across Asia are growing, with
the highest growth coming from China and
Vietnam. Kantar Worldpanel’s Consumer
Insights 2013 data showed that FMCG sales
in 2012 rose the fastest in Vietnam at 14.8%
followed by Thailand at 11%, the Philippines
at 5.3% and Malaysia at 5.0%.
This shows that Malaysia, and by extension South-East Asia, is the place to be for
ambitious young talent.
Unilever Malaysia chairman Rakesh
Mohan says: “The Malaysian economy is
doing great, growing 4% to 5% yearly, so
there are opportunities to do well. All our
segments are growing. As long as there is
product and market development, we will
do fine.”
Tim Morris of Coriolis Research says,
“Unlike other industries, FMCG does not suffer from mass layoffs every time the economy slows. You may put off buying a car, but
you don’t put off dinner. This lends FMCG a
level of job security unknown elsewhere.”
Many companies have grown on the back of
strong people policies, with focus on branding
and sales and marketing roles in particular as
they look to develop and penetrate new segments.
LOOKING OUT FOR GREAT TALENT
With Malaysia leading South-East Asia in
percentage of hypermarket sales (40% of total
market) and new shopping trends (e.g. emergence of the male shopper), FMCG employers
are scrambling to find young, energetic executives who can connect with shoppers on a
personal level.
But the sector is not only about brands.
FMCG players focus on finding, training and
developing the right talent pool to drive the
next wave of innovation and market growth.
FMCG companies are renowed for high
staff retention levels through attractive remuneration, institutionalised leadership training,
global assignments and rotations, and flexible
working arrangements.
Companies constantly hire people from
different education backgrounds, and practise
diversity and inclusion. Potential hires could
come from a range of backgrounds, from
marketing to food technology and nutrition,
engineering, supply chain or even law and
actuarial science.
L’Oréal Malaysia managing director Ashwin
Rajgopal notes, “In an organisation as diverse
as L’Oréal, there are always job opportunities
across the board regardless of qualifications,
age and gender. The nature of our business is
very consumer-orientated which makes skills
set such as operational marketing, negotiation and sales, merchandising and creative
marketing very high in demand.”
“In any business, understanding your consumers is key. There is no better place than
FMCG to learn and practise this. It can be very
satisfying to see and measure the impact
of the work you do, as you create tangible
products that impact people’s lives,” says
Dutch Lady Malaysia managing director Rahul
Colaco.
Join the vibrant world of FMCG brands for
a fast paced career enriching lives in a fun,
inclusive and informal environment.
Mondelez Malaysia is home to iconic
brands such as Oreo, Cadbury, Jacob’s,
Chipsmore, Twisties and Tiger biscuits and
is part of Mondelez International, a global
snack food powerhouse.
Being the world leader in snacks,
Mondelez International aims to build capability, engage employees and strive for high
performance at all times.
Employees at Mondelez Malaysia have
the chance to embark on regional projects
which give them international exposure.
There are ample opportunities to fulfil
career aspirations with added value through
coaching and training, and above all, an
environment that ensures everyone has fun
at work.
BEFORE you take the next step towards
embarking on a fastrack career in
FMCG, here is a peek into what kind of
traits these companies are looking for.
Prime yourself to get hired at some of
the world’s best places to work!
The ideal candidate to join
FCMG is someone...
“passionaTe
abouT our
brands”
ivvory Chia
Trade marketing
manager, Nutrition;
GlaxoSmithkline
Consumer Healthcare.
“who Can hiT
The Ground
runninG”
ian Tan Teong Keat
Customer
development
manager;
Dutch Lady Malaysia.
“wiTh hiGh
learninG
aGiliTy”
nurul Farahana ellina
abdul rahman
Assistant key account
manager; Mondelez
Malaysia.
“who is
resulTorienTed”
Joel lim hsien
Trade marketing
manager;
Unilever (Malaysia)
Holdings Sdn Bhd.
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
why you should join
rahul colaco
managing director,
dutch lady malaysia
“the possibility to develop
yourself and make an
impact! the assurance of
World-class training and
significant responsibilities
at an early age.”
Rahul Colaco, on why graduates should consider
starting a career with Dutch Lady Malaysia.
The company prides itself on its investment
in its employees, both internally in Malaysia as
well as through global career opportunities. In
fact, several Dutch Lady employees are currently
on short and long term assignments outside the
country.
The company’s growth and profits have
accelerated over the last three years and it
has won many industry awards. So consider a
career in the dairy industry. Consider helping
Malaysians move forward in life with trusted
dairy nutrition!
“our vision to double our
business While reducing
our environmental impact
is inspiring our employees.”
rachel ferdinando
vice-president and general manager,
glaxosmithkline consumer healthcare (gsk)
susan Weng
country hr manager, procter and
gamble (p&g) malaysia/singapore
“We believe in creating
an environment Which
enables employees to feel
empoWered, engaged
and trusted enough to
be let to innovate.”
Susan Weng, on how the company hires for a career and
not just for specific roles.
Individual competency and attitude is more
important than technical skills at P&G. To illustrate,
P&G currently has a manager in a Customer Business
Development role with a Bio-Chemical Engineering
background and a group manager in Finance with
Engineering background.
What the company is on the lookout for, is
candidates with integrity, leadership potential, strong
thinking, operation discipline and a passion for
winning. As a ‘build from within’ company, P&G invests
in getting the best individuals at the entry level who
are then trained to be the next leaders of the company.
And that leader could be you!
gsk
“We build from Within!
We believe in hiring
the best entry level
talent, regardless of
background, courses
taken or technical skills.”
p&g
rakesh mohan
chairman,
unilever (malaysia) holdings sdn bhd
unilever malaysia
Zainun Nur Abdul Rauf, on the company’s ‘Good Food,
Good Life’ tagline extending beyond to a ‘Great Place
to Work’.
As the largest FMCG company in the country, Nestlé
offers young graduates a career as opposed to just a
job, with great opportunities for career progression in
Malaysia and within Nestlé’s international markets.
Zainun adds, “We strive to develop well-rounded
talents, and we care about the wellbeing of our
employees both within and outside work.” The
company provides a good platform to enable young
graduates to choose their career path, be it in sales
and marketing of brands such as Nescafé, Milo and
Maggi, manufacturing, supply chain, finance and
other support services.
The Nestlé Management Trainee programme helps
young hires master management techniques and gain
real-life experience in different roles and functions.
Through the Nestlé Leadership Framework and
development programmes, they will continue to
groom high-performing young individuals to become
future leaders and export talent to Nestlé around the
world!
the FMCG industry
Rachel Ferdinando, on how the company is
constantly looking for new ideas and approaches at
the workplace.
To foster innovation, GSK has put in place
best practices such as creating conversations
between senior management and other
employees, allowing for different viewpoints and
implementing key performance measurements.
The company is driven to be the leading fast
moving consumer healthcare company which is
in line with the company’s global effort to help
consumers to do more, feel better and live longer.
GSK is on the look-out for individuals who feel
inspired by their mission and values.
So come join this company which is committed
to enriching lives, for your development and to
make your personal aspirations a reality!
Rakesh Mohan, espousing the company’s sustainable living
plan which recognises the need to build new business
models that enable responsible, equitable growth.
To achieve this vision, Unilever has set clear goals to
halve the environmental footprint of its products, to source
100% of its agricultural raw materials sustainably and to
enhance the livelihoods of people across the value chain.
At Unilever, you will be doing more than just bringing
leading global brands like Lifebuoy, Wall’s, Magnum and
Sunsilk to homes in Malaysia. You will be making an impact
on the lives of people around you!
Reducing greenhouse gas impact of its products across
the lifecycle, water associated with each consumer use of
laundry products and a drive on sourcing raw materials
from smallholder farmers, are some of Unilever’s initiatives
that will resonate with many of you wanting to make the
world a better place. So come, be part of the change!
dion lesWara
director of human capital and development,
philip morris (malaysia) sdn bhd
philip morris malaysia
nestlé malaysia
“We believe everyone has
a WorthWhile, impactful
role in shaping and
delivering products and
brands that nourish the
lives of consumers. our
diverse business and global
reach means a World of
opportunities aWait.”
dutch lady malaysia
Zainun nur abdul rauf
hr & group corporate affairs
director, nestlé malaysia
“our employees have
the courage, curiosity,
and conviction to see
possibilities Where others
only see challenges.”
Dion Leswara, on why graduates should consider starting their
career with the company.
“At Philip Morris Malaysia, you will join a company that
invests in you and supports your growth through individual
development and structured career management. We have
in place strong reward and recognition programmes which
are designed to encourage your achievements and foster your
potential.”
“Being a fast moving consumer goods business, the company
has a dynamic, fast-paced work environment in a constantly
evolving industry. Our diversity of departments and the roles
within them provide numerous opportunities for the graduate’s
career to take shape. So if you possess courage to stand up for
ideas and convictions coupled with strong articulation and high
emotional intelligence, this is the place for you!”
4
Large multinational
companies have been
in Malaysia for a very long
time. unilever has
retention
2
fmcg firms thrive on
employee and customer
retention. Employee investment is a big
1
Besides graduates in marketing
and sales management, the
FMCG sector needs those in the
engineering, food technology
and nutrition, law, human
resources, supply chain and
logistics too. So consider joining the
sector for a fun and fulfilling career!
7
part of the ethos of the FMCG world. Perhaps
it’s because they understand the importance
of loyalty. Customer loyalty can make or
break a brand. Take Twinings, for example
– a century after they entered the top 100
brands list, they are still there and going
strong.
So it makes sense for FMCG companies to
encourage the loyalty of their employees too.
been around since
1947, p&g since
1987 and nestlé
since 1912.
3
The FMCG market
has been growing
consistently over the last
few years. Opportunities
come about as
companies look
to drive higher
consumption in
market segments
like male grooming in
personal care, foods
such as chocolates and
fabric softeners in the
household care category.
6 grown in the
has
culture in fmcg
5
companies is open
and informal.
The
Many
companies offer family friendly
policies like flexible working
hours and the choice of
working from home.
The Malaysian
FMCG sector
range of 5 to
7% per annum
over the last
few years.
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
feel
the
buzz:
roles
in the fmcG sector
Be part of the exciting and energetic world of SALES AND MARKETING in the following roles:
sales — Finds new
customer segments,
markets and shelves,
working with chain
stores and small
retailers.
categoRy
management
— Ensures the growth
of a certain business
aspect e.g. Unilever’s
F&B brands.
bRand
management —
Develops promotions
and tracks revenue
and distribution of
the brand’s line.
elaine lim cHin, 36
comPany: GlaxoSmithKline
Consumer Healthcare (GSK)
degRee: BA in Management
(major Marketing), Universiti
Sains Malaysia
Job title: Senior brand
manager
USM graduate in management
(marketing) Elaine Lim is now
senior brand manager for the
Analgesics business at GSK
– which includes the Panadol
range of products.
“I develop and strategise
marketing plans. Catering
to consumer needs, the
Analgesics team sets clear
marketing objectives and
direction that lead to strong
advertising campaigns that
resonate with consumers,” she
explains.
“My position also allows me
to work closely with the commercial marketing and sales
team to execute the brands’
in-store visibility that ties with
Above-the-Line campaigns.”
“My key success measures
are delivering sales targets,
maintaining Panadol’s position
as market leader and strengthening the brand equity,” Lim
adds.
tee ann Jie, 26
comPany: L’Oréal Malaysia
degRee: Bachelor in
Economics, Universiti
Malaya
Job title: Product
manager
Driven by a passion for beauty,
economics graduate Tee Ann Jie
chose FMCG as her career path
to learn the ropes of the corporate world and understand how
businesses work.
“It is a very challenging environment, and the best time to
challenge myself is now when I
am young.”
“As product manager with
L’Oréal, my operational marketing role means I have a 360
degree view of the business
– from launching new products
to maintaining base growth for
key products.
“Nothing gives me more
aHmad Faiez
moHamed Pisal, 26
comPany: Procter &
Gamble (P&G) Malaysia
degRee: Actuarial Science,
The Pennsylvania State
University
Job title: Senior key
account manager
FMCG attracts people from
diverse education backgrounds.
As an actuarial science graduate, Ahmad Faiez Mohamed
Pisal, 26, can attest to this.
The senior key account
manager at Procter & Gamble
(P&G) acts as a single point of
contact between a large local
retailer and P&G; managing
promotion plans, consumer
marketing campaigns, new
product launches and category
management to build sustainable business models for both
parties.
He says P&G – which counts
SK-II, Pantene, Downy and
Gillette among its household
names – provides him flexible
working hours, which help him
work at his peak capacity.
“The deeply-ingrained
strong people culture promotes diversity within the
workplace, while the company’s focus on training, coaching
and mentoring has helped me
to become a better leader,” he
adds.
On his experience as a
young professional in Malaysia:
“Competing in a demanding
corporate world at a young
age is a plus. The key is to start
early, get as much experience
and accelerate your career to
the next level. The longer you
are in corporate life, the more
experience you get on the key
success drivers for the business
and your personal career”.
maRketing &
communications
— Works with
advertising agencies
and media outlets on
advertising campaigns.
satisfaction than pulling off a
fantastic launch,” she says.
Tee likes the open culture at
the personal care giant and the
workplace’s guiding nature.
“My first boss, Jennifer Bay, is
my mentor and remains a very
strong inspirational figure in
my life, and that drives me to
challenge myself further.”
To fresh graduates, she
advises: “If you like process
and routine, FMCG is not for
you. It’s dynamic and you need
to work hard. Don’t think only
of the glamour and parties.
Remain passionate, enthusiastic and driven!”
lai Wei liP, 25
comPany: Philip Morris
(Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
degRee: Bachelor of
Business (Economics and
Finance), RMIT University
Job title: Territory
supervisor
Some in FMCG find themselves
with unique titles, and Lai
Wei Lip at tobacco giant Philip
Morris Malaysia is one of them.
At 25, he is the territory supervisor in charge of north Klang
Valley.
The RMIT economics and
finance graduate chose the
sector because it “involves
multiple touch points – sourcing, production, warehousing,
logistics, marketing, distribution and retailing, on its journey to a consumer.
“This makes the industry
very interesting as there is a lot
to learn and manage at every
touch point.”
Lai and his six territory executives are tasked with identify-
ing potential outlets, building
and maintaining relationships
with outlet owners, proposing and executing business
initiatives, all while addressing
day-to-day outlet issues such
as volume and visibility.
He adds that the job lets
him interact with a diverse
community, as there are many
“people from all over the world
coming to Malaysia to work,
invest or start a business.
“Moreover, the cultural
exchange allows us to integrate our individual strengths
to form the pillar of success,”
he said, adding, “Job knowledge comes as time goes by
but it is your attitude which
carries you far.”
ENSURING supply in the
FMCG sector means getting the
product (ice cream, detergent,
skin cream) manufactured and
on the supermarket shelves.
That means getting the raw
materials in place, supplying
these to the manufacturing
facility, production, quality
control, warehousing and distribution and finally, supplying
to the hypermarket or retailer.
If you were to take the example of a premium ice cream
sold in Malaysia it may mean
importing the milk from New
Zealand and the chocolate from
Belgium, manufacturing it in
Thailand and then importing
for sale in Malaysia.
In Malaysia many FMCG
companies import products
from other countries in the
region like Thailand and
Philippines, so ensuring that
the product arrives just in
time, managing inventory
and logistics becomes very
important.
Interested in helping companies efficiently get their
products on the supermarket
shelves? Interested in the
origin of products and have
great ideas on innovation and
improvements?
Be part of the dynamic world of SUPPORT SERVICES in the following roles:
Be part of the dynamic world of SUPPLY CHAIN, LOGISTICS AND MANUFACTURING in the following roles:
PRoduction — Liaises
with suppliers and production sites for raw materials
regionally, focusing on pricing and sustainability issues.
engineeRing — Ensures
environmental safety of
products and processes as
well as occupational safety of
production floors.
Quality assuRance
— Ensures products are
safe to use, while adhering
to industry standards in a
specific country.
ReseaRcH and
develoPment
— Researches
customer feedback to
develop innovation,
by inventing new
products and
improving existing
ones.
Food tecHnology
— Creates new
product formulations,
or modifies existing
product contents for
healthier, tastier and
better-packaged food.
customeR seRvice
— Front line in collecting
customer feedback,
addressing immediate
complaints through
product replacement or
offers.
WaReHousing and
distRibution —Works
with raw materials/
unfinished goods
suppliers and transport
partners to keep the
supply chain running.
JenniFeR ling, 39
comPany: Dutch Lady Malaysia
degRee: Bachelor of Science (Human Development),
Universiti Putra Malaysia
Job title: Customer relations manager
The fast pace, dynamism and
closeness to consumers drew
Jennifer Ling to the FMCG
sector. The customer relations manager lives off the
excitement of ever-changing
issues and demands on a
daily working basis.
While others are tasked
with getting Dutch Lady’s
vast array of milk products –
for both infants and growing
children – on more shelves
and stores, Ling is focused
GENERATING demand and ensuring
supply teams cannot function on their
own. They need human resources for
hiring, learning and development and
creating a great workplace.
They need Legal to help with contracts with suppliers and customers.
Finance makes sure your product costing
and pricing are able to ensure a good
bottom-line. Support services help bring
everything together.
Support services in the FMCG sector
do not have a dull moment. They have
to be agile and aligned to market trends
as the sector is fast moving.
There is a lot of cross functional
movement from support services to
the demand and supply side, like a
marketing talent moving to corporate
affairs or even finance professionals
working in sales or supply chain.
support service
GENERATING demand is one of
the most important functions in
the fast-moving consumer goods
(FMCG) sector. It means generating
the pull for your brand of chocolate,
fabric cleaner or deodorant so that
your product flies off the supermarket shelves.
There are so many brands
available in the market. How do
you ensure that your product is
preferred by consumers? By creating brand awareness and multiple
distribution channels so that your
product is available everywhere
ensuring customer loyalty, and
keeping the product visible and
with strong brand recall through
advertising campaigns, events and
promotions. Marketing, key account
management, sales and customer
service are important roles as far as
generating demand goes.
Interested in getting leading
brands off the shelves into the
hands of the consumer? Love
to work on product pricing and
promotions? Have excellent
networking and communication
skills?
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
ensurinG supply
GeneratinG DemanD
purely on the customer
– in a nutshell, the average
Malaysian parent.
“I focus on sales order
management to ensure the
right products, at the right
quantity reach our customers, while aligning with the
company’s objectives.
“I also support colleagues
in other departments to
ensure product launches and
re-launches are successful,”
she adds.
With so many opportunities for career growth in the
industry, she advises novices
to be open minded, assertive
and never give up.
“Have the courage to take
on challenges to find out
which role and specialty best
fits you. It’s also important
to maintain an open mind
and be resilient while finding
your feet in the early stages
of employment,” Ling recommends.
Human ResouRces
— Liases with
employees and upper
management to
implement internal
development
programmes, rotations
and assignments
as well as working
arrangements.
Finance & contRol
— Manages
finances with other
departments, i.e. brand
campaign advising,
tax planning and
forecasting supply and
demand.
legal — Advises
other departments
on legal implications
of activities i.e. local
government law,
contracts and business
partnerships and/or
expansions, protecting
the business.
PRocuRement
— Communicates
with demand side of
business to fill ancillary
needs e.g. new
distributors of office
equipment, contractors
for building new offices
or vetting service
providers.
inFoRmation
tecHnology and
suPPoRt — Delivers
secure, global, robust
information systems
e.g. designing and
analysing systems,
risk management and
identifying emerging
technologies.
leanne Ho su yee, 26
comPany: Mondelez Malaysia
degRee: Bachelor of Business and Commerce
(Accounting, Banking and Finance), Monash University
Job title: Finance analyst
While Leanne Ho Su Yee’s entry into the
FMCG sector was a chance affair through a
newspaper advertisement, the accounting,
banking and finance major has successfully segued her training into her role as
finance analyst with Mondelez Malaysia.
Besides preparing management reports,
she does strategic planning, budgeting
and financial analyses.
“We also partner with our colleagues
from other functions. It’s essentially about
working with everyone to move the business forward.”
For her, the best part about being a
young professional is having the drive
to move forward and all the resources
available via the Web in a rapidly growing
economy like Malaysia.
She advocates constant learning for
those leaning towards the vibrancy of
FMCG: “My alma mater Monash’s motto
is ‘AncoraImparo’ which means, ‘I am still
learning’. I live by this and believe it is a
good attitude to take to all aspects of life.”
cHuman dev, 26
comPany: Unilever (Malaysia) Holdings Sdn Bhd
degRee: Bachelor of Chemical and Process Engineering,
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Job title: HR global graduate trainee
At Unilever, Chuman Dev’s degree in
chemical and process engineering has
not hindered him from pursuing a career
in human resources (HR).
“When I decided on HR, I wanted to
have a continuously challenging job. The
FMCG industry frequently evolves based
on changes in society, research and development, target markets and competition,
thereby forcing one to be creative in
dealing with clients and consumers,” he
remarks.
As a HR global graduate trainee,
Chuman’s role is to “place the right
person in the right job”, by bringing in
talent and developing them according to
Unilever’s needs.
Besides the freezers filled with
Magnum and Cornetto ice-cream cones
lining the office walls, he likes the clear
direction the company has. “There is
much rigour ensuring everyone is focused
on a common objective. Add this to
inspiring leaders and helpful colleagues,
Unilever is definitely the place to be. I
learn new things every day.”
His personal five-step programme to
succeeding in the FMCG sector is simple:
Dream, Strategise, Plan, Execute and
Monitor.
lee Jia lynn, 24
comPany: Nestlé Malaysia Berhad
degRee: Bachelor of Commerce, University of South Australia
Job title: Management accounting specialist
As a commerce graduate, Lee Jia Lynn was
drawn to joining the banking or auditing industry upon graduation, as it was a
natural choice for her given she studied
accounting and finance.
However, when an opportunity opened
for Nestlé’s management trainee programme, she decided to give it a go and
has not looked back.
At 24 years old, as a management
accounting specialist with the F&B leader,
Lee supports strategic decisions by coordinating the planning, budgeting and
forecasting of income statements and cash
flow projections.
Being in finance, she also works closely
with her team to keep up with the business environment and shares business
analytics with other teams.
“We also play a vital role in reporting
and producing cross-functional information that drives business decisions,” she
says of her role in FMCG support services.
She believes the best part about being a
young professional is that she has the time,
energy and passion to pursue her dreams
“You are not bound by financial commitments or family responsibilities. Being
young is the best excuse to be bold, speak
up and do what you want.”
10
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
I
FriENdlY
A GEN-Y
workplAcE!
iNvEStmENt
iN lEAdErShip
& trAiNiNG
F you know which FMCG role fits you,
how do you decide on the company?
It’s really about what drives
YOU personally. Is it about being
empowered at work? Or are you
looking for a company that is strong on
corporate responsibility?
Are work-life balance and flexibility
important to you? Or are you a highachiever looking at quick recognition and
leadership training?
Every FMCG giant has internal
corporate values and structures that pay
attention to all these, but some focus
more on being sustainable, others on
empowering staff.
As it is talent that drives a company’s
performance in the market place, many
employers realise they cannot keep
spending on outbidding other employers.
Companies strive to build employee loyalty
by investing in their development and
career growth through graduate management trainee programmes and internal
leadership programmes for young high performing talent.
Take your pick!
“Definitely its people
anD working culture.”
Khairul Anwar Ab. Gahani,
executive corporate affairs
at Philip Morris Malaysia
Sdn Bhd on the high
level of openness at his
workplace which has helped
contribute to high level of
employee engagement and
organisational success.
work FlExibilitY
EmpowErmENt oN thE job
Work-life balance has become an
increasingly important factor in career
choices.
FMCG companies like P&G, Nestlé and
Mondelez International recognise this.
Many companies are flexible about
working location, hours spent in office
and start and end times of a work day.
They prioritise results over the hours
clocked in.
Take P&G Malaysia for example. The
company provides flexibility on the time
at which you want to start your day and
employees are encouraged to work one
day a week from home. The company
even subsidises the investment to set
up your work station at home. There are
policies which allow “less than full time”
work and sabbaticals, depending on
individual and business needs. Working
for progressive companies in the FMCG
sector gives access to a flexible, empowering environment that helps you deliver
optimum results.
Colaco of Dutch Lady says, “Our work
culture is inclusive, open and informal.
Our policies are family-friendly, such as
90 days maternity leave and flexi-time”.
At GSK, employees say “there is no
late-night or early-morning culture and
nobody will micro-manage you”.
“agile working helps a marrieD
working woman like me juggle
between my
career anD
family.”
name: Lenny
Chuah
Designation:
Marketing
manager
company:
Unilever Malaysia
For those looking for a new challenge everyday, many FMCG
companies would be a good fit. Take the case of global snack
food giant Mondelez International.
Managing director Sunil Sethi shares the company’s culture of empowerment, where employees are thrown into
the deep end to acquaint them with the business.
“As we aim to be a ‘Great Place To Work’, we ensure strategic alignment and then empower people to make their
own decisions and deliver results”.
By empowerment, he says employees are exposed to various projects cross functionally apart from their day-to-day
work, which widens their horizons.
“i’ve been given the
freeDom to Develop my
own way, to form my own
opinions anD come up with
iDeas anD solutions.”
name: Naomi Chen
Designation: Shopper marketing
manager
company: Dutch Lady Malaysia
p&G: buildiNG tAlENt From
withiN For A GlobAl cArEEr
corporAtE SociAl
rESpoNSibilitY (cSr)
In 2012, Fortune and
Chief Executive magazines
named P&G the top company for leaders.
JP Donlon, reviewer
at Chief Executive noted:
“P&G executives are considered the Navy SEALs of
management. This results
from a razor-like focus on
internal succession planning at all levels.”
Susan Weng, who
recently took over the
P&G Malaysia HR reins, is
a testament to P&G internal leadership development practices.
“P&G is recognised as
a leader in developing talent and grooming world
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
programmes help employees look
forward to doing more than just a
regular job. It adds meaning and gives
a great sense of fulfillment.
While FMCG companies are looking to grow, they ensure they interact
responsibly with the society at large.
Take the example of GSK.
“We have a global CSR initiative
that allows staff to take a day off
from work to volunteer at a charity
or community-based organisation.,”
says GlaxoSmithKline Consumer
Healthcare vice-president and general
manager Rachel Ferdinando.
CSR is another key factor in how
hires pick the best fit for them, especially as FMCG have global presence
and significant impact on the world
socially and economically.
class leaders. As a ‘build
from within’ company,
we invest in getting the
best talents at the entry
level and are trained to
be the next leader of the
company.
“We hold managers
accountable for building
leaders at all levels in the
organisation via early
responsibility, training
and assignment rotations
every few years,” she says.
Having spent 10 years
in P&G since joining fresh
out of university, she is
now country HR manager
for Malaysia, Singapore
and global development
market-Asia.
Cosmetics giant L’Oréal is also committed to an impact beyond beauty!
As a market leader in Malaysia,
L’Oréal helps its employees find
fulfillment by giving back to society
through science, education and solidarity.
Its yearly “For Women in Science”
programme offers fellowships to
exceptional female scientists worldwide; while the “Keep In School”
scheme helps finance the education
of children above 12 who are infected
or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Meanwhile, by 2020, the Unilever
Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) aims
to improve health and well-being,
reduce environmental impact and
source 100% of agricultural raw materials sustainably and enhance people’s
livelihoods across its value chain.
Nora
Mahbob,
HR director,
L’Oréal
Malaysia.
Nora Mahbob, HR director, L’Oréal
Malaysia says, “As the world No.1 cosmetic
company, L’Oréal provides a graduate with
an excellent foundation to their career
because they are given exposure to various
functions and disciplines in the business.
As a Management Trainee, we have a
graduate programme called the Young
Entrepreneur Programme (YEP) where
one will be given training on all relevant
divisions to gain a good perspective from
strategy development right up to route-tomarket execution.
The YEP focuses on building strong future
executives that have solid foundation in
sales, retail and trade, with further development and exposure in their field of choice.
Excellent candidates will have the opportunity to participate in the Asean Exchange
Programme, where they will be placed in
a selected Asean country for a short-term
assignment for three months.
Dutch Lady Malaysia managing director
Rahul Colaco adds: “We offer the graduate
trainee Dutch Lady Associate Programme
(DLAP), a great platform for fresh graduates
to start their career”.
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare
(GSK) vice-president and general manager
Rachel Ferdinando says GSK uses “differential development” by customising training
to the individual across three areas:
l On-the-job experiences (70%)
– stretch assignments, increasing the scope
of their roles, new projects within their roles
or secondment.
l Developmental relationships (20%)
– opportunities to get support and feedback
from managers, peers, mentors or coaches.
l Formal development (10%) – via
e-learning, coursework, programmes, classroom-style training, articles or books.
“my line
managers trust
me anD focus
on growing my
capabilities”
name: Vanessa Ong
Designation: Senior
key account manager
company: Procter
& Gamble (P&G)
Malaysia
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
talentCorp’s
Contribution to the
FMCg seCtor
returning expert progrAmme (rep)
About tAlentCorp
TALENTCORP was established in January 2011 under the
Prime Minister’s Department to formulate and facilitate
initiatives to address the availability of talent in line with the
needs of the country’s economic transformation.
Collaborating closely with relevant government agencies
and employers in priority economic sectors, TalentCorp develops demand-driven initiatives focused on three strategic
thrusts, specifically: (1) Optimise Malaysian Talent; (2) Attract
and Facilitate Global Talent; and (3) Build Networks of Top
Talent. Since early this year, TalentCorp has been working
closely with the Malaysian fast-moving consumer goods sector, mainly on building a sustainable Malaysian talent pipeline of talent for job families which are in high demand.
Companies are also working with TalentCorp on awareness
of opportunities in the sector to help attract back Malaysian
talent from abroad. Large employers in the sector have taken
up various products and programs of the TalentCorp. Read on
our website www.talentcorp.com.my to find out more.
reSidenCe pASS - tAlent (rp-t)
“It feels good to be back home and to be able to contribute to
Malaysia’s growth (my children can now enjoy the unique cultural diversity that epitomises Malaysia), and be able to share my
vast global experiences and knowledge working in the United
States, Asean, Australia, India and Greater China to groom more
Malaysian talents to be able to compete globally.”
Jenny Chew
Sales director, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Malaysia
Returning Expert Programme (REP)
After more than nine years of working overseas, Chew grabbed
the opportunity to return home when a senior position opened
in P&G, a leading global FMCG company in Malaysia. She was
motivated to return at the thought of being able to contribute to
the development of this nation by sharing the expertise, skills and
experience she gained during her time abroad. Incentives under
TalentCorp’s REP programme helped made it easy for Chew to plan
her homecoming.
The REP is part of a host of initiatives designed to enable the
establishment of a Malaysian world-class workforce through the
facilitation of returning talent within key sectors of the Economic
Transformation Programme (ETP). Whereas previously applications for the REP were only made by returning individuals, this was
changed last year to encourage greater industry participation and
to complement Malaysian employers’ existing talent acquisition
efforts, by enabling them to apply for the initiative on behalf of the
Malaysian professionals they target to recruit from abroad.
The REP incentive is now an important enabler for leading
Malaysian employers to attract top talent. To know more about
REP log on to http://rep.talentcorp.com.my/
“L’Oréal always has and will continue to contribute
towards Malaysia’s human capital development
efforts for many years to come.”
11
the SCholArShip tAlent
AttrACtion And retention
(StAr) progrAmme
The Scholarship Talent Attraction
and Retention (Star) programme
is a collaboration between the
Public Service Department (JPA) and
TalentCorp. It aims to place JPA scholars with leading organisations in the
private sector, both benefiting in maximising talent and pushing forward
in terms of excellence and knowledge
in the work place. More details can
be found at https://star.talentcorp.
com.my. FMCG companies that are
part of the Star programme are Nestlé
Products Sdn Bhd, Dutch Lady Milk
Industries Bhd and BAT Malaysia.
grAduAte employAbility
mAnAgement SCheme (gemS)
“The GeMS programme helped me discover my strengths and
enabled me to launch my career in a leading food and beverage
company in Malaysia. From doing media audit to writing scripts
for social media marketing, I am learning and growing in my job
at nestlé, Malaysia every day.”
AShwIn RAJGOpAL
Managing director, L’Oréal Malaysia
Residence Pass - Talent
nURUL FARhAnA ASMAwI
Major in Communication,
International Islamic University of Malaysia
Digital communications executive, Nestlé Malaysia
With the Government’s Economic Transformation
Programme, Malaysia continues to enjoy strong
growth in investments and is opening its doors to
top global talent including Malaysians abroad and
foreign talent. The Residence Pass – Talent (RP-T),
which was introduced in April 2011, offers foreign
talent and their families the opportunity to live
and work in Malaysia for up to 10 years.
L’Oréal is the No. 1 cosmetics group worldwide
and is also the market leader in Malaysia. Today,
L’Oréal Malaysia employs over 800 employees and
is an active graduate employer. TalentCorp is collaborating with L’Oréal and other leading FMCG
companies to improve awareness of the diverse
and exciting career opportunities in this sector. To
apply for RP-T, log on to https://www.expats.com.
my/rp
Nurul was absorbed to a full time role as digital communications executive in marketing services at Nestlé, Malaysia
after an attachment with the company under the Graduate
Employability Management Scheme (GEMS) programme. With
a thrust on Graduate Employability, GEMS helps train, expose
and prepare graduates for future career opportunities with the
intention to contribute to the economy by reducing the talent
shortages in key economic sectors.
To date, GEMS has successfully trained over 9,071 graduates.
In 2012, TalentCorp acquired GEMS Malaysia Sdn Bhd from
Khazanah Nasional Bhd. Under TalentCorp the newly revived
GEMS is more sector focused and demand driven. The GEMS
programme incorporates classroom training with an attachment with host companies to enable graduates to learn experientially and land high income jobs with leading companies in
sectors like oil and gas, electrical and electronics, FMCG, Telco’s,
shared services as well as SMEs in the country.
industry insights - FMCg
Malaysian students from foreign universities on an industry-insight camp with TalentCorp last year.
TalentCorp is organising a visit of Malaysian students
studying overseas to leading FMCG employers in
August 2013. The purpose of the visit is for graduates to experience first-hand the buzz and excitement of working in such a fast paced sector and
to educate them about career prospects in these
companies.
Leading employers will host the students for a day
which includes bringing them on a tour of the manufacturing facility, warehouse or retail stockist.
They will be mingling with the young talent at
these companies who will share their own experiences. Graduates will also participate in knowledgesharing sessions and get to interact with the senior
leadership at the company, including face time with
the CEO.
They will particiapte in activities within the company as well as get a feel of the CSR programmes. They
will get to experience first-hand the informal work
culture.
So join in an exciting day out with the FMCG sector!
To know more about this programme or to participate,
please visit http://events.myworklife.my
12
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
Why you can’t
land a Job
ed
RecRuitment methods explain
six seconds oF resume
revieW means recruiters
Will see verY little
By DR JOHN SULLIVAN
mystarjob@leaderonomics.com
I
S your “six seconds of fame” enough to land
you a job? As a professor and a corporate
recruiting strategist, I can tell you that very
few applicants truly understand the corporate
recruiting process.
Most people looking for a job approach it with
little factual knowledge. That is a huge mistake. A
superior approach is to instead analyse it carefully,
because data can help you understand why so
many applicants simply can’t land a job.
If you can bear with me for a few quick minutes, I can show you using numbers where the
job-search “roadblocks” are and how that datasupported insight can help you easily double your
chances of landing an interview and a job.
Your resume Will
Face a lot oF competition
Although it varies with the company and the
job, on average 250 resumes are received for each
corporate job opening. Finding a position opening late can’t help your chances because the first
resume is received within 200 seconds after a position is posted. If you post your resume online on
a major job site so that a recruiter can find it, you
are facing stiff competition because hundreds and
thousands of other resumes can be posted on job
sites each and every week.
understanding the hiring
“Funnel” can help You
gauge Your chances
In recruiting, we have what is known as a “hiring funnel” or a yield model for every job, which
helps recruiting leaders understand how many
total applications they need to generate in order to
get a single hire.
As an applicant, this funnel reveals your chances
of success at each step of the hiring process.
According to Talent Function Group LLC, for the
specific case of an online job posting, on average, 1,000 individuals will see a job post, 200 will
begin the application process, 100 will complete
the application, 75 of those 100 resumes will be
screened out by either the applicant tracking system (ATS) or a recruiter, 25 resumes will be seen by
the hiring manager, four to six will be invited for
an interview, one to three of them will be invited
back for final interview, one will be offered that
job, and 80% of those receiving an offer will accept
it.
When you ask individual recruiters directly, they
report that they spend up to five minutes reviewing each individual resume. However, a recent
research study from TheLadders that included
the direct observation of the actions of corporate
recruiters demonstrated that the boast of this
extended review time is a huge exaggeration.
You may be shocked to know that the average
recruiter spends a mere six seconds reviewing a
resume.
A similar study by BeHiring found the review
time to be five-seven seconds. Obviously six seconds only allows a recruiter to quickly scan (but
not read) a resume.
We also know from observation that nearly
four seconds of that six-second scan is spent looking exclusively at four areas, which are: job titles,
companies you worked at, start/end dates and
education.
Like it or not, that narrow focus means that
unless you make these four areas extremely easy
for them to find within approximately four sec-
onds, the odds are high that you will be instantly
passed over.
And finally, be aware that whatever else that
you have on your resume, the recruiter will have
only the remaining approximately two seconds
to find and be impressed with it. If you think the
information in your cover letter will provide added
support for your qualifications, you might be
interested to know that a mere 17% of recruiters
bother to read cover letters.
a single resume error can
instantlY disqualiFY You
A single resume error may prevent your resume
from moving on. That is because 61% of recruiters will automatically dismiss a resume because it
contains typos, according to Careerbuilder.
In a similar light, 43% of hiring managers will
disqualify a candidate from consideration because
of spelling errors (Adecco). The use of an unprofessional email address will get a resume rejected
76% of the time, found BeHiring.
You should also be aware that prominently displaying dates that show that you are not currently
employed may also get you prematurely rejected
at many firms.
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
A FormAt thAt Is Not scANNAble
cAN cut Your odds bY 60%
TheLadders’ research also showed that the format of the resume matters a great deal. Having a
clear or professionally organised resume format
that presents relevant information where recruiters expect it will improve the rating of a resume
by recruiters by a whopping 60%, without any
change to the content (a 6.2 versus a 3.9 usability rating for the less-professionally organised
resume).
And if you make that common mistake of
putting your resume in a PDF format, you should
realise that many ATS systems will simply not
be able to scan and read any part of its content
(meaning instant rejection).
WeAk lINkedIN ProFIles
cAN Also hurt You
Because many recruiters and hiring managers
use LinkedIn profiles either to verify or to supplement resume information, those profiles also
impact your chances.
Ey-tracking technology used by TheLadders
revealed that recruiters spend an average of 19%
of their time on your LinkedIn profile simply viewing your picture (so a professional picture may be
worthwhile).
The research also revealed that just like
resumes, weak organisation, and scannability
within a LinkedIn profile negatively impacted
the recruiter’s ability to “process the profile”
(TheLadders).
50 secoNds sPeNt meANs mANY
APPlY For A job theY Are Not
quAlIFIed For
Recruiters report that over 50% of applicants
for a typical job fail to meet the basic qualifications for that job according to Wall Street Journal.
Part of the reason for that high “not-qualified”
rate is because when an individual is looking
at a job opening, even though they report that
they spend 10 minutes reviewing in detail each
job which they thought was a “fit” for them, we
now know that they spend an average of just 76
seconds (and as little as 50 seconds) reading and
assessing a position description that they apply
for (TheLadders).
Most of that roughly 60-second job selection
time reviewing the position description is actually
spent reviewing the narrow introductory section
of the description that only covers the job title,
compensation, and location.
As a result of not actually spending the necessary time reviewing and side-by-side comparing
the requirements to their own qualifications, job
applicants end up applying for many jobs where
they have no chance of being selected.
be AWAre thAt eveN IF Your
resume FIts the job PostINg, You
mAY stIll be rejected
To make matters worse, many of the corporate
position descriptions that applicants are reading are poorly written or out of date when they
are posted. So even if an applicant did spend the
required time to fully read the job posting, they
may still end up applying for a job that exists only
on paper.
So even though an applicant actually meets the
written qualifications, they may be later rejected
(without their knowledge) because after they
applied, the hiring manager finally decided that
they actually wanted a significantly different set
of qualifications.
mAkINg It through:
A keYWord seArch requIres
A customIsed resume
The first preliminary resume screening step at
most corporations is a computerised ATS system
that scans submitted resumes for keywords that
indicate that an applicant fits a particular job.
I estimate more that 90% of candidates apply
using their standard resume (without any customisation). Unfortunately, this practice dramatically increases the odds that a resume will be
instantly rejected because a resume that is not
customised to the job will seldom include enough
of the required “keywords” to qualify for the next
step, a review by a human.
Even if you are lucky enough to have a live
recruiter review your resume, because recruiters
spend on average less than two seconds (of the
total six-second review) looking for a keyword
match, unless the words are strategically placed
so that they can be easily spotted, a recruiter will
also likely reject it for not meeting the keyword
target.
No oNe reAds resumes housed
IN the blAck hole dAtAbAse
If you make the mistake of applying for a
job that is not currently open, you are probably
guaranteeing failure. This is because during most
times, but especially during times of lean recruiting budgets, overburdened recruiters and hiring
managers simply don’t have the time to visit the
corporate resume database (for that reason, many
call it the black hole).
So realise that recruiters generally only have
time to look at applicants who apply for a specific
open job and who are then ranked highly by the
ATS system.
some APPlIcANts hAve
AddItIoNAl dIsAdvANtAges
Because four out of the five job-related factors
that recruiters initially look for in a resume involve
work experience, recent graduates are at a decided disadvantage when applying for most jobs.
Their lack of experience will also mean that
their resume will likely rank low on the keyword
count. To make matters worse, the average hiring
manager begins with a negative view of college
graduates because a full 66% of hiring managers report that they view new college graduates
“as unprepared for the work place”, according to
Adecco.
remember A resume oNlY
gets You AN INtervIeW
Even with a perfect resume and a little luck,
getting through the initial resume screen by the
recruiter only guarantees that your resume will
qualify for a more thorough review during what I
call the “knockout round”.
During this next stage of review, the recruiter
will have more time to assess your resume for
your accomplishments, your quantified results,
your skills, and the tools you can use.
Unfortunately, the recruiter is usually looking
for reasons to reject you, in order to avoid the
criticism that will invariably come from the hiring manager if they find knockout factors in your
resume.
If no obvious knockout factors are found you
can expect a telephone interview, and if you pass
that, numerous in-person interviews.
eveN IF You do everYthINg
rIght, the odds cAN be less thAN
1%
Because of the many roadblocks, bottlenecks,
and “knockout factors” that I have highlighted in
this article, the overall odds of getting a job at a
“best-place-to-work” firm can often be measured
in single digits.
For example, Deloitte, a top firm in the accounting field, actually brags that it only hires 3.5% of
its applicants.
Google, the firm with a No. 1 employer brand,
gets well over one million applicants per year,
which means that even during its robust hiring
periods when it hires 4,000 people a year, your
odds of getting hired are an amazingly low 4/10
of 1%. Those unfortunately are painfully low
“lotto type odds.”
uP to 50% oF recruItINg eFForts
result IN FAIlure
In case you’re curious, even with all the time,
resources, and dollars invested in corporate
recruiting processes, still between 30% and 50%
of all recruiting efforts are classified by corporations as a failure.
Failure is defined as when an offer was rejected
or when the new hire quit or had to be terminated within the first year (staffing.org). Applicants
should also note that 50% of all new hires later
regret their decision to accept the job (Recruiting
Roundtable).
FINAl thoughts
Unfortunately, much of what is written about
“the perfect resume” and the ideal job search
approach is based on “old wives’ tales” and is simply wrong. However, when I review the numbers
that are available to me from internal company
recruiting data and publicly through research
done by industry-leading firms like TheLadders,
Adecco, BeHiring, staffing.org, and Careerbuilder,
it doesn’t take long to realise that the real job
search process differs significantly from the ideal
one.
Rather than leaving things to chance, my advice
both to the applicant and to the corporate recruiting leader is to approach the job search process
in a much more scientific way. For the applicant
that means start by thoroughly reading the position description and making a list of the required
keywords that both the ATS and the recruiter will
need to see.
Next submit a customised resume that is in a
scannable format that ensures that the key factors that recruiters need to see initially (job titles,
company names, education, dates, keywords, etc.)
are both powerful and easy to find during a quick
six-second scan. But next comes the most important step: to literally “pre-test” both your resume
and your LinkedIn profile several times with a
recruiter or HR professional. Pre-testing makes
sure that anyone who scans them for six seconds
will be able to actually find each of the key points
that recruiters need to find.
My final bit of advice is something that only
insiders know. And that is to become an employee
referral (the highest volume way to get hired).
Because one of the firm’s own employees recommended you and also because the recruiter knows
that they will likely have to provide feedback to
that employee when they later inquire as to “why
their referral was rejected,” résumés from referrals
are reviewed much more closely.
I hope that by presenting these 35+ powerful
recruiting-related numbers I have improved your
understanding of the recruiting process and the
roadblocks that you need to steer around in order
to dramatically improve your odds of getting a
great job.
n Dr John Sullivan is an internationally known HR
thought-leader from the Silicon Valley who specialises in providing bold and high business impact,
strategic talent management solutions to large
corporations. He’s a prolific author with over 900
articles and 10 books covering all areas of talent
management and an engaging corporate speaker
who has excited audiences on all six continents.
RecRuiteRs
RepoRt that
oveR 50% of
applicants
foR a typical
job fail to
meet the basic
qualifications
foR that job
accoRding to
Wall stReet
jouRnal.
13
14
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
Broaden your
horizons
By NG ENG HAN
mystarjob@leaderonomics.com
D
URING my primary and
secondary education in
Malaysia, I remembered
writing several essays
about travelling, and
how teachers said it was important
because it enabled one to meluaskan
pengetahuan (broaden one’s knowledge). Although I wrote all those
essays espousing the advantages of
travelling, in hindsight, I didn’t really
understand how the concept could
actually benefit me.
Fast-forward 5½ years after SPM, in
2009, and here I am in Santiago, Chile,
close to the end of my second study
abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
having just visited a Chilean friend I
had befriended during my study stint
in Barcelona in 2007.
For me, the past five years have
been an incredible eye-opening journey as I travelled through 20 countries,
lived in five countries across four continents, and met people from over 100
different countries.
I hope that detailing my experiences here would inspire others who have
similar dreams to reach for the stars
and also shed light on how to make
these aspirations a reality.
Given the experiences I have had,
one might think that I come from a
super-wealthy family. The reality is
that I grew up in a household where
both my parents were government
servants for many years, and would
not have been able to fully fund any of
their three children to foreign universities for higher education.
In academics, I was good, but not
great, and rarely ranked within the top
10 in my class. However, I did eventually manage to obtain excellent SPM
results and record notable achievements in extracurricular activities, all
of which were important in helping
me secure the opportunities for the
next phase of my education.
After SPM, I applied for several scholarships and was fortunate
Ng (second from right) with some friends in Barcelona.
enough to be awarded a 75% scholarship to study at the United World
College-USA (UWC-USA), in addition to
a full scholarship by the Public Services
Department (PSD) to Germany.
For those who are not familiar with
UWC-USA, it is one of 12 international
boarding schools around the world
that focuses on promoting international understanding by bringing students from dozens of countries to live
and study together.
Although the PSD scholarship
seemed the more lucrative and secure
option at that point, I defied the
advice of friends and relatives to opt
for UWC as I felt I was able to challenge and grow myself more in a completely unfamiliar environment.
That gamble certainly paid off. In
UWC-USA, I had an incredible learning
experience living together with students from over 90 different countries.
Through UWC, I also found out about
the concept of financial aid, and every
year, many Malaysians manage to
secure necessary funding for tertiary
education there.
This is largely still a secret among
Things you
didn’T
Know
aBouT your
Brain
most students in Malaysia but everyone who desires a tertiary education
and cannot afford it should know that
the United States is the only country
in the world where financial aid and
scholarships are made available to
a large number of international students on a wide-scale basis.
After UWC-USA, I gained admission into Dartmouth College with a
generous financial aid package that
required me to spend even less than a
student in a Malaysian public university would pay.
Dartmouth provided me with all
the resources necessary to achieve my
dreams, in areas as diverse as food
and lodging to health insurance and
pocket money for study abroad programmes.
The first reaction people usually have when I relate my experience to them is to tell me that I am
really lucky. I acknowledge that being
blessed has definitely played a part in
things.
However, from my personal experience, grit and the willingness to work
hard is equally, if not more important,
Ng at the Iguazu Falls, Argentina.
as well as the fact that opportunities
are abundant if one is willing to work
hard enough.
I have met many Malaysians in
the United States and abroad who
are pursuing a variety of their own
dreams, even if they were originally
from less privileged backgrounds
because they were willing to make it
happen.
While you do need a little bit of
luck, it really boils down to passion,
hard work and initiative that will
provide the desired results in the longterm. In short, you can shape your
own unique experiences too!
Back in the airport, I reflect about
my recent stay in Argentina, where
I studied their political history
and learnt how it and other Latin
American countries had huge immigration waves also in the late 1800s
and early 1900s like Malaysia.
However, it seemed to have done
Here are six things you probably didn’t know
about your brain:
1
2
3
n Ng Eng Han, 26, considers himself
fortunate to have studied across the
United States, Spain and Argentina. He
wrote this article in 2009, and today
is a management consultant, continuing to travel for work. This article was
extracted from the “What’s After SPM”
book published by Leaderonomics
Publishing.
n Terry Small is a brain expert who resides in Canada and believes
that anyone can learn how to learn easier, better, faster, and that
learning to learn is the most important skill a person can acquire.
To interact with Small, email mystarjob@leaderonomics.com
By TERRY SMALL
mystarjob@leaderonomics.com
Your brain is a 1.3kg universe... wrapped
in tissue and bone... it is proportionately
larger than in any other creature on earth.
Your brain is just 2% of your body
weight... yet demands 20% of your blood
flow and 20% of your oxygen.
The number of physical thought
pathways that your brain can potentially
create is the number one followed by 10.5
million km of standard font zeros.
The one hundred million neurons in your
brain can create more ideas than the
number of atoms in the known universe.
These ideas zip around in your brain at
428km per hour!
Your brain’s total capacity for data
storage is a terabyte of terabytes (you
can look this one up... I did).
much better in fostering a national
identity that supersedes the various
ethnic identities that existed after
immigration.
Instances like these help me critically reflect upon my multi-ethnic experience growing up in Malaysia, and
even after being exposed to such an
incredible amount of new knowledge
over the past five years, I still feel like
I am only beginning to experience the
tip of the iceberg of how melancong
(travelling) can help one meluaskan
pengetahuan!
2
1
Your brain
weighs 1.3kg
Your brain
is just 2%
of your body
weight
3
It can potentially create a
staggering
amount of
thought pathways
4
5
6
Congratulations on learning something
about your brain today. The Brain Bulletin is
committed to help to do just that.
RemembeR: “You are a genius!”
one hundred
4 The
million neurons in
your brain can create
more ideas than the
number of atoms in the
universe
5
Ideas zip around
in your brain at
428km per
hour
6
Capacity for
data storage is a
terabyte of
terabytes
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
making up for
lack of experience
By LIM MAY LEE
maylee@mystarjob.com
S
O you’ve got a degree and you’re
looking for a job! The problem
is, most of the jobs you see have
that depressing line about needing job experience. But, how do
you get job experience without getting
a job first? With this seemingly hopeless
dilemma, fresh graduates and even those
who would like to make a drastic career
switch may find it easier to just give up.
Don’t panic, and don’t give up! There
are many others in the same boat. Those
with internships under their belts may
use those as the job experience needed,
if applicable. But if you didn’t have any
internship opportunities, or the job position you’re eyeing is vastly different from
any job you’ve ever done, here are some
tips on getting that sweet job without
prior work experience!
Tip 1: HarvesT your good
qualiTies from your
scHool or universiTy days
Transferrable skills are your secret
weapon! Did you lead a club in school?
That is leadership. Were you in a sports
team? Teamwork. If you’ve ever handled
an event, that is event management. Are
you starting to look through your resume
with different eyes?
Everything that you’ve experienced creates an impact in your life. Your skills as a
fresh graduate can include proof-reading,
fact-checking, researching, adept at
using Microsoft Office, budgeting
and good social interaction!
You may not have actually worked
in an office environment, but you have
worked, and if you can translate those
experiences into the soft skills needed to
get yourself a job, you should be successful.
explore and develop skills, likes (and dislikes) that you may have never known you
had. If you were planning to apply for a job
that involves children, it could be a good
idea to volunteer at an orphanage first.
Not only will you gain valuable working
experience in dealing with children, you
also get a first-hand glimpse at how an
organisation is run, funds are managed,
and definitely learn to multi-task.
For some ideas on where to volunteer
next, check out Do Good. Volunteer at
dogoodvolunteer.com!
Tip 3: learn
If you’re lacking in work experience,
then knowledge is your friend. You don’t
have to get a second degree, but certificates in skills, whether soft or technical,
could go a long way towards impressing
potential employers.
Certifications go beyond equipping you
with knowledge; they also indicate that
you are someone who is willing to learn
and is committed to improving yourself.
Of course, learning isn’t a substitute for
actual hands-on experience, but it’s a good
step forward!
Tip 4: Work samples
They say “The proof of the pudding
is in the eating”. If you have samples
of your skills that could impress your
potential employers, display them!
Add samples of your designs to
your application if you’re applying
for a position as graphic designer,
and samples of your writing if
you would like to be
a writer. Make a video of yourself giving a
sales pitch if you would like a job in sales,
and draft a marketing plan for a fictitious
product if you would like to start your
career in marketing.
Work samples give employers solid
proof of your abilities and can help give
you more consideration. Remember, applicants with job experience already have
proof in terms of their achievements in
their previous jobs, so you would need to
have something extra to hold your own
and not lose out.
Tip 5: sTand ouT!
This is no time to blend into the woodwork; this is the time to grab the spotlight
and, most importantly, the JOB. If there
are competitions, take part! Jazz up your
resume with an awesome cover letter!
If necessary, call the company about a
week after you’ve submitted your resume,
and enquire about your application’s
status – this is also a good
opportunity to have a quick
chat with the person on
the other line; if you can
impress the person in
five minutes, your
chances of getting
an interview could
be that much
higher.
Tip 2: volunTeer
Your cover letter gives people a glimpse of who you
are and what you hope you achieve. When writing a
cover letter, tell them why you would like to join the
company, what you bring to the table and why you
think you can succeed.
Try to keep it short (about 200 to 300 words) though,
HR managers have many applications to review and
may not have the time to read a mini-novel.
calling
gives people a
glimpse of who you
are and what you
hope you achieve
Sometimes, it’s not just what you know,
it’s who you know. Make the most of your
circle of friends and acquaintances!
If your mother has a friend who might
need an extra employee, it won’t do you
any harm to get more information about
that job from the friend. Who knows, you
could get that work experience that you
need.
Informal enquiries about available jobs
may reap great opportunities as well!
Asking friends of friends about their jobs,
and about the jobs available in their workplace may give you a clearer picture of
how a workplace is like and whether you
are the right person for the job.
Going to career fairs also helps with the
networking because you get to know the
people who really matter in your job hunt:
The HR team! Above all, be patient. Keep
submitting those resumes and don’t give
up! If there is one way to ensure a 100%
failure rate, it is to not try at all.
Keep improving yourself, and striving to
move onwards and upwards. Do research
on the companies you’re applying for and tailor your
resume and cover letter
accordingly. You may not get
the first job you applied for,
but that happens to almost everyone, regardless of work experience.
Hang in there, and while you’re waiting
to be employed, work on your skills.
There is no such thing as being “pro” or
being the best: Everybody could do with
more knowledge, life experiences, and contacts. Make new friends and keep an eye
out for prime job openings that you could
submit your application to! You can do it!
If you have an engaging personality,
why not let potential employers see
that in the flesh? Create your very own
video resume and attach it to your
applications!
This is most useful if you’re applying
for jobs that place an emphasis on
personality, like sales or customer
service. You can attach your video
resume into your applications by using
myStarjob.com’s Visume function! For
more information, go to myStarjob.
com/visume.
emphasis
cover letter
s
p
i
t
e
m
u
res
video resume
Organisations that need volunteers do
not quibble over work experience and the
like. While waiting for potential employers
to respond to your application, it’s time to
get busy!
Volunteering offers you a great way to
Tip 6: neTWork
When writing your
resume, you usually
have to add in your work
experience. If you have
none, emphasise what
you DO have, such as
your grades and the soft
skills you have picked
up in school and while
volunteering.
Don’t be too shy
to call up the HR
department and ask
about the status of
your application!
One call, about a
week after you’ve
submitted the
application, should
be good enough.
15
16
mystarjob.com, saturday 13 July 2013
WE have
experts
on career
management, HR and office issues who
will address your questions weekly. We
refer to them as Careernomers - experts
in career matters who will help you
in your career journey. So if you have
any burning question to ask, send it to
dearcareernomers@leaderonomics.com
and we will get the panel to answer
your questions.
This week, Datin Nancy S Y Sim-Lim,
SVP & head of Human Capital, Great
Eastern Life Assurance (M) Berhad and
Emily Wong VP, head - Organisational
Development & Learning at Alliance
Bank answer Stephanie’s question.
Dear careernomerS,
I have been at my current job for
eight years now, as a sales analyst in
retail. My job has been getting more
and more mundane and routine
every day. The change of my company
management makes the situation
worse as the instructions and objectives
are not delivered clearly from top to
bottom. I talked to my superior asking
for more challenging work but all I
got was more paperwork that other
departments neglected to do.
I am reconsidering my career path
and my close friends, knowing that I
like writing, encourage me to pursue
this direction. I am in my 30s and
have financial commitments so I am
apprehensive about taking risks with
beginning a new career.
I am in a dilemma now and would
appreciate if you could advise me in
making a good decision.
Yours truly,
Stephanie
Dear Stephanie,
Thank you for your inquiry
and sharing with us your current
situation.
Having served close to eight
years as a sales analyst is a good
record but you have not shared
whether you are a graduate with
professional qualification or whether you are based in an MNC, or a
local FMCG environment. However,
the fact that your firm has a job
family does indicate that you are in
an active business of some scale.
The eight years would have provided you with a very solid grounding of the job and a good appreciation of numbers. There are a few
routes which you can do immediately to elevate your role:
1
Embrace change and take
advantage of the situation.
Get to know your bosses and the
new HR folks.
You mentioned that your work is
mundane and that you are bogged
down with loads of paper work.
Study the work-flow and suggest
new processes so that everyone
who is in the sales or business
development team can support you
and still allow you to extract realtime data to support the firm and
the business. I can only assume that
this data is used to help monitor
achievement of targets, strength
and weakness of the sales pipeline
and also for redevelopment of
strategies.
Having such insights, you should
try to influence and see if you can
move up into a marketing or business development role. Try and
work yourself out of this role.
2
You highlighted that you like
writing. Depending on your
current capability, writing is used in
many parts of an organisation. With
the advent of digital marketing and
social media, you can actually start
by doing this:
l sign up for a social media programme and understand how writing is used in the new era;
l understand how the various
mediums and channels of communications are used;
l develop a new blog by yourself
and write on topics that you are
keen on. By starting a blog, you will
compel yourself to research into
these topics a bit more and enforce
the discipline of making your blog
popular. I mentioned research and
this is key to writing.
After completing the social
media course and starting your
own blog, you can then talk to
your HR or Marketing head and
enquire if they have an opening
in your company for a role in PR,
advertising, market research. Apply
internally first. Some jobs are never
advertised.
Writing alone has limitations.
Remember this is the digital age, so
you need to package yourself and
pitch your skills to include not just
writing, but other skills too. An editor looking for a writer would look
for someone who is creative and
also independent. If you are tight
financially, there are many free online courses on social media.
3
If you are really keen, there
are openings in journalism.
They provide very good training but
you have to be ready for the stress
and also tight deadlines. There is a
good mix of business, newspapers
and female magazines that are
looking for writers and also on-line
publications.
The entry level salary is not so
attractive. Unless you are working
for a top notch newspaper, I would
say that PR consultancies and
advertising firms pay better.
4
In the eight years, you would
have worked for numerous
bosses. Where have they gone to?
How can they help you? Connect
with them and see if they will give
you a chance. You will be surprised
how much networking and old
bosses can help.
Lastly, you mentioned that
financial stability is important
for you. Changing jobs and
changing employers is always
risky. But you should start
reinventing yourself today.
I would like to quote Ziglar:
“where you want to be, the
seed is already planted where
you are standing.” Steve Jobs
in his famous Stanford speech
said one’s life experiences will
have bearing on your success and
you just need to link up the lines.
I hope you find what you want
Stephanie. Good luck.
nancy S-y Sim-lim
Dear Stephanie,
There is always uncertainty
with any change in management,
and this may require a period of
adjustment from both the employee as well as the management.
Have a conversation with your
superior to convey your expectations for a more challenging task or
role complementary to your skills
and capabilities.
Some people enjoy expanding
their knowledge in their areas of
expertise, while others seek to
give breadth to their knowledge by
exploring different fields of work.
If there is any opportunity for
you to apply for lateral movement
across departments in your company, take it. It would be an opportunity for you to experience new challenges and practical experiences.
You may also want to volunteer
for special projects at your workplace (if there are any). Sign up
for stretch assignments or special
projects to accelerate learning and
to minimise any skill or knowledge
gaps.
You mentioned that you enjoy
writing; perhaps, you could reach
out to your communications team
to support them through your
writing skills. Offer to write and
contribute articles for your in-house
newsletter; if there is none at the
moment, consider starting one for
your organisation. Opportunities
might arise from such endeavours.
Any change can be frightening
and painful. It would be difficult
to walk away from a secure, stable
job and pay. At the same time, as
we spend a great amount of time
at work, it is important that we do
something meaningful and rewarding.
Regardless of your current status,
take time to reflect on your contribution in the organisation. Is that
what you want for your career?
Does it allow you to do what you
are really good at? Does it help you
to grow professionally?
In summary, the following may
be used as a guide:
1. What are your real
intereStS anD SkillS?
Look back on your successes
over the years; review your roles,
projects and tasks to identify your
skills and what you really like to do.
Make a list of what your ideal job
would include, for example:
l less administrative work
l more writing-based assignments and opportunities
2. are you happy With
your current job?
Be clear of why you want to leave
your current job. You can do this by:
l keeping a log of your current
job and responsibilities
l identifying which part of the
job you like/dislike
l asking if you are satisfied/dissatisfied with the job/responsibility
or your company or the people you
work with?
3. are there any career
alternativeS?
Be honest with yourself and ask
what you do and do not like about
your current job.
Ask yourself what would it take
to make your working life more
pleasant. Take time to explore all
options and alternatives before you
make any decisions.Think of the
implications they may have on you
and your family. Perhaps you may
want to:
l Discuss your ideas and plans
with family, friends and your network of professional contacts
l Read and research to evaluate
your different areas of interest
l Talk to contacts in those areas
for in-depth information
l Google for more ideas from
online resources
4. hoW Do you relearn anD Develop
neW SkillS?
Make a list of your experiences,
skills, accomplishments and challenges. Do this:
l Check out and learn new skills
which could help you pursue your
career in a new direction
l Sign-up for in-house programmes, if available
l Find a secondment opportunity or get involved in projects
which could help you broaden your
knowledge and skills
5. Who can you
ShaDoW to obServe
the job firSt-hanD?
Learn from the experts. Arrange
to spend time shadowing people
whose jobs interest you for insights
to the job itself. I personally find
this very inspiring and educational.
Most importantly, be curious and
enjoy every learning opportunity.
Remember to also focus on family,
friends and hobbies.
Aristotle says, “Where the needs
of the world and your talents cross,
there lies your vocation”.
Good luck.
emily Wong
n The opinions expressed are those
of the authors and not necessarily
those of myStarjob.com
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If you have any suggestions or feedback on our content, get in touch with the Leaderonomics team at mystarjob@leaderonomics.com.
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