For Those Fresh Graduates Looking for Jobs (2)

I graduated from UK with an Electronic Engineering Honours degree. It was in 1998; in the midst of the Asian Financial Crisis. The economy was in the doldrums. There were retrenchments everywhere. The Recruit section in the papers got thinner by the day. I took it easy for the first 2 months after I came back to adjust myself back to the climate and lifestlye. When I got serious in hunting for a job, I began to realize the dire state of the economy. I went to job agencies, cutting out recruitment ads and sending countless CVs, and even perfecting my resumes. My pride of being a new university graduate faded by the day when no employer seemed to be interested in me. Either there were long queues at walk-in interviews or my sent-in CVs never seemed to bring any response. I started to adopt a new strategy after much thought. The mainstream job-seekers would go for the Recruit section in the Straits Times. Instead of following the crowds who aim to join MNCs and government agencies, I decided to look into the Classified section instead. I started to look for the smallest possible ad that I think hardly anyone noticed. True enough, after sending my CV to 2 companies, I was called for interviews. I was estatic. Both were local SME companies. One was in the M&E industry for a site Electrical Engineer and the other was for a System Development Engineer. After both interviews, thanks to my good presentations, I was called up again for 2nd interview by both companies. Eventually, I was offered a job by each company. I suddenly felt spoilt for choice. Nonetheless, after much consideration, I took up the 2nd offer. It was a humble setup with about 30 staff. From there on, I never looked back and started my career there. Although I didn't stay for long in the company, it was a great springboard in my career and I joined a big MNC after gaining some working experience.

Growing up from bad times have trained me not to take things for granted. It is always good to start from ground zero so that your fundamentals are well founded. When the times turn for the better, you will be the first to benefit. To the fresh graduates who are seeking jobs today; don't be discouraged. When there's a will, there's a way. Be humble and work your way hard to land a job. It's not a time to be fussy anymore.

For those Fresh Graduates Looking for Jobs

I had been invited for various talks in universities and polytechnics. I spoke to aspiring students and graduands who are ready to enter into the working world. I hear the woes from these young people and urge me to post some comments here. Looking at the outlook of the economy, landing on a job is really tough. Each job posted in the ads, has thousands of CVs pouring in, each screaming for attention. Even jobs which only require fresh graduates, applicants with many years of experience also come knocking. I just recall that I posted for a temporary IT position recently. Since it was just a position for 3 months, I put in the Straits Times Classified, as small as possible to save money, and it was a walk-in interview. Guess what? More than 30 people turned up at my office! Almost all of them armed themselves with beautiful CVs and university certificates. Although I was spoilt for choice, they were mostly foreigners, whom I can't hire for such short timespan. These people who are genuinely well equipped with knowledge and experience, and most importantly not asking for high pay. So for those aspiring job-seekers, you have to lower down your expectations. I can share with you my own experience as a new graduate 11 years ago, what I went through and the lessons I learnt. Also, as an employer today, what I expect and would look out for in an applicant.