Saying Goodbye to 2009

2009... The year of many ups and downs, wonderful memories, endless hard work and many things to look forward to.

Its been a busy year, with little breaks in-between. FYP took up 90% of my summer vacation and every other free time that I had, but the end result justified the sacrifices made. Its been a testing time for me, but luckily I had, by my side, my group of friends and mostly importantly D*.

2009 also mark the end of my Academic life, convo is still 6 months away but I'll be starting my new job as an engineer next week. It'll be a whole new world with a whole new experience waiting for me.

To all my friends who are reading this, good luck and all the best. See you guys next year.

Bye Bye 2009, I'm waiting for 2010 to say Hi.

Best Christmas Present Ever

After what seem like an endless wait, the results were finally released last night. The moment the page loaded, I was happy that everything turned out better than expected. =)

Finally, after 3.5 years of hard work, I've met my target of 2nd Upper Honours set when I entered Uni. Honestly, At the beginning of the year, things weren't looking so good and by the middle of the year, matters got worse. But everything turned out well after all.

Endless hours headaches, hair pulling(that's why I keep my hair short), everything came to a satisfactory conclusion.

To all my friends who got their X'mas wish granted, Congratz. To those that weren't quite satisfied, never give up. Jiayou!!!

Diploma Better Than Degree?

Came across this article in the Straits Times...

Diploma-holders have edge

DIPLOMA-HOLDER Joyce Wong had six job offers shortly after completing her media and communication course in May.

Two months later, the 20-year-old started work as an account executive at an advertising agency. Her monthly pay is $2,000, higher than the average starting salary of polytechnic graduates.

Meanwhile, degree-holder Lynette Tillai, 23, has had little luck since she returned in June on graduating from the University of California, Berkeley.

The psychology graduate applied to 10 local firms - mostly in the social services sector - but was rejected or ignored.

The stark contrast in their fate is a reflection of how the downturn has been kinder to polytechnic than to university graduates - across all age groups.

This picture emerged in the latest Manpower Ministry report on the job market in the third quarter.

Source: The Straits Times (18 Dec 2009)

If that's true, it means that my hard work for the past 3.5 years, has made me less appealing in the job market?

People used to think that Polytechnics are dumping grounds for those that can't make it to JCs, go on to university and land a high paying job and successful career. Now, it doesn't seems to be the case.

Oh well... Such irony... =\

It's Not All About Grades

During the course of job-hunting, I came to realize that employers are looking for potential candidates that has more than just paper qualifications.

One of my interviewers asked,
"What activities outside of school are you involved in?"
" What games do you play?"
"Any experience in organizing events or leading a team of people?"
"What are your views on the current technological trends?"

It is obvious that such questions do not reflect on what I did in my academic life and does not contribute to my competency in performing the required tasks but it does reflect on what my personality and people skills. Although paper qualification is still important, its not everything.

I'm citing an article from the Straits Times Recruit section by Prof. Kamal Kant. He thought me my management fundamentals elective during my University days and I find the article very useful, so I'm sharing it here.

Get Yourself Work-Ready

Leaving university with a good degree is an indisputable pre-requisite to in the graduate employment market. But this alone is not enough to secure your first job.

Optimally, the skills, competencies and abilities you develop during your university years and the experiences you gain from industrial attachments and temporary jobs will help to give you an edge over the next candidate.

In a highly competitive employment landscape where fresh graduates are finding their job search challenging, employers are seeking candidates who can hit the ground running.

It is essential to not just bury your head in your books while you are in university, but to continue to develop your interests beyond the academic and acquire some work experiences.

This will help to enrich your life and your resume. Many graduating students are so focused on academic results they often overlook enriching their life beyond lectures and assignments.

Employability skills are more important to some organizations and employers than the specific occupational, technical or academic knowledge and skills associated with the graduate's degree. The desired skills for today's fresh graduates fall into four broad areas: self-reliance, people, general employment and specialist skills.

1. Self-reliance Skills
These skills include self-awareness and being proactive. Employers usually want to know how purposeful and focused the candidate is. They want to discover his beliefs as well as how realistic his career expectations and goals are.

Being proactive includes having resourcefulness, drive and self-reliance. Among the gamut of self-reliance skills, employers are also looking into the graduate's ability to market themselves modestly in a positive but persistent manner. They ability to network and be an astute decision-maker is another quality that distinguishes good candidates.

2. People Skills
In the people skills arena, employers want to know whether the candidates has worked in a shop, supermarket or restaurant, engaged in fund-raising activities for charity, or participated regularly in voluntary work.

These are front-line work areas where individuals are likely to develop people skills. Being a member of an orchestra, participating in a team sport or having a leadership role are also good indicators of people skills.

In essence, employers try to determine whether the candidate has engaged in activities that have helped to develop his interpersonal skills, effective communication competencies and leadership abilities. They are seeking candidates with customer-centric attitudes who demonstrate a friendly and caring attitude, and can handle difficult situations diplomatically. Employers also want candidates who are comfortable with diversity associated with globalisation and multi-ethnic workforces.

3. Other skills
Of course, general business skills like problem-solving, flexibility, business acumen, computer and numerate literacy and commitment are desired personal skills. Candidates who are versatile, willing and multi-skilled definitely have an advantage. However, specific occupational skills and specialist relevant knowledge are equally important in certain occupations.

Many employers also prefer graduates who have gained practical work experience and have a better idea about what the world of work has in store for them. Employers are also looking for personal qualities in fresh graduates that include cultural intelligence and an ability to connect with colleagues and partners who are a generation older than them.

According to some employers, completing an internship, industrial attachment or a community project in an under-developed country remains the useful road to the improvement of workplace soft skills for graduates.

Your degree is no longer enough to land you a job. You will have to demonstrate that you are work-ready, willing to put in hard work and not fearful of challenging tasks.

Can you prove all this and more in an effective resume? Will you able to demonstrate and persuade a potential employer that you have what it takes to succeed in their business? Will you be able to live up to the promise of being a well-rounded employee in your first six months at work?

Consider these issues, then try and fill the gaps in your resume. Seek the help and advice of career counsellors or friends who have work experience. With some effort and a positive attitude, you will boost your ability to find the job you want.

Source: The Straits Times - Recruit Section (19 Dec 2009)
Author: Kamal Kant.

I hope everyone finds this article useful, especially those that are graduating soon.