Finding jobs has never been easier these days. More than a decade ago, almost 80% of jobs are found through newspapers but now, the easiest and most convenient way of looking for jobs are not through print media but online job sites. This is especially true for fresh graduates as most entry-level jobs are advertised online.
This list is compiled by Jobzing
According to them, the 10 Best Job Sites in Malaysia are:-
1. JobsDBMalaysia
2. JobStreet Malaysia
3. Job Clearing System (the link cannot be found)
4. Best Jobs Malaysia
5. JenJobs
6. Malaysia Jobs Directory (not a job site per se but listed some suggested sites)
7. Malaysia Central (again, not a job site per se but Info Portal & Malaysian Local Search Directory)
8. Allyhunt
9. Recruit Malaysia (again, not a job site but using search technology to crawl the internet to find job listings from other sites)
10. TipTopJob Malaysia
Since four out of ten in the above list are either not job sites in the actual sense or link not found, let me replace them with others that I believe are quite good and active ones. Before that, let me caution that there are other smaller job sites out there but credibility may be questionable, i.e., jobs advertised may be scams or not real jobs but put up by the site owners without the permission of the employers or recruiters.
The additional four:-
1. Monster
2. Star-Jobs Online
3. JobsBroadway
4. Kareer.com.my
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
10 Career Blogs by Malaysian Bloggers
The majority of Malaysian bloggers blog about personal stuffs, with a few popular bloggers that did well in topics related to politics, entertainment and latest technology/IT gadgets. I scouted hard to find some good Malaysian bloggers that blog about career and work but unfortunately, only a handful was found. Some posted good articles but have not been blogging for the past few months and therefore did not make it to this list.
I think fresh graduates should read career blogs, not only to obtain some information about job interview tips and career guide but also a glimpse of the real working world especially in Malaysia context that you may not get them from reading books alone.
The 10 Career Blogs by Malaysian Bloggers. Check them out and bookmark if you like them.
1. Ally Blog
Two Categories: Work Talk & Take Five. Work Talk is on tips sharing from attending interviews to picking the right talent, relevant to both job seekers and employers.
2. Alvin Lim – The Dreamer
Categories include business, career, jokes, office life and other general stuffs.
3. AsiaPartTime.com
Their tag line says it all- Your Trusted Part Time Job & Freelance Job Community Blog
4. Black Zedd
A corporate satire blog, updated with satirical and humorous commentary on the corporate world, including career advice, management tips, business strategies and marketing tactics.
5. Blogstreet
From Jobstreet.com
6. Career Blog
From Jobsdb Malaysia
7. Jobsbroadway Career Blog
Using the blog to connect job seekers with their job site.
8. SkorCareer
Providing quality career information for its visitors in casual and hopefully enlightening ways. To help their readers to build, enhance and develop their own future.
9. Strategi Kerja
Blog in Bahasa Malaysia, on career development and some sharing from the blogger’s personal life.
The 10th? Aha… you guess it right - this blog. The Working Gal is essentially a career blog and the blogger is 100% Malaysian.
Any other career blogs by Malaysian bloggers to recommend?
I think fresh graduates should read career blogs, not only to obtain some information about job interview tips and career guide but also a glimpse of the real working world especially in Malaysia context that you may not get them from reading books alone.
The 10 Career Blogs by Malaysian Bloggers. Check them out and bookmark if you like them.
1. Ally Blog
Two Categories: Work Talk & Take Five. Work Talk is on tips sharing from attending interviews to picking the right talent, relevant to both job seekers and employers.
2. Alvin Lim – The Dreamer
Categories include business, career, jokes, office life and other general stuffs.
3. AsiaPartTime.com
Their tag line says it all- Your Trusted Part Time Job & Freelance Job Community Blog
4. Black Zedd
A corporate satire blog, updated with satirical and humorous commentary on the corporate world, including career advice, management tips, business strategies and marketing tactics.
5. Blogstreet
From Jobstreet.com
6. Career Blog
From Jobsdb Malaysia
7. Jobsbroadway Career Blog
Using the blog to connect job seekers with their job site.
8. SkorCareer
Providing quality career information for its visitors in casual and hopefully enlightening ways. To help their readers to build, enhance and develop their own future.
9. Strategi Kerja
Blog in Bahasa Malaysia, on career development and some sharing from the blogger’s personal life.
The 10th? Aha… you guess it right - this blog. The Working Gal is essentially a career blog and the blogger is 100% Malaysian.
Any other career blogs by Malaysian bloggers to recommend?
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Twitter Story: should we beware?
“Let’s tweet it!” – a new phrase is in town! Lots of people predicted Twitter is the next big thing after Facebook. A lot of publicity was given by the media to Twitter and so far it has been good news for them.
Until I read an article in the Cyberspot, Malay Mail Daily today.
Twitter apparently has been intruded by hackers with news of Twitter accounts belonging to celebrities being hacked. Not only that, an intruder called “Hacker Croll” has even managed to break into various accounts owned by one of Twitter’s owners, Evan Williams and his wife, including PayPal, Amazon, Gmail and MobileMe. But more frighteningly is this – this hacker apparently had managed to make off with hundreds of confidential documents connected to Twitter’s operations and plans, and sent them to other online media sites including rival, TechCrunch.
Hackers have been around for ages and for any website owners or anyone that has an account with any internet sites – we are the vulnerable lot and are not spared from the threat of having our private information being exposed. To those who believe our private information stored in internet will be 100% secured need to think again. If it can happened to Twitter, one of the best technology companies, it can happen to anybody!
Until I read an article in the Cyberspot, Malay Mail Daily today.
Twitter apparently has been intruded by hackers with news of Twitter accounts belonging to celebrities being hacked. Not only that, an intruder called “Hacker Croll” has even managed to break into various accounts owned by one of Twitter’s owners, Evan Williams and his wife, including PayPal, Amazon, Gmail and MobileMe. But more frighteningly is this – this hacker apparently had managed to make off with hundreds of confidential documents connected to Twitter’s operations and plans, and sent them to other online media sites including rival, TechCrunch.
Hackers have been around for ages and for any website owners or anyone that has an account with any internet sites – we are the vulnerable lot and are not spared from the threat of having our private information being exposed. To those who believe our private information stored in internet will be 100% secured need to think again. If it can happened to Twitter, one of the best technology companies, it can happen to anybody!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Top 10 Job Interview Questions
Someone who has just graduated and has less than one year experience asked me to blog about the common job interview questions to be expected for fresh graduates or graduates that have less than 3 years of working experience.
First off, there are a few interviewing techniques that are being used at present, depending on the type of organization, position and job level. Most established companies or multinationals may already embarked on what we called competency-based or behavioral interviewing techniques to help determine how competent candidates are in the key areas critical for success. However, many have not migrated to that approach and still use the traditional approach in which questions were asked to help employers make decisions about candidates based simply on whether or not they like them. And some professional firms such as accounting and law firms may focus on whether the candidate meets their basic credentials in terms of qualification and grades.
In Malaysia, most employers use a mixture of competency-based and traditional methods of interviewing techniques. The following is a compilation of top 10 basic interview questions that you would expect, commonly found in your first interview.
1) Tell me about yourself.
Take this question seriously as it is usually asked at the very beginning – remember, interviewers almost made up their minds about you during the first five minutes. This question allows you to express almost anything and that’s the problem, because you have to make the decision on what the details to include and exclude about yourself. So, the right thing to do is to write down a summary of your career goals, qualification, experience and skills/talent before you attend the interview. A summary gives a bird’s eye view of the type of person you are projecting. It should be concise, yet contains all the information that’s needed, and should not come across as long-winded.
Tip: It’s best to stick with your “professional” history, i.e., do not include your goals of marrying before reaching 28 or having 3 kids after. View this question as an opportunity to “sell” your talent!
2) Why did you leave your last job?
Employers usually do reference checks before a hire. So, cheating or being evasive is not such a good idea. Nevertheless, it is equally a bad idea to tell-it-all when the reason of leaving is due to a fall off with your superior or colleague – for such cases, keep the explanation as brief as possible. Do not whine or criticize unnecessarily. The interviewer is not a place that you should find solace with and believe me, you won’t get much sympathy even if you are a true victim of company politics.
3) What are your greatest strengths?
Share your strengths by quoting past experiences. If possible, use the result of your past evaluation form to make your case stronger. A letter of testimonial would work powerfully here. An interviewer would be more convinced of what other people said about you than you blowing your own trumpet.
4) Why did you choose this career?
Pay attention to this question for any serious interviewer will ask this to establish the link between your motivation to apply for the job and the criteria of the position. If you apply for the job merely because there wasn’t anything available out there, you have just cut off your chances to be hired.
5) How would your superior describe you?
When was the last performance appraisal exercise? Do you have a copy of the results? If not, are you able to recall what was transpired? Highlight the positives and play down on the negatives but make sure you do not lie as a quick reference check will spill the beans anyway.
6) What is your greatest achievement so far?
There may be many achievements in the past but select one that gives you an advantage for the job that you are now applying. If possible, identify the competency for the applied job so that your example of the past achievement increase the likelihood of you repeating the same results in the future.
7) What do you see yourself in three to five years time?
Talk about in terms of growing together with a dynamic company or work towards a position of higher responsibility indicates to the interviewer that you are a serious worker that plans his/her career ahead.
8) Why should we hire you?
Talk in terms of your strengths and how you can contribute to that position with your experience and skills. The key is to show to the interviewer the confidence that you exudes but avoid “over selling” that portrays desperation. A brief summary should suffice and make sure your points jive well with the earlier questions on your career goals and a summary of who you are. As you would notice by now, some questions are inter-linked and you must ensure your answers do not contradict each other but rather, consistent throughout.
9) What can you tell us about our company?
It is a question to test your seriousness in working with them. A serious jobseeker would do his homework by doing some background findings. Finding out the background of the company has become easier now as most companies have a web presence.
10) What is your expected salary?
This usually takes place at the end of the interview. If you have put down the figure in your resume, the interviewer is likely to ask as a matter of confirmation. The interviewer is checking to assess whether the hiring of you would meet or exceed their budget. If you are not sure the market rate for the position now, it’s always wise to check around prior to the interview so that you won’t look like a fool asking either too little or be seen as over-demanding.
First off, there are a few interviewing techniques that are being used at present, depending on the type of organization, position and job level. Most established companies or multinationals may already embarked on what we called competency-based or behavioral interviewing techniques to help determine how competent candidates are in the key areas critical for success. However, many have not migrated to that approach and still use the traditional approach in which questions were asked to help employers make decisions about candidates based simply on whether or not they like them. And some professional firms such as accounting and law firms may focus on whether the candidate meets their basic credentials in terms of qualification and grades.
In Malaysia, most employers use a mixture of competency-based and traditional methods of interviewing techniques. The following is a compilation of top 10 basic interview questions that you would expect, commonly found in your first interview.
1) Tell me about yourself.
Take this question seriously as it is usually asked at the very beginning – remember, interviewers almost made up their minds about you during the first five minutes. This question allows you to express almost anything and that’s the problem, because you have to make the decision on what the details to include and exclude about yourself. So, the right thing to do is to write down a summary of your career goals, qualification, experience and skills/talent before you attend the interview. A summary gives a bird’s eye view of the type of person you are projecting. It should be concise, yet contains all the information that’s needed, and should not come across as long-winded.
Tip: It’s best to stick with your “professional” history, i.e., do not include your goals of marrying before reaching 28 or having 3 kids after. View this question as an opportunity to “sell” your talent!
2) Why did you leave your last job?
Employers usually do reference checks before a hire. So, cheating or being evasive is not such a good idea. Nevertheless, it is equally a bad idea to tell-it-all when the reason of leaving is due to a fall off with your superior or colleague – for such cases, keep the explanation as brief as possible. Do not whine or criticize unnecessarily. The interviewer is not a place that you should find solace with and believe me, you won’t get much sympathy even if you are a true victim of company politics.
3) What are your greatest strengths?
Share your strengths by quoting past experiences. If possible, use the result of your past evaluation form to make your case stronger. A letter of testimonial would work powerfully here. An interviewer would be more convinced of what other people said about you than you blowing your own trumpet.
4) Why did you choose this career?
Pay attention to this question for any serious interviewer will ask this to establish the link between your motivation to apply for the job and the criteria of the position. If you apply for the job merely because there wasn’t anything available out there, you have just cut off your chances to be hired.
5) How would your superior describe you?
When was the last performance appraisal exercise? Do you have a copy of the results? If not, are you able to recall what was transpired? Highlight the positives and play down on the negatives but make sure you do not lie as a quick reference check will spill the beans anyway.
6) What is your greatest achievement so far?
There may be many achievements in the past but select one that gives you an advantage for the job that you are now applying. If possible, identify the competency for the applied job so that your example of the past achievement increase the likelihood of you repeating the same results in the future.
7) What do you see yourself in three to five years time?
Talk about in terms of growing together with a dynamic company or work towards a position of higher responsibility indicates to the interviewer that you are a serious worker that plans his/her career ahead.
8) Why should we hire you?
Talk in terms of your strengths and how you can contribute to that position with your experience and skills. The key is to show to the interviewer the confidence that you exudes but avoid “over selling” that portrays desperation. A brief summary should suffice and make sure your points jive well with the earlier questions on your career goals and a summary of who you are. As you would notice by now, some questions are inter-linked and you must ensure your answers do not contradict each other but rather, consistent throughout.
9) What can you tell us about our company?
It is a question to test your seriousness in working with them. A serious jobseeker would do his homework by doing some background findings. Finding out the background of the company has become easier now as most companies have a web presence.
10) What is your expected salary?
This usually takes place at the end of the interview. If you have put down the figure in your resume, the interviewer is likely to ask as a matter of confirmation. The interviewer is checking to assess whether the hiring of you would meet or exceed their budget. If you are not sure the market rate for the position now, it’s always wise to check around prior to the interview so that you won’t look like a fool asking either too little or be seen as over-demanding.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Top 30 active employment agencies in Malaysia
How do I qualify “active”? It can be quite subjective and let me begin by saying that this directory is not exhaustive. I deem these employment agencies as active when they are seen visibly hunting for people through advertisements in print media as well as online job sites. Therefore, this list does not include those that are doing high-level head hunting work that often do not advertise their positions in any of the mentioned media.
1. Adecco
2. AMI Management Services
3. Asia Recruit
4. Beyonder
5. Bon
6. Bostonweb iPlacement
7. Bright Prospect
8. Career Medi
9. Career Telstar
10. ChrisJac
11. Cityrecruit
12. Crest Force
13. GMP
14. iFORTE
15. Intelek
16. JAC
17. Job Hunt
18. Jobsmart
19. Jobsworld
20. Kelly Services
21. Manpower Staffing Services
22. People Source
23. Peoplenet Associates
24. Prestasi Unggul
25. Recruit Express
26. RecruitFinder
27. Select Appointments
28. Selection Search
29. TG Malaysia
30. Volt Asia Enterprises
Click here for Jobs in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia
DISCLAIMER: Note – The above list is not compiled using a well-researched methodology or process. It is solely a compilation based on the blogger's personal observation.
1. Adecco
2. AMI Management Services
3. Asia Recruit
4. Beyonder
5. Bon
6. Bostonweb iPlacement
7. Bright Prospect
8. Career Medi
9. Career Telstar
10. ChrisJac
11. Cityrecruit
12. Crest Force
13. GMP
14. iFORTE
15. Intelek
16. JAC
17. Job Hunt
18. Jobsmart
19. Jobsworld
20. Kelly Services
21. Manpower Staffing Services
22. People Source
23. Peoplenet Associates
24. Prestasi Unggul
25. Recruit Express
26. RecruitFinder
27. Select Appointments
28. Selection Search
29. TG Malaysia
30. Volt Asia Enterprises
Click here for Jobs in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia
DISCLAIMER: Note – The above list is not compiled using a well-researched methodology or process. It is solely a compilation based on the blogger's personal observation.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Career Fair - Snap-A-Job 2009
Snap-A-Job 2009 is a joint-event between the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and Prestariang Systems Sdn Bhd, together with its partners to provide on-site job matching for all IT-related graduates from public universities especially those who have attended Prestariang’s Program Pentauliahan Profesional (3P).
Prestariang’s 3P partners and employers from multinationals, government-linked and local firms including MSC-status companies will take part in this event. Graduates will have the opportunity to speak directly with Human Resource representatives from the organisations, thus giving them a greater chance to be employed on the spot.
During Snap-A-Job 2009, representatives from different organisations will accept CVs, answer questions about job opportunities as well as conduct interview sessions. In addition, there will be soft skill seminar and career talks from the industry.
Target is to have about 40 participating employers from:
• Multi-National companies
• Government-linked companies
• Local firms including MSC-status companies
Some of the confirmed exhibitors are as follows:-
• Allyhunt.com
• Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad
• Dell Global Business Center Sdn Bhd
• Great Eastern Life Assurance (M) Bhd
• Hewlett Packard Malaysia
• Mimos Berhad
• Silverlake System Sdn Bhd
• Telekom Malaysia Berhad
So, head your way to PWTC, Kuala Lumpur tomorrow (Thursday, July 23rd 2009), from 8:30am to 6pm.
Happy JOB shopping, eh...:)
Top 10 dumbest things ever said in an interview
When you did not plan for your job interview, you plan to fail. It’s as simple as that.
In my years of experience as a recruiter, I've seen plenty of candidates sabotaging themselves during job interviews. Many in fact determined their destiny in the first five minutes. Ramblings about your problem of getting a parking and a limp hand shake are things that you should avoid.
And here are the top 10 dumbest questions or statements made. Avoid these gaffes that could cost you a great job.
1. Before we begin, may I know how much you can pay me? Salary package should never be raised at the beginning of the interview. Always leave it at the end or sometimes, defer it till you are short listed for the second interview.
2. May I know what does this company do? You don’t know what the company’s business is and dare you ask the interviewer? Do your homework before the interview. This question implied that you are not serious about the job at all.
3. I was very busy the past few days and can’t get the resume updated. I have also forgotten to make copies of my certificates. In other words, you are telling your potential employer that you are disorganized and probably cannot see through any project or assignment. You have just shown yourself the exit door. (read my entry on 10 Things You Bring To An Interview)
4. Before we go too deep into the discussion, can you tell me upfront what exactly the job is all about? Never asked this too early in an interview unless you are faced with an incompetent interviewer that is not leading the interview to any direction.
5. This is rather confidential but I am going to share with you anyway. Never go overboard in sharing private and confidential matters about past or present employers. You will make the interviewer wonder if you can be trusted.
6. I don’t like to talk bad about my boss but…. Being negative and critical about your current or past employers or colleagues is a major turnoff and will make your value as a potential employee drop immediately.
7. You didn’t ask me this question but let me tell you…. Giving answers to a question that was not asked because you have been preparing your perfect answer the whole night. Mistake!
8. I don’t really have any weaknesses oh yeah…you’re right! Are you implying we finally found the perfect person in the whole wide world?
9. I’m not the type that likes to wait too long for an answer. Can you tell me NOW whether I got the job or not? Aggressive candidates can be quite scary and interviewers probably not keen to have you as a colleague either.
10. I have no question - when asked whether you have any question to ask at the end of the interview. No question even given the opportunity to ask indicates your level of interest right away. Do you care about the job in the first place?
In my years of experience as a recruiter, I've seen plenty of candidates sabotaging themselves during job interviews. Many in fact determined their destiny in the first five minutes. Ramblings about your problem of getting a parking and a limp hand shake are things that you should avoid.
And here are the top 10 dumbest questions or statements made. Avoid these gaffes that could cost you a great job.
1. Before we begin, may I know how much you can pay me? Salary package should never be raised at the beginning of the interview. Always leave it at the end or sometimes, defer it till you are short listed for the second interview.
2. May I know what does this company do? You don’t know what the company’s business is and dare you ask the interviewer? Do your homework before the interview. This question implied that you are not serious about the job at all.
3. I was very busy the past few days and can’t get the resume updated. I have also forgotten to make copies of my certificates. In other words, you are telling your potential employer that you are disorganized and probably cannot see through any project or assignment. You have just shown yourself the exit door. (read my entry on 10 Things You Bring To An Interview)
4. Before we go too deep into the discussion, can you tell me upfront what exactly the job is all about? Never asked this too early in an interview unless you are faced with an incompetent interviewer that is not leading the interview to any direction.
5. This is rather confidential but I am going to share with you anyway. Never go overboard in sharing private and confidential matters about past or present employers. You will make the interviewer wonder if you can be trusted.
6. I don’t like to talk bad about my boss but…. Being negative and critical about your current or past employers or colleagues is a major turnoff and will make your value as a potential employee drop immediately.
7. You didn’t ask me this question but let me tell you…. Giving answers to a question that was not asked because you have been preparing your perfect answer the whole night. Mistake!
8. I don’t really have any weaknesses oh yeah…you’re right! Are you implying we finally found the perfect person in the whole wide world?
9. I’m not the type that likes to wait too long for an answer. Can you tell me NOW whether I got the job or not? Aggressive candidates can be quite scary and interviewers probably not keen to have you as a colleague either.
10. I have no question - when asked whether you have any question to ask at the end of the interview. No question even given the opportunity to ask indicates your level of interest right away. Do you care about the job in the first place?
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