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February 01, 2005
Jobskills
How did I get my first job? Before I got my first job, I sent off a lot of resumes. Hundreds of them, honestlyy. It was a very bad time for fresh graduates in Germany. I networked with friends to get my resumes better, and improved on them.
Friends "recommended" my first employer. It was a semi-governmental company that was engaged in upgrading debilitated areas. In the job, I had to negotiate with tenants, contractors, and the government to identify win-win situations for all.
The job was awful. It was a boring job, honestly, too much administration, and too much internal politics. Friends told me about this before and warned me. But damn it! I wanted a job, I was good, no, great in my studies. Any job would do - I needed a job since as a "freshy" it was nearly impossible to get one at that time.
I thought I could fulfill any requirement. How could I not succeed? I was naive, and I had stomach cramps to just get up in the morning and go to work, after just a few weeks already that got worse over the months. I still was good and worked hard, but I didn't like the job, the company and my colleagues at all.
But I got lucky. Just when I was down, I got a call from the United Nations and they asked me if I would like to work in Malaysia (they were one of the many, many avenues that I took during my studies to get ready for work). Even the European Union invited me for an interview for a job in Brussels.
I chose Malaysia since friends recommended the place, and I had the job pocketed alread (qualification was a fit with job requirement).
So I left for greener pastures, and, I am still here.
Still, I believe in the law of the numbers - what means that if you send out resume after resume after resume, you will find a job.
Friends and relatives will or can help you, but as more great resumes (the great is important) one sends out, as higher the chances for interviews. And who isn't happy to be invited for interviews.
Anyway - anybody knows the companies that are the favourites in the marketplace - in Malaysia, they might be the Maxis, or the Digi's or the Proton's or the Perodua's or whatever.
Those are the companies that everybody wants to work for. We use their products or services and they are great (let's keep it at this, okay - don't argue).
To get to work for them, we check online job boards and the recruitment ads in the Saturday editions of the newspapers for the ads by those companies.
What will happen? The dream job is not coming. They don't need anyone with your qualification. What to do? Wait, for next week's edition? How often do you find the jobs that you are looking for?
No - check for ads that offer jobs peripheral to your qualification and even with companies that you don't know - those that are at the periphery, that work with your favourite companies.
Why? Well - the only thing that you can get back from them is a rejection and a learning experience. What can you lose?
But to wait for THE suitable job might throw you back by weeks and weeks or longer. The suitable job doesn't exist anymore anyway. If it does, still, it will only be there for a little while.
We have to understand that there is no or hardly any alignment between universities and the job requirements of industries. The world is moving too fast. Until universities in their current setup have readjusted their curriculum to fit the world, industries have moved on. Until a new course has been set up in the universities, new things have been discovered. So forget about finding a job that absolutely fits what you have learnt in the universities. It doesn't exist anymore, may be never existed.
Don't be choosy with your job aspirations. Things are changing in the company as well, and you have been hired as a "whole package". That means that what you have been hired for will change, quickly. Don't look back. Don't say - this isn't in my job description. As long as it gives more responsibility, go for it.
I am always saying that the person who is still working according to the initial job scope description is on his or her way out.
If your jobscope hasn't changed after 12 months max on the job, you need to look for something else - either within the same company, if they give you more responsibility or outside, with another company.
Heck - let me formulate it more drastically. The one who is doing the same job that he or she has been hired for 12 months ago is on the way to become unemployable.
You haven't got additional job responsibilities, while the world has moved on. As simple as that!
Posted by Andreas at February 1, 2005 11:53 AM
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Comments
Wow! This is probably the best post I read in your blog. Inspiring... thanks heaps, btw... did u watch the F1 commercial by Petronas? Pretty interesting... I remember u mentioning ur very little extra weight on ur belly... so Wünschen Vater, Sie nicht, ein F1 Fahrer zu sein? :)
Nizar: I saw the ad - and yeah, it is a great one!
Posted by: Nizar at March 13, 2006 02:57 PM
I have to agree about going beyond the initial job description. It opnes new doors and hell, it might even take you some steps up the company ladder!
Posted by: Silencers at February 2, 2005 07:52 PM
Yeah. I have always thought that growth is important in building a career. But some people out there like to remain in comfort zones and they risk foregoing promotions and advancement because they don't want to volunteer to do anything.
IMHO, finding out about a company is one thing, showing that you're interested in another. We all have our own styles. What's important is that we remain true to ourselves and that *must* and *should* show through your personal 'branding'.
^_^
Posted by: Mei at February 1, 2005 10:13 PM
Though I'm still very fresh in hunting for jobs, but I would like to share my humble opinions here. Finding out the basic information of a company, is the most fundamental knowledge before attending an interview. I'll make some searches in Google, for the company's official website and also some relevant news, if there was. And get to know their core services or products, as well as the company visions, missions, and objectives. By getting clear of these aspects, only we can 'customize' the way how we should perform in interview session. But, don't ever bullshit.
Posted by: Tien Soon at February 1, 2005 08:10 PM
I hear you and you are right - I meant to say a lot of resumes that at best are customised. At least the cover letter needs to be customised. That is a lot of work, clearly! In addition to customising a resume, you need to understand company, industry and may be even the people that you are going to meet. Not an easy task!
Posted by: Andreas at February 1, 2005 07:37 PM
Ok, I have a problem with sending out a LOT of resumes because I like to personalise each one and that takes a pretty long time to do each. I hope that in the end its more worth it though. It's definitely harder to get hired as a fresh grad, even a year's experience makes so much difference when it comes to interviews.
Posted by: chasyss at February 1, 2005 01:04 PM