Reasons why employers ‘refuse’ to hire fresh graduates
PUTATAN: Unrealistic salary expectations and subpar communication skills are among top factors that hinder employers from hiring fresh graduates.
JobStreet.com head of regional communications, Simon Si, said that other skills employers find lacking in young jobseekers include not having a good understanding of prospective companies and a poor command of the English language.
“Even if you can find a job that doesn’t require you to speak much English, you will still need it for the interview,” said Simon, adding that most fresh graduates are unable to successfully go through the interview session.
“An interview session lasts roughly 40 to 45 minutes, and it’s usually these 45 minutes that can trip students up.
“We need to spend a lot more time and effort to prepare them for these 45 minutes as though we are preparing them for an exam.
“It’s very important for students to also be good at being interviewed. For this, students must practise and have mock interviews whenever possible because while they spend so many years practising their studies, they do not spend enough time preparing for an interview.
“Schools need to start training students to do well in interviews as much as they train students to do well in their exams.”
Simon spoke to The Borneo Post during the launch of JobStreet Career Corner at INTI College Sabah here, yesterday.
This first initiative in East Malaysia is aimed at tackling the staggering unemployment rate among the nation’s youths, as Simon emphasised the need to bring them into the workforce effectively.
He explained that with the establishment of the JobStreet corner, students will be able to seek career guidance and counselling so as to better equip themselves prior to entering the job market.
“We have appointed and trained student ambassadors to understand how best to connect with their peers, give career tips and counsel other students.
“We need to rally students to take up leadership positions to enable them to link up with their peers,” said Simon.
Apart from providing insight into what employers are looking for, the 10 appointed student ambassadors are also tasked with assisting peers in resume writing and mock interviews.