Gaining insights into the job market
gRADUATE unemployment has become an increasingly serious issue in recent times. To address this, KDU University College held a government-industry-higher education institution Roundtable on Graduate Employability last month.
Students from various courses who attended the event agreed that the roundtable was very interesting and informative, and provided helpful insights into what employers look for in fresh graduates and how they can prepare themselves for job interviews.
Bachelor of Business (Hons) student Michelle Wong Kitt Yue was among the students who found this experience to be an eye-opener.
“I was very interested in the topics because they are related to graduate employability, and very important to students and fresh graduates in particular,” she said.
“I learned that it is not important whether we study abroad or locally. Instead, it depends on the individual. It’s all about equipping ourselves with the right mix of hard and soft skills.”
According to Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Jovi Lee Jun Tatt, “The roundtable has shown us how important it is to be able to communicate well during a job interview.”
Nikhilesh Mahendran, a Foundation Studies in Arts and Technology (FSAT) student, concurred: “We should learn to put ourselves in the employers’ shoes.”
When asked how they will apply what they learned during the roundtable in real life, the students agreed that they will make an effort to apply the tips they gleaned from the discussion during job interviews.
Nikhilesh said, “I will definitely take the time to do more background research on the company I want to work at.”
Meanwhile, University of New South Wales Foundation Year student Hanif Rezal said that as a person’s character is a major deciding factor on whether employers will hire a person, “It is important to learn to be less egotistic. I will also review and strengthen my personal attributes, as well as find the key aspects that will give me a competitive edge.”
Consequently, the students appreciated KDU University College’s efforts in enhancing their employability with its recent introduction of the E3-Boosters initiative.
“I feel that the E3-Boosters will equip us with the necessary skills to excel at job interviews,” said Lee. Wong was quick to agree. The roundtable was moderated by Malaysian Qualifications Agency under Education Ministry chief executive officer Datuk Dr Syed Ahmad Hussein. He is also Asean Quality Assurance Network (AQAN) president as well as Association of Quality Assurance Agencies of the Islamic World (QA Islamic) first president.
The panellists included Planning and Research Division at the Ministry of Education senior principal assistant secretary Dr Guan Eng Chan, Malaysian American Electronics Industry (MAEI) chairman and American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) governer Datuk Wong Siew Hai, Accor Malaysia Human Resources area director and Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar Human Resources director Jennifer Lim, JobStreet.com senior marketing manager Debby Ho and Star Jobs at The Star Publications editor and head Lily Cheah.