Skills for the future
ADAPTING to changes in a rapidly evolving world is crucial in staying relevant in the modern workplace. To maintain a competitive edge, individuals need to acquire skills that will help them cope with the evolving economy.
To provide students and graduates with insight into the skills of the future, the Monash Malaysia Business Alumni Chapter kicked off the inaugural Alumni Speaker Series with a panel discussion on Talent Needs of Tomorrow: Insights Into the Malaysian Market.
The discussion featured five panelists – Leonard Ariff, TianPouw Pun, Devendran Sinnadurai, Cheryl Teh and Dr Jane Tong.
They explored three themes: Career Switches, Economy Outlook and Skills in Demand (11th Malaysia Plan), and Key Skills Required in the Workplace by 2020.
While reasons such as dissatisfaction at work or burnout may prompt an individual to consider a career change, Pun, who is a principal at Korn Ferry and has more than a decade of experience in human resource management, explained that candidates should ask themselves five questions to help them decide if they are ready for a career switch.
“The first question you should ask yourself is why do you want a career switch in the first place? Do not lie to yourself,” he said.
Other questions to mull include identifying the sacrifices needed to do well in the new role, how much change the individual can bring to the organisation and the role, whether he can do a better job or perform as well as the current or last person who held the role, and whether he has the ability to do the job.
Leonard, group managing director of Chemical Company of Malaysia Berhad, opined that networking is an important skill that he looks for when hiring C-level leaders in an organisation.
“This is not about who you know but what you know. Ultimately, every individual creates his own brand. The power of your brand is dependent on what you bring to
It is important for you to be able to move with the times and try to keep abreast of the changes that are happening.
the table and the incredible networking portfolio that you have,” he said.
Speaking about important attributes for graduates to possess, Leonard said that the ability to be adaptable and curious irrespective of what happens in the future will help candidates stand out from average performers.
On communication, Teh, vice president of Knowledge Management at Khazanah Nasional, highlighted her concern about the lack of interpersonal skills among youths, adding that many are becoming progressively isolated as most of their conversations take place through WhatsApp.
She added that while they may have long conversations on the messaging app, many are unable to do so face-to-face and thus have difficulty networking.
Prof Pervaiz Ahmed, deputy head of the School of Business at Monash University Malaysia, explained that it is important for graduates to adapt to the fast-changing business environment of today to become successful leaders of the future.
“It is important for you to be able to move with the times and try to keep abreast of the changes that are happening,” he said.
“It is also important for us to look at the Malaysian economy and see how it is evolving, including technological and social changes.
“This is so that we can better understand and make those changes to build the necessary skills and competencies.”
For more information on the School of Business, visit www.buseco.monash.edu.my.