Two important lessons for the jobseeker

A senior human resource manager recounts some of his most unforgettable experiences in the year just past, and draws two valuable lessons for the jobseeker.

No matter how long one has been in the recruitment business, one can still come across a few surprises every now and then.

Just this year, for example, I have recruited over a dozen managers and executives. Here are some personal tales of recruitment woes and lows.

One of my more unforgettable experiences this year involved a middle manager that I had chosen for the marketing department. A friend, who assured me he was a good performer, referred this guy to me.

After having him go through a series of interviews, everyone concerned was satisfied with him and decided to make him a job offer. I then prepared the job offer sheet and called the manager to my office.

After giving the manager the job offer sheet, I explained to him the compensation package, which would allow him to earn as much as 16 months’ worth of salary in a year.

He read the offer sheet and pointed out that only 13 months were guaranteed and that there was no mention of the bonus. I told him that it was not the company’s practice to put everything in the offer sheet, because some things were deemed confidential. The arrangement, therefore, would have to be based on trust. I also told him that the average was about 15 months pay per year, depending on performance. When he asked me if I could write it down in the offer sheet, I said no.

Too Sorry
As we went through the offer sheet item by item, he insisted on going into the minutest details of each, no matter how trivial. I have never seen any applicant as finicky as he.

Finally, we came to the vacation leave. Our practice is that on the first year, the employee should first earn his vacation leave. It is only in the second year when the employee could avail himself of his earned leave credits. He complained that it was too long to wait. Thereupon we got into a long discussion. To appease him, I told him that the company does allow some managers to go on leave in advance on a case-by-case basis. He asked me if I could also include such exceptions in the offer sheet.

On hearing this, I got so fed up that I took the offer sheet and tore it in front of him. I then told him that our relationship should be based on trust and if he could not trust our company, then he should not work for us. End of discussion.

A couple of months later, I met the friend who recommended him to me. He told me that the applicant was very sorry to have lost the opportunity of working for us. It turned out that he had moved to another company for a much lesser package than what we had offered him.

Two-faced
Sometimes being too cunning could also work against you.

During the middle of the year, I was searching for a high-level executive for our controllership division. Finally, we settled on a very good candidate. However, since it was a senior management position, the candidate had to be interviewed by the company president before we could make him a job offer. The president was out of the country at the time and would not be back until after a couple of weeks. Since the candidate was in a hurry to move, I called him up and explained to him the situation. I then asked him to wait.

When our president came back, we immediately called the candidate for an interview. The president was likewise impressed with him after the interview. He then instructed me to make him a job offer, which the candidate accepted. A couple of days later, I received a call from a friend, who was also an HR executive in another company. Imagine my surprise when he told me that the same candidate had already accepted their job offer the previous week and had, in fact, signed an employment contract. Only he came back and said he wanted to withdraw it because he would be joining our company. My friend asked me if that was true. I told him yes but that I didn’t know the guy had already signed up with his company.

We then thought of a plan to teach the guy a lesson. My friend sent me a copy of the contract signed by the candidate, and I did the same. My friend then called the candidate for a meeting and pretended to ask him to reconsider his withdrawal. But the candidate stood fast on his decision. So my friend asked him to put his withdrawal in writing, which the candidate did.

A day later, I met with the candidate and asked him if there was anything he would like to disclose to me. When he asked me what it was about, I told him about his having accepted an offer in another company before he did ours. The candidate denied it until I showed him the signed contract. He became very apologetic. I then told him that our company was withdrawing its job offer. If he could afford to be dishonest with us this early in our relationship, I said, then we had no assurance that he would not do the same once he was employed with us. He asked for reconsideration, but I was firm with my decision.

That applicant should have learned several lessons from this experience. First, he should have learned that haste makes waste. If he had only waited a bit longer for our offer before making a decision, then things would have turned out differently. Second, he should have fulfilled his commitment instead of reneging on it when a better offer came along. Third, he should have learned that one couldn’t always get away with everything all the time. If only he had been honest with me about his having accepted the other company’s offer, I would have told him to first talk to my friend and ask that he be allowed to withdraw his commitment. In that way, I would have withheld the offer until he had properly informed the other company. I’m sure my friend would have understood and allowed him to go without a fuss.

These stories impart some important lessons for jobseekers like you, specifically on ethical issues pertaining to job offers. Imbibe them and you will not suffer the same fate that befell these individuals.

Social networking sites: a boon and bane of job seekers

Are you a member of any social networking website like Facebook or Friendster? We have seen them undergo unprecedented growth in recent years as they provide web users with an avenue for self-expression and social interaction.

Social networking websites work by asking you to create a profile by filling in basic information (gender, location, etc.) and personality indicators (favorite movies, favorite books, interests, etc.) and adding people you know to your “Friends" list. These profiles are generally quite open and it's possible for anyone to view your profile and that of the people in your extended network.

However, as with other public spaces on the Internet, there is no way to guarantee that the persons viewing your profile are the persons you want to see it.

Job seeker Marie shares her experience: “I was looking forward to working with this company. I reached the second interview – the one with the hiring manager – and everything seemed fine. Then, I didn't receive any call to come back for the final interview. My friend in the company said it might be because the hiring manager saw some stuff on my online profile and it turned her off. Should companies spy on future employees on social networking sites? Isn't that supposed to be just for social networking and not to be mixed with our professional lives?”

Apparently, not so. According to HR managers, you should think seriously about what you have in your social networking account.

Bong Austero of PNB says: “You have to remove the stuff that you don't want your parents to see or those that imply you consider work as evil. It's not called "spying" because they are public spaces. Anyone can have access to them and use the data for their own purposes. There is no such thing as separation between personal and professional anymore.”

“It is still the prerogative of the hiring manager to conduct reference and background checks on the applicant in whatever means or ways that is available and accessible,” adds Beth Miranda of Sandstone Technology. “Browsing through a job applicant's online profile is okay as long as it matches the preliminary attitudinal evaluation on the applicant’s character because I think anyone reading those profiles should not automatically believe what he or she was reading unless he or she has personally met the person."

So job seekers should always remember that the impression your social networking profile generates depends on the context of the viewer’s relationship with you. A picture of you looking intoxicated in a party may seem cool to a friend but irresponsible to a potential employer. Minimize the chances of that happening by removing content which you would not want any potential employer from accessing.

Some tips from Job seekers for Job seekers

Nurul Azra Qutubuddin 
Always remember that the employer likes an individual who is knowledgeable and able to persuade the employer that you can multi-task and work independently though you are a fresh graduate..

Paul Ng 
Think of job hunting as looking for your "career" rather than just a plain "job".

Ooi Nee Nee
Always remember that real working experiences are worth much more than your academic transcript. I owned a master degree without any working experience but I was willing to start from the bottom at a helpdesk. No matter what, don't feel embarassed to start from the bottom because you will get more from that.

Shanti Nellan
Letter-writing skills are essential to your job search. An excellent cover letter and a Thank You letter often make a difference in whether or not you are considered for a position. Networking is a job search technique that involves purposefully seeking out and interacting with selected individuals who can assist you in getting job interviews and offers.

Yew Gee
The most critical question to ask oneself is: "Do I have the passion for this field of work?" If the answer is Yes, then the job becomes your passion and can be developed further into a hobby. With this attitude, your work becomes a passion and a hobby. This is the ultimate successful job hunting path to pursue.

Ramlee Bin Sulaiman
During job hunting, candidates should go for the position that matches closely to their qualifications.

Sabrina Yeo
When hunting for a job, I look for the right one and will not waste my or anyone else's precious time. I once received two job offers from JobStreet.com but I had to turn them down because of the distance and pay. Also, I already had a job. But being a naturally responsible person, I took the time to actually help find someone to replace my position. Of course, I tried to find someone who is in the same line and has the basic requirements that the company needs. It gives people a good image of me and who knows, I might be doing business with them in the future.

Farlina Waslie
When searching for jobs in JobStreet.com, try to choose by location. Not only you can find a job that is near your place, it is convenient and you can save money!!!

Shafie Buang
Unemployed graduates must change their mind-set. Especially the Malay candidates. They cannot always be looking for nice jobs or that the job must match their qualification or that it must be a five-day working week or they must have a lot of benefits, etc. From my experience, every employer is hungry to hire multi-tasking employees as well as good learners. If you are looking for experience, please do not care about your salary. A good salary and a good position will come if we can prove to our employer that we are good in all aspects. So, please change your orthodox mind-set.

Ramlee Bin Sulaiman
Most important during job hunting is to provide your full contact details in order for the employer to reach you soonest possible. Make sure there are no mistakes in your contact number/s

Rena Leong
Some items to take note during job hunting: know the company’s location, the job requirements and responsibilities. Besides, survey the company; learn its history, industry, products and stability to avoid joining a company where you will be unhappy later. Information from friends and company websites will help us make better judgement and decisions before we apply.

Pamela Yeoh
In job hunting, do not be choosy. Also, choose the right job you want. Most important for fresh grads is the experience. Do not judge a job by the pay and do not ever expect a very high pay. If you are offered a job though the pay is low, do it first to gain the experience.

Alex Lee
Never put all your eggs in one basket. Always apply for a few jobs and not rely on just one. However, do not apply for too many either until you cannot keep track or take control of the applications. 

Get your dream job

Job satisfaction is a hot topic at the moment and according to recruiting experts Hays there are many people now actively looking for their dream job.

“Over the years I’ve heard many people talking about finding their dream job. Most candidates however have no idea what their dream job is, let alone how to find it,” says Chris Mead, General Manager of Hays in Singapore.

Chris says there are no quick or easy answers but there are a few things you can do to help you find your way.

List your skills: “You need to think of the big picture and consider not only what professional experience you have, but also your talents and your hobbies. List the things you are good at and highlight those you enjoy doing.”

Describe your personality: “To help you determine what type of career you are best suited for, think about your personality traits. Are you meticulous with an eye for detail or are you strategic with a big picture view? Do you enjoy working in a team or do you prefer to work on your own?”

List your priorities: “List what is most important to you in your career and your values. For example, are you looking for a career that challenges and rewards you? Should it be something you are passionate about and inspired by? Is money more important to you than work/life balance?”

Identify what your dream job isn’t: “Here you should not only think about what type of roles but also what things you are not willing to compromise on, such as hours worked, pay and location. Consider also your values in this context; for example your dream job wouldn’t undermine your values or take you away from the things that are important to you in life.”

Define your dream job: “The next step is to develop a loose description of your dream job.” Chris suggests you start by asking yourself these questions:

1. Who/what would you like to work with?
   
2. Where do you want to work?
   
3. What type of tasks do you want to work on?
   
4. What type of work will make you truly happy? This could be anything from working with animals to working with computers.
   

“Collating this information will provide you with a synopsis of who you are and will help you determine your dream job.”

Plan to snag your dream job: “Once you know what your dream job is, you just need to develop a plan to get it,” says Chris. He suggests you:

• Research the industry as well as the knowledge and skills you will need.
  
• Network and get to know people in the industry. Not only will this help you get a better understanding of the industry and if you like it, but it will put you in contact with potential employers.
  
• Take action. If you don’t already have the skills, how do you get them? Will you need training? Maybe you just need to update your resume to highlight a different skill set you already have.
  

Chris knows the value of snagging your dream job. “At Hays we work with thousands of people every day to connect them with the right job, which can transform their life for the better.”