ResumeWeAssist Enterprise

What do you need to do after sending out your resume? Most of the jobseekers will wait until their future employer call them up. Some have to wait several days, some several weeks or months or unfortunately some have to wait forever.

 

What a waste after all the hard work writing a “masterpiece” resume, ending up it is not effective enough to get you an interview. It could be your resume does not match the job requirement or maybe your resume is piled up in the stacks of other resumes and it has not come to the attention of the interviewer yet. Well, you can start guessing on why you are not called up for an interview. But in today’s article, I would like to share on how to exactly know why your resume failed.

 

Believe it or not, the way is very easy but yet very difficult to do  It is done by just following up with your future employer on the status of your application. You can either call up the person, e-mail or arrange for a face-face meeting i.e. arrange your own interview. Yes, you can do that, but you will need to have the courage and good planning to succeed.

 

“Should I call or send an e-mail after sending your resume?”

 

Do both. Even though many of jobseekers are more comfortable to just send a follow up e-mail but the most effective way to follow up is by phone.

 

“I’m afraid to call, I might get rejected and be an annoyance to my interviewer”.

 

Yes, you can be an annoyance if you are not prepared to talk. To help you talk, prepare a script, for example:

 

“Hello. Good morning/afternoon. Can I speak to Mr/Mrs/Ms ……….? (Pause). My name is …… I just wanted to confirm if you have received my resume that I have sent to your e-mail. I’m interested to apply for this post because of my extensive experience in this field and I’m confident I am able to contribute to your company’s bottom line and deliver the best result. I’m just wondering when we can meet to review on my suitability for this post”

 

I’m sure, many will ask; “I do not know the phone # of my interviewer, so how can I call that person?”

 

Don’t worry, I also have a solution to that. Call the company general # and talk to the receptionist. Again prepare a script. For example:

 

“Hello. Good morning/afternoon. Is this company …….? (Pause) Can I know with whom I’m speaking with? (Pause) How are you Ms/Mrs/Mr ……..? (Pause) My name is …….The reason I’m calling is because I wanted to follow up with Mr/Mrs/Ms ……….with regards to my application for ……. I just sent my resume to Mr/Mrs/Ms via e-mail and just wanted to follow up if he/she has received my resume. Can I have his/her phone #. (Pause). Thank you for help and I really appreciate it.”

   

From my experience, by preparing a script, it will help and guide you to speak confidently. Do a role play with a friend or family member before you actually make the call.

 

Typically you can follow up 1-2 days after you send out your resume but it depends on your resume mode of delivery.

 

If you send your resume through e-mail, then you will need to wait at least several hours or activate the delivery & read tracking before sending out your resume. Once you get the read notification in your e-mail, you can immediately follow up by sending another e-mail and make a phone call.

 

If you submit your resume on-line in your future employer’s website, wait at least 1-2 days and call up the receptionist. Ask to talk to someone in HR who is in-charge of the resume database. Talk to the HR personnel about your application and ask who is the interviewer and get that person’s contact details so that you can personally follow up.

 

The fear among many of the jobseekers is on the rejection. My advise is, it is better to get rejected through the phone rather than you get nothing after sending in your resume. Make all the effort to follow up and secure an interview if you really want to be successful in your career marketing.

 

Give it a try & all the best!

 

If you have an experience to share, please drop it in the comment below.

 

Thanks

 

Regards

 

Yusoff

 

 

We at ResumeWeAssist Enterprise would like to take this opportunity to wish all our clients a joyous happy new year.

 

It is a norm among us to have a New Year resolution at the beginning of

January of each year. I’m sure many of us will have some sort of new or modified resolution with regards to our personal life, family and also in our career. Regardless of whatever resolution that we have put forward for 2009, it does make sense to recap what we have done, achieved and fail to do in 2008. From there, we will be able to have a more improved & balance resolution to meet our objective in 2009.

 

Moving forward in 2009, we will be launching more products and services to meet and exceed your needs to market your career effectively. Hence in this month E-Newsletter edition, we will be sharing all these great products & services that will be available for you to grab and leverage for your career success.

 

In this month CMS article, I will be focusing on Resume 101, a brief introduction but yet sufficient for you to understand the importance of a resume to effectively market your career.

 

Click HERE to download the pdf format of this month’s E-Newsletter edition.

 

I really hope the information available in this and the future E-Newsletter will be beneficial for your career marketing. If you think this newsletter will be beneficial to your friends or family members, please feel free to share this E-Newsletter with them. Sharing is caring

  

Nevertheless, we know that we are not able to fulfill all your needs that is why we highly encourage for your feedback and comments on how to improve our future E-Newsletters to exceed your needs.

 

Please e-mail us at career_advisor@resumeweassist.com or drop your comments at below , exclusive vouchers will be given for your valuable feedbacks.

 

Thank you.

Before starting to do something, most of us will want to make sure it is safe to do so. No doubt, there are some “crazy” people out there who have the guts to try out some dangerous activities, but I’m sure they too will take some precaution actions to minimize the risk.

 

The same goes with attending an interview. A jobseeker has to be prepared mentally & physically before, during & after an interview. In today’s article, I would like to share some tips on how to make an interview safe and effective for you to generate job offers.

 

In my previous articles about leveraging Crucial Conversation tools into interview success, I’ve share the first 2 tools which are: “Start with Heart” & “Learn to Look - Part 1 & Part 2”.  “Make it safe” is the 3^rd tool used in Crucial Conversation. The tips that I will be sharing below are leveraged from this tool.

 

Make it safe – Before interview

 

Once received an interview appointment, the first 2 important things that you must do to ensure your success are:

• Planning – plan your preparation before, during & after interview. I’ll be sharing how to get yourself prepared as listed below.
• Visualize success – leverage the power of “Law of Attraction”. In the bestseller book “The Secrets” introduced to the world about “Law of Attraction”. In short, “Law of Attraction” is actually a simple mental practise to visualize success and from there it will automatically build up the motivation to try the best to ensure whatever that was visualized as a success will become true.

Planning before an interview:

• Must know when & where is the interview appointment is. Plan how to get there and if you are not familiar with the venue, get there early. Also plan the travelling time and also get yourself ready with Plan B for a contingency backup plan.
• Do some reading about the company’s profile in the internet. Get a rough idea on what the company is currently doing. No need to go into details but as long you get surface information will be sufficient. At the same time read your resume and focus on your strength including what you can provide to your future employer. Write them down as a note for your reference during the interview. Also write down the questions that you need to ask at the end of the interview.
• Practise the common asked questions during the interview. Just search in the internet, I’m sure you will find loads of sample questions. If possible do a role play with a friend or a family member. He/She is the interviewer & you become the interviewee. Imagine that you are really in an interview session.
• Arrange all your certificates in a clear folder and in sequence. Your resume should be placed at the front and followed by your latest received certificates. Make copies of your resume & certificates. Usually during interview, the interviewer will ask to see your certificate and may request a copy for future reference when he/she is finalizing the hiring decision.
• Get yourself a make over but don’t over do it. For man, get a hair cut & a shave if you need it. Go for cloths shopping if you don’t have any decent office wear. Get yourself a formal long sleeve shirt with dark colour trousers, a formal tie and a decent pair of office shoes. For ladies, wear anything decent and never too sexy. Don’t wear too much make up, a natural look with be good enough. 
• A day before the interview, get enough rest & eat healthy food. Avoid late nights, risky activities & oily food. You must try your very best to ensure you are not sick before the interview. 

Make it safe – During an interview

 

• Arrive early as least ½ an hour before the scheduled interview time. Being there early will give you some time to settle down before the interview starts. Relax with some deep breath and walk toward the receptionist.
• Once arrived at the reception counter, greet politely with a warm smile to the receptionist. Introduce yourself and the purpose you are there.
• Wait patiently for the interviewer to meet up with you even though you have to wait for a long time. Once the interviewer approach you, smile with a firm handshake (ladies, in Malaysia it is okay to nod with a smile if you are not comfortable with a handshake) and thank the interviewer for having you in for an interview. Request the interviewer name or business card.
• Follow the interviewer to the interview room. While walking, the interviewer might start an informal chat by asking how do you get there & etc. Answer the questions asked briefly and at the same time it is okay for you to compliment the office area if the environment is nice. During this short chat, you will need to be friendly and cheerful.
• There are many ways to start an interview. Once you settle down in the interview room, the interviewer can start by asking to describe yourself or start by giving you some IQ test or personality test. In technical field, most likely you will be given some technical test. Just try your best to answer as many as possible, you may be given 20-30 minutes or less to answer all these questions.
• There are 8 characters to excel in an interview and also sort after by your future employers. The characters are: confident, organized, personable, conscientious, efficient, creative, goal oriented & problem solving. Hence during the interview, make sure you have these characters to increase your chance to secure the job. It is okay to refer to your notes that you have prepared before the interview.
• At the end of the interview, the interviewer will open up for you to ask questions. Take this opportunity to ask questions based on your notes or anything worth to ask that comes to your mind. In average, a typical interview will last in between ½ hour to 1 hour. If less than that, most likely your success rate is slim and usually if it last longer than 1 hr, your success rate will be higher. But take note, the duration of your interview does not 100% indicate your success rate. There are many other factors that can change your success rate even though how short or long the duration of your interview.
• End your interview by thanking your interviewer. If you don’t get the interviewer business card, request for his/her contact details (e-mail or phone #). Some interviewer may be reluctant to provide their contact details but usually they will provide the contact details of the HR representative. As long you get someone’s contact details in the company, you still have the chance to follow up on your job request status. Worst case, call up the general phone # and request for contact details of the interviewer as long you still have his/her name.

 

Make it safe – After interview

 

• Nearly 99% of jobseekers do not send a thank you note after an interview. If you send a thank you note after the interview, you have the advantage of being different in the competition. Recommended to send the thank note 2-3 days after your interview. It usually will take in between 1-3 weeks after an interview before a hiring decision can be made. Hence, during this time frame, it is wise to follow up via e-mail or phone call. If after 3 weeks you have not received any reply, then most likely your application is either rejected or kept in view (KIV).

The tips above is just a brief sharing on how to “Make it safe” during an interview. From time to time, I’ll share more tips for you to win in an interview.

 

Hopefully this sharing will make your interview safe.

 

Good luck!

 

If you have your own experience to share, feel free to drop them in the comment below.

 

Regards

 

Yusoff

Merry Christmas to all our Christian clients & Happy New Year to all our clients!!

 

Check out our updated company profile and product & services.

Our 2^nd edition E-Newsletter with a new look has been sent to our subscribers. The pdf format is available thru this link.

 

First of all thank you for your continuous support and I really hope the information available in the previous and the future coming E-Newsletter will be beneficial for your career marketing. If you think this newsletter will be beneficial to your friends or family, please feel free to share this E-Newsletter with them. Sharing is caring .

 

In this month’s E-Newsletter, we will be sharing about starting a job search which is the most fundamental step in Career Marketing System (CMS). On top of that, we will also share a list of open hot jobs waiting for your application. Not to forget, our company profile for you to know us better.

 

If you have not and would like to subscribe to our E-Newsletter, please submit your e-mail address on the top right hand side of this blog.

 

Nevertheless, we know that we are not able to fulfill all your needs that is why we highly encourage for your feedback and comments on how to improve our future E-Newsletter to exceed your needs.

 

Please e-mail us at career_advisor@resumeweassist.com or leave your comments below, exclusive vouchers will be given for your valuable feedbacks.

 

Thank you.

 

We can help you attain your career goals.

Chargeman

 

Responsible for: electrical shift operations.

 

1) Ensure the continuous operations of equipment supporting electrical systems  

    per set standards .

2) Continuous improvement on equipment or system operations.

3) Ensure compliance to regulatory requirements.

4) Support activities for Predictive, Preventive and Corrective Maintenance

    programme. 

5) Provide effective cost reduction solutions.

6) 5S+1S in system operation

7) Diploma in related field

 

Manager for Facilities (Electrical Systems)

 

Main duties and Responsibilities as follows:

 

1) Ensure zero failure on power supply to AT (Assembly and Test) manufacturing.  

2) Manage and Lead electrical team and group of contractors in maintenance for   

    operations support

3) Continuous improvement on equipment or system operations.

4) Ensure compliance to regulatory requirements.

5) Involved in planning & costing for the best solutions.

6) Plan and review the Predictive, Preventive and Corrective Maintenance

    programme and activities for safe, effective and efficient electrical system

    operations. 

7) Degree/Master in related field

 

 

HVAC (Engineer)

 

Main duties and Responsibilities as follows:

 

1) Ensure zero failure of air conditioning supply to AT (Assembly and Test)

    manufacturing.  

2) Lead air conditioning team and group of contractors maintenance for operation

    support

3) Continuous improving on equipment or system operations

4) Involved in planning HVAC systems/Chillers, costing for space project .

5) To plan and review the Predictive, Preventive and Corrective Maintenance

     programme and activities for safe, effective and efficient of HVAC system

     operation. 

6) Provide technical solution in solving daily quality issue.

7) 5S+1S in system operation

8) Degree in related field

 

Engineer

 

Main duties and Responsibilities as follows:

 

1) SAP system support

2) Budget expense planning & control, cost analysis, capital planning and cost  

    reduction activities

3) Manage utility reduction programs throughout factory

4) Governance and asset control

5) 5S+1S in system operation

6) Degree in related field

 

Industrial Nurse

 

Main duties and Responsibilities as follows:

 

1) Management of in-house clinic inclusive of 24×7 SRN coverage, visiting   

    medical officer schedules, pharmaceutical billings and cost improvement 

2) Review of medical bills and in house clinic running costs, 

3) Occupational Injury & Illness medical case management, inclusive reporting of  

    I&I case,

4) Pre-placement medical examination and required medical surveillance  

    programs, biological / health effects monitoring and wellness promotion

    programs

5) Maintains accurate confidential information in accordance with local govt.  

    regulations and HR policies.

6) Diploma/Degree in Nursing Education

 

If you are interested to apply any of the above jobs, please drop your resume via e-mail career_advisor@resumeweassist.com . We will work with your future employer on your suitability for an interview.

 

Good luck!

Company: European based MNC

Location: Pahang

Job location: Across Malaysia

      Role –Business Development Manager –

• Will report directly to MD with a dotted line to a Global Sales Director based in the US.
• Will work as part of a team including US, UK and China.
• Role is to focus almost totally on internal sales to Malaysia / Singapore.
• Must be Malaysian and Malaysian based – most likely in Penang or Johor Bahru.
• Must know the internal market. This is the key focus.
• Education. Degree / Masters. Decent background.
•  English must be excellent – first class communicator. (And of course      Bahasa Malaysia).
• Has to have experience in the EMS industry in Malaysia / Singapore.
•  Role will include a car and a housing allowance as well as the usual benefits. (i.e. 13 month etc..). A separate sales bonus is also a possibility but this needs to be determined.
• This role will get a lot of focus from TT group. It will certainly be in the spotlight.

If you interested to apply this job, please send your resume to career_advisor@resumeweassist.com. We will work with your future employer to assess your suitability for an interview.

 

Good luck!!

This article was adapted from News Straits Times, authored by Dr Michael Heah. He is the Malaysia’s first Certified Professional Coach and Licences Master Coach Trainer.

 

There is no age limit in attending interviews. Many people have been going through job interviews at some points of their lives whether in their past or recently and/or may be going for another one soon. Even retirees may one day consider getting out of their retirement to attend interviews because they are bored with not doing anything.

 

Many new comers enter into the job market everyday. They are either school leavers of fresh graduates who for the first time going for job interviews face an entirely new experience altogether. The common remarks are they do not know how to speak, they have no confidence, they are totally lost and can not carry themselves well.

 

In the same vein, there are also many working people who have not attended any job interview for ages. I had one expatriate-client, who had not attended a job interview for 20 years and wanted me to coach him on how to handle job interviews. He wanted to be prepared for the kinds of questions that could be asked and how he could answer them impressively to increase his success rate.

 

Since the 80s, job interviews have taken a new meaning and significance. It was once used to be a one-sided affair with job seekers selling themselves to prospective employers; now it is a high stake affair when it is equally important for the employers to sell themselves to the job seekers. The onus now is for both parties to ensure their interview success through evaluating each other’s value and benefits to find a commit fit for them to enter into an employer-employee partnership.

 

The demand for good people has never been greater now than in the past. With organizations on the look out for talents to sharpen their competitive edge and increase their organizational capabilities, good people are increasing becoming a non-negotiable asset for organization success. It is therefore worthwhile to pay important attention to interviews to increase your chances of success against your competitors, be it another fellow candidate or your trade competitor next door.

 

Now with this definition and perspective cleared, we move on to the understand the “mechanics” of a modern day job interview.

 

Typically, whenever you are called for an interview, you are likely to have been short-listed or highly recommended by someone based on your background or your resume. Here are some guidelines on how to win at your interview:

 

            Look Good: First impressions count. Make an impression even before you respond to any question. Ensure that your appearance is smart with appropriate attire, pay careful attention to finer body points like your hair, nails and shoes and avoid extreme colour or pattern in clothes.

 

            Prepare Yourself Positively For Success: You are on a race with other competitors and you must have the mindset you are going to win. Tell yourself: “I know I can make a difference on others”. At the same time, learn to relax mentally and physically before and during the interview so you do not draw blanks under stress.

 

            Behave Rightly During Interview: There are certain important things to take note such as: arriving at least ½ hour before schedule, smile and use good eye contact when meeting the interviewers, sit upright and lean slightly forward to convey an impression of interest, confidence and alertness, refrain from fidgeting with your hands or crossing and uncrossing your legs.

 

            Answer Questions Properly: Remember you are also interviewing the employer as well. When replying to their questions you should keep to the point, structure your answers so it is logical and easily understood, speak out with confidence and ensure you can be heard clearly, be prepared and have appropriate information to hand out, show interest in the organization and job, be proud (but do not exaggerate) of your achievements while being honest with your limitations.

 

            Prepare Your Own Questions: At the end of the interview, you may be asked if you have any questions. Prepare some smart ones in advance, especially those relating to the job and organization. Keep money matter to the end.

 

            Deal Positively With The Closing Moments Of The Interview: Last impressions are important too. Thank the interviewers for their time, reaffirm your interest in the position and state that you look forward to hearing from them in the near future.

 

The bottom line is job interviews cannot be taken lightly and special skills are needed for success. For the job seekers, they could be missing out a great opportunity to work for a great employer. For the employer, you could be losing a “gem” of a highly qualified and competent person who can make an impact on your organization. So, we need the “how to” of interviews to win BIG!

Selamat Hari Raya Haji to all our Muslim clients & friends.

May Allah bless us all…

My wife & I arrived at PISA about 1pm. From the parking lot, I could see several stretches of cars parking surrounding PISA. I started to have the impression that the response to this expo will be relatively good but not as good as the response during the PC fair . Those who have been to PC fair in PISA will know what I mean.

 

Anyway, we managed to find a suitable parking slot in the basement. While we were walking towards the entrance, I started to see a crowd of people filling up a form. From far I saw it was a registration form, hence my wife walked towards the counter, grabbed 2 forms and diligently filled them up. To get into the main arena where the expo was held, we had to queue up and submitted the registration forms to some officers at the entrance. The officer verified our forms and gave us a VISITOR sticker to be pasted on our hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked into the arena and the 1^st booth we saw was Dell. It was strategically located straight in-front of the entrance. The booth was simple but yet elegant. For me, I could say Dell’s both attracted the most visitors, may be they are giving out free attractive bag and it could also be the list of vacancies available by them. Dell has manufacturing, sales & customer service activities in Penang. However, most of the job vacancies advertised on that day were into sales & customer service field, none for manufacturing.

 

Right behind Dell was Motorola. In Penang, Motorola is focusing on their communication devices (except handphone) manufacturing activities especially on walkie talkie. Even in Penang, Motorola has a well established R&D team focusing on walkie talkie technology development. Hence, most of the job vacancy is more into engineering (electronic, mechanical etc). Surprisingly even though the world economy is in recession now, but Motorola is still intensively hiring engineers. Even though it is weird to do so now, but Motorola Penang is actually expanding. This is because Motorola manufacturing site worldwide is consolidating their manufacturing into Penang. That is why Motorola Penang needs extra engineers to support their consolidation initiative.

 

Another major multinational participated in this expo was Intel. Surprising Intel still has some vacancies in their manufacturing, business & technology activities. In Malaysia, Intel has 2 huge manufacturing sites which are in Penang & Kulim, Kedah. Overall, it seems they are hiring but more on a selective hiring for critical vacancies or expansion initiative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other than that, there were also some local players such as Bank Negara, Petronas and etc. Bank Negara opened a relative big booth compared to the rest of the local players. They were not only looking for candidates to join them but they were also providing financial advice and tools during the expo. Petronas booth was relatively small if compared to their reputation as Malaysia’s sole petroleum company. Anyway, they have some job vacancies in their off shore plant and also some office work.

 

There were also some local universities and colleges took part in this expo. Their focus were more on promoting their post graduate programs. For those who missed visiting this expo, there will be another expo entirely focusing on postgraduate program on the 16 & 17-Dec at Gurney Hotel, Penang (9am – 5pm). I’m sure you will find some suitable programs if you are interested to further your studies.

 

We spent about 2 hours at the expo. My personal opinion, I’m still sceptical if all this companies are actually doing intensive hiring. However, I’m still glad and surprise to see there are still many job vacancies available in Penang.

 

As been widely announced, world leaders and business gurus are forecasting that in 2009, the world will be in another recession cycle but will recover as soon we are in 2010.  Even though the world is in recession now, but I’m sure each of these participated companies have their own human resource strategy.

 

So is this expo a success? It all depends on individual success (getting the job) and the companies strategy success (get the best employee at the right time). Please share your personal experience in the comment below if you are a visitor or a participant during the expo.

 

If you think this article will be beneficial to your friends & family, feel free to share with them.

 

Thanks

 

Regards

 

Yusoff