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Monday, February 25, 2008

What can students do to improve their chances of getting a job?

Posted by Chong

Things we can do now to improve our chances of getting a job in the future


The issue of employment is important to me. Upon graduating, my next goal in life is to look for a reliable and good-paying job which can help me to make a living and enjoy a comfortable life. It is worrying to hear about young people and fresh graduates passing with a string of qualifications and well educated being unemployed.

According to The World Factbook, the estimated unemployment rate in Malaysia for 2007 was 3.10%, which means hundred of thousands of people still unable to find gainful employment. When potential employers were interviewed, they cited a few reasons. They said that many young people are unsuitable for the job market and they are unprepared for the job. What then can we do to improve our chances of getting a job? I would like to offer a few suggestions.

First and foremost, we must ensure that we are qualified and have a sound academic or professional foundation. Excellent grades would be an advantage. We must equip ourselves with vocational knowledge and skills so that we are more versatile and marketable.

Having good grades is not enough; we should have the right personality. So it is useful that we take an active part in co-curricular activities. They help to mould our character and personality and hone our leadership qualities. Moreover, we learn to be responsible, diligent, disciplined and to organise activities. In addition, we also learn soft skills. We learn to deal with people, to socialise and mix around, to work as team, to collaborate and cooperate and also learn to support one another in the spirit of esprit de corps.

Working experience is a big advantage in seeking employment. Unfortunately, many young graduates are disadvantaged as they lack working experience. Nevertheless we can still take steps to gain some working experience. We can use our holidays to work part-time, preferably in our field of interest. We must build on the experience by being observant and learning as much as possible. For example, those interested in law can work in a lawyer firm.

One major drawback for many students is their low proficiency in English language. Many employers complain that many young graduates are unable to have a decent conversation in English. They are unable to prepare simple documents in English correctly. So, we must take steps to improve our English. For instance, we can take up courses to improve our spoken and written English. We must also make it a point to practise using English more often like reading English newspapers, magazines and blogs and to converse with our friends in English. It is also an added advantage if we learn other languages like Japanese and French.

It is a competitive world today and good jobs are limited while more and more graduates are looking for employment. Only those who are qualified and suitable will stand a higher chance to be employed. So, it is wise to take steps now to prepare ourselves to improve our chances of getting a job. We must have an edge over the others like the popular adage ‘only the best man wins’!

Reference:
The World Factbook - Unemployment rate

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