CAREER FAIR GIVES STUDENTS A HEAD START IN THE JOB MARKET

Petaling Jaya, May 16, 2003 – Career fairs are a convenient platform for students to scout for job openings and for employers to recruit potential employees while creating public awareness about the goods and services they offer.

A career fair jointly organised by Monash University Malaysia and Sunway College recently enabled students from the two institutions to explore various job opportunities in the market and for employers, to recruit potential employees.

The career fair attracted some 20 companies from diverse fields including telecommunications, retail, accounting, shipping and banking.

Monash University Malaysia ’s final-year business students Ong Ching Ying and Maria Norita agreed that the fair was a convenient way for students to assess the job market and scout for new openings.

“We don’t have much time to go job-hunting due to study commitments. The fair allows us to gather information about various companies, their requirements and the skills they are looking for,” said Ong.

Ong noticed that not all of the companies were recruiting, some were using the fair to establish their presence and to create awareness about the goods and services they offer.

Maria, from Indonesia , was looking for an opening related to the course she is taking.  Majoring in international business, she hopes to work with a multinational company that offers employees a chance to broaden their working experience through training stints abroad.

Maxis Telecommunications’ participation in the fair allowed the company to recruit potential graduates to fill various sales and marketing positions within the company.

“The students’ response to our management trainee programme was overwhelming but we also received inquiries from those who were keen to take up part-time jobs within the company while they were studying,” said a company spokesperson.

“The reason we are here is not only to recruit but also to share information with the students about the business we are in and the career prospects available within the company.”

The spokesperson said the company would not be looking solely at qualifications when recruiting staff, but also assessing how potential employees could contribute towards the overall growth of the company.

A representative of an accounting firm said that she was impressed with the students’ response to its recruitment drive, particularly for the management positions it was trying to fill.

“The response has been very good. Most of the students came prepared with their resumes which enabled them to submit their applications on the spot,” said a company representative.

In collaboration with Monash University Malaysia and Sunway College , the Young Professionals Chamber Malaysia (PROMUDA) conducted a separate session that had industry representatives giving presentations on job hunting and how job applicants from the two institutions could get a head start in their professional careers.

The talks provided an industry perspective of what employers looked for in potential employees as well as the  knowledge and skills that were sought after.

The participating companies and organisations in the PROMUDA event included Mycom International, ISIS Malaysia, Jobstreet.com and Commerce International Merchant Bank (CIMB).