Thanks to my loyal blog reader for sharing this.
This is quoted from here
----
Guest blogger Brian Boyer is a hacker journalist who writes about the intersection of technology and journalism. He's worked at public-interest journalism site ProPublica and is now at the Chicago Tribune, building their new News Applications team.
It's not news that journalism is in crisis. CNN turned newspapers into first-day fishwrap and Craigslist killed the business model. Solutions are scarce, and our democracy is at risk. I don't have a chart to guide our way through the darkness to Citizenry 2.0, but there are some who can navigate the singularity.
Journalism needs great hackers. Not just nerds, but programmers who care -- about the values of journalism and the power of a free press to hold government accountable. Luckily, hackers are a freedom-minded bunch. The free software movement is rooted in many of the same principals that guide journalism. But news organizations aren't very sexy places to work -- especially now, as layoffs, bankruptcy and closures plague the industry. So how can we bring nerds to the news? One old-skool school is trying.
Free beer school!
Tell your programmer friends: The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University is giving away full scholarships, plus expenses, to software developers.They can get a masters degree in journalism, gratis, from one of the most prestigious J-schools around.
I recently graduated from the year-long program, during which I studied with with one other hacker and ~45 brilliant 'normal' journalism students. I interviewed lawmakers, farmers and shopkeepers and wrote stories about agriculture, waterways, and the diabetes epidemic in Illinois. It was difficult to shake my introverted, google-first, face-to-face-as-a-last-resort programmer nature. But it was also thrilling.
Journalism is an info-geek's dream. You're constantly learning new topics, speaking with experts, and distilling real-world issues to their essence -- all in the mission of informing the folks who don't have time to soak up all that data. It's like being paid to write a new Wikipedia article every day.
We also wrote some software. My programmer colleague and I banged out enviroVOTE in a frenetic weekend of coding and coffee in the days preceding the election. The night of, we were tied to our keyboards, tallying results and tweeting updates while the rest of the world was watching TV. Such is the life of a journalist.
For our final project at Medill, the two coders and four non-coder new-media students built NewsMixer, an experiment in integrating social networks with news coverage. It was one of the first applications to roll out on Facebook Connect, and remains one of the only apps that explores its full potential. All the code is GPL'ed and has already spawned other open-source projects.
This is the time to remake journalism
Programmers have been making an impact in the news world for some time, but until recently most innovation in this space has been in creating new ways to present the old style. With a few shining exceptions like the datavisuals by the New York Times, most online news could have been written on a typewriter and mailed to Google for indexing.
Then, something amazing happened: Software won a Pulitzer Prize. Created by hacker journalist Matt Waite and other fantastically clever folks at the St. Petersburgh Times, PolitiFact is form of news that could only exist online. Aron Pilhofer, leader of the innovations team at the NYT, put it perfectly:
But is it journalism, some people asked? There's no lead per se, no narrative and no pyramids anywhere to be found, much less the inverted sort.
Journalism is about helping people make sense of important issues, and how those issues affect them personally. It's about uncovering that which someone wants to keep hidden. It's about holding people we place in high public office accountable. And by those definitions... PolitiFact more than meets the test. It takes a traditional form of newspaper reporting -- fact-checking what politicians say -- and scales it up in a way only possible on the web.
The NYT's Represent and its open-source cousin, Repsheet, are innovations much in the same vein, and their existence is a sign of the times. The tools now available to hackers are so great that we can think far beyond content management systems. The moment has come when a couple of great hackers can knock out a fully-fledged new form of media in a matter of weeks. Tell the Twitterati: there are lights in the distance.
Hackers wanted
The news is waiting to be saved. We have the technology, all we need is more nerds. So ditch your boring corporate gigs and come to journalism! Democracy is one hell of a fun problem to hack.
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Journalism Scholarship
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Young Corporate Malaysians Talk - Dr. Mahani, 19th May 7:30pm
The Young Corporate Malaysians CEO Series 12 : Dr. Mahani, Director-General of ISIS Malaysia
Malaysia’s Economic Outlook 2009: Doom and Gloom?
Facebook Event: here
Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Time: 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location: 67 Jalan U Thant (in front of Palestine Embassy)
Description
Dr. Mahani Zainal Abidin, the Director-General of Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, will be honouring us with her presence at the Rumah UKEC this coming 19th of May.
Just a brief of what Dr. Mahani does:
Dr. Mahani obtained a Ph.D (development economics) from the University of London in 1992. She was Professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya. In 1998, Dr. Mahani was appointed a member of the Working Group for the National Economic Action Council, a body established by the Malaysian Government to formulate measures to initiate recovery from the economic and financial crisis. She was a Board Member of the Malaysia Employees Provident Fund (1998-2000). In 2001, Dr. Mahani was appointed as the Head, Special Consultancy Team on Globalisation of the National Economic Action Council.
She also serves as Deputy Chairman of the National Accreditation Board from May 2003 until October 2007.
In 2005, Dr. Mahani was appointed as the Deputy Director-General, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia.
-- Quoted from Source "http://www.isis.org.my/html/people/people_MahaniZainalAbidin.htm"
Feel free to bring your friends to this event, it's FREE and it's up to YOU to make the most out of it especially during the infamous Q&A session.
Don't forget to join our mailing list through the link below if you haven't already done so!
here .
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
PitchYourTalent.com Video
Check out the youtube of PitchYourTalent.com! Total members sign up has exceeded 40,000 already! :)
If you know any friend who is looking for a job (irrespective of where they are in the world, do ask them to check out PitchYourTalent.com! )
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
Unusual opportunity to apply SW development skills to an Ivy-League level journalism program (perhaps with a full scholarship)
Journalism Scholarships Available for Programmers/Developers
Applications from candidates for these new scholarships are being accepted now, for admission to start in 2009 (enrolling in January, June or September) or January 2010.
Are you a skilled programmer or Web developer? Are you interested in applying your talents to the challenge of creating a better-informed society? Do you want to learn how to find, analyze and present socially relevant information that engages media audiences? Do you see possibilities for applying technology as a way to connect people and information on the Web or new delivery platforms?
If your answers are "yes," consider applying to Medill for a master's degree in journalism. You can earn your degree in just a year. You will learn new skills that will open doors to new opportunities that might help build a better democracy. And a new program at Medill offers you a chance to win a fully funded scholarship.
...Over the next three years, Medill will offer the equivalent of nine full tuition scholarships, to programmer/developers who earn a MSJ at Medill. At least one full scholarship will be offered in each of the next three years; the remaining scholarship money will be awarded as full or partial scholarships based on the applicant pool.
Leaderonomics Talks
Thanks to invite by Aidan Chew, I attended Leaderonomics Entrepreneurship Academy 2009 launch this afternoon, and would say that I do learn a lot from the 3 speakers.
The first speaker was Roshan Thiran, CEO of Leaderonomics. The title is Building a Future via Entrepreneurship. Roshan was former global director of GE and Johnson & Johnson.
Roshan talked on formation of entrepreneurship, where he highlighted the challenges that he has gone through and shared with us the context too.
During his university time, he saw model by Dell in making computer, and he got togehter with a friend from Korea, where they would put together computer to sell to students in his campus. And from there, he could make a couple hundred dollars per weekend by assembling the computer and can still undercut other corporates by a lot.
As the business grew, the city even asked them to bid to supply 2,000 computers for high schools around the community.
As they expanded, they started to buy more inventory. And with some advice, they started to pile inventory in 1,000, as the price that they could get is much lower. Initially, it was greater profit margin, and people can have a good selection of parts. However, as newer version of Intel was released, the price of those microprocessor/micro chip just crashed. They lost $100,000 of inventory, and basically wiped out all the profit that they have made over the past 2-3 years. It was really demotivating for them.
Roshan went through a bunch of failures, and those were his learning point. Every journey starts with failures.
As Roshan started to write for the newspaper, he had to do more research and he found out that Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times, before he invented light bulb. And if he had failed fewer times, he would not have been able to succeed. He learned from the failure and improve on it. Failure is a key part of the journey.
Roshan spent about 12-13 years with General Electric and 2 years with Johnson and Johnson.
His advice on running a business is not about the business itself or the process, but rather about the people and the culture. He wanted to be a teacher, and he ran GE training place at Cottonville for some time.
When he looked at Malaysia, we don't have strong role model to follow, especially those who have done things with action. We need to enhance on our productivity and get people to evolve into real leadership.
So, Roshan decided to start a social enterprise, where they would teach staff in corporations and earn the money and then plough back the profits to bring "ideations" for projects.
He talked on how people learned, where in experience mode, especially teaching, people remembered 100% of what they teach. By doing something, people can remember 85% within 3 weeks and 70% within 3 months. If people just see, then it would be 72% retention within 3 weeks and 20% within 3 months, and if people just listen, then it is 70% within 3 weeks and 10% within 3 months.
Listening would be stuff like listening to presentation/speech/manuel/flyer/video etc, whereas seeing is seeing someone doing something. By doing it, one role plays and also have practical applications of it, and when one teaches, one lead others to do, and a way of it, is to coach own's team and teach other leaders.
Roshan found through research that by doing something for 10,000 hours with passion and endurance, one would be world class. He gave the example of Beatles. They used to be deemed as playing very badly in Liverpool. However, then they went away to play 8 hours a day everyday for 5 years, and that accumulated 12,000 hours of playing. With that, they went back to Liverpool and became a star.
Wayne Rooney learned about anticipation technique in soccer at a age of 4 years old. Practice is very important.
Roshan shared that leaders are based on context. In start-up, leaders would need to really get their hands dirty, work on details and also micro-manage. In big enterprise, then leaders would need to delegate and empower.
Roshan gave an example of how Mother Teresa was in a bakery in Calcutta, and they tried to swindle her money. She asked for free brand and was being scolded/abused etc. However, after each abuse, she asked for the bread, and in the end, they gave her the bread. Even people like Mother Teresa can be assertive, and it is due to context.
So, it depends often on what context to decide to use which right techniques. When do you know how you decide what to do.
To learn content, one can learn in Google, but context would need real practical experience. Leaders need to go through multiple scenario to learn it.
To run a business, one would need expertise. For instance, Google, its CEO is not Larry Page or Sergey Brin - the founders. And the only way to become experts would be through practice. Context is what you experience.
Roshan shared on one of his learning through context. He used to leave things around, so once he accidentally left the payroll of his staff in a photocopy machine, and his supervisor fired him. After 2 weeks, his supervisor called him back, and hope that he has learn his lesson.
Another occasion was when he was an integration leader in Dallas, where he has to do a 3-in-1 merger. That was his 3rd job, and he was still in his early/mid 20s then. After he has implemented the system, no one used it, and they complain about him, and he got sent back. What Roshan later realized was that he didn't focus as much on culture.
When he was in his 7th job, as CEO of GE Aircraft Malaysia, he tried to transform the culture, where they exceed world class performance.
Roshan quoted George Kohlrieser, IMD Professor of Leadership, where he says "5% of leadership is genetic, and 95% of it is learnt by practice. Roshan concluded that 95% of all skills, ability, talent is learned.
He shared on how Jack Welch at the age of 64, learned as much on IT within 3 weeks, and that was 1 year before his retirement. The trigger point was that his wife was buying things online and he realized his mistake. Back then, Roshan was the Head of Y2K for GE.
Roshan advised that even when we are working for someone, we are still "Sdn Bhd". We should find board of advisors. One of the advisors for Roshan was George Kohlrieser.
For a job, when we find that learning ends, then performance would get plateau and learning gets smaller. When we struggle, we really learn a lot. Performance should equal potential. The more you struggle, the more you learn and practice is ultimate.
Roshan shared on how he quit from a comfortable role in Johnson & Johnson to start up Leaderonomics and grow from 2 people to 20 people now, and he advised everyone to seek mentorship and take advantage and learn and make use of the advantage. Never too late to start (case in point, Jack Welsh started on IT in the age of 64), and we should strive through multiple scenario.
Above is the first part of the talks. Would share on the other 2 speakers' talk later. Do check out here again.
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
Appeal for JPA Overseas Scholarships
Thanks to Cadence_Hope from ReCom.org - The Worldwide Malaysian Students Network for translating the following into English. This is regarding appealing for JPA Overseas Scholarships.
The ReCom link is here (Post #6) .
The original Chinese version is here at MCA Youth page .
-----
Appeal for 2009 JPA Overseas Scholarship Program
Public Service Department of Malaysia had announced the names of recipients of the 2009 Public Service Department (PSD) Overseas Scholarships Program (Biasiswa Ijazah Luar Negara JPA). Applicants can check their result through the PSD website at www.jpa.gov.my
MCA Youth Education Bureau urges all applicants to check their result through the website as soon as possible. Appeals have to be made online at www.jpa.gov.my within 10 days after the announcement of the result (closing date is 18th May 2009).
MCA Youth Education Bureau will assist the applicants who want to appeal and they can download the appeal form from http://youth.mca.org.my , and send it together with all the required attachments and information to MCA Youth Education Bureau or any State MCA Youth before 14th May 2009. Upon compilation and analysis of all the appeals, MCA Youth Education Bureau will discuss with MCA President, Dato’ Seri Ong Tee Keat and MCA ministers to help the applicants in the appealing process.
For more enquiries and information, please contact MCA National Youth Education Bureau at 03-21618044.
Mailing Address:
Biro Pendidikan Pemuda MCA Kebangsaan
Tingkat 7, Wisma MCA
163, Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Please kindly download these forms:
1. Borang Rayuan Biasiswa Program Ijazah Luar Negara JPA Tahun 2009
2. Borang Pengesahan Pendapatan Bulanan Keluarga Calon Program Penajaan 2009
-----
(吉隆坡8日讯) 2009年政府公共服务局海外留学奖学金 (Biasiswa Ijazah Luar Negara JPA 2009) 已在今日正式公布录取名单。所有已接受面试的申请者须上网www.jpa.gov.my 以查询结果。
马青总团教育局今日发表文告提醒所有申请者必须上网查询结果，不要平白无故地失去这个得来不易的机会。
文告中也指出，每一年的JPA奖学金的非常竞争。而今年度奖学金的数额维持在2000份，但符合条件的申请者数量却增加了，这造成了僧多粥少的局面，所以申请者不应以不满意被分配的国家而放弃这宝贵的升学机会。
公共服务局将在录取名单公布后接受上诉。上诉者可透过www.jpa.gov.my 向该局提出电子上诉(E-Rayuan)，而无需邮寄任何上诉公函及相关文件于当局。
马青总团教育局也将协助那些未被录取的申请者。欲想要通过马青总团教育局上诉的申请者可从马青网站 http://youth.mca.org.my 下载马青内部使用的上诉表格，连同相关资料于5月14日或之前呈予马青总团教育局或通过各州马华马青转交。教育局在整理及分析所有上诉个案后，将与马华总会长拿督斯里翁诗杰及马华内阁部长商讨，并依据各别情况替上诉者上诉。
上诉者若有任何疑问可直接拨电向马青教育局询问，电话是03-21618044。邮寄地址如下：
Biro Pendidikan Pemuda MCA Kebangsaan
Tingkat 7, Wisma MCA
163, Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
敬请下载以下的表格：
表格 1： 2009年度政府公共服务局海外留学奖学金上诉表格（马青内部使用）
表格 2： Borang Pengesahan Pendapatan Bulanan Keluarga Calon Program Penajaan 2009
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
Happy Belated Wesak Day
Happy Belated Wesak day to all!
I went on the Wesak procession today, and it was a great experience walking perhaps 12km or so from Brickfields to China Town, Kota Raya, KL Tower, Raja Chulan, Bukit Bintang, Puduraya and back to Brickfields. About 3 hour plus of walking together with about 30 floats of procession.
It is great to see easily 30,000 Malaysians and some foreign tourists join in the Wesak Day celebration, be it by walking with the procession or waiting for the procession to pass by.
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
Rescuing Abandoned Dogs in Pulau Selat Kering
Thanks to Bin Wei for highlighting this to me. It is great that she is doing this for community, to help saving the 300 dogs that were abandoned by Pulau Ketam residents to Pulau Selat Kering.
Bin Wei was very discouraged by some remarks like "those are not human", "those are just dogs", "i am not rich as you" etc, when she asked people to support the initiatives. I would call upon those of you who support this initiative to learn your comment here, as a motivation for Bin Wei and others to keep on working on this issue.
For more info, go to MYCEN website or SPCA website .
On latest updates, go to here .
Hope that you can help to create awareness or support to donate money/energy for the effort.
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
Youtube Video of HELP US Education Seminar
The HELP US Education Seminar was held at HELP University College, Malaysia on April 3rd (Session One) and April 10th (Session Two). Speakers Xianjin Teo, Michael Chow, Tara Thean, Alvin Ung, Philip Loh and Kimberly Ho brought to the audience their application experience, valuable tips and un-Google-able advice - all in a Malaysian context - to potential US college applicants.
The sharing is based on their personal experience, so it might be applicable to your context or it might not. Am sure by investing 2 of your hours viewing it, you will pick up some points. Do evaluate each advice, and decide which one you would apply.
Good Luck!
You can view the 13 videos that they have shot for your viewing as follow at here .
For more resources, go to US Applications Workshop & Resources .
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
Saturday, May 09, 2009
UnReason.my
Thanks to the invite by Michael Teoh from Youth Entrepreneur Malaysia and also Daniel Cerventus from Malaysia Entrepreneurs to Unreason.my at Urban Attics at CapSquare.
Would have to say that I enjoyed the meet-up and it is definitely a great group of people there, who are very passionate about making the change for Malaysia. They are not just people who are talking about it, but going down to make the real change.
A few of my observations there:-
1. They are all motivated to work together to spur change for the country - Malaysia.
2. They are united, despite each of them might be having their own pet initiative. It is interesting to see they support each other's events/initiatives/projects.
3. It is all about idea and big idea, where for instance, they have those little books being placed around and for people to jot down their ideas as they speak. It is an interesting concept.
4. They are very motivated to empower others, and share. Daniel Cerventus called me up (thanks!) to share on What's After SPM .
5. One of the points said was "Youth is not the future, but now". "The future is the kid today."
The networking is great and I would like to urge everyone to support the following few initiatives, and if you have more, do let me know, and I'll highlight it here too! It is the change that we hope we can do for the country.
1. Unreason.my - UnReason is about Malaysians coming together to solve our own problems through entrepreneurship.
Three steps for it:-
a) Create idea and watch support grow for it
b) Crowd source funding for it. Anyone can chip in any amount to support an initiative.
c) Track the impact of the idea.
As of now, Unreason.my has not been officially started, but do join the Facebook group to get the latest update - here .
2. MalaysiaCrime.com - A site where Malaysians can report any crime happens in the country and share with fellow Malaysians.
This is by Kegan Gan. He started this site after he saw the robbery happened to Yang Jerng.
3. Malaysia Entrepreneurs - Daniel Cerventus has definitely done a fabulous job to motivate more Malaysians to get into entrepreneurship!
4. Youth Entrepreneur Malaysia - This community aims to be the voice of youth entrepreneurs from all around Malaysia and around the world.
Do check those up!
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
EXTENSION: Social Enterprise Challenge Proposal Submission Deadline Now 10 May 2009!
EXTENSION - Social Enterprise Challenge Proposal Submission Deadline: Now 10 May 2009!
In the past few hours, we have received many requests to extend the submission deadline. In the interests of creating more opportunities for everyone, we have decided to extend the submission deadline to midnight (2359 hrs) of 10 May 2009 (Sunday).
Submit your entries to se@startup.org.sg now!
Click here for more details and competition guidelines.
S@S'09 brings to you an insightful panel discussion on social entrepreneurship, in conjunction with the prize presentation for the top 3 winning entries of the Social Enterprise Challenge. The session aims to touch on the personal experiences in starting social enterprises and promises to discuss possible ways for the top entries to evolve into viable businesses in Singapore!
Event Details
Panelists: Ms Elim Chew, Founder and president, 77th Street (S) Pte Ltd
Mr. Alvin Lim, CEO, Bizlink Centre Singapore Ltd
Moderator: Associate Professor Albert Teo, Department of Management and Organization,
NUS Business School
Day/Date: 14 May 2009 (Thursday)
Time: 5.45pm to 8.00 pm
Registration starts at 5.00pm
Venue: NUS Engineering Auditorium, National University of Singapore [map]
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Panelists:
Ms Elim Chew, Founder and president of 77th Street (S) Pte Ltd, Co- Founder of Singapore Street Festival and The Young Entrepreneur Mastery (TYEM), an non-profit academy which supports youth entrepreneurship; Ms Elim Chew is also a founding member and director of Singapore Innovation Park (SIP), a social enterprise incubator.
Mr. Alvin Lim, the CEO of Bizlink Centre Singapore Ltd, a leading voluntary welfare organization that provides employment for the disadvantaged and needy.
Moderator:
Associate Professor Albert Teo, an associate professor in the Department of Management and Organization, NUS Business School and Deputy Director of NUS' University Scholars Programme.
Click here for further details and RSVP now!
You don't have to take part in the Challenge to attend this event! Its open to one and all!
We look forward to seeing you at yet another exciting event by S@S'09 !
Regards,
The S@S Team
Friday, May 08, 2009
JPA/PSD Overseas Scholarships Decision Today
Thanks to my loyal blog reader for sharing this link. To discuss with others who applied to JPA and other scholarships, do go to ReCom.org - The Worldwide Malaysian Students Network .
KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Services Department (PSD) has interviewed 8,363 out of the 15,084 candidates who had applied for scholarships under the foreign degree programme between March 31 and April 3.
The results of the offer will be carried in the PSD portal, http://esila.gov.my beginning today.
The statement also mentioned that in view of the limited places abroad, especially in critical subjects, the PSD also offered 2,000 scholarships to outstanding students to pursue studies in local universities.
Unsuccessful candidates can submit their appeal online from May 8 to 18. -- Bernama
Thursday, May 07, 2009
L4T Leadership Series - Tun Daim Zainuddin
JobStreet.com wishes everyone Happy Labour Day!
JobStreet.com staff took to the road to distribute StreetSmart Guide to Job Hunting to hundreds of motorists and wish everyone Happy Labour Day (on the eve of Labour Day).
The youtube video of it is as follow:-
Enjoy watching!
For those of you who haven't signed up for PitchYourTalent.com , do so now! :) More than 33,500 people have done so!
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
College Admission Essays by Presidents of 10 Universities
Thanks to one of my loyal blog readers, who choose to be anonymous. He is hoping that this sharing would help students to learn more about application essays.
Wall Street Journal got 10 of the university presidents to answer their admission essay question.
This is fully quoted from here .
Before I share the article above, below are the links to the 10 essays written.
a) Barnard College's Debora Spar on daily routines
b) Carleton College's Robert A. Oden Jr. on getting lost -- and found -- in Cairo
c) Grinnell College's Russell K. Osgood on a historical figure that has influenced him
d) Oberlin College's Marvin Krislov on a historical figure that has influenced him
e) Pomona College's David Oxtoby on an experience that was 'just plain fun'
f) Reed College's Colin Diver on an experience in diversity
g) The University of Chicago's Robert J. Zimmer on "Living the Question"
h) University of Pennsylvania's Amy Gutmann on her autobiography
i) Vassar College's Catharine Hill on an influential person in her life
j) Wesleyan University's Michael S. Roth on an influential person in his life
-----
Holding College Chiefs to Their Words
By ELLEN GAMERMAN
Reed College President Colin Diver suffered writer's block. Debora Spar, president of Barnard College, wrote quickly but then toiled for hours to cut an essay that was twice as long as it was supposed to be. The assignment loomed over Wesleyan University President Michael Roth's family vacation to Disney World.
The university presidents were struggling with a task that tortures high-school seniors around the country every year: writing the college admissions essay. In a particularly competitive year for college admissions, The Wall Street Journal turned the tables on the presidents of 10 top colleges and universities with an unusual assignment: answer an essay question from their own school's application.
The "applicants" were told not to exceed 500 words (though most did), and to accept no help from public-relations people or speechwriters. Friends and family could advise but not rewrite. The Journal selected the question from each application so presidents wouldn't pick the easy ones. They had about three weeks to write their essays.
The exercise showed just how challenging it is to write a college essay that stands out from the pack, yet doesn't sound overly self-promotional or phony. Even some presidents say they grappled with the challenge and had second thoughts about the topics they chose. Several shared tips about writing a good essay: Stop trying to come up with the perfect topic, write about personally meaningful themes rather than flashy ones, and don't force a subject to be dramatic when it isn't.
As Mr. Roth of Wesleyan, in Middletown, Conn., waited in line with his daughter for rides at Disney World, he thought about his question -- describe a person who's had a significant influence on you -- and wondered whether the topic he'd chosen for his response was too personal.
"It occurred to me, that must be the question our applicants ask themselves," Mr. Roth says. "I can write this about my history teacher or a public figure, what you'd expect, or should I write something more meaningful to me, but riskier?"
In the end, Mr. Roth decided to take a risk, telling a story of his brother who died at age five, before Mr. Roth was born. His older brother's portrait hung in their childhood home.
"I was to heal the wounds caused by the death of that beautiful little boy in the picture," he wrote. "Yet I was also to remain the trace of those wounds."
Mr. Diver of Reed, in Portland, Ore., was asked to write about an experience that demonstrated the importance of diversity to him. He described a violent episode as a young man that eroded his liberal self-image. Overhearing the mugging of a young black woman outside his home in Boston's South End, Mr. Diver, who is white, grabbed a baseball bat and hit the woman's attacker, who was Latino.
"Doubts welled up in my mind," Mr. Diver wrote. "Did I really understand what it means to live in a diverse neighborhood? Or did I just want cosmetic diversity as a backdrop for imposing my white, professional-class ways?"
The incident, which occurred in 1975, is mentioned in "Common Ground," a book by J. Anthony Lukas that told the story of three families, including Mr. Diver's, in a rapidly gentrifying and racially divided neighborhood.
Robert Oden, president of Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., was asked to evaluate the impact of a significant experience, achievement, risk or ethical dilemma that he had faced. He wrote about how life should be approached as an adventure, and described running, panicked, in the streets of Cairo when a trip to the pyramids, on the western edge of the city, went awry. "Within a few short minutes, I was lost. Utterly, hopelessly, lost and confused."
Eventually, he realized that he was safe, and concluded that around the world, "people are people," and most are kind and quick to help others.
Mr. Oden says he found it tough to write an essay that didn't sound a little crazy in its attempt to be interesting. "I can think of writing an essay that would be batty and daft and wild, and I can think of writing a very conventional essay that would be neither," he says. He went with Cairo because it was a specific story, set in a particular place, with details he remembered vividly.
With the assignment of picking a person who inspired him -- from fiction, history or a creative work -- Grinnell College's Russell Osgood chose history, writing about 18th-century Anglo-Irish political figure Edmund Burke. Mr. Osgood, who announced this week that he will step down in 2010, drew parallels between his experience as president of Grinnell, in Grinnell, Iowa, and Mr. Burke's philosophy.
"...Burke, like David Hume, believed that change is best accomplished by a gradual movement in structures and institutions rather than by violent upheaval. When I arrived at Grinnell as a new president in 1998, there was concern, even apprehension, about me and the possibility of change," he wrote. In response to those concerns, Mr. Osgood says he told people that any change he brought to the college would occur "thoughtfully and after learning and listening." He says he wanted to act in a way that was consistent with Burke's philosophy.
Given the same question, Marvin Krislov, president of Oberlin College, in Oberlin, Ohio, says he briefly wondered if he should write as if he were a high-school senior, but then concluded he'd write a better essay if he looked back on his experiences from an adult perspective. He described a trip he took a few years ago to South Africa's Robben Island, where anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was imprisoned:
"Contemplating Nelson Mandela's life can make one weep at the inhumanity and cruelty he experienced. But it is also inspiring," Mr. Krislov wrote, adding that he was especially impressed by a school Mr. Mandela and his colleagues created while they were in prison. "I was deeply moved by their faith even under horrific circumstances in education as the path to social change and uplift."
One of the most challenging questions came from the University of Pennsylvania application: Write page 217 of your 300-page autobiography. President Amy Gutmann focused on her professional accomplishments, including creating a vision for the school, dubbed "the Penn Compact," when she became the university's president in 2004. "No sooner had I begun writing my presidential inaugural address than the political philosopher in me took over," she wrote. "Instead of delivering the standard omnibus address that no one will remember, why not propose a new social contract to put the ideals of higher education into ever more effective practice?"
Some presidents, like many high-school students, wrote about their extra-curricular activities. "What I love about bicycling is how close I am to the countryside, moving slowly enough to see everything, and able to stop when a spot beckons," wrote David Oxtoby, president of Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. Others took the opportunity to focus on academic policy: "We need to adjust to the new economic realities while maintaining our commitment to access and affordability," wrote Catharine Hill, president of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
The question for University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer was simply a quote by poet Rainer Maria Rilke translated from the German: "At present you need to live the question." His interpretation: "Living the question is not simple. It entails the intensity of argument and engagement. It demands intellectual risk-taking and a preference for analysis, inquiry and complexity over easy solutions or comfort."
Ms. Spar, president of Barnard College in New York, says the application exercise reminded her how difficult it is for students to write an original essay, especially when so many are answering the same questions from the common application.
"In an ideal world, I'd rather go back to the system where colleges ask more idiosyncratic questions, because really what you want to find out is, why is this particular kid a good fit for this particular school?" she says.
When she sat down to write, she rejected one of her first ideas, which was to describe her running and swimming routine. "That struck me that'd be a very, very boring and self-aggrandizing essay to write," she says.
So Ms. Spar, who once wrote a graduate-school application essay about talking backwards, used a trick familiar to many survivors of the college essay ordeal: She turned her question on its head. Asked to describe an ordinary-seeming daily routine or tradition that held special meaning for her, the working mother wrote instead about her lack of routine. She described a typical chaotic day: she was juggling preparations for a black-tie event with the needs of her three kids. Meanwhile, her husband was stuck in a snowstorm in Buffalo, N.Y. and the family cat was found with a "writhing" chipmunk inside the house.
"I pack my daughter's clothes for soccer practice and put her Hebrew homework where she has at least a remote chance of encountering it. In between, I check on the chipmunk, which is now expiring sadly on the downstairs rug," Ms. Spar wrote, later adding: "The chipmunk has died. And another day begins. Thankfully, I've never been much for routine."
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
25th AGM of Malaysian Mensa Society
To All Members of the Malaysian Mensa Society
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Twenty-Fifth Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Mensa Society will be held as follows :
Date: Saturday, 16 May 2009
Time: 1.30 p.m. - Registration
2.00 p.m. - Commencement of AGM
Venue: Hydro Majestic Hotel Penang
11100 Batu Ferringhi
Penang
Dress Code: Smart Casual
The AGENDA for the meeting shall be as follows :
1. Opening Address by the Chairman
2. Confirmation of the Minutes of the 24th AGM held on 12 April 2008
3. Matters Arising from the 24th AGM
4. The National Committee's Report for year 2008 / 2009
5. Treasurer's Report and Audited Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2008
6. Motions for Discussion
7. Appointment of Honorary Auditors
8. Announcement of the 2009 / 2010 National Committee.
9. Any Other Business
(a) Signatories to Bank Account
(b) Other Matters
Yours faithfully
Lisa Lee (M/1603)
Secretary 2008/2009
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
The Canticle Singers - Memory of Markus Ng
Got an email this morning from HK Chong, Founder & Music Director of The Canticle Singers.
They will be having performance on 30th and 31st May at Universiti of Malaya. Within their repertoire, one of the numbers will be dedicated to the life and memory of Markus Ng. Markus's parents would be present at the performance on 31st May 2009.
Would like to seek the help of those of you who know Markus, to locate a well-composed and high resolution colour picture of Markus with his guitar. If you have the photo, do let me know, and I will put you in touch with HK Chong. Please kindly help to spread the words to those others who might have the photo.
If you are able to make it to the performance and are willing to support it, do get your ticket at AXCESS Ticketing.
Thanks for your help and support.
-----
BE OUR GUEST
BE OUR GUEST will be staged on Sat 30 and Sun 31 May 2009 at 8.30pm each evening at Auditorium Perdanasiswa, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.
BE OUR GUEST is a feast of lush choral music and other vocal selections selected from the realm of pop, jazz, folk rock, gospel and Broadway. Spend an evening with us, enjoying selections such as The Winner Takes It All from Mamma Mia, Nella Fantasia from the epic movie The Mission, Baba Yetu from Civilization IV, Ralph McTell's Streets of London, Wind Beneath My Wings from the film Beaches, a West Side Story duo, a medley of Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway hits from The King and I, South Pacific, Oklahoma, Carousel, etc., a Sweeney Todd suite and our very own favourites.
Our chorale of 19 singers and guest soloist Tan Wei Han, Tenor; will captivate you with an exclusive collection of harmonies and melodies. Journey with us, with music from the 1950's to the present day and you will rediscover songs and tunes that you hummed and grew up with and discover new ones along the way; all selected from award winning independent music releases, film and stage productions.
In 2008, TCS's musical A Grand Night for Singing at Lambang Sari, Istana Budaya enjoyed packed houses for eight consecutive performances and amongst others played before Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja Permaisuri Perak Tuanku Bainun binti Mohd. Ali, DK, DMN in aid of her charity Malaysian Children's Aid Society. The group was nominated for Best Group Performance - Voice, for the stage musical "Do You Hear the People Sing?" under the Boh Cameronian Awards.
Theatre Venue
Auditorium Perdanasiswa, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Directions will be provided at the Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur security gate entrances to University of Malaya on the evenings of the performances. Click here for location map.
Dates and Times
8.30pm on Sat 30 May and Sun 31 May 2009. Doors open at 8.00pm
Tickets
RM58 & RM78 (inclusive of RM3 AXCESS fee) available from Thursday 23 April 2009 via AXCESS Hotline: +60-3-7711 5000, the AXCESS website at www.axcess.com.my and all AXCESS outlets.
In an exclusive arrangement between VISA and AXCESS, a 20% discount off the price of tickets is being offered to select premiere Visa credit card card holders via the AXCESS website during the first two weeks of commencement of ticket sales.
CRABTREE & EVELYN Special
BE OUR GUEST ticket stubs may used to obtain a 15% discount off regularly priced products from any CRABTREE & EVELYN store in Malaysia until 15 June 2009, subject to terms and conditions.
Win Free Tickets for BE OUR GUEST
at TOP HAT RESTAURANT
During the month of May, Top Hat Restaurant, one of KL's top fine dining establishments, will be helping to promote the BE OUR GUEST. Every week Top Hat will offer diners who spend a minimum of RM100 and answer two simple questions, an opportunity to win a pair of tickets for the choral concert. Four pairs of tickets are up for grab. Top Hat's website is at http://www.top-hat-restaurants.com
Lucky Draw
Members of the audience attending BE OUR GUEST will also be entered into a lucky draw and may win vouchers to dine at Top Hat or gifts from CRABTREE & EVELYN.
Student Tickets
In a special effort to encourage and promote choral music and the variety of music which their parents listened to, amongst school and college students, there will be a limited number of Student Tickets at RM25 for students aged 21 years and under. As a valid student ID and/or national identity card stating the date of birth must be produced, Student Tickets are only available through AXCESS outlets. Each student is entitled to purchase a maximum of 4 Student Tickets only and student IDs will be checked for each person being admitted on a student ticket.
Multimedia Show Trailer
Click here for the multimedia show trailer.
Access for the Physically Challenged
Seating for the physically challenged is limited to the Stalls only and access will be via the rear entrance of the theatre. Please contact AXCESS directly for more details.
Parking
Free parking is available at the Auditorium Perdanasiswa car park. Additional parking is available at the car park of the University of Malaya Library, directly opposite the auditorium.
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
L4T Leadership Series - Dato' Seri Nazir Tun Abdul Razak
5th of May 2009 was the inaugural lecture series for L4T (Leaders for Tomorrow) .
The first speaker is Dato' Seri Nazir Tun Abdul Razak, CEO of CIMB Group. He talked on "Opportunities in Adversity".
Dato' Seri Nazir is a strong believer in opportunity in adversities. He prefers to look at glass half full, and believe that great success can be found at the extreme end of the failure. He believes in people who have failed and then learned the lesson, picked ownself up and then rebounced.
He recalled the force of crisis shook the established order, and CIMB managed to grow as Malaysia's largest merchant bank after the crisis. Despite that, they still incur one major loss, which was a great lesson learned.
During downturn, do not cut back, and invest in the branding. CIMB went into Ringgit-denominated bond market and when came out from crisis, it had a niche there. CIMB was the only merchant bank not distracted by the crisis then.
Another scenario was in 2002, when CIMB decided to get listed, and made an IPO offer of 1.75 . CIMB has facilitated many IPOs, and hence is deemed as an expert in it. However, in the 1st 4 months, its share price does not move. It was terribly embarrassing, and it was as if CIMB can't even list its own company. The market could not readily accept the listing. So, it has to go back to the drawing board.
Understood that the market may not understand the business model, so CIMB decided to pay up around 20% of dividend within 3 months of IPO. That gave some visibility to CIMB and it tried to resell its new business proposition. Then, finally, CIMB went up 174% within 1st year and 363% within 1st 3 years. That was one of the great successes of IPO.
In 2005, CIMB market value was 3 times its book value, whereas for CAHB was just 0.9 time. CAHB got Mckinsey to look into what to do, and around that time CIMB has bought over GKGoh. Dato' Seri Nazir realized that CIMB was too small and hence, it would be tough to compete at regional level. So, the proposal was for CIMB to merge with BCB, and with Nazir being the CEO.
Back then, CIMB's market capitalization was just RM6 Billion with 1,000 employees, but today, as an universal bank, its market capitalization was around RM30 Billion with 36,000 employees.
Dato' Seri Nazir talked on personal career development. When he first came back from UK and tried to apply for CIMB, General Manager of CIMB back then, Robert rejected him. He was very dejected. Nazir appealed to Senior General Manager of Corporate Finance and eventually got accepted as employee No. 67. One of the reasons he got turned down was that he was not an accountant.
Steve Wong was his supervisor, and he is a nightmare boss. Worked late, and really expected a lot from Nazir. Nazir got scoled by him many times, but Nazir credited him for making him tough, and learn through the challenging time and it helped in the long term.
Nazir advised us to leverage and work as a team. Even as a rookie, Nazir has a council of advisers, whom he trusted and gave him impartial advice. He was fortunate to have Azlina as his wife together with him since his Bristol's days.
We need people whom we can go to and strategize, whether during chips going up or down. We shouldn't get carried away by status or position, as all those are just temporary. We should always keep our feet at the ground.
During the Q&A, Nazir mentioned that it is just impossible to do due diligence within 48 hours to decide to acquire another bank. It usually takes at least 6 months to do so. At one point, CIMb was about the same market capitalization as Barclays. However, Nazir mentioend that it is not impossible for Asian banks to take great transformation.
As of now, total write offs by banks are around $1.5 trillion and he expected maybe another $1 trillion could be written off.
Nazir complained that US lending practice is irresponsible. The leverage was just too high, and if in Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia would not have approved that kind of leverage. There are a lot of processes to check, even just for credits. US banks believed that house prices would continue to go up, so their lending policy was very lax. There is a massive need for US and Europe to deleverage.
In this region, the Central banks of different countries (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia) communicated with each other every 2-3 weeks.
Nazir believed that this current crisis may mean that the colonial mentality would go away.
Nazir believed that we do not have much excesses and the disclosure of executive compensation is fine. The transformation to IB model and allow to tap on money market is good. This will underlie the logic of universal bank, where even Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley went n this path.
This could be an Asian century, if there is tectonic shift, and if Asian really make it open. China has an important role to play, and China has built up 2 trillion worth of reserves and have not been investing in investment banks. Today, consumers in Indonesia can buy Chinese goods traded in Rupiahs.
Nazir believed that Malaysian companies are not as competitive as it should be. Khazanah has done a good job, but it started at a low base. We had to get people to think regional, and very few Malaysian companies are ready for regional. He cited that Air Asia and Petronas are the exception.
On Vision 2020, he felt that we need a new direction and the new administration need to set up a new agenda and direction. We will not reach the number based on Vision 2020. The changing in paradigm requires us to adapt and change.
We need to always change ourselves to stay relevant and never take what we are today for granted. Others will catch up. Our role and responsibility will change over time and we have to reinvent ourselves. Every season is different.
On the issues of bringing bank Malaysians, Nazir feels that ti is very important agenda. Realistically speaking, we need to really go for them, and offer the recruits an enabling environment, and have a decent chance to get where they deserve. Some people might be feeling that the overall feel is that the country is not enabling. People don't think that they can truly achieve what they dream, and the perception is there, and it is derived due to some reality. There is a lot for the new leadership to do on this.
Nazir has gone on record a few times to ask for review of NEP. The policy needs to provide affirmative action, but need to make people believe what they build is theirs.
We used to be able to say "political stability" as a selling point for Malaysia, but now, we can't. Nazir stressed that if Barisan got it right, then they will be able to remain in government. 8th of March provided the check and balance, and the vote was mainly of people against Barisan, perhaps due to the arrogance built up.
CIMB contribution to our human capital would be to invest a lot to hire quite a number of them and train them.
In terms of property price, it hasn't gone down much for Malaysia. Worse is around KLCC area, where price has dropped by about 15%. We don't have a bubble built up.
If we are not at the right position, then we have to think to bring us to right position. We need to look at cross border opportunities.
As CEO, Nazir set the agenda and have long term vision for CIMB. It is to be a leading regional universal bank. To acquire a bank is easy, but to integrate it and enable customers to do cross border transaction conveniently would require huge system integration investment. CIMB needs to pump in RM600 Million on that. Currently, CIMB has the largest branch network in ASEAN.
System is by far the most critical component, and need to invest a lot on it, to get the system right. Need to be able to recognize the customers, irrespective of country.
On the merger with BCB, it is a huge transformational challenge. A lot of tactic involved, and need to get 80% of BCB senior management to leave. Nazir stressed on high performance and build in a 6-month Mutual Separation Scheme, where bonus period was within it, and those top performers were rewarded handsomely. In the end, 12.5% of ex-BCB staff took it up.
For Southern Bank, it was on infusion of culture. On Day 1, Nazir spent 15 minutes 1-on-1 with the senior management team of Southern Bank. People are happy with the opportunities, and they don't like politics or impediments. Nazir contacted Public Bank and Hong Leong CEO not to pinch Southern Bank staff initially. However, Nazir didn't inform his staff, and end up his staff pinched some Hong Leong's staff.
For any merger or acquisition to make sense, it needs to create value. Economy of scale is a thing, but need to look at the cost. For the merger, CIMB issue a report to show the synergy value and cost of integration and 1 year after that, has a report card to show its progress. This shows what it achieves based on what it promises.
On education, Nazir agreed that we have a big screw up in it. Our education system is found wanting, and Malaysians have been unfairly under-educated. And we need a long-term solution to improve the schools. Nazir proposed that we take 1% of the stimulus package to hire teachers from Mumbai, Beijing etc to accelerate the process to teach our students. Even this, we will only see the fruits in several years.
In the mean time, we have to live iwth retraining. The immigration department need to revamp as well, as the policy to bring a foreign labour and knowledge worker is the same.
Nazir stressed that the new Prime Minister gets the point that he needs to deliver, or else he will have no job to do in 3-4 years' time. Some of the stuff that the Prime Minister tries to do, he gets pushed back.
Thanks.
Next session for Leaders for Tomorrow would be Tun Daim Zainuddin on 26th May 2009 at Menara SBB, Plaza Damansara.
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
Harnessing the Mind & R U Thinking Enough?
----
We cordially invite you to attend the following talks:
| Topic | Date | Time | Venue |
| Harnessing The Mind by Mr. Vinay Kumar | 16 May 2009 Saturday | 2.30 pm - 4.30 pm | Centre for Extension Education Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman No.13, Jalan 13/6, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor |
| R U Thinking Enough? by Dr. Alex Ow | 23 May 2009 Saturday | 9.45 am - 12.00noon |
The admissions for the talks are FREE.
The talks are open to all. Feel free to bring your family members and friends to the talks. Please drop us a note (mmlm@utar.edu.my) if you are coming so that we can ensure comfort for all.
Regards
Secretariat, MMLM
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Message to Fresh Graduates of 2009
This is an article I wrote in JobStreet.com Forum for Career & Education .
----
It's May again, and it is the time when fresh graduates, especially those in public institutions in Malaysia will be hitting the job market. A rough estimation would mean that about 100,000 young and talented workforce will be entering the corporate world (maybe some will be entering the civil service, and that's good!). Some might also decide to further their studies.
Looking at this, my thought would be that in usual years, employers/HR managers will be cheering, because now, they have a lot more talents to tap on. There is a bigger talent pool, that they can rely on.
However for this year, things might be a bit more difficult. I won't say that there won't be any job vacancy. It will be utterly wrong if I say so. There are still a lot of vacancies, but there might be quite a bit fewer than past years. With the talent supply pool stays the same, the competition will only get stiffer. Plus, there might be still some who graduated end of last year/early of this year, or even 1 year ago, who might still be looking for their ideal job. They will be fighting for the same spot as well.
This article is not meant to be an article for me to rant on this, but I hope to constructively share with those who will graduate this year, to really prepare yourself (and for those who will graduate next year or in upcoming years), do prepare as well! Be ready for the challenge!
Some of the tips that I have will be as follow:-
1. Since some of you are still in the midst of final exams or working on your thesis/final projects, do make sure that those are your best efforts. Getting better grade is always a good thing. I won't go into how big the effect of good grades, but it won't harm you having better grades. I am not asking you to just ignore everything and just be a bookworm either.
2. Once you have finished your final exam, do start your job hunt. Start it early! There might be some who will take 3-4 months holiday, to wait for the graduation ceremony, before starting the job search. My advice is that you should have started, and if you haven't, do start now. It is better to be earlier, than later, unless you won't mind being in the job market hunting for it for many months to come. Do remember the tough economic situation that we are facing.
3. Now that you know you have to start your job hunt, you might be wondering what you should be doing. My advice will be for you to prepare your resume. Enhance your resume, and make sure that it doesn't make various mistakes. Do search around other articles within this forum, where there are discussions on common mistakes for resumes . So, look out for those errors. Don't make the same mistakes.
4. Besides resume, do look around for the jobs that you want to apply. Research on the industry, your specialization, and maybe even new opportunities/fields that you want to explore. You are still young, so a lot of opportunities to look around. Don't be too bothered about the long working hours, demanding supervisors, lower pay etc. As a fresh graduate, you ought to learn on the job, and grow professionally and personally. It is about how you can learn from your colleagues, supervisors, and also from your peers.
5. Once you are ready (and hopefully, it is not too long from now), start the actual process of job applications. Using online job boards, like JobStreet.com will be an easy way for you to apply. Do fill up the JobStreet.com template of resume once, and you can use it to apply for all your jobs in your whole life. (Of course, you need to update your resume from time to time). At any moment, there are more than 1,000 jobs for fresh grads. So, grab it before everyone goes for it! You can view the jobs here .
6. Once you apply, do check on the status. You can log onto your jobstreet account, to see whether employers have put you under consideration, or it is still in process. Hopefully, you will get some of the employers to call you up for interview. One of the way to see would be on whether your resumes are viewed (you can know about this when you log into your jobstreet account and look at your application status). If resume view is equal to 0, then it means that you need to enhance on the summary of your resume (using jobstreet template) to attract the employers to view your full resume. If you have some resume views, but not getting any interview, then do enhance your entire resume. Employers check out your resume, but decide not to call you up for interview. If you get some interview opportunities, and can't get the job, then do work on your interview skills.
7. Talking on interview skills, do enhance on it! What's the first question in all interviews? They will most likely ask you to "Introduce yourself". Focus on how you will impress them and highlight your strength when you introduce yourself. It is not about talking on your family, hometown (unless you can use it to strengthen your case on why they should hire you). Talk about specific stuff that gets their attention. And do really research about the company/position, before you go to interview. Be punctual too and be professional. And the last question in interview is always "do you have any question?", and do definitely make sure that you have. That shows your interest and ask intelligent questions. After the interview, don't forget to send the thank you note too. It could be via email, but make sure you do.
Hope that what I wrote here would be of some value to you. Don't forget that it is you, who will decide whether you will get employed or not.
p/s: Oh yeah, I almost miss out on this. Don't forget that all of you are talented people, and you do have talent to showcase to potential employers. So, don't forget to pitch your talent at PitchYourTalent.com . It is the latest job seeker service that we have launched, and as of now, more than 32,000 people have signed up! You can go to the page, and you can see the real current statistic of how many people have already signed up! Do check it out here !
----
Thanks for reading my long article. Congratulations if you read it from the top till here. Hope to hear from your feedback. Do share any comment/idea/question here. All the best to you! May you get your dream job soon!
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog
Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share
Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)
Posts
