A Rare Opportunity

Sunrise Berhad is issuing a rare invitation to graduates to join its management trainee programme, writes Elaine Tai.

Sunrise Mont’Kiara is one of those addresses one aspires to calling one’s own some day as you clutch a modest pay cheque that only affords you a tiny rented room.

Nestled between Sri Hartamas and Segambut in Kuala Lumpur, and one of the Klang Valley’s most coveted neighbourhoods, this award-winning township embodies the essence of cosmopolitan living.

It is part New York, part London, part California – towering luxury condominiums interspersed with lifestyle centres, international schools and art zones, and connected by tree-lined boulevards and tiled pavements. No wonder Sunrise Mont’Kiara is an expatriate and yuppie magnet, and on the property shopping list of the affluent.

Planned with vision and heart, Sunrise Mont’Kiara symbolises the very attitude that its developer Sunrise Berhad represents – a vibrant mix of fun, dynamism, vision and responsible corporate citizenship.

Incorporated in 1968, Sunrise started off as a family business. Its early ventures included landed properties and light industrial lots in Klang and Port Klang, before its management astutely anticipated the high-end condominium boom and focused its attention on developing the little known area now called Sunrise Mont’Kiara.

Today, Sunrise’s property businesses encompass development, maintenance and investment. Listed on Bursa Malaysia since 1996, we are now delisted, the group has a market capitalisation of RM1 billion, with projects as far afield as Canada. Its land bank in Malaysia totals some 900 acres in up-and-coming locations such as Bukit Jelutong, Kajang, down town KL and Seremban.

The group has been on The Edge’s Top 10 Property Developers list for the last eight years – a recognition of its reputation as one of Malaysia’s leading players in the industry and the role it has played in transforming the landscape of the Klang Valley.

Accolades are not foreign to Sunrise. Its projects in Sunrise Mont’Kiara continue to attract attention, both locally and internationally. The latest, 28 Mont’Kiara, won World’s Best title at the International Propeties Awards 2010 and two other awards in the Asia Pacific Property Awards 2010 for Best Residential High Rise Development Award for Malaysia and Asia Pacific region. Another venture, 10 Mont’Kiara, picked up the CNBC Arabia TV’s Asia Pacific Property Awards for Best High Rise Architecture, while 11 Mont’Kiara received the Best High Rise Development in the same award in 2009.

Next on the horizon for Sunrise is the greening of its projects. The group is the first Malaysian developer to receive Singapore’s BCA Green Mark Certified Award (this is a provisional award as the building is still under construction) for 11 Mont’Kiara.

The Chosen Few

The good news for graduates is that Sunrise is in the market for fresh talents. The bad news? The Sunrise Management Trainee Programme has less than 20 places.

“This isn’t an annual recruitment programme and neither are we looking for a large number of participants,” explains Terese Chin, GM of Human Resource. Abiding by the ethos of quality over quantity, Chin says the group hopes to recruit 12 to 16 graduates “… whom we can nurture into valuable employees earmarked for managerial positions later on.”

Trainees join the group in assigned capacities in specific core departments and will be posted every 3 to 6 months to the various departments they will deal with in their main position. After 18 to 24 months, they may be offered permanent positions, depending on their interests and abilities.

Career progression is solely dependent on performance and attitude. “Everyone has an equal opportunity to move up the ladder. It boils down to the right attitude, such as being a team player, talent and ability to lead your colleagues,” Chin says, adding that management trainees have the advantage of being more knowledgeable about the different arms of the business as well as understanding how the various departments function together.

“Our trainees are continuously evaluated and nurtured. There are 360 evaluations, regular assessments and a profiling test to help graduates know their strengths and the type of work most suited for them. We are mindful of employee strengths and take a proactive role in placing staff in roles best suited for them.”

Pull Factors

So what makes Sunrise an employer of choice? Its awards and accolades aside, the group has a good understanding of what Gen Y employees want. “We understand the need for work-life balance and we pride ourselves on strengthening this balance,” says Chin.

The HR department and Sports Welfare Committee carry out activities throughout the year to help create this balance – from Family Day and Appreciation Night to bowling competitions, badminton matches and cinema days.

And there are also corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects like recycling campaigns and fund raising for green causes and Earth Day.

Apart from leisure pursuits, new employees can also look forward to leadership camps, teambuilding exercises, technical classes and soft skills enhancement training. “The highlight of our training programme is the Sunrise Personified Camp, the brainchild of our Executive Chairman Datuk Tong Kooi Ong,” says Chin. The two-day workshop covers areas valued in the Sunrise culture, such as being over-achievers, breaking boundaries, exceeding expectations, setting standards, constantly adding value and pursuing excellence.

Employees also have a ‘shoulder to cry on’ in the person of an in-house HR counsellor. Staff are encouraged to voice their concerns on any issue – dissatisfaction with work progress, work conflicts, frustrations at home, etc. The counsellor also serves as a mediator between staff and managers or heads of departments in work conflicts.

“If you join Sunrise, you will be joining a fun, dynamic and reputable corporation, which is also conscious of its social responsibilities,” Chin sums up.

Are you Sunrise Material?

 • First Class Honours or 2nd Class Upper Honours.
• Fields of study: Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Architecture, Town Planning, Legal, Finance, Property Management, Estate Management and Business Administration.

What to expect?

The hiring process includes interviews, and profiling, assessment and English tests. Successful candidates will attend a half-day orientation.

In the first week, trainees are assigned an office buddy who will explain work processes. After that, another colleague will be available for two months to help trainees face any challenges and assimilate seamlessly into the company.