Meeting the needs of employers
by Angela Tan
Angela Tan, of Resorts World Bhd, offers some tips on the type of fresh graduates employers look for.
When the business indicators of a company start to dip management will naturally take stock of how best to utilise the assets at its disposal - especially human capital.
During such times, management will start thinking what its human capital assets must do to create and execute strategies to generate better financial returns in time of need. In order to achieve this,we need, amongst other things, to create policies that will result in better HR values.This is easier said than done, as achieving the desired results depends on the human capital available.This leads us to the question:“Do we have the desired human capital?”
As the adage goes,“We reap what we sow”. Thus, in terms of the organization, it reverts to the people it hired to deliver the desired results.
At a recent interview session, I asked an aspiring candidate if he was seriously looking for a job. When he replied 'yes', he was taken aback when I told him that he had come to the wrong place as we had no jobs to offer.
Looking rather perplexed, he said:“But I was asked to come for an interview.” He only regained his composure after I told him that what we were offering was a 'career' and not a 'job' as we wanted to be the employer of choice. An organization will succeed if it has talented and capable human capital. This is fundamental, as an effective hiring process provides the impetus for a company's growth.
Desired attributes
So,what are the attributes we look for in candidates?
Qualifications will only land you an interview, not the job.What employers look for are a candidate's traits and attributes. It is said that your attitude determines your altitude.
Although creating a good first impression is important, employers are now equipped with tools to probe beyond this level. Companies have invested in recruitment assessment tools to assess the desired traits and attributes of potential hires because having the wrong fit can be costly.
In our organization, aspiring candidates go through assessment centres where evaluations take place to identify the desired competencies that we require. Among the common desired traits employers seek are:
- Drive
- Team orientation
- Leadership
- Enthusiasm and energy
- Market and general knowledge
- Communication skills
- Decision-making skills
- Strategic thinking abilities
- Organizing and planning
- Conceptual skills and the ability to think out of the box
| Qualifications will only land you an interview, not the job. What employers look for are a candidate's traits and attributes. It is said that your attitude determines your altitude. |
If the candidate possesses all, if not most of the above, he/she would be deemed god-sent. But in practice, this may not be the case.
Take, for example, leadership qualities. This will only surface when the candidate is on board and his/her leadership qualities are tested.
If the candidate is experienced, perhaps his leadership qualities could be gauged during the interview, but this is not the case with fresh graduates.Thus, giving much weightage to this attribute could be an exercise in futility where fresh grads are concerned.
In the case of Resorts World Bhd,we have assessment centres to assess leadership qualities. But on the other hand, the centres could be likened to aspiring pilots being put through simulation exercises. Such assessments may be useful to some extent, but in a real crisis situation, the candidate may not perform as expected, thus rendering the 'forecasted' leadership qualities of the candidate useless.
| Companies have invested in recruitment assessment tools to assess the desired traits and attributes of potential hires because having the wrong fit can be costly. |
There is also a need for us to rebuild the competence culture as today's job seekers tend to perceive a company as a place to gain experience, not life-time careers. Glancing through The Star the other day, I came across an article headlined 'UTAR Grads Employable', with the subheading 'Almost all found jobs within six months after studies'. A UTAR spokesman had this to say:“We have always worked hard to ensure UTAR continues to provide quality education”.
The article went on to say that employers were satisfied with the performance of UTAR graduates, describing them as independent, resourceful, reliable and hardworking.
A point to note is that, unlike previously, institutions of higher learning now put emphasis on churning out graduates who will be marketable in order to satisfy the ever increasing demands of employers. Hard work alone is not sufficient; one has to be smart at work as well.
Think outlandish thoughts
Alan Teo, Executive Vice President of Resorts World, says:“There is always an increasing need for our human capital to think out of the box.
”This means that the new wave of human capital must veer away from the adage,“If it ain't broken, don't fix it”. His philosophy is: “If it ain't broken, break it!”
Institutions of higher learning have to now channel their efforts to not only churning out employable graduates, but also people who are prepared to try out outlandish ideas because the world is ever changing and the youths of today can no longer think like the youths of yesterday.
Scholarships are offered by so many organizations, including Resorts World Bhd. All reflects the fact that human capital will be required by these companies for now and in the future.
Recently, I visited the Education Fair organized by The Star.Many of the talks centred on career prospects offered by various establishments,
| If the candidate is experienced, perhaps hi s leadership qualities could be gauged during the interview, but this is not the case with fresh graduates. |
résumé writing and interview tips. As stressed by the speaker from Deloitte KassimChan, first impressions and personal grooming during a job interview are important.
While interviewers do not expect candidates to be dressed in expensive clothes, being properly attired is essential. How you are dressed will reflect your seriousness in seeking a career and, at the same time, shows respect for your interviewer.
scholarships being offered by universities and companies, financing a study course need not be much of a burden for parents, provided the child has done well academically.This augurs well for employers, as we have a better crop of candidates for selection.
Prospective employers are scrambling to get the best candidates and much weightage is given to results as employers not only look for fast learners with good degrees, but also those who can demonstrate critical and analytical skills.
| “There is always an increasing need for our human capital to think out of the box.” This means that the new wave of human capital must veer away from the adage, “If it ain't broken, don't fix it”. |
In our case, candidates must be ready to multi-task as well as undergo an all-round development programme so that we can 'knock them into shape'.We also expect interviewees to be in-the-know. In other words, they must be well-read and have researched our organization.
Candidates wishing to join us must be ready, not for a job, but a career - this includes all the opportunities and challenges inherent in a company such as Resorts World Bhd.
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