Welcome in English or Ahlan Wasahlan in Arabic or Selamat Datang in Malay.

I have been a Human Resource professional for more than 20 years working in a wide spectrum of areas within Human Resource. I have progressed up the corporate ladder from the very bottom with rapid and multiple promotions, praise to God. My main interests are motivation and child development

If you have any specific queries you would like to post to me, please email to amzzah_naseehah@ymail.com.

Kind regards
hjmalek

Pages

Monday 30 July 2007

How I survive my first year at work.

Being a new kid on the block, I blended a mixture of some humility and assertiveness in handling the uncertain situation at that time. It was rather a weird situation as some of the more senior peers perceived me as over qualified for the job and, though not verbally said, may outdo them in progression due to my higher qualification while I was keen to learn from them in order to perform my job successfully.

Hence, I used some humility to acquire knowledge and learning from my senior peers while my assertiveness was used to allay any attempt of bullying. The latter required slick maneuvering for longer-term survival as I was fresh from college and had not had any substantial working experience prior to the job.

Bullying is of course something that is also prevalent at other places such as at boarding schools, colleges and the like. However its intensity at the office is quite different as it involves two parties who are required to work together as a team. Logically rather than create enmity by bullying, the seniors and juniors should have been in tango to achieve the common set goals.

Hence in the couple of months on the job, the experience was challenging and stretching on my interpersonal and social skills. I had to fit myself into the team synergy as well as learn the job from my peers and accept the guidance and directions from my supervisor. I was rather fortunate as I was not alone in that situation. They were five of us and we immediately established a support network among ourselves. It was a loose network where we would exchange day-to-day experience and learning either during breakfast or lunch.

I received my confirmation after six months on the job and my salary was adjusted to RM700 per month. This adjustment was not received well by some of my senior peers as it was a 20% increase and was perceived as excessive, actually it was more for envious reason rather than anything else. The adjustment was actually given as retention incentive as there were a high number of diploma holders who resigned prior to that. They were mostly recruited after me.

Due to this adjustment, I had to endure a lot of trial and tribulation until the end of the first year as it had created dissatisfaction from the others who did not receive it. I was verbally and psychologically abused but I persevered. The network I was in was instrumental in providing support through these trying times. I had also by this time established a mentor and mentee relationship with my departmental manager. He was also helpful in providing motivation and moral support during this time.


~~~~~0~~~~~

Bagaimana saya melepasi cubaan tahun pertama

Sebagai seorang pekerja baru, saya telah mengadunkan sifat-sifat merendah diri dan pengelakan dalam menghadapi situasi tidak ketentuan itu. Situasi semasa itu dianggap ganjil kerana sesetengah rakan sekerja saya merasakan saya tidak sesuai melakukan kerja itu kerana berpendidikan tinggi dan, walaupun tidak dikatakan kepada saya, mereka merasa akan terpinggir di dalam peluang kenaikan pangkat kerana pendidikan saya yang lebih tinggi berbanding dengan mereka. Walhal saya mahu berlajar dari mereka untuk melaksanakan kerja saya

Oleh itu, saya merendah diri dengan rakan sekerja untuk menimba ilmu dan pembelajaran manakala pengelakkan digunakan untuk menepis cubaan membuli dari sebahagian rakan sekerja yang lebih tua. Ini memerlukan muslihat licik untuk ketahanan jangka panjang kerana saya baru saja tamat pengajian dan tidak mempunyai sebarang pengalaman kerja.

Buli sememangnya adalah satu fenomena biasa di lain-lain tempat seperti di sekolah berasrama penuh, kolej dan seumpamanya. Namun di pejabat kehangatan buli adalah lebih hebat kerana ia melibatkan dua pihak yang perlu berkerja sebagai suatu pasukan. Secara logiknya, dari membuat musuh, seharusnya pekerja lama dan baru berkerjasama mencapai matlamat bersama yang telah ditetapkan.

Oleh itu semasa beberapa bulan awal perkerjaan saya, pengalamannya amatlah mencabar kemahiran sosial dan hubungan peribadi saya. Saya perlu membiasakan diri saya dengan sinergi kumpulan saya, mempelajari kerja baru dari rakan sekerja dan menerima tunjuk ajar dan arahan dari penyelia saya. Saya bernasib baik kerana saya tidak keseorangan. Ada empat lagi yang senasib dengan saya dan kami mengadakan satu rankaian sokongan yang tidak resmi sesama kami. Kami akan bertukar-tukar pandangan dan pengalaman setiap hari samada semasa sarapan atau makan tengahari.

Saya telah disahkan di dalam jawatan saya setelah enam bulan berkerja dan gaji saya telah dinaikkan kepada RM700 sebulan. Kenaikan gaji sebanyak 20% ini telah menimbulkan kontroversi di kalangan rakan sekerja senior saya dan telah dianggap berlebihan, sebenarnya mereka cemburu. Kenaikan itu sebenarnya diberikan sebagai insentif kerana terdapat ramai pemegang diploma telah meletakkan jawatan mereka sebelum itu. Mereka ini diambil berkerja sesudah saya.

Saya menghadapi cubaan dan tribulasi sehingga akhir tahun pertama saya oleh kerana kenaikan gaji ini telah menyebabkan pekerja lain tidak berpuas hati kerana tidak mendapatinya. Akan tetapi, rangkaian tidak resmi saya telah berjaya memberikan sokongan di sepanjang masa yang mencabar ini. Saya juga pada masa yang sama telah mengadakan hubungan mentor dan mentee dengan pengurus jabatan saya. Beliau memberikan sokongan moral dan motivasi kepada saya.

Monday 23 July 2007

Decision for my first job

As I have related earlier, my interview with the big and famous Multinational Company ended up with an offer for a position of General Clerk III at a salary of just over RM500 per month albeit with me having a diploma which salary could have fetched around RM800-900 at that time i.e. in 1990. Nonetheless, I had accepted the offer as I had explored the company's career development and enhancement opportunities. The information I gathered from the interview was very beneficial and I believe I could grow with the company even though I would start from the bottom.

What exactly made me accepted the offer? I would say that it was due to the following reasons
  1. The company is a big and famous Multinational Company with an established organizational structure. I could leverage from the experience and guidance of my peers and supervisors in performing my job. Even if I may not be able to grow within the company, I would have had the opportunity of leveraging on the experience I had with it for my next job at another company.
  2. The company offers a multitude of learning and development opportunities. It has a clear in-house training plans and development opportunities. I would be able to learn and be trained accordingly.
  3. The company ascribes to a philosophy of career growth through individual potential and performance. The Managing Director of the company then was someone who only had a GCE ordinary level (equivalent to SPM). If the Managing Director could do it, why not I?
In the first few weeks on the job, the experience was challenging on my interpersonal and social skills. I had to fit in myself into the team synergy as well as learn the job from my peers and accept the guidance and directions from my supervisor. Being a new kid on the block would require a mixture of some humility and assertiveness for long term survival, humility to acquire knowledge and learning while assertiveness to allay any attempt of bullying from the more senior peers. Of course this is something that is also prevalent at other places such as at boarding schools and the like. However the intensity at the office is quite different.






Keputusan menerima kerja pertama saya

Sepertimana yang telah saya catatkan, temuduga saya dengan sebuah syarikat Multinasional yang besar dan terkenal berakhir dengan saya ditawarkan jawatan Kerani Am III dengan gaji sekitar RM500 sebulan walaupun saya berkelulusan diploma yang pada masa itu gajinya boleh mencapai sekitar RM800-900 i.e. sekitar tahun 1990. Walaupun begitu, saya telah menerima tawaran kerja tersebut kerana saya telah mengenalpasti perkembangan kerjaya dan peluang-peluang peningkatan di dalam syarikat tersebut. Maklumat yang saya perolehi amatlah berguna dan saya percaya bahawa saya boleh berkembang dengan syarikat itu walaupun saya bermula dari bawah.

Apakah sebenarnya yang menyebabkan saya menerima tawaran itu? Saya boleh katakana bahawa ia disebabkan oleh perkara-perkara di bawah ini

  1. Syarikat itu adalah sebuah syarikat Multinasional yang besar dan terkenal dengan struktur organisasi yang telah ditetapkan. Dengan itu, saya akan dapat menggunakan pengalaman dan panduan dari rakan sekerja dan penyelia saya di dalam melaksanakan tugas saya. Walaupun saya mungkin tidak dapat pergi jauh di dalam syarikat ini, namun saya berpeluang untuk menimba pengalaman yang boleh digunakan untuk perkerjaan di syarikat yang lain di kemudian harinya.
  2. Syarikat iu menawarkan berbagai peluang pembelajaran dan pembangunan. Ia mempunyai rancangan latihan dalaman yang jelas. Saya akan dapat berlajar dan dilatih secukupnya
  3. Syarikat itu mempercayai kepada falsafah pembangunan kerjaya melalui potensi dan prestasi individu. Pengarah Urusan syarikat itu hanyalah seorang yang berkelulusan O-level GCE (bersamaan dengan SPM). Sekiranya Pengarah Urusan itu boleh melakukannya, kenapa tidak saya?
Di dalam minggu-minggu awal saya berkerja, pengalamannya amatlah mencabar kemahiran sosial dan interpersonal saya. Saya perlu membiasakan diri saya dengan pasukan sekerja, malahan pada masa yang sama mempelajari bidang tugas dari rakan sekerja dan menerima panduan dan arahan dari penyelia saya. Sebagai orang baru, saya perlu mengadunkan sifat-sifat merendah diri dan pengelakkan untuk perlengkapan hidup kerjaya saya di masa depan. Sifat merendah diri digunakan untuk menimba ilmu dan pembelajaran manakal pengelakkan digunakan untuk menepis cubaan membuli dari rakan sekerja yang lebih tua. Sememangnya ini adalah suatu kebiasaan di tempat lain seperti di sekolah berasrama penuh dan seumpamanya. Namun kehangatannya lebih dirasai di persekitaran pejabat.

Sunday 8 July 2007

My job offer

Apart from directly applying jobs on my own, I had also registered myself at Jabatan Tenaga Rakyat JTR (this can now be done conveniently on line at the following url http://jcs.mohr.gov.my/jcs/jcs_jobseeker_register/pre_register.faces). This is where job seekers provide resume and prospective employers submit their job vacancies while JTR would facilate in coordinating the needs of both parties. The response was wonderful where I was called to attend 3 interviews.

The first interview was with a small direct selling company. The company's main business operation was selling books direct to customer. Instead of having a one-to-one interview, the Managing Director huddled a group of candidates in his room and gave us a lecture on success. No questions were asked and it seems he did not care as long as he could recruit people to sell for him. From the talk, I could summarised that the programme was unclear, the basic was low and the commission was absurd. I gave it a pass.

The next interview was at a sport shop in Campbell Shopping Complex, for the shop manager position handling accounts and marketing. This was a challenge for me, I had stopped my activities in competitive sports for a very long time and I do not have experience in handling a sport shop operations. From the interview, I learned that the business venture had just started. It seems that the bumiputra owners of the shop were desperate to get someone on the job and my lack of experience was not an obstacle to them as they were impressed with the results of my diploma. However, I had to tell them that I am still hunting for a suitable job and would not be able to stay and grow with them in building their business as I was not their partner and do not own any share in the venture. I had my plans and though the job was a good opportunity for me to break into the employment market, I need to be sensible on my future development as it was only a small operation, I would not be able to learn from someone and it would be a hard knocked school, if it was my business venture, I would not have minded taking it up.

The third interview was with a big and famous Multinational Company. However the job offer was only for a position of Personnel Clerk. I had a very long and deep thought on whether to attend as the first 2 interviews were for executive and managerial position with small companies, now I have an opportunity to join a big company but the job was not what diploma holders would have scrambled for. Nonetheless, I gave it a try.

During the interview, I explored career development and enhancement opportunities with the company. The information I gathered from the interview was very beneficial and I believe I could grow with the company eventhough I would start from the bottom. I was offered the job during the interview itself which I then accepted.


Selain dari memohon kerja secara sendiri, saya telah juga mendaftar di Jabatan Tenaga Rakyat JTR (sekarang boleh dibuat dengan mudah melalui on line di http://jcs.mohr.gov.my/jcs/jcs_jobseeker_register/pre_register.faces). Di sinilah pencari kerja memberikan resume dan prospek majikan memberitahu peluang kerja kosong manakala JTG menyelia kedua-dua pihak. Tindakbalas yang menakjubkan saya terima di mana saya telah dipanggil untuk hadir 3 temuduga.

Temuduga pertama ialah dengan sebuah syarikat jualan langsung yang kecil. Operasi perniagaan utama syarikat ini ialah menjual buku-buku terus ke pengguna. Berbeza dari kebiasaan, calon-calon yang hadir tidak ditemuduga tetapi dikumpulkan di dalam bilik Pengarah Urusan untuk mendengar syarahan mengenai kejayaan. Tiada soalan ditanya dan rasanya dia tidak kisah mengenainya asalkan dia dapat mengambil perkerja untuk menjual buku. Dari syarahan itu, saya boleh simpulkan bahawa progam perniagaan itu tidak jelas, gaji pokok adalah rendah dan komisyennya tidak berbaloi. Saya tidak menerima tawaran kerja ini.

Temuduga yang seterusnya ialah di sebuah kedai alat sukan di Kompleks Campbell, bagi jawatan pengurus kedai mengendalikan akaun dan pemasaran. Ini adalah satu cabaran bagi saya, saya telah lama meninggalkan bidang sukan kompetitif dan saya tiada pengalaman menguruskan operasi kedai alat sukan. Saya diberitahu melalui temuduga tersebut bahawa syarikat itu baru saja bermula. Nampak gayanya, tuan-tuan punya syarikat bumiputra itu sangat memerlukan seseorang dan mereka tidak kisah walaupun saya tiada pengalaman kerana mereka berpuas hati dengan keputusan diploma saya. Akan tetapi saya memberitahu mereka bahawa saya masih lagi mencari kerja yang sesuai dan tidak akan dapat tinggal lama dan membangun bersama syarikat itu kerana saya tiada saham di syarikat tersebut. Saya ada perancangan saya sendiri dan walaupun peluang itu adalah peluang terbaik saya untuk masuk ke dalam pasaran perkerjaan, akan tetapi saya perlu memikirkan akan perkembangan kerjaya saya kerana operasi syarikat itu adalah kecil, amat sukar untuk saya berlajar dari seseorang kerana tiada panduan dan saya akan berlajar sendiri, sesuatu yang saya akan lakukan sekiranya syarikat itu adalah kepunyaan saya.

Temuduga yang ketiga adalah dengan sebuah syarikat multinasional yang besar dan terkenal. Akan tetapi tawaran jawatannya adalah untuk Kerani Sumber Manusia. Saya berfikir panjang dan mendalam samada untuk hadir kerana dua temuduga terdahulu adalah bagi jawatan eksekutif dan pengurusan di syarikat kecil, manakala ini pula adalah peluang untuk menyertai syarikat besar walaupun perkerjaan itu bukanlah sesuatu yang akan direbuti oleh pemegang diploma seperti saya. Namun saya telah tekad untuk hadir.

Semasa temuduga, saya telah mengenalpasti perkembangan kerjaya dan peluang-peluang peningkatan di dalam syarikat tersebut. Maklumat yang saya perolehi amatlah berguna dan saya percaya bahawa saya boleh berkembang dengan syarikat walaupun saya bermula dari bawah. Saya telah ditawarkan perkerjaan semasa temuduga yang mana saya terima.


Friday 6 July 2007

Job hunting

Peace be upon you who receive the guidance

Towards the end my final semester, I had started to compose my resume and photocopied several sets of my educational certificates i.e. my transcript, scholastic achievement such as dean's list certificate, high school diploma (SPM and SRP) and many others. It was customary in Malaysia (at that point of time circa 1980's) to attach resume and copies of certificates with an application letter. Indeed this was required by the job advertiser which had now been replaced with on-line application via web portal. I had received some assistance in vetting my resume and providing me pointers in handling interviews from my Human Resources lecturer Puan Maimunah Aminudin (now a full Professor, photo on the right was taken in 1989, my final semester, she is on the right and I'm on the left).

As I had shared earlier, during the 1980's early 1990's, Malaysia was experiencing an economic recession and job was scarce. Newspapers would run at most 4 pages of job advertisements per day (whereas nowadays we have a separate recruitment section of 20 pages or more). I would hardly able to find a fit between what I could offer and what the job required. As far as I could still remember I had only managed to apply to a couple of jobs (without job experience required) and notably the ones that I could still remember were for a Management Trainee job with KFC in Singapore and a Production Planning job with Matsusihita Electrics in Johor Baharu,

KFC Singapore wrote back to me saying that they were looking for Singaporeans who were in Malaysia. I had then attended two interviews with Matsushita Electrics in Johor Baharu. The first interview went well and I was shortlisted for a second interview two weeks later. During the second interview I was pitted against experienced applicants. This I knew while interacting with the interview candidates in the waiting room. As a strategy, I stated my expected salary to be around RM1,000 which would be lower than the other experienced applicants. However I still did not get the job as probably they prefered a more experienced candidate.
~~~~~0~~~~~~
Puduraya Bus Station where I took my bus to Johor Baharu for my 2 interviews/Hentian Puduraya tempat saya mengambil bas ke Johor Baharu untuk menghadiri 2 temuduga saya http://www.udaholdings.com.my/

~~~~~0~~~~~

Selamat sejahtera ke atas anda yang menerima penunjuk

Di penghujung semester akhir saya, saya telah mula menyiapkan resume saya dan membuat salinan foto beberapa set sijil pelajaran saya i.e. transkrip keputusan peperiksaan di UiTM, sijil anugerah cemerlang sijil dekan, sijil sekolah menengah (SPM dan SRP) dan lain-lain lagi. Adalah menjadi kebiasaan di Malaysia (ketika itu sekitar tahun 1980an) untuk mengepilkan resume dan salinan sijil-sijil dengan surat permohonan perkerjaan. Malahan ini dikehendaki oleh pengiklan-pengiklan perkerjaan yang mana telah diganti sekarang dengan permohonan melalui talian terus portal jejaring. Saya menggunakan jasa baik pensyarah Sumber Manusia saya Puan Maimunah Aminudin (sekarang Professor) memeriksa resume saya dan memberikan tunjuk ajar bagaimana cara menghadapi temuduga

Seperti yang telah saya nyatakan dahulu, semasa lewat 1980an dan awal 1990an, Malaysia mengalami kemelesetan ekonomi dan peluang perkerjaan adalah tipis. Suratkhabar akan hanya menyiarkan sekitar 4 mukasurat kekosongan jawatan setiap hari (berbanding sekarang kita mempunyai bahagian pengambilan yang berasingan dengan 20 atau lebih mukasurat). Amat sukar bagi saya untuk mencari perkerjaan yang sesuai dengan kelulusan saya. Seingat saya, saya hanya berjaya memohon beberapa jawatan (tanpa syarat pengalaman berkerja) dan dua permohonan jawatan yang masih saya ingat iaitu jawatan Pelatih Pengurusan dengan KFC Singapura dan jawatan Perancang Pengeluaran dengan Matsushita Elektrik di Johor Baharu.

KFC Singapura membalas surat saya dengan mengatakan mereka hanya berminat dengan rakyat Singapura yang berkerja di Malaysia. Selain itu, saya telah dipanggil untuk dua temuduga dengan Matsushita Elektrik di Johor Baharu. Temuduga pertama berlangsung dengan jayanya dan saya berjaya untuk di temuduga kali kedua 2 minggu berikutnya. Semasa temuduga yang kedua, saya telah disaingkan dengan calon-calon yang mempunyai pengalaman. Saya ketahui semasa berbual-bual dengan calon-calon lain di kamar menunggu. Sebagai suatu strategi, saya catitkan gaji permulaan yang saya minta hanya sekadar RM1,000, di mana saya percaya adalah yang terendah berbanding calon yang berpengalaman. Malangnya saya tidak berjaya di dalam temuduga kedua kerana saya rasa mereka masih mementingkan calon yang lebih berpengalaman.

Graduation dinner, photo with the then ITM Director/Makan Malam Graduan, gambar bersama Pengarah ITM semasa itu.