Archive for March, 2006

I cannot describe how importantly I view the virtues of humility, especially when you're just fresh out of grad school with a smashing honours degree (first class honours, anyone?) as that cherry on top of your cake.

The scary thing about graduating with first class honours from any university, is the fact that showers of praise are heaped upon you when you get out. You have proud parents and envious friends patting your backs and singing praises about your bright future–suddenly everyone around you can predict your future. And that's the scary part.

The problem is you haven't even got yourself a job yet. That seal of recognition on your certificate just tells your potential employer that you're a potential candidate to fill an empty position–it just tells him that you're good at getting great grades. Nothing on that piece on paper says that you're going to be a good worker.

In comes the CV, or resume. 'I've had work experience before, I spent three semester breaks working as a trainee in different companies, and I got very good reviews.'

Chances are it was a prerequisite for you to complete at least one internship in order for you to get that degree. And even if a traineeship isn't a requirement, you're not the only graduate who worked at a company for a minimal fee during the holidays.

…

You see, sometimes the danger of graduating with glamourous results and fantastic reviews from supervisors and lecturers can get threatening. It becomes easy for students like this to fall into the trap of being conceited–they think they own the world, and that the globe is at their feet, ready for them to march in and conquer. Such idealistic thoughts and dreams are fine, of course, but when you climb too high too soon, you lose your balance easily, and you fall easily. I've friends who've envy-worthy graduation slips, and past-promises of a bright future, but have recently got entangled in wallows of self-pity. They keep pointing out their lesser-peers, people who did not do quite as well as they did in university, but are spearheading teams at their own companies, and they do such pointing with venemous fingers of accusation.

Sometimes in private spaces we talk about work and share ideas on how to survive in the rat race. But the weight of six consecutive 4-flats pulls them down so strongly, it's hard for them to stand up and join in the race. They cannot understand that to win a typical race, you have to start from the starting point, not barge in in the middle and sprint to the front. Usually, they think they're atypical, and they want to get the champion's trophy even before trying.

I told a fresh graduate just a few weeks back, someone who had just came out of a UK varsity and has been searching for a job for three months (and still searching), that he needed to cast away his degree and focus on performing well in the interview.

'But won't the interviewer and the potential employers even consider my degree and the years I spent overseas? I didn't study so long and so hard just to be rejected, you know?'

'Well, of course he would consider that. The moment you get the invitation to be a candidate, he's considered all your academic qualifications and past work experience. But once you step into that interview hall, you just have to put your university achievements behind you and focus on the interview. You don't want to convince your future employer that you're great because your academic results prove so. You want to convince him that you're the person for the job because of who you are, and what you can provide for him.'

…

Sometimes it's hard to trust the numbers on a piece of paper, because they do not reveal enough about a person's capability to perform well. That's why almost all interview processes these days includes that aptitude test, and more recently, that English test. You never know what an A1 in the 1119 will translate to in real life. For all we care, you just rote-learned your way to your glittering grades, and it worked for you. But we don't want parrots with glamourous results. We want people who can perform.

People who graduate with straight As have the problem of aiming too high, because they think too highly of themselves. They want to start off with a bang, in huge companies, MNCs and GLCs, in high-ranking positions that will take them across the globe and allow them to leave a trail of colourful ribbons for their younger friends to see and admire. That's why they keep rejecting jobs, 'That company is not good enough for me. That salary is too small for me. That position sounds so dodgy.'

It beats me why can't people like these understand that it's not what they can do for the company right now, it's more about what the company can do for them, the kind of experience that they will take home from that experience in a small company. I was trying to convince yet another girl who had a First Class Honours Degree in Informational Technology to take up a RM1800 position in an SMI.

'You don't understand, Claire. That place is too small. RM1800 is too little. I graduated top of my class, and I have friends who didn't do as well as me earning RM 2000+ already. I need a job that will prove my academic work worth its years,' she insisted.

'Well that small company will provide you the experience to move on to another job, and maybe you'll stay and grow with the company as it gets bigger. No company is set up to fail you know?'

Her response floored me.

'You know, a lot of MDs and CEOs of MNCs started off in MNCs. You know Bill Gates? He started off with Microsoft when he was younger. He's still with Microsoft.'

…

'Yeah I know.'

I thought it was pointless to continue talking to someone with that kind of knowledge about the world. First Class Honours? Sure.