UTAR Alumni

MAY 2012

Success Formula:

Kenneth Chew
Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons)

Success Formula: "Know what you want, walk the extra mile, and pursue diligently."

Most if not all of us, harbour the ambition of landing a rewarding career in a prestigious industry or corporation immediately after graduation. Considering we have only academic achievements and without experience, can we honestly believe such career rewards will be within our grasp?

An article in The Star recently highlighted the problem of graduates not measuring up to the mark. In the article, Manpower Staffing Services (M) Sdn Bhd., Country Manager Sam Haggag mentioned that "recruitment is a distinct challenge as the universities are churning out graduates who don't have the requisite skills to enter the workforce."

Are we one of those? I was made to realise this upon graduation. Thanks to the encouragement, strong support, and recommendation from the UTAR management, I was granted an interview with the Group Secretarial Department of a multinational company, Sime Darby Berhad.

Fortunate for me, the job opportunity presented matched my career ambition. The interviewers were all professionals in their related fields with decades of experience to their portfolio. While they were impressed with my academic achievement, their excitement was more towards my strong credentials and the many active years of voluntary service in St Johns Ambulance of Malaysia (SJAM), a non-profit and highly complex non-government organisation, and my ability to communicate intelligently, effectively, and knowledgeably.

As an officer in SJAM, I was very much hands-on in the management, public relations, and organisational practises as well as good institutional governance practises of SJAM.

I am inclined to believe these attributes put me ahead of my competition. I am a successful candidate for the prestigious Sime Darby ICSA Sponsorship Programme which carries a full-time employment in Sime Darby's Group Secretarial Department and a full sponsorship covering tuition, examination, membership, and any related fees for the ICSA programme.

What's my "secret" success formula? It is no secret. From onset of my admission to UTAR I was focussed on what I want. More importantly, I went the extra mile to gain hands-on knowledge, experience and skills relevant not only to my study and but also my wants. Lastly, I appraised the tools of engagement seriously and that is skills for effective and intelligent presentation and communication. I work hard at it.

My advice to students. Remember academic achievement only opens window of opportunity to higher end job prospect in a job market. Knowing what you want or an area where you are interested to work defines your career path and rewards. It provides you the means to hone and improve skills that are most important to your chosen area. It prepares you for the real world. This gives you an added advantage. Otherwise the article in The Star shall hold true.

Come 15 March 2012, I will walk in the grandeur of Wisma Sime Darby and with it I will bring along the pride of UTAR and its six philosophies.

A friend's father, my role model once wrote in his column and I quote:

"Some may be born into a family name with an already strong reputation but I would say that a good name is built upon a great deal of hard work. To maintain our reputation, our deeds must prove the worth of our name." - Soo Ewe Jin

who aspires to create organisations that are value-driven and view success in terms of social as well as financial returns.