WHEN Jake graduated as an engineer in 1998, his hopes of securing his dream job plunged.
At the height of the economic crisis, companies were forced to downsize and suspend the hiring of new employees.
“It was my worst nightmare. My parents had taken out a hefty loan to pay for my studies and I needed to help them financially, but no one was hiring.”
Realising that he couldn’t just twiddle his thumbs, Jake took on whatever job came his way.
“I worked as a clerk, a salesman, gave tuition part-time, and I even worked as a driver once to earn income and help my parents.
“It was a good three years before I found employment in an engineering firm. I worked hard and learnt on the job to be what I am today,” said the 40-year-old partner in an engineering company.
Stories like Jake’s are aplenty, especially during an economic downturn. But when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
In recent months, retrenchments from the oil and gas industry, online news portals and other businesses have hit the nation hard.
According to the Human Resources Ministry, last year alone, 38,499 people lost their jobs. In January this year, 5,009 people were retrenched.
But if you are an earnest jobseeker, take heart. The advice from human resources experts is: remain positive, keep up with the job search process and be prepared to consider alternative career choices.
“Don’t miss out on opportunities. We have over 27,000 jobs available on our website and our latest survey findings show almost 50 per cent of employers expect to increase their hiring, 39 per cent expect no change while 11 per cent expect a decrease,” says Chook Yuh Yng, country manager of JobStreet.com.
According to JobStreet.com’s Second Quarter 2016 Job Outlook survey, while some businesses have taken a hit in the past few months from the weak ringgit and dip in oil prices, the construction, retail & merchandise, and computer & IT sectors are still seeing growth.
“Be part of the solution, not the problem.
“The job market might be low, and finding a job in the economic downturn difficult if you have been recently retrenched, but this is a time where people must be proactive,” says Geh Thuan Hooi, senior business partner with the Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management.
“Equip yourself with new skills so that when the market improves, you become more employable.
“Learn social media skills, get certified in or trained in other skills for alternative employment or a different line of work that may be able to open doors to a new and rewarding career,” he says.
Among the areas to explore are the direct-selling business, multilevel marketing, freelance work, giving tuition, emceeing or contract work in between looking for more permanent employment.
“There are opportunities out there. It is a matter of whether they want to take them.
“They should be part of the solution by taking control of their lives, and not the problem by not taking any action at all,” Geh adds.
He says the problem with Malaysians is that they do not like to take on 3D jobs — dirty, difficult or dangerous.
“But if they have a family to support, they may need to swallow their pride and take whatever they can to put food on the table while waiting for something better to come their way, whether it is selling food in the pasar malam, working in a supermarket or direct selling.”
They may have to moonlight or even take on two jobs if necessary, but should ensure that they have a work-life balance, he adds.
The willingness to take on challenging jobs also shows tenacity through hard times, a quality that will look good on their CVs.
“Employers like these kinds of people. They make things happen, not let things happen.
“When the market becomes better, they can show prospective employers what they did during their retrenchment.”
His advice for people seeking a career change is to stick to their current jobs at this point in time.
“If you have a good employer, stay at your current job. Even if you have a good employer but a bad boss, stay at your current job, unless you have a talent or skill that is much sought after.
“But if they still want to change jobs, they should, while still gainfully employed, start to network via social media websites such as LinkedIn and Facebook for job openings.”
Agreeing that good people will always get jobs even in bad times like an economic recession, Jenny Ooi, senior vice-president, human resource of USGBoral, a multinational company dealing in building and construction materials says:
“As a recruiter, qualities I look for are confidence, intelligence, good communication skills, independence and the ability to work in a team.
“A person who can communicate well and show evidence of being a team player by outlining group projects they have worked on will also stand out.
“Some candidates submit perfect resumes, but during the interview, we can usually tell if they have prepared it themselves or engaged someone else to get their CVs done.
“Some candidates flounder to explain, or take a while to figure out their achievements or strengths, which don’t reflect their impressive CVs.”
Ooi says a candidate’s intelligence is usually judged by the answers they provide.
“Don’t give the interviewer silly answers, which demonstrate your ignorance about any topic.
“My advice to candidates is: if you don’t know an answer to a question, be honest and admit it, don’t waffle because the interviewer can always tell when you do.”