The forum kicked off QIU’s first virtual Industry Day 2020, and attracted an audience of more than 400 people, including students from QIU, University Kebangsaan Malaysia and IACT College.
We had the honour of welcoming Mr Tan Kian Eng, Chief Executive Officer of Publicis Groupe Malaysia and Leo Burnett Group Malaysia, Ms Sunita Kaur, the Head of Young Talent Maxis and QIU Council member Mr Zaheer Merchant to sit on this esteemed panel – which was moderated by none other than Prof Dr Chan Nee Nee, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.
One of the topics covered was the skills and mindsets that employers liked to see in potential candidates – and our panellists agreed that curiosity, forward-thinking, productive restlessness, creativity, and positivity were top of their lists.
“Covid-19 forced us to change, and it expedited the digital transformation of our business,” said Mr Tan.
“But we still look for certain attributes in a person, namely the eye of a child (curiosity), the soul of a citizen (an understanding of people), the hands of a craftsman (attention to detail) and the heart of a champion (a winning mentality).”
“Employers want a positive solution-based mindset. The right mindset allows you to take your fear away, and you can then focus on creativity, adaptivity and positivity,” added Mr Zaheer.
The panellists also offered some helpful tips on how to make a positive impression with a video CV. This included the basics, like having a good environment and internet connection, as well as dressing professionally.
However, they also stressed that candidates needed to make sure that their videos were content-driven and focused.
“Look engaged, nod and smile. Be courteous and creative, but don’t be childish and indulge wacky stuff,” advised Mr Zaheer.
“You’re marketing yourself so you should have a clear concise script instead of winging it. Be confident and earnest.”
The panel also noted that there was still ample opportunity for them to find exciting jobs, as long as they were prepared to differentiate themselves from the crowd.
We’d like to thank our wonderful guests and Prof Chan for giving us the chance to learn from their expertise and experience. Well done to the organisers and we look forward to more informative forums!
