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Highlights of the week:
For more career opportunities from various industries, please access CareerAxis.
Dear Students, Is it true that candidates
get hired simply by being “better-looking”? Do you necessarily gain an upper
hand in the fresh grad job market if you have physical features that are
widely perceived to be attractive by the society? As part of an association
of SME owners, and being employers ourselves, we think we can shed some light
on this topic. While being pleasant
looking could be a plus point for people-facing roles such as sales and
customer service, the assessment criteria would most definitely be more
complex for employers who are focused on the long-term career trajectory of
their employees. Instead of just a pretty face, employers looking to invest
in employees’ professional development will be on a lookout for qualities and
traits that demonstrate that candidates are good investments to the
organisation. Do you have skills
(beyond your degree)? Showcase your
proactiveness and hunger for learning by articulating the skills beyond the knowledge
you acquire from your course of study. Did you hone your public speaking
skills by joining a Toastmasters club? Did you self-learn video editing or
basic graphic design via online courses? Or do you know how to code in at
least one programming language? Employers look out for these as signs to
identify earnest and driven candidates to join their organisations. Can you lead others? No man is an island,
and even if you are a fresh graduate, your future employer will expect that
you work well in teams and can eventually lead others. Hence, present your
track record in collaborating and leading others, such as creating workflows,
developing training, holding leadership positions, leading committees, or
managing a community/interest groups outside school. Through your
experiences, share concrete examples with your potential employer on how you
had applied learned essential skills to achieve specific objectives for
school projects, CCAs or commitments outside of school.
As the adage goes,
learning never stops. How do you keep abreast with new trends, or continue to
learn and upskill in different areas? Communicate your approaches to acquiring
new knowledge and deepening existing skills to your future employer. Explain
why certain topics intrigue you and how you resonate with certain content or
methods of learning. By exhibiting a growth mindset and the initiative to
learn on your own, employers can better appreciate your potential. Are you self-motivated
to grow? Humans are social
creatures, and we thrive well in social settings. Often, our behaviours are
influenced by those around us, for good or even not so good reasons. Hence,
being self-motivated to grow and becoming more effective makes you an
invaluable asset to any organisation or team. Illustrate scenarios that you
went above and beyond tasks expectations. Be deliberate in presenting
experiences that you have stepped up on your own accord to set directions or
achieve goals for the sake of people around you, be it family, friends, or
your community. Share not just the successful stories but be bold enough to
articulate learnings even from your unsuccessful attempts! So, is it really about looks when it comes to hiring? Building a career and
encouraging a potential employer in wanting to invest in you takes more than
just a “good-looking” appearance. If you have been investing in yourself,
showcase that process and various outcomes of that personal investment. That
will naturally propel your future employer to spot your potential and invest
in you as an individual. Choosing to develop
yourself with an SME
As such, it becomes
exceptionally critical, and one is greatly appreciated when possessing
qualities beyond just appearances. While MNCs hire to fulfil a specific role,
SMEs are looking for someone to grow and nurture as they are focused on the
intangibles. Reach out to us at
ASME to explore working at some of our culture-centred and growth-oriented
SMEs who are looking for interns, giving you the opportunities to apply what
you have learnt from school!
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