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E.g. What is the best mentoring method?
How do you scale a small business? I am seeking a mentor to discuss this topic.
Hey guys, I want to know what structural unemployment means everyone talking about it
Structural unemployment is a result of industry changes, where workers no longer have the skills that match the needs of the company or industry itself. It's a form of mismatch between the skills that workers in the field can offer and is usually caused by rapid technological advancements. An example of structural unemployment can be seen in an production assembly line where the workers are replaced with new technologies such as robots and so on..
I read up on Aerodyne because they're expected to have a bright future in Malaysia. Can I know why? From what I understand there's a lot of rules when flying a drone in Malaysia
Adoption of drones had been steadily increasing over the years due to technology awareness and its proven ability to support a wide range of industries such as logistics, agriculture, etc. With the rise of drone tech implementation into business ecosystems, I believe Aerodyne is growing because they have imbued the use of AI and age old processing into their data analytics to provide the best services to their clients. While the general perception of drones is that it poses a threat to privacy, they are now substantially safer with stricter rules and guidelines being enforced in Malaysia.
What should I instill in myself if I want to create a startup?
This is an interesting question, I believe everyone has what it takes to create a startup because of all the ideas that they have in their mind. But to excel is another story, you need to make a business plan which includes your finance, market analysis, operations, etc. Understanding how far it can go and what value it can bring to your customers is very important. This is a side note, starting up can be risky, especially if you fall into the current saturated market, surround yourself with the right people. Get advice from mentors, professionals and experienced people. There are many more steps ahead, but I believe the mentors can tell you more.
What does high paying skills mean and what industries are involved in this?
High paying skills typically means that it has a higher demand in jobs. Attaining these skills improves your competency in work. Instead of industries like you mentioned, skills that can benefit you are coding & software development, UI/UX, Networking, Analyst, Digital Marketing like SEO & SEM, Content Creation, etc.
Hi, I believe that tech is currently trending in many ways. But I would like to know if there's tech involved in the trending careers in the years to come. If there is, what industries are there?
Yes, tech is currently booming more than ever. With the pandemic, the need for digital adoption is accelerated. Everyone had to communicate, purchase, continue to make a living and many realized that most of the things can be done online. Industries like e-commerce, digital marketing, big data, software engineering, etc. are part of the trending industries because they revolve around tech.
Hi. I would like to seek for mentorship to discuss my strategy and dilemmas I face for my startup focused on the adult language education (target audience: working professionals and corporate clients) and another idea focused on education service for university students.
Hi Jesselyn,I may be able to help you with your dilemma. Could we have a session so that I can understand more and share relevant strategies and ideas.
I'm in early to mid-stage of my professional career, and while it seems that many people are rethinking their career choices during this pandemic - I'm starting to think differently about what I truly want to do with my life. I'd love to connect with any fellow mentors who may offer their perspectives about career pivot (following your passion) & sustainability (having a safety net).
i did a career pivot couple of years back. at the time i didnt know what i wanted to do, but i sure as hell knows what i do want to do. i took a massive 66% paycut to try out something new. i loved it. money was tight but the fondness and the drive to go to work everyday is amazing.
How to start a career or a job as a copywriter without any experience?
Nadirah, don't wait for the right condition. Just start writing for a start. There's LinkedIn and even a blog you can create. You can also write and send it to the local newspaper. Get feedback. The best feedback is on something concrete you wrote. You will make mistake but the faster you make it and improve from it, you are closer to your goal. All the best.
Who can guide me to become a motivational speaker or life coach?
Hi Abhishek, For public and motivational speaking, have a look at this mentor: https://futurelab.my/mentor_profile/david/1271a55defd53e10f690d5ad4 For life coach objectives, we suggest this mentor's expertise: https://futurelab.my/mentor_profile/vijayakumar/922ac4699c081fb67a602aca Hope this helps!
Who can hand guide me to build a startup?
Oliver, what's your startup about? What help are you looking for
Hello, can someone recommend me a mentor specialise in Digital Marketing? Thank you very much.
Hi Liana! Here are some great mentors skilled at Digital Marketing that match your profile: 1. https://futurelab.my/mentor_profile/robin/10458a2e9e1170e92ae42b3ea6 2. https://futurelab.my/mentor_profile/kalyana/11074a6424312620419aaa35bf Hope this helps.
Hi, I'm searching for a mentor who can help me with business case study. I'm currently a 2nd year Accounting degree student who never done a case study before. Mentor of which field can I target and connect with? Thank you!
Hi Lexree. I think this is the right mentor for you https://futurelab.my/mentor_profile/jeremy/52a8b48f337c8599d60f636. Let us know if this helps.
Currently looking for a mentor with expertise in marketing and building brand, so we can excel in HVAC/Air-Conditioning System sector as a green cleaning service provider.
Hit me up, I should be able to help :)
Hi, I have a business idea in digital marketing but I don't really know how to execute it. I did search at Youtube and other platforms just to find a right direction for me to start but everything doesn't seems to work out in the way I want. I guess find a mentor is the best idea right now. Anyone can help me ?
hi Azizan..good day when u hav a business idea... Step 1: write it down cuz u might forget it. Step 2: when u revisit ur idea...try to identify; Why and what is the issue/problem u want to solve and ur target audience. Step 3: check for any existing solution in d market and analyze the competitive landscape (SWOT) Step 4: develop mind map or Business Model Canvas, this will simplify and giv u clarity about ur business Step 5: refine ur ideas with feedback from ur mentor / coach / someone that u trust Step 6: develop your revenue model Step 7: develop go-to-market strategy Hope that will help u abit..feel free to buzz me if u need any further assistance.
Hi, I have a business idea but it requires software building (more like an AI service), but I don't have the technical skills to bring the idea to fruition. I have a dumbed-down version of how I want my idea to be, but I don't know how to exactly get it going. I really want this idea to work, even if it takes years. I am even willing to learn from zero. Any suggestions on what I should do?
Hi Fatin, I would suggest you to pursue that idea. Think of the problems that you are going to solve and the niche area.Do the UDP and i believe the technical part of it can be explore with the technology available in the market.
Hello mentees and mentors in FutureLab, I'm Shu Ying from the school of Arts and Social Sciences, Monash University . I studies Digital Media and Communication. I'm interested in business consultant job, but I have no clue about how should I choose for my free electives -I want to choose business units- which could help me better. I am not sure whether marketing, economics or business analysis units. It would be great if you have any suggestions to excel in the skills needed. Thank you in advance.
If you want to venture into business/management consulting, you don't need to be in business school let alone take business subjects to get a chance. What the recruiters, and hiring managers would often look for are how methodical, analytical, and creative you are in solving problems. They're looking for people that wants to learn, sharpen their skills, and have that discipline to spend the hours working with them on project deliverables. Try to take on some leadership role, it could be something like volunteering, student activities, or anything that you can show that you took lead and achieve the intended results. Hope this helps.
Hello mentees and mentors in FutureLab, I'm Rachel from Faculty of Computer Science, University of Indonesia. I'm interested in the Product Management role especially in AI, but I have no clue about how deep is the Product Manager role for the technical side in developing the AI product? and it would be great if you have any suggestions to excel in the skills needed. Thank you in advance :)
Hi Rachel, Product Management in its current form is still relatively new, and coupled together with AI you're talking an even newer and nicher set of Product Managers globally. Product Management is similar to a brand owner, and people often treat them as CEO in waiting for many startups/corporates lately. They usually come from a project management background, consulting (like myself), and they bring the best of tech and business together. So take your time to build your competencies in the technical aspects of tech, in this case Ai - and also learn and apply fundamental product/project management skills like project planning, budgeting, prioritization, strategy development etc. Hope this helps.
Hi for one who doesn't have a degree cert (dropped out from university) but went to Next Academy and get the quantum degree certificate by Next Academy, may I know does that acceptable by the employers nowadays?
Hi Celeste, I know that this question is dated a little bit but just want to let you know that with your certificate in Next Academy + work experience , you are able to transform that skills and experience into a Diploma Kemahiran or Advance Diploma. It is a nationwide recognized certificate given by Jabatan Kemahiran Malaysia. So even without official certificate from university , you may still have a certificate through work experience + verification exam, in case in the future your path need you to have an official scroll, you may consider it as an option
Instead of having a business/marketing bachelor degree background, how can I, as a computer science undergraduate with pure technical working experience, kick start a digital product management role as my first try in my career development journey. Finding an internship role for product management to explore more before graduating next year, but the result wasn't as good as I applying for a technical role(less response/feedback), what should I do?
I too, didn't and do not have Business or Marketing Degrees. My quick suggestion for you is to: 1. Get yourself into the working world - doesn't matter where and what 2. If you get yourself into technical roles, even better. As a metaphor, I trust a doctor more who has performed a surgery than one who never did and only know the theories. 3. Review your interest again, periodically 4. Look for opportunities that fit your aspiration within the organization you're in, or explore externally. With technical experience, you will be better off in understanding product / solutions. 5. Read or study in between. I would not recommend to get into Business / Marketing Master's right after your Bachelor's graduation (just in case). But if you must, it is okay too. All the best.
Can I skip joining the workforce and be an entrepreneur?
Yes, you can. But it also depends on the type of venture that you'd like to start. If you have enough resources, knowledge, and competitive advantage, you can definitely do it! If not, sometimes it's better to join the workforce for a few years to learn from others, learn from best practices that you can apply to your business, and build connections in the industry. This will help reduce the risks and give your business a headstart.
Hi and good day, I am engineering student who interested to work as management consultant. I want to learn more about the industry but has limited resource. I would like to do internship in any management consultant firm to get some exposure before switching. It would be great if anyone can help me out. Thank you!
Write in to the companies that you are interested in. Be specific on what kind of management & consultancy you want to do. Engineering is a very wide field.
Hi im a high school drop out and currently having a business idea,can anyone tell me how can i start something without having much knowledge about it?
Hey Yung Zen! Few questions for you: 1. Have you done any preliminary market research about your idea? 2. Do you know who are your potential customers? 3. Does your business idea solve any existing problems in the market? If your answers are yes for the above, then you can start designing a lean experiment to validate your business idea. Build a prototype (either by yourself or assemble a team to do it), launch it for few days to a week with your potential customers, and get their feedback if it is something they are willing to pay money for.
Hello, I have a question regarding job-seeking. I'm about to graduate in this coming October 2020 and my internship will end in June. Basically I'm left with internship and I'm free to apply for jobs after my internship. Thus I would like to know what are some of your tips to prep myself in seeking for jobs so I won't be rushing to apply at the last minute? Thank you!
Hey Umar! Welcome to the community. :) Here are some advice that I would give personally based on my experience. FYI, it involves asking yourself some questions ;) 1. What industries are you interested in? If you don't really have a clue yet, then reverse engineer it and ask yourself -> What industries are you *not* interested in? Knowing what you don't like helps you to narrow down to figuring out what you may actually like. So, experiment with this exercise, map it out and see what is the outcome. 2. What are your main motivators? Is it job fulfillment? Is it monetary? Is it work life balance? Or is it a mixed? Knowing your main motivators will help you to identify what types of organizations you'd likely want to work with. You can also approach people who are working in your targeted organizations and ask them targeted questions (based on your motivators...) about how is it like working there. Example questions could include "how is the culture there?", "how are the leaders in the organization?", "do you like what you are doing?", "would you recommend this organization to a freshie like me?", "is the salary good there?", ... 3. Do homework on the most commonly asked questions during an interview, so that you are prepared. Every first question typically starts with "Tell me about yourself", so practice this part well so that you can make a lasting impression on the interviewer. 4. Be prepared to take an informed decision when you have multiple offers in the pipeline If you apply to 20 organizations at the same time, chances are you will hear back from maybe 15% of them. Have a template of decision making ready, so that you are mentally prepared to evaluate the offers and decide which is the best offer to take.
I am a students and looking to start my own online business. I recently heard of dropping, any mentors can help me in this? Or any mentor are good in other types of online business?
Hi, you are referring to drop shipping am I right? You may contact me at my whatsapp +6012-5784914 :)
Hi, I have a business idea, but it requires website development as its main activities. I have looked into some website development agencies to develop my website. Now, I am not sure which one of them suit my business idea the best. Please assist me to realise my dream.
Heya Farhan! Congrats on taking the first step towards your dream! Before you go to a website development agency, you need to know the goal of a website you're building. While these fellas can build the website for you, the direction and goal needs to come from you. Here are some helpful questions to frame your objective: - Is your website a digital brochure? - Do you plan to sell anything on the website? - Are your products tangible or intangible? - Do you need a payment gateway to receive payments? - Will you be providing articles/blog on the website? - What CTAs (call-to-actions) are important for you? - Do you need user sign-ups? There are a lot of general questions that you need to answer first in order to move on to the next step to build an effective website. Maybe it would be best if you can elaborate further in order for us to help you out?
I want to get internship from today.I attended workshop on 1 May,2019 at Headspace.Can I get internship in Petronas or any other Company in KL?
Hi Furqan, I would suggest you to prepare a short and catchy CV first.Then start spending time at job platforms on daily basis or once in a week atleast. Apart from just sending the CV, it is also important to follow up with the applications that you have sent. It would be really great if you could send an email or drop a call to those companies that you have applied for internship to follow up on the application. That would show your interest on the position. To add on, Petronas mostly accept the application through their website. Good luck!!!
What are the requirements to hit and internship with a Private Equity Firm in Malaysia? Being very interested and excited to get to know more about Private Equity, and knowing that the barrier of entry is high, how could I get in as a fresh graduate next year? And what Private Equity firms out there are hiring interns?
Good day to you! My question is what does a Client Onboarding Specialist (KYC Specialist) - Analyst position entails? What should i expect in terms of career growth? Learning curve & stigma? Am I right in assuming I could chart a career track in compliance & risk management? Lastly, any general outlook of the job prospect in Malaysia or APAC for that matter? SG?HK? Did some desk research and asking around. But, desk research is limited and not a lot of people I know of know what it is. Thus, any insights from a mentor here would be appreciated and welcomed. Thanks in advance!
Hi Yong Jie, A KYC analyst's job is primarily to onboard clients, but also to monitor them. The main purpose of know-your-customer is to pretty much know who they are and what they are doing, primarily with the services you are providing them. Job scope might differ depending on if you're looking at positions at international/local commercial/investment banks, and other financial institutions, individual clients, corporations, or financial institution clients. Most of my experience would be for commercial and investment banking side of things. If you've ever opened an account and had to fill dozens of pages of information, that's basically KYC. It's similar to creating an account with Facebook or Instagram, except much more annoying since many countries require these forms to be filled out "...in wet ink..." according to financial or banking related laws or acts. So it's up to the KYC analyst to process (look over and re-key into the system) and determine with a checklist of information such as your records with the central bank, government records such as official watchlist, politically exposed persons, etc. usually found through 3rd party services such as Reuters or Dow Jones Riskcenter, open-source news etc. to derive a risk level for you (eg. low, med, high, or reject). Then based on your risk level for each customer, you would determine how often to monitor and analyze the client account. Once you're done with this, submit the reports to your manager to sign off. The process for a KYC analyst is a mixture of highly procedural steps and case basis, but senior management dictates the procedure and process flow for operational tasks such as KYC/AML/Fraud so average analysts would usually just follow the process. As far as job prospects go, there is room for growth, but in certain directions. If you were a KYC analyst in a large bank, your main job function would be to handle clients in one country only. You could excel in your role for 2-4 years and be promoted to assistant manager for your current division or another division, then another 3-5 years to manager level, another 4-8 years to AVP level, another 4-8 years to VP, and possibly another 4-8 years to SVP level. Tenures are really broad and the figures are just a rough estimate since I've had an SVP's who was at least a decade younger than my AVP. You could also stay in your position until the day you retire, I've had an auntie in my office that retired the year after I left the organization as an analyst. Last option would be to move to other divisions or departments. KYC is mostly back-end processing dealing with clients, so you could move to a different division handling a different country, or you could be looking at more customer-based risk management such as compliance manager, risk manager of a branch, AML, Fraud, etc. It would be harder moving to the investment side of the business such as corporate credit risk, investment risk, commodity risk, etc. since KYC job functions aren't as correlated to these sort of positions. So to summarize, KYC jobs are very procedural, they handle customer-specific risk, differs between financial institutions and countries, and job/career prospects would steer you towards customer-centric risk management. Hope this helps!
I'm looking for a mentor to advice me on my heavy machinery industry business. Am i at the right place to ask?
Hi Khang Wei, what questions do you have? I worked in a heavy machinery company previously.
How important is branding on social media platforms are for us these day when it comes to sourcing for job opportunities? Does it matter? Do we need to be consciously aware of how we portray ourselves online especially on Linkedin?
As a graduate trainer, I always encourage young graduate to explore on Personal branding because it always offers numerous benefits to a person's life and career. Social media is one of the biggest ways for you to manage your personal brand online. Also, it helps in building confidence while gaining trusts, authenticity and credibility. It is important that people know that building their branding is important and helpful. When you engage in personal branding, you make the effort to manage the way you present yourself to others. The most important part is to understand each and every social media platform specially like LinkedIn is not Facebook
Hi! My name is Victor. I am a very dynamic person and my background is in Accounting & Finance. I am passionate about digital marketing and social media marketing. I am currently in recruitment. Do you think I should pursue my passion of joining a firm that embodies digitization or go with the safe route of being in the Financial Services industry? I am on a crossroad. Would appreciate your advise as I feel strongly that I would be a good fit in firms like Google, Maxis, Digi or Axiata where the environment is dynamic and we are constantly challenged to learn and grow.
Hey Victor, I've also asked myself the same question is the past! You just have to start by asking yourself 2 very simple questions: "What's my priority right now?" and "What's my end goal?" Think about it and share your answer with me during our session :D -JY
What can I do to increases my chances of getting a job in HR? I am thinking of changing career to HR. My current role is not really related to HR (recruitment, HR planning and etc). I have look through the job descriptions and many require experience in HR.
Dear Michelle, I am a lawyer by profession and a HR practitioner by experience and passion! So, it is ok to want to switch, if you feel this is what you want to do. If you want to switch careers into HR, I will advice you to first really understand the different roles within the function, so that you can ascertain what specific area you are interested in. You will then be able to figure out if you have the skills / knowledge / interest. Switching careers may mean that you have to start from the bottom, or at a lower level that you currently are, so you need to decide if you are prepared for it. Read about HR. Most of it is common sense. However, there are frameworks and theories that you can learn along the way. Some areas are more technical like rewards and industrial relations. So, it is important that you keep yourself informed. Hope this helps. Stay in touch.
What do you suggest for a university student to do in their free time other than assignments , etc. How do you start a career in digital marketing .
Hi, Your time in uni is a bedrock on which the rest of your life is built. You will never get that time back again so think hard about how you spend it. Do anything that builds your network of diverse connections. Community service work is a great place to start - the world needs genuinely caring people more than ever. Develop lifelong friendships and invest in them. Live intensely and purposefully as you do things to serve others. It'll help you develop a humble attitude which will in turn serve you very well in life. Do something that could potentially be valuable someday. If you start in your uni days, bet your life someday it'll be useful, as long as you keep improving it and gaining the compounding effect of time. It could sound silly at first, but if you keep at it and apply your time to it, you'll be far ahead in 10 years time.
How do you plan your day when you play multiple roles in the company?
Hi there! Great question, playing multiple roles is something we all struggle in at both work and life- so many things to do in only 24 hours aiks! I think it really boils down to a couple of things- knowing what is important VS urgent. Do read up more on the Eisenhower Matrix which I will not elaborate here. I find that journaling (writing down your goals and objectives, either electronically or on an old-fashioned journal/book on every Sunday evening before the week begins) really helps to crystallize and give some structure to your week. And as mentioned by the previous mentors, try to focus on a single-task from beginning till completion. We are conditioned to have short attention span (thanks to social media and constant pop-ups on our web browsers)- minimize the noise by turning off all notifications, aka distractions and resist the urge to refresh your inbox every other minute. Hope the above pointers help!
If you ever considered setting up your own F&B business, what are your major concerns/considerations/fears? How would you go about addressing these concerns?
I tried venturing into F&B 4 years ago. My product was my own range of ice cream (I was bored of the flavours available in the market). Personally, my major concern was in validation and sales. Would there be a market for my product? Does anyone else like my ice cream too? Will it sell? Although a personal relocation overseas forced me to abandon the business, we did get validation in terms of market demand, and I was grateful to have clients who were interested in what we had to offer. At the end of the day, validation, sales and demand makes the wheel turn. Especially in F&B where there is a risk of stock turning bad or with an expiry date. I Suggest: ------------- - Put a few assumptions in place (i.e.; Belacan Melaka has a market in Penang? etc). - Test it with your target market at the lowest cost to you (i.e.; try selling a small sample and get feedback, online pre-book) - Evaluate results (Worth venturing? What needs to be improved to increase demand?) - Only proceed if the answer is a BIG yes. If it is still on the fence, try different marketing approaches and repeat. No-No's: ---------- - DO NOT invest in raw materials or equipment, unless you can afford to let it all go bad and lose it. - While important, food handling license is cheap to apply and get, but might not be a priority in your testing phase. - Be careful not to get into the trap of putting "useless validation" to test the market to make yourself or your team feel better. Everyone needs to be painfully honest when it comes to evaluating demand (Does the area really need another burger business?). Having some family and friends support initial launch is nice, but does not spell long term demand. Hope it answers your questions!
If I had no experience in my field when I left university, how can I set myself apart from people who did?
I am a recruiter myself now, and firstly I would say the way we recruit would depend on the level. 1) At a fresh grad level, for a non-technical role, rarely experience are looked for. Rather your personal skills and flexibility to adapt to the situation. But of course a level of intelligence is required. 2) For a technical role, a demonstration of sufficient understanding of the technicalities is required. Though sometimes in new areas, we look for people who are curious and willing to learn something new. So it does not necessarily means working experience, but academic, social, project experience is enough as long as it demonstrates the right thing. Now to properly answer your question, how to distinguish. Every company has its core value and every employee they hire needs to be able to bring something to the company. So to outshine, show that you share the common value and you live it by heart. And to top those value, show that there is something that you can provide that will make the employer happy; for example: it could be a niche knowledge you learned in uni, or an understanding of certain technology, or your club management skill, or your network of friends and family, your sound knowledge on politics, or your cross-domain knowledge, or even how you can make the environment glow positive, etc.
What tips do you have on transitioning industries while simultaneously coming back into the workforce from a gap year?
* Approach a workplace mentor whom you look up to * Read up, listen to material specific to your new role * Write down your top three manageable goals for your new role and refer to them daily * After a gap year get into the discipline of daily study albeit even for 15 min a day (scheduled) with the purpose of re-establishing discipline and positive habits in the workplace * Refer to the inspiring reason for this transition as often as you can.(The purpose)
What are some of the tips to accelerate your career path?
Quoted from 1 of Jack Ma's talk: 1. Know what you have (quali, skillset, experience, exposure, etc) 2. Know what you want (industry, pos'n, loc, learning, etc) 3. Know what you are willing to scarify/ tradeoff for (time, money, opp cost etc) All the best...
I am currently 3rd year computer science student who is actively searching internship in Singapore as the foreigner who is studying in Malaysia. I have to admit that I dont possess a good grade but I am just thinking whether there exists possibility for me to do so. I choose Singapore due to the opportunities provided for computer science like me. I understand I can't apply for Work Holiday Pass but is there any way for me to do internship there?
I am a marketing executive who are looking to learn more about digital marketing as well as to improve my creativity on content. May I get any advice from the mentors in this platform as to how I can start? Thanks in advance.
Agree completely with Juinn. Digital Marketing has a lot of components and each plays their own role in an integrated marketing (both digital and offline). Generally speaking, it is easiest to start with social media marketing such as Facebook marketing because of the low entry barrier - it is cheaper, and more user friendly, even if you are not an expert in creative. Also because we are all Facebook users, so we can imagine the end results. That said, there are many other marketing tech that sort of consolidates all these ad serving platforms into 1. I'm conscious about using Marketing and Advertizing because most people think about "Advertizing" when they say Digital Marketing. But "Marketing" is much more than just Advertizing. Apart from Google Academy and Facebook Blueprint Some platforms like Marketo, Hootsuite, and Hubspot has quite a good overview on the different components and how they are used. You can also look at other Youtube videos on specific topics once you're familiar with the basics. Among others, here're a few that I think are the bread and butter of Digital Marketing: 1. Email Marketing 2. Search, Adwords, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) 3. Google Ads, Google Display Network 4. Facebook (Instagram, Youtube, LinkedIn, and other social media) marketing 5. DSP and ad serving platforms 6. Data Management Platform 7. Programmatic advertizing 8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (don't mix up with SEM) 9. Web analytics (Google Analytics) The best way to find out more would be to go through the online resources to get some basic understanding, then talk to as many digital marketeers as you can. Each will have their own insights and strategy. Finally, try to incorporate digital elements in your current marketing role.
What should I do after my graduation? I am currently 22 years old, and I am confused whether to pursue a master’s degree or get a job in the business field.
I hope you've landed a job since the last comment thread was posted! Anyhow, I think it's also worth mentioning that you should make some time to pursue online courses that are available, Coursera, EdX, MIT and others. All the best!
What do employers absolutely not want to see on a resumé?
Hey John, Perhaps you might wanna check out one of my articles I wrote quite some time back. Hopefully it's still relevant for you. https://bit.ly/2D4B6eD
What mindsets helped you build a startup?
Hey Greg, Recent posted about "Top 10 Tips For Entrepreneurs" by Tony F. Hopefully this article will help you out. https://bit.ly/2PVFyPC
As a University student, how do I find projects to do for startups or SME”s in terms of digital marketing and web development, where should I find them?
If you're interested to freelance, you can share with me your resume and I'll do my best to hook you up.
I am currently a Project Engineer with a Mechanical Engineering degree working in the Oil and Gas industry. I am hoping to transition into becoming a Artificial Intelligence researcher. How do you think is the best way to achieve this? Do I need to spend a few more years taking another degree for it?
I would ask you to step back and understand the "why" behind this thought to switch field. What has been your experience so far with the job in hand? What is working, what is not working and how does the future prospects look in your company and this field? What is that you are looking for in moving on to AI development? As you know, AI touches every field. What opportunities have you thought about in your immediate sphere of work that AI can help with?
Should I go to university to take Software Engineering as my 3-4 years course with RM 100k+ debt ? Or go to an academy to learn front end web development for 10 weeks which only costs RM 11000+
If you go checkout NEXT Academy, you can start off with the 2 weeks Frontend web development bootcamp (RM3000+) and then decide if you really like coding fully before committing to the full stack bootcamp. The full stack bootcamp is 2 weeks frontend + 8 weeks backend. You can just upgrade to the full stack one and continue with the remaining 8 weeks. Just keep in mind that learning at NEXT means you need to put in 110% effort! I think what's most important is to find out if you like coding in the first place. I met people who only likes the idea of coding and what it could do but in the end, realised that it is not something that they would do. I've also known people who went to bootcamp first, realised they loved coding a lot and eventually continue to pursue Computer Science academically with Masters as a goal.
Where is the best place to kick start my career in data analytics/science in Malaysia, and why?
Hi Tshung Man, besides the options listed as above, you can consider to look out for local telecommunication companies as they have vacancies in data analytics/science areas. One of them is Axiata Analytics Center, you can apply through: analytics@axiata.com. On the other hand, there's an upcoming hackathon organised by Axiata Group and the Asia School of Business which you can join: https://www.axiata.com/dataunchained/. There's another program called Data Star: http://adax.asia/datastar/ that you can explore as well. Hope this helps, thank you.
I have got a job offer from a international well-known mobile phone manufacturer company. The work location is at Dubai. It sound attractive with their well-known brand and remuneration. But during the stages of documentation compilation and related pre-employment arrangement, they shown me very unprofessional working attitude and it has affected me so much until I have feeling reluctant to join. Of course, I will need to invest at least RM 10K on the initial to join the company make me feel the pain as well. But I am still admire with their brand name and the overseas job opportunity. I am do not know what should I do. Hope someone can guide me here. Appreciate it.
I agree with the comments made earlier, Having lived in UAE for 5 years, I can tell that a company of repute that hires talent from outside the country does not ask you to pay upfront for anything. It is their responsibility to get you there.
Hi, I have a background in offshore engineering and engineering management. I am thinking to pursue job opportunities in strategy and management consulting using data analytics/ data science. Do I need internship in consulting or analytic firm prior to these applications ?
Hi there Gallant. Had the pleasure of speaking with you earlier today. And as I mentioned, seeing that you will be a fresh graduate in about 4 months, though yes, it will be a plus point, it is not necessary to have the relevant work experience. What is more important is that you are able to practise critical thinking to analyse and make sense of the data, as well as being able to learn new skills quickly on-the-job.
How much equity an adviser should be compensated based on your professional experience?
I've heard that it's around 2%. but my take is this... put in a vesting agreement where they need to deliver before getting whatever equity. Whatever you do, make sure that you map out what are some of the things you would want that advisor to contribute. Advisors who really care won't mind the vesting period. Vesting period is really a period for both sides to deliver what they say they will do. If the advisor does his role as a good advisor, he'll be rewarded for it. If he doesn't, you are protected.
Is market validation sometimes been done too much and has been used as an excuse of not pursuing instead? When is the right time for a founder to pursue it full time?
Agree with Francesca in the on-going market validation. That's why in startups, we call it pivot. As for timing wise, nobody can tell you when is the right time as it's more of a gut feeling, to me, at least.
When is the right time to register your startup, is it during market validation stage, MVP stage or at further stage? My second question is what are the most important elements that is a must have in a co-founders agreement?
Based on my experience with FutureLab - I would recommend only registering a company after you have built the MVP/Product and it is ready to make money i.e. you are about to open a bank account. We set up our company 3 years before we opened a bank account which meant that we were paying for auditors and tax agents for a dormant company (wasted money) About the co-founders agreement - I am not the right person to help you with this since we dont have a co-founders agreement for FutureLab. I launched FutureLab with my childhood friends Fung Wei (Also the CTO & Co-founder of GoGet.my) and Clarissa now the regional CSR manager of Grab.
what should youngsters do nowadays (besides studies) to meet the high expectations from the industries? Any particular competencies or experiences?
People skills are vital for any profession. Good communication, with ability to sell with emotional intelligence & ability to solve problems individually & in teams are transferable skills that will help any profession.
How do you feel comfortable about failure and develop coping mechanisms to handle the emotional backlash? I.e. is reading relevant material helpful or is seeking out a mentor whom you feel secure with or something completely creative?
We all go through these moments when we are emotionally wounded. It is important to discuss with a mentor/coach in a safe environment, be helped to re-frame the situation, gather learning and grow up strong. Unhealed wounds stay forever and brings the overall quality of life experience.
How would I negotiate a higher pay from a company that I've been working for a long time?
If you know you deserve it, just ask for it. The answer is either Yes or No. The answer wont be, you are fired.
As a startup, when transition to deployment, how can I scale up in terms of development, size, and new features in a low cost way?
Share the workload. Focus your time on what you are best at. What you are not good at; outsource it.
What are the top 5 things that you would tell to your younger self (20s)?
Travel more, don't take life so seriously, study & pursue your passions outside of the taught syllabus, keep moving out of your comfort zone, spend more time with loved ones.
Suppose you find yourself stuck in a job that you are not passionate about but is unable to quit for a long period of time e.g. 10 years without incurring huge financial costs, how do you make things better?
I agree with Edwin, definitely speak to your employer first to see whether you can find a win-win situation e.g. different opportunities for you to grow/develop. If it turns out fruitless - you should start looking for other opportunities that can ignite your passion even if you need to take a slight cut in salary - if you`re feeling like this after 10 years, you still have another 30 + years to go so might as well find something that makes you excited to wake up everyday
How does one bring in the confidence to apply for a job position without having the right skills. There many cases where employees take up a job which is totally irrelevant from the previous and still strive.
It's not about having the right skills. It's about having the right mindset. And yes it is still about confidence. The question now is can you confidently show that you will GROW? And most importantly, follow through, adapt quickly and persevere? (i'm sure you can :) )
I'm interested in consulting, but I'm a pharmacy student, having research background on health economics. Am I eligible to apply for internships in consulting firms?
Hey Adrian, you can actually send your cv to me if you are looking for an internship in consulting. I may be able to help!
How can students increase their employability upon graduation?
Be humble and true to yourself during the screening/interview process. The last thing any possible employers wants to see is a dishonest employee if they hire you.
Suppose we're doing something and failing in it constantly, at what point should we stop to persist and give up wasting time? Or shall we continue doing what we started?
You must understand why do you start that at the first place? Why success is so urgent and who you wish to show your success to? Failure is just your interpretation of what happened. Focus more on the learning you get from the failure and because of that learning you become a better person.
How do I find the one thing I am good at and pursue at that direction when there are so many options and things happening around
To find that 1 thing, it is like found the girl you like. You will just know. If you still haven’t found it yet, force marriage concept works too. Choose one and dedicate your time to do it and over the time you will learn to love it and that thing will be the one.
How does scientific and technology development affect the society and the environment?
If you're really interested in a better answer to this question, there are two books I would refer to: A Pulitzer winning book: https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393317552 And Bill Gates' recent favourite: https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316117/ The former details that societies that do not invest in scientific and tech usually ceases to exist, though those that do not plan ahead to co-exist well with the environment would also perish (the author has another book, called Collapse, that covers specifically on those that perished). The latter book meanwhile looks at things that emerged that helped impact society for the better (amongst other things), so it's kind of hard to want to direct science and technology. As a bonus, I recently read another book, which detailed the struggle of bringing out new science and technology - https://www.amazon.com/Leonardo-Vinci-Walter-Isaacson/dp/1501139150/ A wonderful book that looks at how long it takes society to "catch-up" to great insights, some which have taken 4 centuries to confirm.
What are the most desired technical skills on a resume?
The most desired ability on resume is to list out projects completed with a link to a github.com repository that in itself details a working solution (ie. web app), describing what stack was used, what was learned, why the stack was selected and what to do next. Showing depth, ability to articulate, an actual working system that is still running, all proves to show the candidate's ability. Bonus points if the software interface is intuitive, has no spelling errors and does not show any visible bugs.
What are the biggest lessons to learn in the corporate world?
Although I generally prefer working in mid-sized startups over large corporations, there are a few important lessons that I picked up and will be thankful for from my time working in a bank: 1) Processes - When a business is growing and picking up speed, processes allow for more streamlined operations, clearer communication and more efficient output 2) Being concise - When you're speaking to your bosses who have had 30 years of experience in the corporate world, you have minutes to deliver your point across. I used to get cut off by my ex-boss for not answering his questions within the first sentence. It's a skill that I found really helped me keep future conversations with others short and snappy, without sacrificing value. 3) Resilience - Some of the toughest people that you will meet are in corporates. It may suck at the time to have to answer to or deal with them. They will critique your work, attitude and performance with little to zero filter. But it's these people who will help you build up the thick skin that can and will take you places as your career progresses.
Where did you find inspiration?
(At the risk of sounding cheesy) - Everywhere. I make sure I surround myself with the type of people who I aspire to be, I make a note of things that stood out to me everyday by keeping a journal, I give myself the time and space to be alone, I read a lot (articles and books), I listen to podcasts. It's important to keep an open mind when you go about your day, because you never really know just what you'll discover.
What are the best books to read in the field of business?
For someone just starting out I would recommend “What Colour is Your Parachute”. It gives great insight into finding or creating a career that fits you and not just trying to fit yourself into the mould of society. Another book i love is "Give and Take", but it’s more about character in business rather than how to run a business.
What was the biggest mistake you made in your startup?
Too much refinement before commercialization. No product or solution is perfect at the time that you're doing. As long as it's fitting several important pain-point or necessary, you're good to launch. Do not afraid of failure, especially criticism from your (potential) customer; Start-up that received the most feedback is the most potential to improve to be the domain expect.
Would an impressive line of experience pose a positive impact?
A list of past companies that you've worked for in the past will only get you so far. In Digital Marketing, people want to see the impact that you have made and the data to back it up. It's a numbers-driven role and you will need to show that you understand how to measure your accomplishments.
What's the chance of a foreign student living in Malaysia to get a job here?
Many outstanding international students who have graduated from First City University College -- the current institution I'm attached with -- stayed back and are currently working in Malaysia. Great personality and skills-sets are crucial to stand out among other interviewees during the interview process. Bottomline: The hiring company must be familiar with, or at least willing to handle work permits or employment passes. It's not a tedious matter so long as the candidate they're hiring is a potential asset to the company - worth all the sweat on the HR side.
What are the pros and cons of the industry of Information Technology ?
IT has been helping development of human environment since very long time ago. And it keeps the world on innovative improvements in lifestyle, production and automation perspective. In another hand, it also become a very huge burden to the world environments and the IT industry as well. Which old legacy become a huge elephants that cannot be ignored, and yet need to keep on finding solutions for it.
What are the most important skills or characteristics needed to succeed in the employment world?
I'd say a couple of things work together: 1. Develop an inquiring mindset where we ask open-minded questions (that challenge our own assumptions) to ourselves and others 2. Get into a resilient mindset where we use our self-thoughts, emotions, self-talk and actions to keep ourselves in a positive state of mind. This helps us to use our resources more creatively, bounce back from unsuccessful ventures and develop great relationships to help us succeed.
How do you define success and how do you invest your time properly?
"Success" is a subjective term that differs from one person to another. I believe that a person's idea of success changes as they mature as well. For example, if success to you right now is your health, then you'd naturally start prioritizing it over everything else that's going on in your life right now. I don't believe in not having the time to do something because if you want it bad enough, you'll somehow find the time for it. Personally, I schedule things that I want to do in my Google Calendar because I have a shoddy memory. That's how I hold myself accountable and make sure that I don't have any excuses to not do it when the time comes.
What kinds of work samples should my portfolio have for the field of Business Development?
Business development applies to many different sectors. The work samples would be respective to the relevant industry. But include the following three steps: 1. “Business Wins” based on units like $ or % increases, or numbers of newcustomers gained from your efforts. 2. If you’ve been recognized for awards, provide the details. A word of caution: Whee possible, provide details of recent awards. If the last time you received an award was 10 years ago, the reader may get the impression that you haven’t achieved anything noteworthy in 10 years. 3. Give details of how you solved a problem. More and more, it is important to demonstrate how you solved a problem. Even if you didn’t get a good outcome, demonstrating that you did all you could is valuable. Summary: The underlying principle in each of these answers is this. People are judged, based on their actions and results, not by their intentions and aspirations. It’s shallow to say in the portfolio that “I want to be the best business developer.” It’s more concrete to provide examples of awards, what you’ve done or are doing, and how you solve things.
How do you push through your worst times?
First thing I do is put it into my mind that the scenario that I'm currently facing isn't exclusive to me. It's something that's probably happened to someone else while on the flip side, things could have been worst - this keeps me grounded and grateful in despite of the circumstances. Pushing through tough times is truly a mental game. That's why it's important to keep the mind, body and soul in-tact through the process. Meditation for the mind, prayer for the soul and exercise for the body is important to me - all must be working together in order to keep things going. Finally, the key point to pushing through tough times lies in the word itself - pushing. Just keep pushing and continue seeking ways through. I believe that there are things within our control and there are things we can't control - focus on that which you can. Compartmentalize the problems into smaller chunks and keep solving them as I go.
What is the single most differentiating factor that made the successful person very good at what they're doing? (quality, skills, habits, characteristic or personality)
Dedication - no one is master in the domain but continuous learning and improvement to reaching the mastery level. To be successful all you need to do is keep trying, failing, improve, and repeat. Of course practicing good routines, becoming your habits, which shaping your characteristic and slowly evolve your personality could be a good quality change.
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