Salam w.b.t and hi
guys.
How things are
going? I hope everyone are doing great and also do not forget to pray for our
Muslim families in Gaza. In this entry, I am going to share the last chapter of
my job hunting experience. Hopefully, this will give some insights and tips in
getting a place to start the career. Honestly, I would say my journey in
getting into my dream company is full of setbacks and there were many times
where I stumbled and nearly lose my hope. Ok, that will be shared in another
entry. Long story… Just in case you missed out the previous chapter, you can
check it out by clicking this link Job Hunting - Chapter 3.
NINTH: Sime Darby (SD)
I applied Sime Darby
(SD) through website under management trainee program sometimes in April. There
were two type of programs; (a) management trainee and (b) apprenticeship
program. I applied for both but my application went under the former option.
Alright, that is fine as long as my application is in process. Then, I was
invited for the online assessment where I had to answer mathematics and English
questionnaires.
In May (if I am not
mistaken), a recruiter from SD called me and conducted a phone interview. Her
name was Shakilla, and she asked several questions such as if I am still
looking for job or not, what do I know about the program, and others. At the
end of the conversation, she invited me to proceed to the next interview which
is face-to-face interview. The interview will be one month from the day she
called me, about end of June. I was excited but one month? That is a long time
to wait.
While waiting for
the interview day, I checked on the website that the application was no longer
under management trainee program. There was a change to the name of the
program, the new name was Skim Latihan Malaysia - Management Trainee Program. I
did not feel good about this because this gives indication that the position
offered may not be permanent. The most important is there will be no salary,
but the allowance only which I am not sure how much it will be. I emailed the
recruiter the range of the wage but the response was "The amount is
confidential". It was devastating but I tried to keep myself positive.
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| Packages offered by Sime Darby throughout the training |
After a month, I
went to the interview. The interview took place at PNB Darby Park, behind
Tabung Haji Tower and PNB Tower and started at 8.15 am. At first, I thought PNB
Tower is similar to PNB Darby Park. Actually, it was different building. So, I
had to walk very fast from PNB Tower to go to PNB Darby Park. It was a very
silly mistake, so please make sure you check with the guards if you come to the
right place or not.
When I reached to
the venue, I was "WOW" by the arrangements at the venue. The
arrangement was touched by the corporate style. I am not sure if you got what I
am trying to say, the environment was so elegant and high-class. There were
registration counters and the SD staffs were so professional. There was also a
lot of candidates and in front of the venue was a corporate slide show. I know
the interview will be formal, but I did not expect the formality will be at
this level. At that moment, I felt small among others. Never mind, I went to
registration counter and took a seat at the candidates area. I would say, the
staff at the counter who welcomed me was not so friendly and hard to put a
smile. I was not sure, but from the registration sheet, I was placed under the
Plantation Division. I seriously had no idea about the allocation and I did not
read a thing about this division. I asked about this to the candidate sat next
to me, but she said it mentioned in the email or phone call. I was surprised as
I completely sure I did not receive this information. Then, I said to myself
just to calm down and try my best not to screw up the interview.
There were two
interviewers, a female and male. The female was a HR person, and the male was
an engineer. Typical questions were asked during interview, like introduce
yourself, can I work in a team, what drives me either money or career
stability, e.tc. I answer all the questions as best as I could. Throughout the
interview, I can see that the engineer (male interviewer) was not focus. I am
saying this because he cannot kept eye contact, look around, wondering, and not
talked much compared to the HR person. It is not about evaluating the candidate only, I am
also evaluating the employer. Maybe he was boring and want to finish the
interview session as soon as possible. I don't know, but I don’t feel
comfortable with it. The interview lasted for about 20 minutes then I left. The
result will be known in two weeks time.
Lesson: Please make
sure you come to the correct venue for the interview. Other thing is please be
alert with any changes to the position offered by the company as it will
significantly influence the type of employment, either permanent or temporary
and also the amount of pay that you will received throughout the program. Just
a friendly reminder, do understand what are the differences between joining the
company through Skim Latihan 1 Malaysia (SL1M) or hired directly by the
company. There are huge differences and make sure you know them clearly.
TENTH: Schlumberger (SLB)
Alhamdulillah, I got
the opportunity to be interviewed by SLB. Well, although it just an interview,
I feel extremely grateful because this can lead to a job I have been waiting
for a long time which is offshore field engineer. It was a long process, and while
I am writing this sentence, I am still waiting for the outcome of the fourth
stage. Yes, I am in the fourth stage of the interview and I am praying I will
make it to the final stage and be part of the SLB. Please pray for me and I
really hope I will be successful in the process and joining SLB soon.
I will not share the
experience at SLB in this entry since it is still in the midst of processing. I
will share the full experience in another entry which will be very exclusive
for SLB. Again, please pray for me. Thank you, guys.
ELEVENTH: Technip
One day, I received
a call around 6 pm from a lady named Miss Fara. I missed her call actually,
then I called her back and once she introduced where she is from, I got
excited. She called from Technip and would like to ask several questions. I
applied for the position as a Subsea Graduate Engineer on the Technip website
few months back. She asked whether I am still unemployed or already working.
Then, she invited me to come to the interview session which will be held in two
weeks time, if I am not mistaken. I was so excited and look forward to come to
the interview. Hopefully I will make it.
The interview will
be at 11 am at Menara Jcorp, Jalan Tun Razak. This tower is next to Wisma
Technip and I drove from Batang Kali to the venue. I departed from my house at
7.30 am and arrived at the tower around 9 am. It was a gridlocked but I managed
to arrive at the venue early. I sat at the lobby, read a book, wandering around
while waiting the scheduled interview session. Around 10.30 am, I went to the
office and waited for Miss Fara. From what she said, I will be interviewed by a
French engineer named Sir Piere.
Well, I had to wait
for another 20 minutes as Sir Piere was busy and still in the meeting. By the
way, the interviewee was only me as the company will set one person for one
day. Sir Piere is a nice and quite tall man. He is friendly and has beautiful
eyes. He asked me the questions and I answered them as best as I could. The
interview lasted approximately 40 minutes. And most questions were about
technical knowledge, like how to connect the Christmas tree to the oil rig, how
to connect the pipeline in the deep sea, and others.
After the interview
with Piere finished, he escorted me to Miss Fara's desk. From his conversation
with Miss Fara, I understand that I am fine and can be brought to the HR. At
first, I do not understand than Miss Fara explained that the potential candidate
will meet directly the HR Manager. Oh, that is how it works here. Then, I
waited for another 5 minutes before invited to the Manager's room. The HR
person was a woman known as Madam Hakimah. During this interview, most of the
questions were related to more personal background such as family, education,
example of group work, etc. The second interview lasted about 20 minutes. Then
I left the building. The outcome of the interview will be released at the end
of August. Hopefully I will manage to score a place at Technip.
Lesson: When
attending the interview with Technip, do some readings related to the position
offered. And also technical knowledge on subsea, offshore, as well as onshore.
When speaking with the French, in my opinion pronounce each word properly so
that the French can catch up with what you are trying to say. During the
interview with Piere, maybe I spoke quite fast (I think it is normal speed for
me), and he waved his hand to slow me down. He said he cannot catch up with me.
TWELVETH: Petronas
There was no
interview actually. I applied through the website under Skim Latihan 1 Malaysia
(SL1M) sometimes in June. I did not give so much hope to be accepted to this
program since I am targeting another company. Besides, the competition to join
Petronas will be very competitive so I just apply and that's it.
Surprisingly, in
July I received a call from HR of Petronas, Madam Halimaton if I am not
mistaken. Well, the phone call was a very simple, she asked whether I am still
unemployed or not. Then, she said the result will be known in August if I
successful or not. I was not sure if there will be another interview or not
since she did not elaborate more on that. I also did not bother to ask more
questions because she was in hurry and I also just get out from my car.
In August, I
received an email notifying I am accepted to join the program. "Well, this
is easy". However, I did not feel thrill about this because it is SL1M,
not the permanent employment. According to the contract, the participants will
also not be recognised as Petronas staffs and no benefits throughout the eight
months training program only monthly allowance. Other than that, Petronas will
also not guarantee the participant will get the opportunity to join Petronas as
a permanent staff once the program finish. Yes, I clearly understood that this
program is just to enhance the employability of Malaysian graduate not giving a
job. However, I do not feel happy about this because it looks like the company
is taking advantages from the participants. I don't know, it is just my two
cents.
Anyway, I just
accepted the offer to join the program and I will decide later on. At the
moment, I will most likely not attend the Petronas program which will start on
August 18. This is because I will go to Labuan on that day to attend the Field
Engineer Program (FEP) arranged by the Schlumberger. This is the last stage of
the interview with Schlumberger. Therefore, I will choose Schlumberger over
Petronas.
Lesson: Again, do
equip yourself with information on SL1M.
Ok guys. That is a
wrap of my job hunting experience. If you have any questions, opinions, and
would like to share with me, do drop me a line. I will try my best to assist
you, if you want. I will create another entry to share my experience with SLB
because the process is still ongoing. Hopefully I will successfully be part of
SLB as a field engineer, InsyaAllah.
I would say the
journey to start my career is full of challenges and obstacles, however I
appreciate every moment in the journey. There were a lot of times where I feel
so weak and hopeless, but I try my best to rise. I don’t want to disappoint my
family and the most important is I do not want to let myself down. Same goes to
you guys, do not give in and keep fighting. Alright, that’s it from me. Take
care guys and see you in the next entry. Salam w.b.t.
