July 1, 2022, by Noor Syuhada
From the Perspective of Industry Leaders: Upskill for Better Career Readiness
On 14 June 2022, Careers Advisory Service (CAS) of the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) joined hands with the Heriot-Watt University Malaysia and Xiamen University Malaysia, bringing the best of leaders across industries in an exclusive forum session titled “Upskill for Better Career Readiness”!
Moderated by Isaac Hee of GTI Media Malaysia who professionally conducted the forum as a whole, the esteemed panelists Naaman Lee of Juris Technologies, Sophia Ang of Maybank, Eliana Anuar of EY, Kenneth Tan of Shopee, shared their great insights on expectations in terms of career readiness, ways to upskill and stay relevant in career, and the latest recruitment trends in the workforce.
Let us share some of the key highlights from the exclusive forum session!
Q1: In your own definition, what does it mean by ‘career-ready’ in terms of mental readiness, skill sets etc.?
Generally, it is about being professional— carry oneself differently from the others such as do your research beforehand, be punctual, be able to articulate your thoughts clearly, be visible and well-groomed. Other than that, having sense of eagerness, sense of enthusiasm and sense of curiosity would help you to stand out and appear career-ready.
Q2: How to upskill to stay relevant in career?
Key points shared by all speakers:
- Having different background is not an obstacle to accomplish. You shall have different background which may worry you to perform the responsibilities offered to you, however it is up to the value of each individual and how you would carry the role given to you. Take up the challenge!
- Be brave to explore. Do not be afraid to try new things because there is rarely only one career path. Open your mind to explore the conventional and unconventional career path since there are a lot of potential and opportunities awaiting you.
- Cultivate your mindset. Learning is a lifelong journey, hence keep learning and observing things from your colleagues, subordinates, and other people regardless of their positions. Always ensure that you have an intention to upskill so that you will never fail to take necessary actions to move forward upskilling yourself in any possible ways.
- Be one step ahead of the game. It is important to have some plans, however do not be so rigid. Always be flexible to plan your career, have clear direction of your goals, and anticipate of what is coming ahead— and that would help you to deliver the outcome beyond your superior’s expectations. Additionally, identify your knowledge gap and find various opportunities to learn; be it upskilling or re-skilling.
Q3: What is currently happening in your industry? Any drastic changes in recruitment trend?
The widespread use of technologies, e.g. artificial intelligence (AI), which mainly driven by technological demand. Having a degree alone is not enough, which the students/ graduates have to learn to be versatile. Try to take up any opportunity to understand and learn about technology-related stuff although you are not from IT background.
Other than that, students nowadays seem to be cognizant which they know what they want from employers, for instance, mobility. It has been a trend lately that more fresh graduates are looking at mobility as one of the important factors in job hunting.
Well, there are more insightful inputs shared by the panelists, especially during the Q&A session. Missed out to attend the forum? Worry not, click here to watch the full session of the insightful forum and find out more!
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Last but not least, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the esteemed panelists, gradmalaysia, collaborators Heriot-Watt University Malaysia & Xiamen University Malaysia, and everyone who attended the session. Thank you for such unwavering support especially to our students, and hope to see you soon in our upcoming events!
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