December 12, 2018, by Noor Syuhada
Discovering Careers in PHIR
On 7th November 2018, Careers Advisory Service (CAS) in collaboration with PHIR-NOTT, a student body from the School of Politics, History and International Relations (PHIR), hosted the Discovering Careers in PHIR. The first event of this series aims to provide students with the knowledge on job application for various departments within the government ministries and agencies in Malaysia.
The invited speakers were Mr. Chia Zi Sheng from the Special Recruitment Division within the Public Services Commission (PSC) and Mr. Afdal Iza, the Senior Deputy Director of the Center of Languages and Cultural Diplomacy, from the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR).
It was a two-hour event, starting with an introduction from the two speakers about their work and about their respective ministries and agencies. Afterwards, a discussion took place in which Mr. Chia talked about the expectation, requirements and process needed to join the Malaysian ministry, while Mr. Afdal talked about working in the Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a diplomat. This then followed by an open question-and-answer session and a networking dinner. A total of 45 participants were involved ranging from undergrads, postgrads, lecturers and staffs.
During the event, Mr. Afdal Iza shared his thought on the common misconception people have on being a diplomat. “People think that being a diplomat, your job allows you to have this luxurious lifestyle moving to one country to another, but the truth is, there are more to it than just that.”
He added, “Adapting to a new environment and being able to handle conflicts is truly what we, diplomats, have to always be ready for. Nothing can be taken for granted and it is a big responsibility.”
Mr. Chia also shared his many experiences with interviews conducted by the PSC, “There have been many cases where people did not come to their allocated interview time simply because they forgot. Hence, little thing such as time preparation should not be something to neglect”.
The event would have not been possible without the cooperation of all parties especially the support from the School of Politics, History and International Relations, Professor William Case, Dr. Linda Quayle and Dr. Benjamin Barton. We thanked everyone that participated in the event and we hope that this first Career series event excites the students, and they should look forward to more Discovering Careers with PHIR Series next semester.
By: Adeeba Khairuddin
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