Many have this impression of industrial training being merely ‘part of the academic syllabus’. This is where you got it all wrong. A good industrial experience will do wonders to you.
Not only it equips you with new, hands-on technical knowledge and applications, you are also exposed to the real working environment – the world you will be in after you finish your studies. This is an opportunity to get a ‘taste’ of the working world.
I have in fact saw many of my friends offered to come back working with the same companies they had been attached to during the industrial training – companies like Shell, Schlumberger, Silterra, Agilent Technologies, IBM, Western Digital and so on. It shows that if you take your training seriously, opportunities will come, and you will have an easier, and faster access to employment upon graduation.
1. Get your resume ready
Your resume can perhaps be the most important document you will ever write before leaving the education world. A fabulous resume will not guarantee you a job or a place for training but surely it is a door opening. It is your first ticket to marketing yourself in the corporate world. There are hundreds, if not thousands of resume samples out there you can view and get a feel before starting to write your own.
Get a few friends to work with you on the resume. After all, every one of them will eventually need one of their own when the school finishes. Ask other senior colleagues, lecturers and career councilors to get things correctly done.
2. Compile all relevant documents
Get your all other supplementary documents in order e.g. letter from the faculty, university’s authorization, cover letter and other relevant documents so that you’re not kelam kelabut when you’re asked for those things.
3. Ask for a company list from the department
Your faculty or department should have some sort of list of companies they’ve targeted as possible partners in providing industrial training to the students. You should take the opportunity to ask for this list, together with the contact details. Take your own initiative to study the companies, and make a sensible short list of which companies can provide you with good experience. Also, do not only depend on your department’s list – work out to get your own list too.
Why can’t I just let the company finding an industrial placement for me?
Nice thinking bro. If you are a 20-year old kid still in need to be spoon-fed, by all means, do so. Just remember that, by the time you hold your degree scroll, you’re on your own, in a whole new world. If you want to start being an independent macho guy, then it’s time to take things with your own hands. The time is now.
The choice is yours.
4. Call the companies – ask
Start calling those companies that you’ve short listed. Talk to the HR Manager or one of the personnel in theHuman Resources department. Courteously ask them if they provide industrial training opportunities to students. Sometimes, you won’t be getting a positive or pretty response. You know, responses like:
- “No, we don’t”.
- “I’m not sure, but if you’re interested, you can send your resume to… “
- “Pegawai bertugas cutilah dik… cuba call balik dalam… next year ke…”
- “Just hold on a minute…..” – and never come back.
Do not be discouraged. Most likely these happen because the guy/girl on the other line is incompetent in their job, or is someone in need of attitude adjustment. At least, this is way better than getting no response at all. And if you don’t know how an unemployed bum feels in the midst of job hunting, now you know. So, this is a good practice for your real experience soon. Treasure it.
5. Submit your resume, follow up
Once you have identified suitable companies, get the relevant contact details that will allow you to send your resume to them. Do not only settle for email, but follow up with a write-in to increase your chance. Also, do not just send to 2-3 companies. Short list between 15 to 30. Periodically follow up your application. Many Malaysian companies have this habit of ignoring job application letters with the excuse of ‘busy’. It does not sound good to you but bite the reality. At times it sounds as if they’re running a country in a middle of a civil war.
Hopefully, you will get good news, a number of interview invitations, and a place for industrial training very, very soon.
Jipun : Hai jiwang nampak memalam ni.. Teringat mak ke?
Jebon : Perli nampak.. Makan dalam nanti aku Jipun.. Ko macam
tak tau je masalah aku.. Haiih..
Jipun : Takkan la break up lagi Jebon oii? Dah macam hobi kau
pulak aku tengok..
Jebon : Hmm.. Ni dah kali yang ke seratus aku break up Jipun.. Tak
tau la apa yang tak kena.. Memang aku ni ditakdirkan hidup sensorang
ke? Kenapa sorang awek pun tak lekat dengan aku haa.. Tiap2 hari aku
runsing pikir pasal hal ni tau.
Jipun : Aku dah agak, mesti ada masalah dengan awek baru kau ni..
Aku dah cakap tak payah couple2 ni.. Nanti kang kalau kau nak kahwin
haa, baru la cari.
Jebon : Tapi kalau tak cari cemana nak kahwin bai.. Nak kenal2 dulu..
Aku tengok kau ni cool je. Tak pernah nampak runsing pasal awek ke,
nak cari minah mana2 ke.. Kau abnormal ke Jipun?
Jipun : Sampai hati kau kata aku abnormal. Sebenarnya memang
sifat semulajadi aku sejak lahir adalah seorang jejaka cool. Kau nak tau
kenapa aku macam ni?
Jebon : Haa nak nak, cerita la.
Jipun : Kau ingat tak lagi tahun lepas, yang pasal kau merungut
dengan bos kau pasal kerja?
Jebon : Haah ingat.. Nape Jipun?
Jipun : Haa.. Kau tak puas hati dengan arahan bos kau kan. Kau
cakap baik tambah pekerja daripada pakai mesin buat kerja, jimat kos.
Biasa la akauntan kan.. Mesti hebat kira punya.
Jebon : Hehe. Sempat lagi ngutuk aku. Depan-depan pulak tu.
Jipun : Tengok-tengok lepas setahun baru kau nampak yang kerugian
beli robot tu cuma sementara je. Lepas lepas tu dapat jimat sebab robot
tu buat kerja tak berhenti. Kau faham tak maksud aku Jebon?
Jebon : Hush.. Langsung tak faham. Tiba tiba je ungkit tentang cerita
lama. Apa maksud kau ni Jipun. Cuba terangkan.
Jipun : Aku ada 2 soalan untuk kau. Soalan pertama, kenapa masa
tak puas hati dengan bos kau tu, kau tak gaduh sampai kau menang?
Jebon : Mestila.. Dia kan bos aku. Dia la yang bagi gaji kat aku,
kalau aku buat apa2 sampai dia marah kat aku, habis la aku. Silap-silap
kena buang kerja. Huu tak nak..tak nak..
Jipun : Haa soalan kedua. Kau rasa kenapa dia dapat fikir tentang
robot tu, mula-mula kau rasa macam yakin sangat, tapi last-last,
teori dia jugak yang betul?
Jebon : Mestila.. Dia kan hebat. Aku ni kerja kira-kira je. Aku
tak pandai dan hebat fikir macam dia. Kalau dia tak hebat, takdela dia
jadi bos. Walaupun aku rasa mula-mula tu macam aku betul,
rupa-rupanya aku salah. Sebab fikiran aku cetek je, tak macam dia
tahu macam-macam.
Jipun : Hmm.. Tula maksud aku Jebon. Kita semua mencari
kebahagiaan dalam hidup. Tapi kita lupa yang cuma Allah je
yang boleh bagi kita kebahagiaan. Kita sibuk fikir cemana kita nak bahagia.
Cari jodoh dan orang yang sesuai dengan diri kita tanpa berharap
kepada yang Berkuasa dan rasa bahawa kita sendiri yang
menentukan jodoh kita.
Jebon : Erm betul tu.. Aku selalu rasa rasa macam tu..
Huhu.
Jipun : Jadi untuk dapat kebahagiaan, kita tak boleh la buat benda
yang Allah tak suka, sebab cuma Dia yang boleh bagi kebahagiaan
dekat kita. Tapi Allah maha Pemurah, walaupun kita selalu lupa dan
buat benda yang berlawanan dengan perintahNya, Dia sentiasa ingat
dekat kita dan tetap memberi nikmat.
Jebon : Aku selalu nak kebahagiaan Jipun.. Tapi baru aku sedar yang
cara-cara aku tu semuanya tak yang macam Allah suka. Astaghfirullah..
Jipun : Allah maha Mengetahui. Dia lebih tahu apa yang terbaik
untuk kita. Kadang2 kita rasa sesuatu tu baik untuk kita, tapi akal kita
sebagai hamba ni sangat terbatas. Kita kena sentiasa yakin Allah
lebih mengetahui berbanding kita. Tanggungjawab kita sebagai hamba
ialah ikut perintah Allah, dan jauhi laranganNya. InsyaAllah semuanya
akan selamat.
Jebon : Aku selalu rasa yang aku tahu semua Jipun.. Tapi aku lupa yang
pengetahuan aku ni lemah. Sampaikan akal aku ni pun Allah yang bagi.
Jipun : Salah satu antara rukun iman ialah beriman kepada Qada
dan Qadar. Jadi kita kena sentiasa yakin dengan apa saja yang Allah
tetapkan. Kita mesti yakin juga yang Allah telah menetapkan tentang
jodoh untuk kita.
Jebon : InsyaAllah..
Jipun : Sebab tu kau nampak aku cool je. Hehe.. Sebenarnya aku
takdela cool sangat. Aku pun manusia biasa macam kau Jebon. Aku
pun ada rasa untuk dapatkan perhatian daripada perempuan. Tapi aku
yakin dengan janji Allah. Yang penting sekarang aku perlu baiki
diri sebaik mungkin, supaya jodoh aku nanti insyaAllah orang
yang baik-baik.
Jebon : Betul tu Jipun. Kadang2 aku terlalu risaukan tentang jodoh
aku, sampaikan aku dah abaikan tanggungjawab sendiri dan
menyebabkan aku kurang yakin dengan ketentuan Allah.
Jipun : Camtu lepas ni sama-samalah kita fikir tentang cemana
nak baiki kelemahan-kelemahan diri kita. Lebih baik daripada sembang
tentang awek yang tak janjikan apa-apa. Nanti dah sampai masa,
kau dah sedia nak kahwin, baru kita carik. Orait?
Jebon : Tiba-tiba aku terasa baik seperti kau Jipun.. Orait.
InsyaAllah..
Jipun : Jom tido..
Jebon : Kau ni ajak tido lain macam je.. Kau memang betul2
abnormal ke?
Jipun : Haiih..
