JANUARY 23 — Recently, there was a vacancy in the company that I’m currently working in. The position is similar to mine, so I was directly involved with the recruiting process. After the advert was published, we received many resumes and application for the position, and began to rigorously shortlist and interview the candidates.
One of them is a young fresh graduate. He does not have any full time working experience prior to this, but looking at his resume and gauging from his interview, I thought that we could give him a chance to start somewhere.
Therefore, I informed my boss to select him, supported the decision to hire him, all solely based on his academic credentials, internship experience, and the fact that he worked 2 jobs that are below his qualifications to make a living.
I thought that was a good indicator of someone who has the commitment and diligence to work hard.
It turns out that I was wrong.
Around two hours before he was supposed to start work, I received a WhatsApp message from him, declining the offer with a reason that his family did not agree with him working with someone other than them.
This is after we have asked specifically during the interview, if his family would be alright when he is no longer working with them, which he specifically said that they will be fine since he is just the “additional” worker.
Inevitably, I deduced that the fact that he simultaneously worked in two, low-paying, low-qualification jobs was not actually because he has the commitment to work hard and endure situations that is non-ideal, but rather, it was probably the opposite.
Perhaps he actually wants to continue working in such jobs. Because then, he would not be required to think on his feet and utilise his education at a different level. He would not have to learn more, analyse, make decisions, take responsibility, and be required to follow deadlines for each assigned tasks.
The fact that he declined the offer through a WhatsApp message two hours before the start of his first work day certainly shows that possibility. It was appalling to think that the official appointment was given through a written email, further notified verbally through phone call, and the offer letter was ready to be signed, and yet someone could decline this through a text message sent at the very last minute.
I had to re-schedule everything the first thing that morning. And to think that the company has already applied for his work and vehicle pass which will still have to be paid for now that both of it were submitted when he agreed to work. It was a huge disappointment.
What I hope to bring up here for us to think about is the fact that there are many fresh graduates out there who are looking for jobs and lamenting the fact that they were not chosen due to not having any experience.
But if one day the opportunity comes to you, will you really be willing to exit your comfort zone and be ready to try?
And if you don’t, will you be able to at least have the decency to reply in the proper channel in advance? Do you understand that every work-related decision that comes from you has its consequences?
I think it is something that the fresh graduates of today have to think about. No matter how challenging you think the job might be, no matter how far the amount is from your dream salary, just remember that you have to start somewhere. If you refuse to start, you will never reach anywhere. And all beginnings are difficult, unless you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth, by which I am sure that even those in that category have their own challenges as they begin their journey.
At the end of the day, when you fill out application forms and send out resumes, you need to think about whether or not you will be willing to work in the job that you’re applying for when it really comes down to it. If not then you will be spending a huge portion of your youth applying jobs and declining offers instead of starting somewhere and gaining some experience from it.
At least, the earlier you start working, the earlier you will know what is acceptable and not acceptable for you, or what you like or dislike or what interests you more than the others. From there you can move on to focus on the type of jobs that suit better with your interests, and hopefully excel in it.
Because you will never truly know if the job suits you until you actually give it a try, unless you are someone who have experience working in a similar capacity prior to that, or you are an intuitive psychic.
On the other hand, if you start working and you find that it is not the right one for you in the long run, then after some time you can start looking again for other positions that are more suitable for you.
Yes, that will be another challenge, but at least you have tried and gained some experience from it. At least you have started somewhere and you have the knowledge and experience to show for it. Do not be too afraid of making the wrong career choices because whatever happens, you are still young. You have an entire lifetime to make up for it. And several other jobs to explore.
Of course, job-hunting and entering the working world is a constant challenge, even for those who have plenty of experience with it.
The world is currently a challenging place for us to live in, considering the various socio-economic events occurring in the past decade itself.
But the point is that, sometimes we cannot change how the world works and bend the situation to follow our will.
But what we can do is change our attitude towards it. Keep a clear goal, try hard, and be ready when opportunity comes.
When it knocks upon your door, seize the moment and strike while the iron is hot. If not then you might just end up spending a long time just waiting for the ideal job to land on your lap while fantasising a future that you were not even really trying for in the first place.
*This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily the views of Malay Mail Online.
