Source: My UM
Finding a job is a challenge faced by all graduating students, especially given the increasingly competitive job market. How are UM students doing? Are they ready?
Opportunity Favours the Prepared Mind
Nowadays if you ask a university student what she would like to do after graduation, she might tell you, jokingly, “anything except joining the ranks of the unemployed”. Although joining the ranks of the unemployed upon graduation is a grim reality in some Asian places with increasingly tough competition, it’s a very unlikely scenario for students in Macao where the unemployment rate hovers blessedly around just 1.7 per cent and several ongoing major projects in Cotai promise even more job opportunities in the future.
But if one is unprepared, opportunities will only slip through his fingers. Yan Cheong from the Faculty of Business Administration is a firm believer in the maxim that opportunity favours the prepared mind. A major in Gaming and Hospitality Management major, Yan found a job as assistant in the HR department at Melco Crown Entertainment before graduation, which she admits was a pleasant surprise because she never expected that an internship opportunity would turn into a full-time job with excellent working environment and employee benefits. But what appears to be just a fluke of luck could also be due to her preparedness. She still remembers vividly how frustrated and confused she felt when she started career planning in her third year to try to figure out what she might like to do after graduation. “Personally I think work-related knowledge and skills, a good attitude, the willingness to ask question, and the courage to seize every opportunity are very important if you want to find a good job,” says Yan. “I started out at Melco as an intern, and thanks to the recommendation of my supervisor who was pleased with my work, I became first a part-time assistant, and then a full-time one. The whole process was unexpectedly smooth.”
Like Yan, Sun Chao, a master’s student of accounting from mainland China, who is rumoured to have had at least 100 interviews since he graduated from college, has also found a job before graduation. In fact Sun received several offers, and finally he chose the Zhuhai-based Huafa Group, a well-known state-owned real estate business. For Sun, studying at UM has been a horizon-broadening experience that has not only helped him grow intellectually and emotionally, but has taught him to think in a more flexible and creative way and improved his teamwork skills, and he believes these have combined to give him an edge on the job market.
It’s Never Too Early to Start Career
Planning For many students, career planning has received less attention than it deserves. While “Better late than never” holds true in many aspects of our lives, when it comes to career planning, “better early than late” seems to be the way to go. Yan believes that the latest time one should start career planning is in the third year. She suggests that students should consider doing part-time jobs if they can make sure it doesn’t get in the way of their studies, because working part-time not only helps them find the type of work that is best suited to their skills and interests, but also gives them a chance to meet new people. Francesca Tam Wong Ha, functional head of FSPC, echoes Yan’s opinion and goes one step further. She suggests that it’s best to start career planning in the second year, because that helps the students to plan what skills need to be acquired in the next few years. She adds that students should avail themselves of the services and opportunities provided by FSPC. For instance students could take the personality and career interest tests to have a better idea about which career direction they wish to take. They could also participate in the various programmes and activities, such as internship programmes, career training, mock interviews, etc.
