Getting a job

Salam all,

Working life is damn tough and finding work is much tougher especially during the economic downturn. I have quit my job as a Direct Sales Executive 3 weeks ago due to the sales quota that I cannot meet in time. Although I still find the working environment is very exciting, the fact that I am unable to cope with the fast growing sales industry which focus on improving sales as fast as possible, has place pressure on me. Thus, I have left the company and the pay doesn't makes sense to me to be quite frank.

I did not left the company with regret and disappointment but I left with a wonderful experience in which help me to boost my my confidence but fear of commission-based earning. After I quit, I find it so hard to get a fixed-pay job especially for temporary position as I will be repeating my 2nd semester (which starts on Oct this year) due to just one failed module in which I hate the most - Business Finance and my current GPA is 2.5. Just because of one module, I cannot graduate; it's not that I failed overall. Thus, the need of finding a job is very important as I have to pay my own school fees which cost about $1k plus. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed being a repeated student.

I've been up to 5 interviews and all of them told me that "We will call you back if you are shortlisted". They never did. To be honest, I did not practice the "Interview Rules" during interview. I just answer what came across my mind. Today, I had an interview as Operation Assistant, temp position to cover the maternity leave staff. It was the most memorable interview I ever had.

The interviewer is a Chinese China man who knows nothing about the Singapore. Instead of asking me questions related to the job scope, he asked, "I see your resume that you studied in Republic Polytechnic. So what's the difference with Singapore Polytechnic that is nearby here? I don't really know about Singapore education system." So I explain to him how the education system works in Singapore, from primary level to master. Haha..

Then he asked me, "What's your favourite module in polytechnic?" "Marketing. Because I love to generate ideas and set on my thinking cap. I also love to talk to people. That's why all of my previous job experience are retail and sales. Nevertheless, I hope to get this job in to widen my knowledge and experience." He was surprised. So he asked me about positioning, segmentation and all the terms of the marketing area. I saw a poster on his table and I asked him, "Is this what your company sell? IDD international calling card? How come I never seen this calling card before?"

He answered, "It's available at India."
CT: Ouh, so you mean that this card is not availabe in Singapore?
He: No, it's available here.
CT: But you just said India.
He: Little India.
Haha.. we just laugh it all.

CT: Why not you sell it at the retail outlets, such as Cheers, 7-eleven, famous handphone shops. When I worked in Cheers, Phoenix card is the most sellable. Why not you analysis your competitors?
He: Ouh, because we work with a distributor. Anyway, our calling cards sales has decline and we need to work it out. I felt that it is this poster issue.
CT: Yeah, you are right. This poster is not convincing and attractive enough. Your differentiation from the rest of the IDD cards is that you have "scratch and win" lucky draws. But there's a lots of words in this poster. No emphasis at all. The prize picture should be larger. It is not vicible. And how you came out with the prizes?
He: Ouh, I can see that you are really good that this marketing part.
CT: If I were in the customer shoe, I want prizes that is up-to-date. The first prized is quite okay but not the 2nd and so-on prizes. Who wants to really win mp3 player? I-phone or i-pod is in-trend right now. In any lucky draw competitions, be it in TV, most of them offer i-phone as a promotion strategies.
He: You are right. So since you know how to market a product well, I may consider you to work in the sales and marketing department after the 4 months temp job.

I told Irwan that the person will call me back once shortlisted and I explain that had happen. From his face, he was so disappointment on how I critique their poster because it shows I look down on the company. I just want employer to employ me for who I am and I am being very honest. It is never my intention to look down on the company that I want to give them my point of view so that they understand where I was coming from. I want to help. However, in less than 20 mins later, the hiring manager called me to start work on this wednesday. I am freaking happy! Alhamdulillah, I finally got a job though it's only temp position.

What's more? In the evening, I received a call that I am successfully selected to teach tuition for primary 1 student EM & Malay and will start this week. Currently, I'm tutoring primary 3 student EMS. So have 3 jobs total.

I considered teaching as my hobby. So I don't really view it as a job as I enjoy teaching and feel really satisfied when that students improve. I try to keep myself busy before sem 2 start. Irwan has also been very busy with his SMRT job as circle line will commence soon on 1st May. He's been voluntarily working overtime to save money, first to support family and second to get married; insyaAllah when I turn 26. I'm not in a rush.

I've stopped my business as I have some trouble with it. And now focusing on finding jobs to gain experience and opportunities.

In this economic downturn, increasing number of people realized that insuran is very important and now, most company will not guarantee your job. I went to AIA recruitment talk and found it very interesting in how the system works. Although it is only commission-based job, the career prospect interest me the most. Minimum sales is 3 submission for every 3 months and imagine that even you don't work, you still have income coming in. Insurance customers are required to pay every month and for every month, more than 20% (depending on the type of insurance) of what they paid will go to us. So the more customers you collect, the more stable income you get even you don't work! A friend of mine have been in the AIA for 10 years and her stable income is around $2k without working. Wah... I told Carmelia this and she was very interested too. Unfortunately, we have not officially turned 21 yet. But we have plan to take the insurance test to see if we can fit in this job scope.

Being independant is not easy. Su, Carmelia and I were financially independent since our Year 3 poly. We have to work to pay our food and transport expenses, shopping and bills without getting a single cent from our parents. That's the thing we have in common. I sold my Sony Ecrisson cybershot handphone to pay my transport fares to go job interview. Carmelia sold an in-trend device that she had work hard to buy it and now she have just sold it to pay her University school fees. While Su hard earn money is controlled and managed by her dad. And although mine is not controlled, I have to work hard for family and myself.

Like I said before, getting a job is not a long-term solution to be financially free. I still have dream to set up an offline business.

Salam,
Rohani