Employer
Top Glove Sdn Bhd
Position
Senior Manager, Group Human Resources
Qualification
Master of Arts in Communication, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Has been with the company for
8 months
How has the covid pandemic affected your graduate recruitment efforts?
For the past few years, Top Glove has been hiring more aggressively than before. In the pursuit of becoming a Fortune Global 500 company, we are continuously expanding and encouraging young talents and fresh graduates to join us. The pandemic has inadvertently aided in the growth of the company as a whole.
At the same time, we are also embarking on a journey towards Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0. As a result, we doubled down the effort on our graduate recruitment initiatives. We partnered with several universities to ensure that we are engaging with the young talents at all times.
How would you advise a candidate to make a good impression during a virtual interview?
Before the interview, do ensure that all your devices are working. There have been too many occasions where the interview did not end well due to lack of preparation or technical interference. It is best if we are able to keep the interference to a minimum.
Besides that, being presentable in a virtual interview is still as important as a physical interview. Dress up how you would dress up for a physical interview. That will leave a good impression on the hiring managers. Do remember to look at the camera while the interview is ongoing!
What is the one skill (or quality) you think is more important for fresh grads to have now compared to pre-pandemic times?
Soft skills are still in demand by all employers, be it now or in pre-pandemic times. Communication skills, leadership skills, and adaptability are still highly sought after.
If there is one skill that is more important for fresh grads now, it would be tech-savvy. With the rise of IR4.0, it is of utmost importance to have digital knowledge or skills at your disposal. The pandemic has catapulted the importance of digitalisation in all fields. Having a digital skillset will make you stand out from the rest.
How would you recommend students increase their chances of landing a job in our tough times?
Instead of thinking about how to increase the chances of landing a job, start thinking about how can you increase your value. What has been stated in the previous question still stands, where you can start by learning or improving on the highly sought skills. No matter how difficult it is, continuous learning ensures that you would have valuable knowledge and skills to prepare yourself.
On the topic of preparations, diversifying your skillsets are also one of the ways that you can increase your value. Learn any skills that may aid you in landing the job that you are seeking especially in Top Glove.
How feasible and/or effective are non-face-to-face internships? How has your organisation prepared for this?
It is feasible and effective depending on the requirement of the role. For example, desk-bound positions like Finance or IT could work anywhere. These are feasible to be implemented non-face-to-face. However, roles like mechanical engineers or plant chemical engineers needed to interact with physical materials or equipment. In this case, they would not be able to perform the role without being physically on-site. Therefore, non-face-to-face internships still have limitations in regards to which role can best use its benefits.
Top Glove is in preparation to move to the next phase of work. Aligning with IR 4.0 initiatives, we will be implementing more digital tools, automation processes, and robotics to reduce the need for employees to be physically present on-site. Thus, enable employees to work in mobility.
