1. Do you hire candidates with a below-average CGPA and why?
Academic results are important, however, there are several reasons why a candidate may have attained a below-average CGPA. It’s important that we speak to the candidates and give them a chance to explain why. What I value beyond grades are their values and their willingness to learn, unlearn and relearn. The right attitude and wanting to have a positive impact around you can go a long way.
2. In a résumé, is it better to focus on academic achievements or extracurricular activities and work experience?
All fresh graduate résumés should have a “personal value proposition” – a compelling enough representation of who they are. It must have a good mix of different activities or pursuits and focused achievements or roles and responsibilities. The résumé should get my attention. They get to tell me more about themselves when we have a face-to-face meeting or telephone interview thereafter.
3. Do you consider hiring graduates who are looking for a job in an industry that differs from their academic background?
Yes, diversity is very much welcome at DKSH. We have pharmacists with successful sales careers as well as engineers within our People & Organization team. Fresh graduates get to enjoy holistic on-the-job learning and development at DKSH and this, in turn, drives their personal and professional growth.
4. In your opinion, what makes a good interview?
A good interview is when the candidate can articulate their point of view. A great interview is when the candidate articulates this with empathy, authenticity and esteem. A candidate that can “write their own ticket” by taking responsibility and ownership on whatever they have worked on with creativity, resilience and common sense piques my interest. This demonstrates that they seize opportunities whenever they arise, don’t rest on their laurels and instead remain hungry as well as curious.
5. Are there any job-seeking tips that would give a candidate an extra edge?
A candidate I recently interviewed shared with me how our relaunched DKSH Employer Value Proposition, with the tagline “Drive growth. Be the difference.”, resonated with them and how this linked back to their own values. It was simple, meaningful and straight to the point. The candidate was candidly honest about what they knew (including financials) and what they did not quite understand about the businesses we run. As a fresh graduate, it’s not expected that you know everything, but what shows your commitment are the questions you ask and how you make sense of the answers you receive.
