BLOGStreet, from JobStreet.com

What do you have to offer?

Dr Lee Kum Tatt was a leading Singapore scientist. Although we had never met, I've heard of him as the creator of the RISIS orchid and a very interesting and philosophical person. Dr Lee passed away on 1 Jun 2008, aged 81. Here are some motivational words from him, which we can all share around:

"I came from an underprivileged background. I was born a British subject, went through the Japanese occupation of S.E.A. and the events that followed after the war in the region. I lost 6 good years of my life. At one time I saw no future for myself. I was a charcoal seller, a farmer planting rice and other crops, a dealer in the “black” market and an odd job man. In the beginning I felt miserable and often cried till I had no more tears. My mother, whom I love very much, told me not to feel sorry for myself. She left me with the following advice: The world does not care for what you lack. It is only interested only in what you have to offer.

"My mother’s advice woke me up. I began to see the good in the things that I had to do. There is plenty for me to learn in what I have to do even as a farmer or charcoal seller. So long as what I do benefits and does no harm to others, my mother would be proud of me. This is what I always wanted for one who has sacrificed so much for me.

'I adopted and promoted this philosophy in my personal, professional life and career. My academic, professional and personal achievements speak for themselves. I hope that this quotation when practiced properly will also motivate others, as it did for me."

Here's where you can read more about him.

Alexa's traffic tracking tool

I haven't been visiting the Alexa.com website for quite a while. Possibly, it had been almost a year ago that I went to check how Alexa was tracking visitors to JobStreet.com. But last week, something prodded me to revisit Alexa.

If you don't know much about Alexa Internet Inc, it's a company that provides web traffic information to users. Alexa itself is a subsidiary of Amazon.com. The web traffic data changes daily but over a medium term, it provides a relatively good picture of a website's popularity or usefulness. Some say that Alexa's statistics is not accurate but many people still continue to use Alexa statistics as a benchmark or yardstick. This becomes very useful when you want to make relative comparison between different websites.

For example, when I was visiting Alexa earlier, I could actually view the graph that tracked visits to JobStreet.com over the past year. I could view the traffic history according to reach, rank and page views. What's more, I decided to make a comparison between JobStreet.com and another online recruitment website. As you can see from the picture, it's a real cool comparison tool.

Alexa also gives information on how a website ranks in popularity among Internet users. Taking JobStreet.com again as an example, I see that our overall ranking in the world is 820, meaning this is among the top 1,000 websites globally.

BTW, Alexa provides a very nifty toolbar that you can instal into your browser software. Once installed, you'll see a small unobstrusive graph at the bottom corner of the browser that gives the latest tracking information. So far, I see it working only on computers that use Internet Explorer and FireFox. Download this toolbar and give it a try if you're using any of these browsers.

Jerry Seinfeld's three rules of life

Jerry Seinfeld, the American stand-up comedian, was featured on a talk show that I was watching briefly yesterday as I darted in and out of my living room. I don't know whether you have heard of his Three Rules Of Life? He was talking about them yesterday and I thought to myself, yes, they make very good sense!

So what are they, Seinfeld's three rules of life, and how can they apply to us in our everyday lives?

First rule: bust your ass. What he was trying to say was, live your life to the fullest. Whatever you do, try your hardest. Just give it your best shot. Be exceptional in what you do. Follow your passion. Just work your darn hardest.

Second rule: pay attention. Pay attention to everything that is going on around you: the details in your work, the way you learn, the way you talk and communicate with others. Understand the bigger picture and how you fit into the grand scheme of things.

Third rule: fall in love. Make the world a better place. Everything that you do, fall in love with them. Fall in love with life - your job, your business, your customers, your services and products, your families. Cause people around you to fall in love with their lives. Fall in love with the environment and bask in the glory of nature.

Approaching your Boss with a tough question

Working for somebody else needn’t be stressful if you learn how he or she works, what he or she likes and dislikes, and how to approach him or her at the right time.

It can almost be a game. Knowing when to ask a difficult or awkward question is crucial to getting what you want. Don’t ask them the pressing question when they are stressed or in the middle of something important. Often, a Friday afternoon is a good time when they are winding down after a week of work and have a little more time to give. When you have a request always ensure that before you ask, you have a valid reason why you should be given it. When you approach you boss make sure that you don’t have any ‘I deserve this’ attitude and go in politely and positively.

Here's an excerpt from a Career article in the JobStreet.com vault:

Jenny Lee worked as a personal assistant to the Managing Director of a pharmaceutical company for four years. She enjoyed her job and liked working for her boss even though he could be temperamental at times. She practically ran the office and organised his personal and business commitments. After four years she thought she would be eligible for a pay rise and decided to approach her boss with the request. It was a Monday morning and she decided she would approach him at the beginning of the week.

That morning her boss had a crucial financial meeting with the accounts department. The meeting did not go well and the outcome was that the company would have to make some cutbacks. Although Jenny had been in the meeting taking the minutes, she still decided to approach her boss thinking that her request was still justified. He boss’s response was more than negative and he nearly threw her out of the room for as he put it as being "insensitive to the company's needs."

Jenny was mortified. She felt betrayed that all the hard work over the past four years had been in vain. She knew of others with less commitment in the company who had had a pay rise and she was treated like this! However, once she had calmed down, she realised she had asked at a completely the inappropriate time. She also knew her boss could be reasonable and decided to approach him at a later date.

Two weeks later, Jenny drafted a letter to her boss highlighting how happy she was to have worked for the company and for him and why she still would like to explore the possibility of a pay rise. She approached her boss at a quiet time in the office, when she knew he was relaxed and they discussed her proposal. Eventually they came to an agreement and Jenny was given a 10% pay rise. Even in the company crisis, her boss knew of her value and realised she was a loyal and productive employee.

Overcoming public speaking blues

Hey you! What do you know about public speaking? You know, getting up before a group of people to speak to them? It doesn't matter whether it's a group of 10 persons or an audience of 1,000 in a hall.

Do you enjoy public speaking? I've a confession. I would rather not do it. I'm VERY nervous when I have to get up on the stage. I feel uncomfortable when all eyes are on me. Is the fly undone? Unconsciously, I'll be moving my fingers onto my belt. A quick reassurance that the slider is there, just below the belt buckle. But sometimes, I have to speak in public because it's part of my job.

I've been reading that there is term to describe the fear of public speaking. It's called glossophobia, also known as stage fright, and it's believed to be the single most common phobia — affecting as much as 75 percent of the general population. Some say that the fear of speaking in public may even rank above the fear of dying. Mmm....

However, public speaking is one of the most importantly valued skills that you can possess. This skill can be used for almost anything. One of my colleagues in Indonesia says it's a key success factor in life, career, love and business! He's been trying to persuade job seekers over there to attend a public speaking training programme. If you are in Jakarta this July 18, perhaps you'd want to check this out.

As for me, before I ever even step into the hall for my presentation, I have to prepare myself thoroughly beforehand. For instance, here are some of the preliminary steps I take:

• Understand my audience. Who will I be speaking to?
• Practice! If you can practise in front of the mirror, do so. Watch your mannerisms.
• Dress appropriately because you have to show that visually, you are the star of the moment.
• Arrive early to familiarise yourself with the venue, audience and presentation aids.

Then, when it comes to my turn to speak, here are what I do:

• Calm my nerves. Take a few deep breaths before I start. (Touch my belt, naturally!)
• Get comfortable with my language. Avoid technical jargon. Use words that are natural to me and phrases that are understood by all.
• Get to the point so that I don't bore my audience with everything I know. I Just give them enough to let them know.
• Use simple anecdotes or practical examples that the audience can relate to. I try not to make it complicated for them.
• Constantly remind myself not to speak in a monotone. Vary the pitch of my voice or else I risk putting my audience to sleep.
• Try not to mumble or swallow my words. Speak slowly and clearly.
• Ask the organiser for a microphone if I feel that I cannot project my voice across the room.
• Check my body language: how I carry myself on the stage, how I gesture with my arms, my dressing. All very important to me.
• Look at my audience in the eyes. That's maintaining eye contact. Talk to them as if one-to-one.
• If I need a speech aid, I'd Jot down my key points or memory joggers on a small card that I hold inconspicuously in my palm.
• Visual aid. Very important. A power point presentation to help me convey my message across. But I've still got to remember not to overdo the information overkill part.

So that's that. My little tips on overcoming the fear of public speaking. They have helped me; I hope they'll help you too.

JECI poll, June 2008

June was not a particularly good month for countries in the South and South-East Asian regions as the spiralling price of fuel began to impact on the cost of living of the people.

Nevertheless, the impending rise in inflation does not seem to have adversely affected the job market yet.

In the four countries where JobStreet.com has been running our monthly Employment Confidence Index (JECI), we noticed that the indices are still relatively holding stable.

In Singapore, their JECI held at 54.0 points, only a 0.1 point down from the previous month.

In the Philippines, their JECI was also relatively stable, ending the month at 56.4, down by 0.3 points.

In Malaysia, their JECI also dropped by 0.3 points to 48.9 in June. Their JECI has been in a slow decline since March when the index touched a year-high of 51.8

In India, their JECI has also been slowly declining since January. For June, the index had settled at 67.8.

The JobStreet.com Employment Confident Index is a measurement of job seeker confidence in finding a job in the countries where we hold our monthly polls.

Bosses: how to handle them

Bosses may be human but you still need a certain tact to handle them. Here's an excerpt from a Career article that we dug up from the JobStreet.com vault:

If you don’t get on with your boss, your daily working life can be an absolute nightmare. Your work can be affected, your private life can suffer and each day can become unbearable. Some people will never get on with their bosses, there may be a personality clash, they may have different working ideals, and they may want different things for the company. But you have to get on in your working environment and learn how to handle your boss, for he/she is often the person who can make or break you.

Get your boss on your side. Remember your boss is also human. They have working pressures that they have to put up with from their superiors, they need to be able to trust you to know that they can depend on you and know that if they ask you to do something it will be done well and efficiently. One of the key ways in which to get your boss on your side is to get him/her to trust you. Trust is key to a good working relationship, if they can rely on you to do a good job then you are laughing.

Richard Peters was a sales executive for a well-known telecommunications company. On a daily basis he had to meet sales targets and ensure all sales leads were covered. His job was demanding and highly pressurised and his boss was continually hounding him to meet the targets over and above expectations.

One week his boss had to go away for an overseas meeting and he was left in charge of the fort and a small sales team. Richard took control immediately and realised he had been given the chance to prove himself. It had been a tough time in the sales department recently and part of the reason his boss had to go abroad to the head office in New York was to try and see how they could resolve the sales problem.

Richard explained: :It was a worrying time, the stress in the office was immense, morale was low and it seemed we were continually banging our heads against brick walls. Yet I knew we had a good product and there really was no good reason why we could not sell it. I knew that some of the sales team had found our boss very difficult to work for. His stress had made them jittery and they had become nervous and found it increasingly difficult to be confident in their work. I decided to address this from the outset and encourage confidence and set up an incentive project. My father had a chalet in the Seychelles and I told the team that whoever sold the most that week would get a week in the chalet, all expenses paid. I decided to take a chance and pay for the flight myself to whoever won. That week was incredible, not only did we meet sales targets over and above expectations, but we also sold so much that we resolved the sales problems over the previous four months. The team was so encouraged that they went from strength to strength."

For the next few weeks after that their sales continued to grow and with that so did their spirits. Richard’s boss was absolutely delighted, it actually came out that his boss’s job had been on the line and he could not find a way to sort out the sales problem. Richard was promoted instantly and for his loyalty and commitment to the company was rewarded with a hefty salary and bonus. His boss thanked him profusely and they have been solid working colleagues ever since.

Regional JECIs hold steady in May despite uncertainties

Here are the latest graphs for the JobStreet Employment Confidence Index (JECI) in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and India, as at the end of May 2008.

The JECI in Malaysia held steady in May 2008, dipping just 0.5 index points from Apr 2008.

In Singapore, the JECI has been in slow decline since Feb 2008 but in May, it improved slightly over the Apr data.

The JECI in the Philippines has been showing some volatility in recent months as it hovers between a tight range of 3.0 index points since the beginning of the year.

And in India, employment confidence remains high despite the slight monthly fluctuations.

Women encouraged to resume their careers

According to various news reports yesterday in The Economic Times and livemint.com, many companies are now encouraging women, who had left their careers midway to care for their families, to come back to work.

PepsiCo India is leading this initiative to target career opportunities at these women by offering them positions in consulting, sales and market research, project management and quality control, among others. But women who are returning to the workforce may need more than encouragement. For example, different working conditions to enable them to achieve a balance between home and work, such as a choice between working part-time and full-time, or even the option to work from home.

According to PepsiCo India's HR director, Pavan Bhatia, many talented women would like to work again but they couldn’t find the right opportunities. "They have the experience and they are a precious resource. Rather than letting this be a sheer waste, companies can reach out to them to achieve a win-win situation for all."

This direction has enabled the percentage of women in PepsiCo India's employment to rise from 5 percent to 20 percent in two years. In the company, women now make up about 33 percent of its top management and 15 percent of the rest of the workforce. It's still a long way from balancing the diversity scale but the company's getting there.

The reports say that PepsiCo India had been working closely with JobStreet.com India on the roles and opportunities that can be offered to the returning women professionals. You can check out the Pepsico India webpage for job postings at Pepsico India. There are also plans to expand this into an industry-wide initiative and PepsiCo India has begun talking with companies such as Microsoft India, IBM India, the RPG Group and Fidelity Fund Management. The plan is to persuade them to post their jobs for women on its site as well.

Read the original news reports in The Economic Times and livemint.com.

Blade runner's dreaming of Beijing Olympics

I don't suppose you will have heard of Oscar Pistorius before but this 21-year-old South African athlete is what heros are made of and job seekers like us can certainly take inspiration from his determination and perseverence against the odds until he succeeded.

Pistorius is no ordinary athlete. He is a double amputee. As a 17-month-old toddler, his parents took the heart-breaking decision to amputate both his deformed legs beneath his knees. Then, throughout his growing years, he battled against discrimination and bullies.

In 2004, he decided to try out for the Paralympic Games and he began to win medals after medals, setting one record after another. Soon, he began competing against able-bodied athletes and came to the notice of the IAAF. Somehow, the IAAF decided to ban Pistorius from running against able-bodies athletes because their tests suggested that the carbon-fibre prosthetic legs he was using could be considered technical aids.

Pistorius persevered by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and was told last Friday that he could after all try for a place in the South African athletics contingent to the Beijing Olympics.

"From the time I first held Oscar in my arms when he was born and I cut the umbilical cord I could see there was something different about his feet. But I never considered it a defect and feel the same way now as I did in those first few split seconds. His special circumstances are an opportunity."
                                          - Henke Pistorius (Oscar's father)

Last year, JobStreet.com featured a story about a disabled man who entered the boxing ring with some considerable success. We are now equally heartened to hear of this man's determination to achieve his dream on the track. Now, just imagine if we can emulate Pistorius' perseverence towards securing our dreams in the job market.