Career Workshop: Entrepreneurship and Career Talent Camp was held for three days from 19 to 21 July 2019 at UTAR Sungai Long Campus. The Entrepreneurship session was jointly organised by UTAR Department of Soft Skills Competency and Department of Alumni Relations and Placement (DARP).
UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong said in his welcome speech, “We are not naturally born as leaders, hence we need to cultivate leadership skills and practice it, especially soft skills. Therefore, we are grateful to have these entrepreneurs here to teach our students. Before they become leaders, they need to learn to be rational especially in making decisions."
UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong said in his welcome speech, “We are not naturally born as leaders, hence we need to cultivate leadership skills and practice it, especially soft skills. Therefore, we are grateful to have these entrepreneurs here to teach our students. Before they become leaders, they need to learn to be rational especially in making decisions.
Prof Choong giving his speech
From left: Robin Seng, Simon Lai, Prof Choong, Jeffrey Leong and Nathan Chong
The invited speakers were Founder of Pixel Amore, Picture Passenger, Marrylane and AMO Creative Media Sdn Bhd Robin Seng Chor Keat and Founder of APE Business Solutions Nathan Chong Yew See. They were both alumni of UTAR.
Robin Seng during his talk
Robin Seng gave a talk titled “Are you building the correct skills? The often-neglected skills that will make you thrive”. He shared his 14 years of experience in the field along with the eight types of mindset needed for a career.
“To join an activity, you need to have a clearer objective. Focus on the small achievements before thinking of the big ones. You need to take one step at a time to obtain the results. Also, learn to solve problems in a team. Accept others’ perspectives. Systemise all the process. Repeat the process and work efficiently,” said Robin Seng. He also advised, “Having an SOP is important, they tell you what to do. Know the reason why you took up your degree. The more you study, the more knowledgeable you become.”
Nathan Chong gave a talk titled “Careership vs. Entrepreneurship: Things you must know to Excel!”. He spoke about enhancing professional skills, the differences between entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship and the common misunderstanding that comes with it, as well as the five successful traits of an entrepreneur and intrapreneur. He also showed the statistics of the subjects that are less employable and mentioned the reasons why people are unemployed.
“58 per cent of graduates show a poor attitude and they are very selective about the company they choose. The other 52 per cent has a poor command of English. You must develop a good attitude, deep motivation and passion for your job,” said Nathan Chong.
Nathan Chong giving his talk
After the talk, a forum was held to discuss “Entrepreneurship: Tips and Challenges. Are Soft Skills also Survival Skills?”. The panellists were Human Resource Manager of Talent Leadership Culture of Berjaya Sompo Insurance Berhad Simon Lai, Robin Seng, Nathan Chong, Micheal Page Associate Director William Teh and Co-founder of Seedemic Jeffrey Leong. The moderator of the forum was DARP Senior Assistant Manager Lee Wan Poh.
From left: Jeffrey Leong, Robin Seng, Simon Lai, William Teh and Nathan Chong
Panellists voicing out their opinions
The panellists with Lee (left)
Jeffrey Leong said, “Soft skills are required when communicating with people. Being an entrepreneur requires one to constantly deal with people and their business. Always learn new things in a faster way. You need to know how to reply to an email because it is also part of soft skills. You must know the reason why you want to become an entrepreneur. In reality, you need to know your own timeline. Take the challenge and be who you are. The way you treat others is important. The things you do portrays who you are.”
Nathan Chong said, “I would advise you to take the initiative and worry less about your career. I would also encourage you to fully utilise the resources prepared for you at the university. Participate in activities that would enhance your soft skills. Soft skills is a survival skill that deals with people. How people perceive you is important, hence work on your first impression.”
Simon Lai said, “One of the soft skills needed in the workplace is resilience, it is an important part of the soft skills. Secondly, learn from experience. Thirdly, learn to face problems bravely when you are having an emotional breakdown. Being a professional consultant, the criteria I look for when recruiting small growing businesses are they have to know the mission and vision of the company; they must have done some research about the company and they must have an excellent attitude. Learn as much as you can. Time is luxurious especially after you graduate.”
William Teh said, “Firstly, collaboration is required to work with people. With technical skills alone, you will not be able to deal with people. In order to work with people, you must have the ability to influence. It is all about your attitude, how you are perceived by others. Gain as many soft skills as you can. Always be humble and have a vision and passion for yourself. Learning ability and attitude is not a barrier to success.”
Robin Seng said, “To become a successful entrepreneur, you must not be afraid of failures. Mental strength is important to face obstacles and fears. You may at times question yourself whether you are going in the right direction or not but whatever you do, never give up. ”
The five panellists agreed that attitude is the most important element for an employer as it makes one more employable. The forum saw the participation of 80 students.
Students at the forum
Front row, from third from right: Prof Choong, Simon Lai and Robin Seng with participants
A welcome speech from Jeffrey Leong
A training session was organised by Seedemic for the participants of Career Talent Camp. The session included creating own career values, branding and packaging oneself, writing resume and understanding values, to name a few. The objective of the camp was to reduce the expectation gap of the employers towards fresh graduates by preparing them with the right mindset and attitude for employment. A total of 15 students participated in the event.
Participants getting to know one another during the ice-breaking activity
From left: Callie Pan introducing herself to everyone
Students during the activity
Chin presenting her own dream home
The Career Talent Camp also witnessed CEO-cum-Founder of Hostastay Management Platform Jordan Oon giving a talk on “Dream and Motivation”. Besides, General Manager of Host Platform Sdn Bhd Jayden Lee organised self-discovery activities for the participants. The activities include discovering one’s dream, goal and position in life. Managing Director-cum-Co-founder of GAFS Advisory Sdn Bhd Goo Kah Thart also presented a talk titled “The Truth of Life”.
Jordan Oon giving his talk
Goo (right) presenting his talk
Jayden Lee during the activities
Participants were asked to complete their choice of dream
Jeffrey Leong explaining the right way to prepare a resume
Participants waiting for the live interview
The interview session in progress
A group of students discussing their ideas during the team building session
Students diligently doing their task
Students presenting their ideas
Teams presenting their respective work during Seedemic Career BootCamp Team Challenge Session
A group of students posing
“I wanted to learn some entrepreneurial skills hence why I participated in this event. Overall, I believe it was a good event,” said Callie Pan, Year Three Graphic Designer student.
Year Three Graphic Designer student Chin Wei Xin said, “I joined this career camp to obtain real-life experience which we do not learn in the classroom most of the time. I wish to take this opportunity to network with others.”
“I joined this camp to learn how to prepare a resume and CV. I also wanted to know how to prepare for interviews effectively besides learning interpersonal skills,” said Utayasri Nagarajan, Year Four Accounting student.
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