Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Phone Interview with Shell
I had a 20 minutes phone interview with Shell at 2pm, today. I was very nervous before the interview. A lady from the Human Resource (HR) called me slightly after 2pm. Unlike other interviews, she did not ask any technical questions. Instead, she asked questions on leadership, achievements, problem solving and challenges. The weirdest part is the last one, about general knowledge. She asked me about National Park, its purpose, advantages and disadvantages. Even though it is not a face-to-face interview, I feel even nervous, maybe because I could not see her reactions on my answers. I will be notified if I manage to get into the last phase of interview in another 5 working days. According to the lady, there would not be any technical questions for the last phase as well. It will be a whole day session in Shell.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Interview for Programmer at Intel
I departed for my interview in Intel at PG12. It was drizzling again before I departed. It was easier to find the place compared to Agilent. I do not need to register myself at the guard house and headed directly to the lobby. The security checking only starts from there. They have a body scanner there, like the one in the airport. I called the interviewer, SM before registering myself at the counter. I would prefer this kind of security, at least everyone do not need to get stuck at the small entrance at the guard house. SM approached me shortly after that. He is a middle age man in his 30s and quite friendly. We went into one of the small meeting rooms for the interview. The interview is not very formal but there are some technical questions. He gave me a problem solving question but I think I took a bit too long to solve it. There are 2 branches for this application tool development team – one in US and another one in Malaysia. There are currently 6 members in the team. This department is currently expanding. Thus, they need to hire a few more programmers. He will inform me in another 2 or 3 weeks time about my status of application. FAQ: “Are you confidence in getting this job?”. My answer is no. I will just have to wait for the result in another 2 or 3 weeks time.
Interview for Customer Service at Agilent Penang
It was raining again this morning! I departed to Agilent at 8 am. The company is quite near to my house but it took me 25 minutes to reach there due to the light traffic jam. I entered thru the back entrance. The security check there is quite tight and the guards are doing their job well. I need to give them my IC, fill in a form and get a pass before entering the compound. I met with another interviewee as I entered. Both of us took the entrance and ended up taking a small walk around the factory before entering the lobby. We were required to fill in a form at the reception.
A staff from the HR department guided us to the Learning Center soon after that. We were then seated and took our tests before going for the interview. The Korean language test seems to be easier than I thought. Yet, I was unable to understand the meaning of it, even though I was able to read it. I spent the hour writing out each of its pronunciations, which is the best I can do. The interview was conducted by the HR manager, Ms Tan. It was a one-to-one interview. They were looking for someone who can speak Korean language to deal with their customers. The tasks of this position include giving out quotations and invoice, which I am not particularly interested in. After that, she invited a Korean staff to talk to me in Korean. I hardly understand what she said. I only understand a word or two in her sentence. Before the end of the interview, she asked me if there are any positions that I am interested in. Ah… finally she asks! The interview ended slightly before 11am.
I am thinking, “Am I wasting my time for this interview?”. Well, at least, I get a chance to see the inside of Agilent Penang.
A staff from the HR department guided us to the Learning Center soon after that. We were then seated and took our tests before going for the interview. The Korean language test seems to be easier than I thought. Yet, I was unable to understand the meaning of it, even though I was able to read it. I spent the hour writing out each of its pronunciations, which is the best I can do. The interview was conducted by the HR manager, Ms Tan. It was a one-to-one interview. They were looking for someone who can speak Korean language to deal with their customers. The tasks of this position include giving out quotations and invoice, which I am not particularly interested in. After that, she invited a Korean staff to talk to me in Korean. I hardly understand what she said. I only understand a word or two in her sentence. Before the end of the interview, she asked me if there are any positions that I am interested in. Ah… finally she asks! The interview ended slightly before 11am.
I am thinking, “Am I wasting my time for this interview?”. Well, at least, I get a chance to see the inside of Agilent Penang.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Back in Penang!
Yes! I am back in Penang already. It was raining heavily on the way back and it was freezing cold in the bus. I hardly have any sleep on the bus. I reached Penang at around 5am and it was raining as well. My parents were there to fetch me as I reached.
My home is even messy before I went back; things on the sofa, books and some other stuff piled up on the table etc. It seems that my parents have been lenient in teaching my little sister on the basic tidiness and cleanliness. Perhaps, it is because she is the only child at home now and my parents are quite busy. I seemed to be the one always doing the nagging part. Some of you maybe wondering, “since when you have a little sister?”. My parents adopted my cousin’s daughter who is having some family problems since last December. It is a long story. She will be staying with us for the next 3 years if nothing goes wrong.
Holiday mood is in the air whenever I am in Penang. Perhaps that it is too “comfortable” here or because my parents are around, I want to talk to them and do not feel like working on my tasks.
My home is even messy before I went back; things on the sofa, books and some other stuff piled up on the table etc. It seems that my parents have been lenient in teaching my little sister on the basic tidiness and cleanliness. Perhaps, it is because she is the only child at home now and my parents are quite busy. I seemed to be the one always doing the nagging part. Some of you maybe wondering, “since when you have a little sister?”. My parents adopted my cousin’s daughter who is having some family problems since last December. It is a long story. She will be staying with us for the next 3 years if nothing goes wrong.
Holiday mood is in the air whenever I am in Penang. Perhaps that it is too “comfortable” here or because my parents are around, I want to talk to them and do not feel like working on my tasks.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Job Interviews
I will be going back to Penang on Wednesday night for my 2 interviews on Friday. Everything comes in a sudden. My more relaxing schedule this week becomes a packing one.
The first company is Agilent for a position in Customer Service. I seriously hope that I do not become a telephone operator if I get the job. One of their HR employees called me several times regarding the schedule for the interview. It seems that they are keen on finding someone who knows Korean language well. Unfortunately, my level is not even up to the Beginners standard yet. Worse, they want to give me a written test before the interview, even after telling them that my proficiency in Korean language is very poor.
Another company is Intel for the position as a contract software developer in Kulim. It is a software tool development company. They are using C++ and my skills in that language is not good. I wonder if I can perform well during the interview when it comes to technical questions. Actually, I am more worry about my performance if I did get confirm for that position. Anyway, I will try my best! t(''t)
p/s: Thanks to Huwi Yin senpai for her support and Dr Andrew for his advice ^^
The first company is Agilent for a position in Customer Service. I seriously hope that I do not become a telephone operator if I get the job. One of their HR employees called me several times regarding the schedule for the interview. It seems that they are keen on finding someone who knows Korean language well. Unfortunately, my level is not even up to the Beginners standard yet. Worse, they want to give me a written test before the interview, even after telling them that my proficiency in Korean language is very poor.
Another company is Intel for the position as a contract software developer in Kulim. It is a software tool development company. They are using C++ and my skills in that language is not good. I wonder if I can perform well during the interview when it comes to technical questions. Actually, I am more worry about my performance if I did get confirm for that position. Anyway, I will try my best! t(''t)
p/s: Thanks to Huwi Yin senpai for her support and Dr Andrew for his advice ^^
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Trip to Cyberjaya
Everyone is quite keen on finding a job before they graduate. I also hope that I can secure a job before I graduate. Some of my friends are getting interviews from companies already. I only attended an interview at the end of the February and that’s it. All these jobs finding stuff has being getting on my head and taking much of my time. I guess I should have concentrate more on my studies now. With so many assignments, tests and classes lining up, I could not afford slacking off.
Today I went to MMU, Cyberjaya to attend the Career Fair there. Since they were providing us with free transport, I might as well take this opportunity to visit some old friends there. The bus departed at 8.45am from MMU, Malacca and reached the destination at around 10.30am. I went looking around the fair as I reached. The venue is smaller than the one in Malacca but there are more participating companies. I submitted some resumes but did not attend any of the walk-in interviews.
I met with Ryan, Bee Jun and Yushu at 11am. Yushu just finished an interview with Motorola. He dressed like as if he is a businessman, very formal and smart. It is the first time I saw him wearing like that. He had attended 7 interviews so far. Wow… that is a lot! Then, we headed to the fair together. We did a small chatting. I saw Corine and Chun Cheat passing by. Yushu went off earlier before we have a group photo together. Then, we visited the FIT building before heading to the cafeteria in the FOE building. I saw Sasi, Danny, Chai Hoang, Ai Chin and Mei Shin there. Chai Hoang was too hungry to wait for our reunion lunch at 1pm. Ryan and his friends seem to think that Cyberjaya campus has more beautiful girls, which I think that is not really true.
At 12.50pm, we departed to Street Mall to have our dinner. Sasi offered to meet the other guys in front of library and asked us to depart first as Jin Boone (JB) was waiting in the car already. I did not know that Jin Boone has a car. I must be too outdated. We had our lunch at a restaurant called Penang House. According to our Penangite, JB, none of the dishes there tasted like from Penang. The business is good because the shop is air-conditioned. The cheapest dish cost RM6, excluding of tax and service charge. Chai Hoang arrived with Sasi later, while Chee Keong (CK) arrived with Alex and Alvin at the very last. There are a total of 10 of us – Mei Shin, Chai Hoang, JB, CK, Alvin, Alex, Danny, Ai Chin, Sylvia and I. Sasi visited Malacca a few weeks ago and he looks more skinny and energetic now. Chai Hoang and JB is the same as ever. CK has gained some weight since Alpha but he looks better now. Alvin has changed his hair style. I think that the little pony tail looks weird on him. The previous hairstyle is nicer. Alex is slimmer than I last met him. Danny has changed his hairstyle; it looks stylish with the yellow highlight. Mei Shin and Chai Hoang are having fun playing with his hair. Sylvia is slimmer than I last met her. It is nice to see everyone again before graduating! Due to some mistake in ordering, CK actually have Nasi Lemak for both his breakfast and lunch! Luckily he have Alvin the Cat (because he is from Kuching) to help him out with the dish. Danny refused to help CK with his dish but helped Ai Chin instead. What a lovely couple... We took some photos outside before heading back to the campus. It was around 2.30pm already.
I quickly rushed to the front of the library to meet Madhu. I have not seen her since Alpha. Yuya was not able to make it because she is having a meeting. Madhu said that she was really busy with CCIP recently, looking for people to become the Culture Pageant. Madhu is much slimmer compared to in Alpha. It seems that she is having a heavy workload, taking 7 subjects this trimester. She is not following the schedule and the subjects are getting tougher, with more assignments and things to learn. It is always better to take them as soon as possible. I met Eileen and her sister shortly after that. She looks nice in her dress.
While heading to the STAD building at 2.55pm, I met Wei Chung and greeted him for a while. Then, I met Gin Bey, my ex-schoolmate. I have not seen her for years. Sylvia and Alex sent Mei Shin and I off at around 3.20pm.
Even though it was a short trip, it is nice to see everyone again. It reminded me of the good old Alpha time. We were the noisy and active Group 25! Sasi, Danny and JB are a whole bunch of humorous people. I guess I will next meet them during the coming convocation in Cyberjaya campus in August.
Today I went to MMU, Cyberjaya to attend the Career Fair there. Since they were providing us with free transport, I might as well take this opportunity to visit some old friends there. The bus departed at 8.45am from MMU, Malacca and reached the destination at around 10.30am. I went looking around the fair as I reached. The venue is smaller than the one in Malacca but there are more participating companies. I submitted some resumes but did not attend any of the walk-in interviews.
I met with Ryan, Bee Jun and Yushu at 11am. Yushu just finished an interview with Motorola. He dressed like as if he is a businessman, very formal and smart. It is the first time I saw him wearing like that. He had attended 7 interviews so far. Wow… that is a lot! Then, we headed to the fair together. We did a small chatting. I saw Corine and Chun Cheat passing by. Yushu went off earlier before we have a group photo together. Then, we visited the FIT building before heading to the cafeteria in the FOE building. I saw Sasi, Danny, Chai Hoang, Ai Chin and Mei Shin there. Chai Hoang was too hungry to wait for our reunion lunch at 1pm. Ryan and his friends seem to think that Cyberjaya campus has more beautiful girls, which I think that is not really true.
At 12.50pm, we departed to Street Mall to have our dinner. Sasi offered to meet the other guys in front of library and asked us to depart first as Jin Boone (JB) was waiting in the car already. I did not know that Jin Boone has a car. I must be too outdated. We had our lunch at a restaurant called Penang House. According to our Penangite, JB, none of the dishes there tasted like from Penang. The business is good because the shop is air-conditioned. The cheapest dish cost RM6, excluding of tax and service charge. Chai Hoang arrived with Sasi later, while Chee Keong (CK) arrived with Alex and Alvin at the very last. There are a total of 10 of us – Mei Shin, Chai Hoang, JB, CK, Alvin, Alex, Danny, Ai Chin, Sylvia and I. Sasi visited Malacca a few weeks ago and he looks more skinny and energetic now. Chai Hoang and JB is the same as ever. CK has gained some weight since Alpha but he looks better now. Alvin has changed his hair style. I think that the little pony tail looks weird on him. The previous hairstyle is nicer. Alex is slimmer than I last met him. Danny has changed his hairstyle; it looks stylish with the yellow highlight. Mei Shin and Chai Hoang are having fun playing with his hair. Sylvia is slimmer than I last met her. It is nice to see everyone again before graduating! Due to some mistake in ordering, CK actually have Nasi Lemak for both his breakfast and lunch! Luckily he have Alvin the Cat (because he is from Kuching) to help him out with the dish. Danny refused to help CK with his dish but helped Ai Chin instead. What a lovely couple... We took some photos outside before heading back to the campus. It was around 2.30pm already.
I quickly rushed to the front of the library to meet Madhu. I have not seen her since Alpha. Yuya was not able to make it because she is having a meeting. Madhu said that she was really busy with CCIP recently, looking for people to become the Culture Pageant. Madhu is much slimmer compared to in Alpha. It seems that she is having a heavy workload, taking 7 subjects this trimester. She is not following the schedule and the subjects are getting tougher, with more assignments and things to learn. It is always better to take them as soon as possible. I met Eileen and her sister shortly after that. She looks nice in her dress.
While heading to the STAD building at 2.55pm, I met Wei Chung and greeted him for a while. Then, I met Gin Bey, my ex-schoolmate. I have not seen her for years. Sylvia and Alex sent Mei Shin and I off at around 3.20pm.
Even though it was a short trip, it is nice to see everyone again. It reminded me of the good old Alpha time. We were the noisy and active Group 25! Sasi, Danny and JB are a whole bunch of humorous people. I guess I will next meet them during the coming convocation in Cyberjaya campus in August.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Education and Career Fair
Last week, there was an Education and Career Fair in MMU, Exam Hall for 3 days. I was a bit disappointed about the fair. There were very few booths and companies. The participating companies were such as Shell, Intel, Avago, Robert Bosch and Jobstreet. It seems to be more of a career fair than education fair, with only 1 booth on education by IDP. IDP is a body promoting about education in Australia. It is owned by all of the universities in Australia. They also provide consultation to students who wish to study in Australia. I did send in my resume before the fair but did not receive any news from the event organizer or company. Only a few students were short listed for interview by some companies. I am starting to doubt my skills or knowledge in the field. I managed to get an interview for Robert Bosch for the embedded system programmer. But, I think my performance is not good enough to convince the interviewee. I attended a career talk by Shell, an interesting one. I get to know more about the company and the job positions available.
My final year project is on the track now, which is something good. My class for Java started this week, which means I will have to attend more classes and have less free time. Microsoft SQL 2000 admin class will start on next Saturday. Though the schedule is a bit pack, it’s always good to be able to learn something extra. For those who do not know, there is an Education Fair in Century Mahkota Hotel, Malacca on this Saturday, 12-6pm. There is an IDP fair on the same day in Subang Jaya.
My final year project is on the track now, which is something good. My class for Java started this week, which means I will have to attend more classes and have less free time. Microsoft SQL 2000 admin class will start on next Saturday. Though the schedule is a bit pack, it’s always good to be able to learn something extra. For those who do not know, there is an Education Fair in Century Mahkota Hotel, Malacca on this Saturday, 12-6pm. There is an IDP fair on the same day in Subang Jaya.
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