More info on asasi, diploma, etc.

http://theotherkhairul.blogspot.com/2011/03/lepasan-spm-pilih-course-apa-untuk.html

informal la tapi. bacaan ringan-ringan.

Interview Processes

Just in case any of you are wondering:

1. Khazanah

4 stages.

Stage 1: 3-part IQ test involving language skills and maths. EST-like questions for language part. Maths mostly simple arithmetics but the time limit is quite short.

Stage 2: 3 tasks

task 1: in groups, you are given a task to discuss and present findings in a powerpoint presentation in a limited time frame. discussion topics mostly center on marketing and business strategies. Mine was something about promoting health tourism and MARTRADE. a brief question and answer session follows the presentation.

task 2: short essay. topic can be varied. mine was about proposing a new industry. and then something about aptitude.

task 3: one-on-one interview. their interviewers kicks ass.

Stage 3: I didn't get here, but probably with some important figure in Khazanah.

Stage 4: Interview with the Board of Trustees of Khazanah.

Number of Khazanah's scholars vary each year, depending on the quality of the candidate. From what I know, it can range from belas-belas to even just three per year.

Khazanah scholars are privileged in a sense that financially, they have more perks, Khazanah's finances are strong standing being the biggest investor in local industry, and they offer leadership grooming for their scholars. Most scholars are sent to Kolej Yayasan UEM (KYUEM) in Lembah Beringin for A-Levels, but I have known Khazanah scholars doing ADP in INTEC.

2. Sime Darby

I applied for Sime Darby prior SPM results using my trials and went for their interview. The second time I applied for Sime Darby using my actual SPM results, I didn't attend the interview, but most probably the process is almost similar.

4 Stages.

1st stage is getting through the application itself and being selected to Stage 2.

Stage 2 has 2 parts.

1st part is a group interview. Topics can range from H1N1 to Facebook to Education to Business to Green Technology. It's best you prepare yourself with general knowledge.

2nd Part is a 3-part IQ test. Part 1 and 2 is also language and maths related. EST-like questions. 3rd part is an aptitude test.

Stage 3 has 3 tasks.

task 1 is an individual task. You are given an assignment that you have to prepare and present in a given amount of time. Mine was about how to increase sales of pharmaceutical products and present data of customer satisfaction of products.

task 2 is group discussion. you will discuss among your group, usually of 7, about a given topic and the interviewers will observe you without intervening the discussion.you have to be actively participating in the discussion, contribute ideas or opinions without being over dominating the discussion. the interviewers will be looking at both content of your ideas and your personality. mine was regarding which manufacturing plant that we have to close down based on the data given.

task 3 is role play. the interviewer will pretend to be some character and you will have a role of your own. in my case, I was the Human resource manager and I have to convince a character to stay in the company instead of leaving.

Stage 4 is an interview with an important figure in Sime darby.

Similar to Khazanah, Sime darby has its perks financially, but also very few places are given.

I think Sime Darby's interviews differ year by year, but it's best you equip yourself with knowledge in business and finance or economy. Be familiar with terms like cost-benefit analysis, and I forgot what's the other thing.


3. JPA

One shot.

Group interview + online aptitude test. (kacang je nih)

Group of fives or six usually. Read up on current issues. I'm sure banyak je on the web soalan spot JPA.


4. MARA

Submit an essay. Kind of like a personal statement where you just flaunt your achievements. Kira macam jual diri ah.

One-on-one interview.

5. Petronas.

One-day Educamp in UTP. There's like tests for Chemistry, Physics, Maths and English, I think, series of talks, maybe, and a group interview, similar to that of JPA. And oh, a campus tour.

6. UEM

UEM is a body under Khazanah. Three stages. Mostly interviews. I didn't get this one.

7. PNB

A 3-part IQ test quite similar to Sime Darby and Khazanah.

8. TNB

Yang ini tanya Fikri Hisyam. But there's a debate session.

9. Yayasan Telekom

First, you go through a three day camp. No biggie. Just your regular in-group activities. No sweat. They just want to see your personality. If they don't like you, then nasiblah. Next stage is a one-on-one interview.

10. Shell

Stressful application. Then a 45-minute phone interview consisting of two parts. 1st part about yourself, second part talk about a given topic. Second stage is a group interview.

11. Bank Negara

Yang ini tak apply. But be prepared for group interviews and presentations as well as one-on-one interviews.

A general tip would be:

- practise articulating your ideas in English
- read up on current issues
- having a little knowledge in economy would be VERY helpful. During my JPA interview, they asked stuff about Malaysian economy, and for corporate bodies, obviously is very economy, finance, business, management oriented.
-have self-confidence. be yourself. I know it's tad cliche.

UPDATE: Satu lagi lupa nak pesan. Apply je SEMUA scholarships yang ada. Kita tak tahu rezeki kita kat mana, I applied for 10 (ke berapa? but around that) scholarships, went for 7 sebab 7 je dapat and ada 2 tak dapat hadir for some reason, and initially, I got none of them, sampaila terpaksa buat rayuan JPA. So, you see, result cantik tak semestinya guaranteekan tempat scholarship it depends on luck and rezeki. So, to be on the safe side, apply SEMUA, including matrik and UPU as well, as back-up plan. Always, always have a back-up plan. Alhamdulillah, I was given the opportunity to attend many interviews, so I can share with most of you my experiences, and I'm glad JPA gave me a second chance, but don't repeat my stupid mistake of not having a back-up plan. Kalu dok, tok ngaji la. Lastly, jangan apply scholarships based on "eh, scholarship ni sedakla, banyok pitih", " eh , scholarship lagi sedak pado pinjame, toksoh bayar smula,", "eh, payohla interview natang nih, malah aku nok apply, ", "bengongla application dio, leceh mapuh, malah aku apply, ", "wak godio aku apply? sikit jah dio vi. chances aku bukannya tinggi pun, ", "eleh tok glamour ah jadi scholar goni,". Apply je. jangan nak simpan harapan on just one sponsor. Some people are lucky, apply satu, dapat. Me apply banyak-banyak tak dapat. You never know rezeki you macam mana, but it's best that you prepare the best way you can.

Good luck.

start checking , applying and thinking for this okay guys :)

SPM result should be out soon. Sorry I've been very busy lately, without any post on my blog, without any information for the scholarships. My AS examination will be coming soon so I wont be able to online as much as before okay. Visit this website, this will help you guys :)

check recom.org. this is the least i can do for you :)

Shell Scholarship

Okay, since ramai haprak yang mai tanya aku, and nak explain punya la susah and panjang berjela, eloklah, aku postkan saja ye cara-cara untuk apply shell punya scholarship. sebagai mukadimahnya, ramai gila yang macam malas nak apply shell sebab leceh macam sial. my batch only me and wan amirah balqis je yang apply, we both got the interview, but we didn't get the scholarship.

so, kenapa aku kena susahkan diri dengan benda leceh macam haram ni?

jawapannya, adik-adik sekalian.

sebab, nak dapat opportunity dapat scholarship overseas ni susah! dahla JPA dah nak tak nak bagi, so, you can only hope for corporate bodies punya scholarshipla untuk dapat overseas punya, tapi corporate bodies ni biasala, bagi sikit je scholar dia. let's say sime darby 5 orang, khazanah 5 orang, etc. etc. kalau kau apply khazanah je, your chances nak dapat sikit je kan? sebab ada 5 tempat je. kalau kau apply sime darby and khazanah at least ada 10 tempat kan? so, dah apply dua tu, tambahla shell satu lagi. alah, tak mati pun kalau bersusah sikit. memang proses penapisan scholar badan korporat ni susah gila, tapi tak mustahil and kalau dapat tu memang berbaloi la segala penat lelah sebab scholarship diorang MEWAH siot. tak macam JPA. (tapi aku dah bersyukur dah dengan JPA, alhamdulillah). and disebabkan Shell ni Al-Leceh, tak ramai yang nak apply, bila tak ramai yang nak apply, so, increase your chances nak dapat. tak gitu? satu lagi, rezeki kita ni di tangan Tuhan. janganlah bajet. "oh, aku dah rajin gila apply banyak-banyak, malasla aku nak apply shell." what happens kalau semua yang kau apply tu semua kau tak dapat? tak salah kan jadikan shell sebagai back-up plan? kita hanya mampu merancang, tapi Tuhan yang menentukan. macam aku dulu silap perhitungan. menyesal tau tak. nasib baik Tuhan Maha murah hati nak bagi jugak aku merasa scholarship, kalau tak..sia-sia je result cantik aku. takde tempat nak pergi belajar. nak kahwin, takde orang nak. nak jadi isteri pun, pergh. bangun time matahari terpacak di atas kepala. jangan mimpi la. hahhaha. selingan jap. so, janganlah rasa secure sangat ye, adik-adik. always have a back-up plan.

Okay, punya la berjela mukadimah, saja nak bagi motivasi sikit ye.

STEP ONE!

Gi kat website ni:

http://www.shell.com.my/home/content/mys/aboutshell/careers/students_and_graduates/scholarship/

Okay, seterusnya, click kat arrow merah apply now tuh. Oh ya, and you guys kena register dulu untuk apply benda alah ni. aissyy..sedap je aku ngata.

STEP TWO!

Page ni akan appear:

nampakkan yang arrow merah tu?

click on that link, then you will automatically download soft copy BORANG YANG KENA ISI, PRINT, SCAN AND UPLOAD balik masa nak submit application. kan aku dah kata leceh.

namppakan yang arrow warna hijau tu?

you click on that link, dia akan bawak you ke satu page ni:

nampak tak rectangle warna purple (okayla fuchsia tu?)

Tu kalau korang belum register, click ke situ dan ikut je arahan dia.

yang rectangle warna green tu kalau dah register ya. you click on that it will bring you to BORANG ONLINE yang you all kena isi and submit secara online. Borang dia macam tricky gila and you all kena BACA ELOK-ELOK masa isi. you all tau sebab apa? Sebab Shell ni kan, dia istimewa tau. Borang untuk mintak scholarship dia adalah borang yang SAMA untuk orang local dan international nak apply kerja dengan diorang. So, ada some of the requirements you all tak perlu isi pun. aku dah tak ingat dah amende benda pelik dalam tu specifically, tapi, korang baca elok-elokla, use your brain. tak paham istilah BI, maih, tanya aku kalau aku free. aku boleh tolong setakat mampu. hahah.

anyway, untuk guide korang isi borang online tu, diorang dah tolong sediakan dah yang ni. gua suggest lu baca dulu before isi ya.

nampak itu arrow biru?

yang tu shell punya baik hati bagi guide untuk you all isi borang online kay. baca tau.

and nampak tak yang circle warna purple (okay fuchsia tu)?

yang tu emel diorang, kalau you all tak jelas ke apa, boleh emel diorang. ini adalah salah satu sikap murni yang perlu diamalkan iaitu sentiasa bertanya. malu bertanya sesat jalan ok. ataupun, you all call je shell tu. tapi jangan kacau diorang luar office hours plak k. aku dulu punyala sakit jiwa nak isi application dia berapa kali aku call.

STEP THREE!

Okay, dah isi borang yang kena print tu kan? tandatangan leklok, and then check dia mintak dokumen apa. usually cam biasa la kan IC sijil semua tu. sekali lagi, BACA ELOK-ELOK dia nak apa.

Next step, kau fotostat semua segala sijil dokumen kau tu, then sahkan dengan pengetua skolah atau pegawai kerajaan. Ala, KJ sayang kan ada, jangan malu-malu. Jumpa dia, kirim salam I kat dia tau. eww, gediks.

Selepas certify, THIS IS the tricky bit!!

You kena scan and save dalam jpeg format. And bila scan tu kena dalam resolution PALING KECIL tau. tau sebab apa? Okay, we'll get to that, for now, do as you are told kalau nak hidup you mudah sikit nak apply benda leceh ni. muahahahha.


STEP FOUR!

oh, aku lupa mau cakap. Si Shell ini pun mintak kau orang sediakan CV. apa itu CV? aku pun tak ingat CV stands for what. Tapi CV ni basically RESUME la. RESUME ni macam summary of all our kelayakan akademik dan pencapaian ko semua tu, bagi budak lepas SPM la, kalau yang dah kerja resume tu bukan saja  state what degree you have, but also your working experience, but we'll come to that later. kalau nak contoh CV, boleh je google. kalau nak aku punya, boleh je. drop me a message on FB. oh, and make sure CV is organized and easy to read. do it in point form.

STEP FIVE!

rujuk balik borang online kau orang tu. Dia akan ada bahagian suruh upload file. Dia ada 3 file, dan setiap tiga file ni ada limit dia.

okay, file pertama you all kena upload ialah CV. pastikan dalam file microsoft word ataupun file yang kecik saiznya.

file kedua ialah borang yang you all print, isi, scan balik tu. pastikan scan dalam resolution paling rendah. and kalau dalam jpeg format, masukkan dalam word file and save. tu je cara aku tahu untuk mengecikkan file dia. or kau boleh store sebagai pdf, tapi make sure pdf tu kecik, kalau boleh compress, compress.

file ketiga ialah segala sijil yang kau orang scan tu. HA! ni masalah agungnya, semua image yang scan tu, you all kena jadikan dia word file. letakla semua susun macam gambar kat atas word file tu. and make sure yang wajib ada. kalau file masih besar. pilih-pilih sijil ko-kurikulum mana yang kau nak hantar. kalau ada testimonial, pastikan testimonial tu ada. yang lain takde pun takpe. so, save. make sure saiznya kecil.


dia tak cakap actually in which order kau orang kena upload file tu, tapi tu cara aku buat dulu la. tak tahula kalau korang kreatif lagi boleh shrink kan lagi file tuh. itu atas engkaula. but best of luck, Step 5 ni la yang paling leceh. Aku hantar benda alah ni tepat-tepat jam 12 tengah malam tarikh tutup dia. Aku nangis ingat usaha aku sia-sia upload. banyak masalah tau masa nak upload, page lambatla, page time-outla. Shell ni memang buat aku berdrama ok.

Tapi nasib baik dapat gak ah interview. Interview dia pun cam best ah. Through the phone. Tak payah berdepan pun dengan orang dia. kau nak cakap kat telefon pakai baju tidur pun boleh. haha. dalam 1 jam gitu la duration dia. and dia ada dua bahagian. tak ingatlah pasal apa tajuk dia. tapi lebih kurang macam pengetahuan am and memberi pendapat. something like that. I suggest you read pasal environment, marketing, pasal shell, economy, corporate social responsibilities. diorang akan inform melalui emel atau call selalunya dapat ke tak. kalau lulu phone interview, dia buat group interview plak. tapi aku tak sampai stage tu, jadi aku tak tahula macam mana.

Okay, selamat apply dan selamat berjaya. I wish you all the best! Hope this helps a lot, k.

wassalam.

Tips For Scholarship Hunters

You can just google for it and you'll see results from Malaysia Scholarship and such sites. And while you're browsing kan, the scholarships you can apply are those that say:

1. post-spm
2. undergraduate

programmes. post-graduate is for people yang dah ada bachelor degree nak buat masters degree or phd.

and things to look out for:

1. bila dateline dia. ini penting!
2. apa requirements dia?
3. ada kena tulis esei ke tak?

Requirements:

1. result nak minimum berapa
2. documents: contohnya dia suruh print and post borang application dia dengan fotostat sijil ke apa? r dia suruh submit online je ke?
3. bayaran. dia nak bank draft ke? nombor check ke? online transaction ke apa? bayaran ni macam processing fee la. kalau petronas punya, dia suruh isi nombor check. about RM 30 kena bayar. borang submit online, tapi kena print dua copy untuk bawak masa interview.

Types of documents dia mintak, tapi dependsla kan dia mintak apa. so, di sini pentingnya skill MEMBACA dengan teliti. see? ada guna jugak kan buat exam banyak-banyak, so you guys bukak mata luas-luas and baca soalan elok-elok.

1. salinan IC pemohon yang disahkan.
2. salinan IC mak bapak yang disahkan.
3. kadang-kadang ada yang mintak surat beranak mak bapak and surat beranak kita.
4. slip gaji mak bapak yang juga disahkan.
5. sijil-sijil ko-kurikulum yang disahkan.
6. salinan slip spm yang disahkan.
7. sijil berhenti sekolah dan testimonial yang disahkan
8. dan lain-lain.

kadang-kadang dia ada mintak gambar passport ke apa.

basically, apa-apa maklumat yang you all tulis kena ada bukti dia, yakni documents yang disertakan itu. contohnya dalam ruang pencapaian kokurikulum kau tulis wakil negeri dalam sukan golf (ecececeh), kau kena sertakan salinan sijil yang disahkan berkaitan penglibatan kau tu.

aku alhamdulillah banyak diberi peluang untuk apply scholarships, gi banyak-banyak interview, so, bolehla aku nak kongsi pengalaman dan tips, biarpun satu pun aku tak dapat, *sob, sob* tapi nasib baik JPA baik hati approve rayuan aku, syukur.

oh, a good site would be afterschool.my. they will field your questions about studies after high school.

so, good luck, guys.

Matrik, Diploma or Asasi?

Asasi = Foundation. Matrik pun samalah.

So, I bet all of you SPM leavers mesti busy dok pikir nak pilih yang mana eh?

Beza Matrik, Asasi dengan Diploma ni dari segi tempoh. Diploma can take about 2 to 3 years. Matrik and Asasi ni satu tahun je.

Nak study rilek-rilek tapi lambat habis.

Nak habis cepat, study kena pulun habis.

So, up to you guysla ya nak pilih yang mana.

For engineering, pilihan baik UTM, UiTM, UIA, apa lagi tak tahula. aku apply dua ni je sebagai my top choices.

For benda lain tak tahula, tanya orang lagi pakar.

Matrik/ Asasi ni kan belajar benda sama macam SPM je, tapi dia topup banyak lagi syllabus dia. Matrik paling susah nak kejar sebab laju and kena dapat pointer 4 flat. second most susah would be UM. Diploma tak sure system dia macam mana.

Basically these local pre-u ni they have lectures in classes sizes, some ado 40-something, 80-something, even a 100. The lecturers definitely don't know you. Studying definitely on your own, some unis ada la tutorials and stuff like that, but you don't have prep classes anymore. Quizzes are on weekly basis, tests semua tu. Exam dua kali. Midsem sekali and final sem. Then, you have your sem break. One Semester can be four months, five months or six, depending on the place you go to.

Budak-budak UTP, Trisemester. And diorang punya system lebih kurang macam Canadian punya. 60% coursework and 40% exam.

One semester probably dalam 4 or 5 subjects, depending what courses korang amik. Law probably belajar pasal federal constitution, critical thinking, lots of reading subject. Accounting, probably belajar economics, and stuff like that. Engineering or Sains Hayat, basically all your Sciencesla. Chem, Phy, Bio, Add Maths (they call it Maths). Engineering probably tak amik Bio.

So, pikirla elok-elok before you make your choice. Ada lagi info, I will add, apa-apa pertanyaan boleh kemukakan. I'll help the best way I can. Cheerios.

i want to help as well, as far as i can :)

salam and hello to all :)

okay, it has been quite a long time since i last posted anything here. All the blogging stuff at this blog were mostly done by Kam. Thanks to her this blog is still alive and maybe it's time for all the juniors, who has finally got the tittle 'ex', to actually continue with the job to update this pretty blog of faris petra. At least do share something that we, the already an ex student dont know about what's happening in the school. Maybe about all the political issues there. okay, i'm just joking. Don't take it seriously, but i'm quite  thrilled to know what had really happened in school for this year. Well, sorry to say, except for the fact that Ustaz Ibrahim got married with Cik Zahariah is the only thing i know about what has happened there, because i did go. So juniors, help me here. You guys know more right, so please share :)

Kam had already talked about all the sponsorships, all the things that you should do during the interviews, all the quite important things i assume. So, i'm not gonna add more about that. Here i just wanna share about me. So, basically now i'm doing my A level at Kolej Yayasan UEM (KYUEM) the place which i had never known before, lol, i only knew this place right after i got my offer letter from YTN or better know as Yayasan  Tenaga Nasional. Perhaps you guys don't really get it, okay, how about TNB ? okay, literally i'm under that big utility company, the biggest in SEA :) ( i'm so proud of that ). Okay, back to the point. I just want to tell you guys, especially all my juniors who just had finished their SPM, if you want to continue your study and you guys might want to take A level as your pre-U, then Kyuem is the right place to do it. Now i sounded like one of the guy in the commercial for Kyuem.haha. I'm having a tremendous time in Ky ( we usually call Kyuem as Ky ). The life here is amazing, all the teachers, the facilities, the people and all sort of things, this place is like heaven. oo and btw, for those who are scared that the might not be having a good dish here, yeah, I know how much you guys hate the dining hall. But dont worry, food served here are as good as what you always get at home. Maybe for me, sometimes it's better here because there are days where they served western food. The dining hall is heaven here, and almost hell i guess back then in school, sorry. That's my honest opinion. No offense. Enough of that already, I dont want to tell you all the things, it might spoil everything when you come here. Life is a no fun when there's no shocking moment right ? haha. But for sure, you'll enjoy your life here as much as i enjoy mine.  It's even better than the five years in school, well in a way, school years have taught me lots of things, but here, it's the time to practice all things we learnt. Okay la, time in Faris Petra is still on top of my chart. The reminiscent are the best, the best time that i have, and the time that i will cherish, for the rest of my life.

So, for those who are interested in going to Kyuem, as Kam said in earlier post, try to apply for scholarship as Yayasan UEM, Yayasan Khazanah, PNB, Petronas, Yayasan Tenaga Nasional, Bank Negara and so on. It may be quite a while before the result is out, but it's already time for you guys to start thinking about the scholarships and all this kinda stuff. And, if any of you guys are intending to opt for scholarship from YTN, you can ask me anything about that, i'll be glad to help you guys. And i really want to see my juniors here in Ky, Farisians have name here, but we are not here. If you understand what i'm talking about. So, i'll keep you guys updated if you guys are interested. My contribution here is the least that i can offer you guys, maybe more in the future. once a farisian, always be :)

ps : if you guys need any help on YTN, Kyuem. just ask. drop by at my page, FB . and if you dont want to loose track on the scholarships thingy, go here . read more, and there's nothing that can hold you down :)

a picture when my house, the house of Rawk, Topaz, won Malam Citra Budaya, wanna know more ? come to Ky.haha

au revoir ( oh God, I miss French classes in Faris Petra ) and dont be shock, speak more english starting from today, because here, the main language is English. and you can always find a girlfriend or a boyfriend here.

Overseas Pre-U Programs.

1. The most common is obviously A-Levels. There's a one-year A-Level, but most commonly, A-Levels would take up two years. A-Levels is basically SPM all over again. It is 100% based on Final Exams. You'll ahve two major exams, at the end of the first year is the AS and the second year is A2. A-Levels is based on the British system. You only need to take four or three subjects and the English subject is not compulsory. A-Levels is available in most pre-u institutions. KYUEM (Kolej Yayasan UEM, Lembah Beringin, it's a very SECLUDED but POSH place, most corporate bodies like UEM, Khazanah, PNB and TNB like to send their scholars here) is fully for A-Levels only. The danger with A-Levels is there is no margin for error on that final exam, if you screw that, then you're screwed. Oh, there are also many different types of A-Levels, should probably ask the INTEC kids about this.

2. The second most common AUSMAT (Australian Matriculation) or SAM (South Australian Matriculation) - if you're going to Taylor's College. This is 50% coursework (as in assignments, quizzes, internal exams and tests, presentations) 50% Final exam. You take up to five or six subjects and the duration is about one-and-a-half years. Ausmat is also quite common. INTEC, Taylor's College, Sunway College, INTI College.

3. IB. (International Baccalaureate). This is one of the toughest! and most expensive. It's about two years. I'm not quite sure on their subject selection, but English and Malay is compulsory. You have a lot of field work, and thesis to write. Not much info on this, it is rare that our students end up doing this, but Fatimah Zahra of 0206 did this. IB is offered in Taylor's College Sri Hartamas and Kolej Mara Banting, I don't know about other places.

4. ADP (American Degree Program). In INTEC, you have ADFP (F stands for Foundation) or ADTP (T stands for Transfer). ADFP is one year, and you enter an American university as a Freshman. ADTP is two years, and you're doing a credit transfer to a US university. ADTP is obviously more cheap, and you're already starting your degree, so, it cuts time. But you only get like two years in US or less. The US program is more coursework-based, which means less stress when Final exam finally comes, but you have to get consistent marks in your assignments and quizzes. ADP is also available at Taylor's College, UNiTEN, I don't know where else. Usually, the English Proficiency test for ADP is TOEFL. (Test (I'm not sure what O stands for) for English as a Foreign Language). And you also have to sit for SAT (I forgot what it stands for).SAT is basically an exam that tests your Maths and your English (this, I swear to God, is damn hard).

5. CPU (Canadian Pre-University). Since, it's my program, so, obviously, I'm going to be biased and say it ROCKS! CPU is 70% Coursework and 30% Final Exam. So, if you're doing well in your 70% less stress on the final exam, but some lecturers like to take your final exam mark to be your final mark. It's a very hectic program, you have lots of presentations and projects and most of them are due back to back. At first, it feels like it's killing you, but then it feels fun! Because CPU people are very crazy people. At Taylor's College (CPU is only offered at Sunway College or Taylor's College, obviously, Taylor's is the best!), the 80% of the CPU lecturers are Canadian, so, you get eye candy 0.0. The duration is a year or a year-and-a-half, if you have to repeat subjects. Usually sponsors will only allow a year. There's two semesters. Each semester is 6 months. Each semester you take 3 subjects (total of six subjects), and it's a different subject every semester. each subject will be divided into a few Units, and the number of these Units will determine how many Tests you will have throughout the semester. Quizzes, obviously every week, homework, obviously everyday. All the assignments and tests and quizzes and projects and presentations are worth different weightages. The weightage ranges from 1 to 6. 1 being the one with least marks, and 6 being the most. Tests have a weightage of 3. The Canadian program is more similar to the American program, which is an anti-thesis of the A-Levels program. The difference between the Canadian program is it is actually a high school degree. So, technically, you're not doing pre-u, you're in Canadian high school. The Canadian program also emphasises more on English proficiency. English is a compulsory subject. They have a special English test called OSSLT (I forgot what it stands for) and you have to take IELTS. The Canadian program also makes 10-hours of community service compulsory. At first, it feels like a drag, but it's actually quite fun, and 10 hours is not that long. You can do it at orphanages, refugee schools, zoos, and you learn lots of things too. For my community service, I performed in a musical for charity.


These are basically the English pre-u programs. There are also French, Russian, German, Korean, Middle-Eastern, Japanese programs, but I'm not too familiar with these programs.

All these overseas program also require you to take an English Proficiency test. The most common is IELTS. Only the American program takes TOEFL (I'll write more about these two tests in the future). I might also write about local uni life some other time.

So, this is basically an 'idea' on what's next after high school. For interview tips and how to dress during interviews, you can refer to the archives: http://thefarisiancommunity.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-to-be-professional.html

http://thefarisiancommunity.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-to-look-corporate-for-girls.html

http://thefarisiancommunity.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-to-look-corporate-for-guys.html


For interview processes for each corporate body (they have different interview processes. some are in stages), feel free to ask. I am more than happy to help where I can. I'll keep posting useful stuff when I can come up with it.

HOW TO BE PROFESSIONAL

To greet people:

1. greet
2. shake hands
3. find something interesting on that person (like a piece of accessory or the outfit) and compliment it in he sincerest way possible.
4. thank them if they return the compliment.

why must we do this?

for making a good first impression on people!


First impression is based on:

1. visual (how you look and present yourself, body language) 55 %
2. vocal (your intonation of voice) 38%
3. verbals (what you say) 7%

be careful what you post on the internet especially in your profile or blog, your interviewer might already be checking you out, and if your website is like, well, urhm, bitchy and childish and in many ways obnoxious, you're in big trouble, that is if they found you out in your website.

Look good in your passport photo when you submit your CV and resumes, it also makes an impression on your charcter, imagine in your passport photo your face is oily, you didn't comb your hair and you have sleepy eyes, what does that tell the interviewer?



3A's of Image Management:

1. appearance
2. action
3. attitude

increase your likeability factor to people, don't have inferiority(you feel a low self-esteem and self-worth of yourself)/ superiority(you feel that you're better than others) complex.


Body language:

1. smile a lot
2. have eye contact
3. good posture (no slouching or mendada)
4. have a good handshake (close and firm grip, palm to palm)
5. body odour is a NO-NO. Girls, to wear perfume, put it on the points of your pulse.

Don't invade people's personal space, stand at a correct distance to that person.


How to kill nervousness during a presentation:

1. steeple hands
2. smile
3. do a sound check before you begin
4. nod to get nods from irresponsive audience

effective communication is not about what is said, but what is recieved.

well, that's about it that I gathered from Wendy Lee, another professor, Prof. Madya Dr. Mohd. Azree bin Idris (Timbalan Dekan HAl Ehwal Pelajar dan Perhubungan Luar UNITEN) said:

we must create rapport, mirror what the interviewer is doing appropriately, make them comforatble with you, and simulate leadership when speaking in public.


I hope this is beneficial for those of you going for interviews soon.

more info on interviewee's ideal criteria here.

HOW TO LOOK CORPORATE: FOR GIRLS

Choosing your clothes:

Rule of thumbs to follow:

1. structured materials work best because it makes you look prim and clean cut, don't wear flowing materials.
2. the more like a man you look (i.e. wear shirts and pants and blazers) the more professional you look. Sorry, I'm not being a sexist, but it is the preferred professional dress code.
3. the more layer you put on, the more professional you look, so do wear your blazers!
4. the more skin you show, the less professional you look. It's simple logic, more skin, more slutty you look, and you walk around as if you have 'sex' written all over you. For non-muslims, skirts should at least cover your knee caps, muslims, tahu-tahu sendiri lah ye aurat kamu.
5. wear heels (not too high, just a bit of heels. no stillettos please) and closed toe shoes. preferably black or browns.
6. clothes material should not be too shiny. your outfit must not be too tight or too big.
7. girls can either wear suits or kurung.
8. for kurung, opt for small flower patterns instead of big flower patterns.
9. If you're wearing suit, then the conditions for the choice of shirt is exactly the same as the guys. please refer to previous post.
10. If you have a short face (i.e. the length of your face is almost equivalent to your face width), push the fringe away from your face, so your forehead looks wider.
11. put on some make up, but not too much, just a bit of foundation and lipstick will do.
12. avoid oily faces!
13. check your teaath, eyes, nose. You don't want to talk with your interviewer with a booger hanging from your nostril!
14. for people who have eyes close to each other, don't wear full-frame glasses
15. the distance between two eyebrows is two fingers, so shape your eyebrows a little.

International dress code hierarchy for women (from professional to less professional) :

1. matching skirt suit (but in Malaysia, matching pants suit come first, followed by unmatching pants suit, then only skirt suit)
2. unmatching skirt suit
3. matching pants suit
4. unmatching pants suit

Don't pull off wearing scarves around your neck if it looks selekeh. oh, please button your shirts all the way up! For muslims, please don't wear black tudung. And for those not wearing tudung, tie your hair neatly, jangan just main lepas, preferably, tie it up in a bun.


oh, I forgot to mention, all of these information is sourced from Wendy Lee, professional image consultant from Chapter One Asia.

HOW TO LOOK CORPORATE: FOR GUYS

For those budak-budak FAris yang still di bangku sekolah, here are some tips for your corporate day wear, for other ex-FArisians yang akan pergi interview mana-mana, this is for you as well.

Choosing your shirt:

1. Avoid dark colors, choose pastel colors (light blue, pink, etc.) instead. It must be lighter than your pants. Black is a NO-NO.
2. look for structured materials like cotton instead of polyester.
3. the most professional color is white, followed by pastels, then stripes. If possible, if you want to wear stripes, choose small and narrow stripes, and please, no contrasting colored stripes, looking corporate, you'd might want to reduce the colors. Rule of thumb, the more patterned and striking your shirt is, the less professional you look.
4. tightness of collar is one or two fingers can reach into the collar. three is too longgar.
5. balance the size of your tie knot to your collar size, you don't want your tie knot too big or too small.
6. don't wear button down collar, the one with buttons at the collar.
7. your shirt is too small for you when you can see the wristbone when you stretch your arms sideways.
8. tuck your shirt into your underwear for more neat tuck-in, if your underwear peaks out, it's because your pants ride too low.
9. don't mix too striking patterns of your shirt and tie. If it is noticeable from a distance that there are two patterns on your upper body, you are not professional.

Choosing your pants:

1. Dark colors like black and dark browns, no light colored pants please.
2. Avoid patterned pants. Pinstripe is okay.
3. The pants must hug your bum, otherwise it looks baggy.
4. If you have a small bum, don't wear pleated pants.
5. Pants must not be too long or too short. If you can see a bit of the shoe heel from the back view, that is most ideal.
6. Once again, choose structured material, not the licin sort.
7. socks must match pants

Choosing your belt:

1. dark colors, no studded belts please.
2. The belt width must not be thicker than your thumb.
3. the belt buckle is not that big that it is noticeable from a distance.
4. the belt must go through the first loop only. more than that, it is too long and selekeh, less than that, it is too short.

Others:

1. Wear a working watch
2. your tie must reach the middle of your belt buckle, that is the ideal length
3. If possible, wear blazers.
4. Wear square toed shoes with thin soles. The more rubbery and thicker the sole, the less professional you look. Tolong, no slippers, sandals or boots. keep those shoes well-polished.
5. Hair short, but not too short, no long hair, but no skinheads, and definitely no mohawks and dreadlocks!.

Hierarchy of International Professional dress code for men:

1. 3-piece suit (with vest and matching blazers and pants)
2. double-breasted blazer
3. single-breasted blazer
4. blazer