Saturday, January 17, 2009

Sudden Interview in KL

Just got back from KL today. I received a short interview call on Wednesday from a satellite broadcasting company in KL, thanks to my dear friend Vivien such for a prompt referral and recommendation. As you may know, I am seeking greener pastures in the career world but everything was quite abrupt. I guess I made a good impression during the short phone interview, so I got scheduled for an interview last Friday. It was all very sudden, and I found myself hesitating, since if confirmed, it would mean a big change for me; leaving my beloved Penang and relocating to KL for the job. Don't get me wrong, aside from a change in work, I hoped that it would lead to a change in location and perhaps involve some traveling too. In fact, aside from KL, I was hoping to find new work in Singapore or Australia too. But, I guess that I didn't prepare myself that it MIGHT happen this fast. Plus, this job has nothing to do with my current field of engineering. In my current job, I'm a product engineer dealing with desktop computers, and the new job would immerse me into the broadcasting and telco field.

I only gave confirmation to attend the interview by noon last Thursday, after some discussion with my mum. So, it was off to KL on Friday morning. We stayed at the JW Marriott, right next to Starhill Gallery and the Louis Vuitton store in Bukit Bintang, which is directly opposite Pavilion. We actually bought a digicam just for the trip on Thursday night, ending a long stretch of procrastination! However, after we settled into the nice 5-star hotel on Friday, I realized mum didn't bring the charger so I only managed to snap a picture of the room before it conked out. Also, I didn't bring my phone charger, so it bloody died on me that night too.

Anyways, I thought that the interview went well. Most of it was spent with my possible future boss explaining on the company's profile, function, process and job requirements. I made sure he understood where I was coming from. I definitely needed to brush up on the basics, require proper training and I made it clear that I was willing to learn. Credibility from my end came from 2.5 years in my current field of engineering, employment in one of the biggest MNCs in Malaysia, in-depth knowledge of my line of work and a good sense of communication and soft skills. What worries me would be the lack of experience and knowledge in broadcasting and telecommunications. I only took a few courses on related subjects during my tertiary years, and even so, it was at a very surface and basic level. I was honest about it, he was understanding and was no less enthusiastic during the interview. The company is a much smaller, foreign-based, service-providing company, so I feel that it has optimistic growth potential and more financial security than larger companies in light of the declining global economy foreseen this year.

I'll be getting an answer by the end of next week, right before CNY. I'm pray that this would be a stepping stone to a better quality of life and a different change of pace. If not, then I'll still keep my options open for something better to come my way. Keeping my fingers crossed...

Wish me luck!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

ALL THE BEST AND THE BEST OF LUCK IN GETTING YOUR NEW JOB!!!

Mark said...

Thanks Calv, muahhh =)