Lack of self-initiative, soft skills leads to unemployed fresh graduates

Lack of self-initiative and soft skills are among the main factors leading to unemployability among fresh graduates in the country.

TalentCorp Malaysia chief executive officer Johan Mahmood Merican said some of the fresh graduates tended to take the job application process lightly, without taking the initiative to market themselves to the future employer.

"Rather than just dropping the curriculum vitae (CV), they need to enhance their soft skills and stand out from among other competitors for recognition.

"Besides, average recruiters only spend six seconds on a CV and mostly, will find reasons to reject it. Thus, students and fresh graduates must learn not to take matters like this (CV) lightly," he told reporters after launching the Sector Focused Career Fair (SFCF) Big Bang 2016 here today.

Meanwhile, Johan Mahmood said 10,000 young people, especially graduates were expected to attend the two-day SFCF organised by TalentCorp, beginning today.

The fair at the TM Convention Centre is from 9am to 5pm.

"More than 50 top companies from various sectors, including financial services, are joining the fair. It is the best platform for them to apply for jobs, attend interviews and engage with employers to gain better understanding of the type of jobs they are seeking," said Johan Mahmood.

He said despite the moderate economic growth, the job demand in Malaysia was still strong, especially among electrical and Information and Communication Technology companies which recruited a lot of manpower.

"TalentCorp and the education ministry are currently trying to achieve better matching (in jobs) to link graduates to the employers and vice-versa," he added.

Johan Mahmood said this year, there were four upcoming SFCF in universities, namely Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Pahang), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (Perak), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Universiti Malaysia Perlis.