How Job Hunting Haunts Me

At first, it was cool to receive many phone calls. I was laughing all the way whilst job opportunities were rushing its way to my mailbox. Most of you must be wondering how this could happen to a guy who meditated long enough in a same job spot. I will tell you how I was hunted without much job hunting.

Send resume to headhunters and you shall be headhunted

I find it hard to get connected to job headhunters, especially those well known ones. So when I paid visit to job fairs previously, my targets were only those headhunter companies, instead of multinational companies or Fortune 500 companies. I reckon getting candidates wasn't their concern, they were actually paying more attention in branding their names to the public (by giving free pens, notepads, etc.). The process was so simple - I just drop my resume in the database of those headhunters. *feels like contributing a donation*



If that spells too much hassle, you can do it online at home. Based on my extensive research (just use Google will do), there's a list of headhunters in Malaysia for everyone to mark their targets. Don't be overjoyed, some headhunter profile doesn't have email address, only phone and fax number. Throughout the time, I'm way too lazy to use a fax machine and found it cumbersome to send my voice over a phone. So I decided to click for headhunters in JobStreet's page instead.


They will 'buy' your resume with a scan through their bar scanner.

Focus on things you can control

Along the way, I was being discouraged whenever I thought about the stress of going through interviews and the amount of time needed for interview preparation. Worse, when I’m working late and I've only couple of hours left at night. By managing my time wisely, those are things within my control. Dinner/shower: 5 minutes, create interview script: 15 minutes, dinner for my brain: 50 minutes and sleep: 5 hours. I believe so. Do you?


Written words are sharper and easier to remember.

I could unstressed myself by looking on bright side. If headhunters give a phone or mail response, I'll just go thinking I’m possibly a potential employee in their lens, though my mind might put me in doubt whether I'm capable for the job. As I mentioned, I can make time to prepare and memorize interview scripts, so that it’s no longer appear to be a stress. Instead of wasting of time judging how things might go wrong, the remaining time should be utilized for improving yourself, or merely shop for a better looking attire for upcoming interview.

You need headhunter and headhunters need you

Whilst employers hire headhunters to get quality employees, they will still try to promote you in front of their clients, as long as you are qualified with their basic requirements. It is a win-win situation for both parties - they get paid and you get hired. Trust me you will even stand a concrete chance, if they are desperate and have no other choices in hand.


Smile! You stand a chance. Ermm, I mean that lady.

Ask properly and you shall receive properly

Long story short, I received phone calls by then - all the way from India, Middle East , Thailand and back in Singapore. After I've done with the first conversation, the subsequent ones were pretty much the same. First they will ask whether I am interested to attend to one of their clients' interview from bla bla bla country. Then I’ll be answering questions like how long you've been working, your current scope of work, expected pay and current pay. They even offered useful interview advices during my interview with them. Surprisingly I can't even take it as a headhunter's interview at the first place.

Expect the unexpected

Headhunter seldom reduce the amount of your expected pay (unless a ridiculous amount). You can go as high as 30% to 40% of your current salary. But when you meet the interviewer from their client, they will ask about your expected salary again. I usually answer them with a question - "How much would you pay someone with my background and experience?". This will get them to suggest a price on your behalf.



If you aren't satisfied with your employee-labeled-price-tag, you can scold them stupid reveal your honest amount with a solid reason tagging behind. For example, I would say something like "I’m currently being offered $4,000 by a Singaporean company, but I’m really interested to work for your company. Is it possible to work out a similar amount? I don’t mind to be bonded in this case". Case closed.

Beware of one missed call

As headhunters will be calling you in the morning, afternoon and evening, get yourself to charge your cellphone at night. This will avoid sudden conversation cut off during the day. But the last thing I expected to happen was this..



I received several missed calls from several headhunters while I was in toilet. My cellphone was left on my table catching numbers that were either ‘Withheld’ or ‘+60301’. The others were sadly listed as 'Unknown'.

Now tell me.. How I supposed to call them in return?



At that moment, she describes the exact expression of mine.

Little Things Make Wonders

I'm late for work, for almost everyday. It's really bad if everyone in the office stare at you. But for once, I don't feel guilty.

Thanks to a little advice from a friend of mine.

"Whatever happens in life, happens for good. Stop worrying about the future and forget the past."



After September 11, a company invited the remaining members of other companies who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers to share their available office space. In the meeting, the head of security told stories of why these people were alive and all their stories were just 'L I T T L E' things.

As you might know, the head of the company survived that day: It was because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.
One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.
One of them missed his bus.
One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.
One's car wouldn't start.
One went back to answer the telephone.
One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.
One couldn't get a taxi.

The one that struck everyone was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone, and all those little things that annoy me.

I will think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.

Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated. In a sense, it supposes to happen that way for a reason.

Life Isn't Short-sighted

A brand new year has arrived.

And the real drama being enacted in TV becomes reality.



Like greased lightning, I was swiftly sail through piles of work in office lately. I'm not crazy, but I wanted to laugh. A big one. Just relief my stress.

Work is like reading a never ending storybook. But I remained conscious for long hours though 5 hours of sleep a day merely isn’t enough.

I told myself - Life is short, I don't need to sleep for such long hours to put half of my lifetime into waste. Good news for those having insomnia then, you tend to have more hours to do more reckless things to your life. Make sure it's reckless but eventually mark a meaningful thought though.

You know what, I still think I should make it a point to do something meaningful to my life every month, weekday, or even initiate it every hour.

Well.. throughout the rest of my life, I'll first try my level best to satisfy the kid in me. You should as well. It could be to spend some time playing online games, cracking some jokes with friends or buy some gadgets to kill the curiosity.

Whenever I managed to do that, the feeling great traveled to every parts of my body, even my bones.

Hey, my company isn't Google Inc. I don't have 20% spare time in office to do whatever I like. Gosh, I can see it coming. The end of today, tomorrow.. it's all the same old stuff to manage. Sounds like a happy ending to retirees. It sounds so manageable. However, the thirst for real challenges are the real kool-aid for young nuts like me.

On the other hand, I also need time to fix problems in life, besides adding spices and sucking candy along the path of life. Having done something that is acknowledged to be wrong in a sense, which in this case, no updates on this blog of mine, startled was what I felt.

So first I need to work, then solve problems, and then enjoy life a bit, and it iterates over and over and over Again!

At the mean time, any ideas on how to live an ideal life?

I will try to get help from books like The Secret and The Yoga of Life.

Sucks-cess

Something to ponder for the day.

Success means knowing the right people, being in the right place at the right time and using the right tools.
- Anthony Robbins


Yes, I do have success!

Obviously, everyone wants to get hold of success and apparently a career, I mean.. a day job is needed. But since 3 years ago, my eyes and ears came across many successful stories on how money is made just by blogging.

In fact, these people can spend time with their love ones and make money at the same time. Still, most people don't consider it as a career.

But then again, what's life without a career, and what's a career without a life? Let's mouth about the real success, shall we?


Lesson no.1
Companies are like robots.



They're things and they don't have feelings. If a company transforms into bulletproof vest and protects you, you must be dreaming. Instead, beware of receiving life bullets when you open your office mailbox everyday.



Seriously, there are no strong bonds between human and the so-called robot. Really.

Nightmare will soon find you if you still don't grasp the truth.. No one cares more about your career than you do!

Hence, don't expect your company to take care of you.


Lesson no.2
Certain jobs fit certain people best.


No such thing as easy job.. those muscle takes a year to build!

Some guys got no problem impressing a girl. It's like their nature to be appealing in the wooing job. On the other hand, some might have a tough time trying, probably due to no dancing genes, no cooking skill or singing talent to win a girl's heart.

No doubt, you do have special gifts that fit you for some and disqualify you for others.

In my humble opinion, we're just typical human who learn as we live, along with slightly unavoidable tendency to hit mistakes. Not everyone is born with a talent in drawing, but some people can draw really well at the very first time.

Kindly kill some time to assess your skills, temperament and aptitude in depth. Then you will know what job suits your skill the best.

Lesson no.3
Careers are short-term.



Although there’s no terrorist attack, your present job can go dead anytime. It definitely will scare the shit out of me if I'm fired without a warning.

Solution? Adopt short term thinking strategy. Don't take your present career for granted.



Someone once described a consultant as a person who wakes up every morning unemployed. Waking up every morning feeling unemployed, certainly makes you wonder.. What're you going to do next?

The answer is.. Always prepare a Plan B!

Lesson no.4
Don't stay in a job you hate.


Better kill your job before it kills you..

Hating your job can kill you. Hunt for a job you love. Your consistent passion will eventually guide you to success.

Final lesson
Success is difficult.


Games are difficult too..

If success were easy, everyone would be successful already. Tehe! It's depends whether you are eager enough to win the game of life and taste the success.

For me, it's only four words to trigger myself to work hard for success.

Life Sucks Without Success! - Matchfingers

How many cats in Los Angeles?

The other day, a friend of mine was summoned to attend an interview in a research marketing company.

Yes, he was quite keen to join that multinational company, but before that, he was required to answer several subjective questions as part of the interview process.

Questions which are subjectively involved are always meant to discover individual ideas or opinions rather than facts. However, he was out of his conscious mind as he stumbled upon this..

• How many cats are there in Los Angeles?

My real question is, how to answer this with no reference books or Internet access? How to calculate? Why cats, not dogs? Is this an IQ question?

My poor friend doesn't even know how many cats in his own neighborhood.. worse, now it's referring to largest city in the state of California.

His brain had absolutely no idea, so eventually the question was skipped. Later at home, he curiously tried to google it and this is what he found..

• Due to lots of rain in LA, there will only be indoor cats, but people in LA are too poor to buy cats. Only people in Beverly Hills part of LA are rich enough to buy cats, but they are too busy working and got no time to take care of the cats. In the end, those rich people have to hire old nannies to take care of the cats, but old people in Beverly Hills are too superstitious and don't like cats.

So based on the assumption, there are no cats in LA.

What a brilliant answer! Tehe!

Personally, I don't think any candidates actually have time cracking jokes like this one during a 30-minute interview test. I suppose when they saw that question for the first time, they already damn stunned.

Anyway, my friend was hired at the end of the interview.