Opinion ¢ Lucas Chow is the former CEO of Far East Orchard Singapore, Mediacorp Pte Ltd and Singtel Mobile. He now serves as the Director of the Thirst Collective, which includes Christian websites Salt&Light and Thir.st. He worships at Wesley MC and is a member of the MCS Council on Communications.
Your first job: Advice from a former CEO
L
ike many fresh graduates, I was eager to dive into the workforce after I left university. My urgency was driven by the attraction of being financially independent and climbing the corporate ladder—and also because I didn’t want to be left behind by my peers. But with hindsight, I now know that a career lasts for many years; I would have made fewer mistakes if I had spent some time planning my career before setting out. I hope this sharing of my personal experiences in selecting and hiring potential candidates will be useful especially to those who have just graduated and are looking for their first jobs.
Preparing a career plan Know yourself 1. What are your: skills, values and interests? •
Skills: What are you good at? We often learn from our past experiences how we can apply the skills that we have acquired.
When we were still in university, one of my schoolmates asked me to help him plan his wedding and banquet. The couple were on a tight budget and had to feed many hungry youths. An event of that scale required: detailed planning; organisation; problem solving; budgeting; creativity; resourcefulness; and communication skills. Although this happened many years ago, I still consider it as one of my major accomplishments. These skills are “transferable” and can be applied at work or under many different circumstances. You can identify your skills and build skill inventories by reflecting on your life experiences (especially from major achievements). This is particularly useful for fresh graduates with no or limited working experience. I find it useful to keep a skill inventories list, and to review and add to it periodically as I gain more experience and exposure in life. •
Values: What is most important to you? Our values are shaped by our backgrounds, beliefs and experiences. It is important to know what values that you will not compromise, such as family, integrity and religion.
METHODIST MESSAGE August 2021
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