Content Contribution for Klang Valley 4 Locals 17th Edition (English Version)

As seen inside Klang Valley 4 Locals 17th Edition.

Bluedale publishes Melaka The Guide (The Borneo Post)

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Newspaper (The Borneo Post) article, published on the 15th of July, 2013.

A Company Worth Your Effort

A Company Worth Your Effort - How to Identify a Bad Company

Most job-hunters, such as I, myself, make sure they provide the best impression to the companies they are sending their resumes to. However, due to the time constraint from looking for a job, they are unable to foresee what will be happening next as soon as they are hired. Here are several tips I have gathered to share to those who are currently hesitant and unsure whether the company is worth the time or not.

1. Unprofessional

Check how they respond to your e-mails during your application process. If the company or the person in charge writes with too many grammatical and spelling errors, or even worse, someone that replied has the highest title in the company like Vice Manager or Editor-in-Chief. You probably have put a lot of focus to make sure your cover letter is flawless, but when you get this kind of e-mail, you should stop to think. Take some time to browse through their previous work or portfolio from their company website, even the website itself, and make your judgments from there.

If you ever find out during the interview that the company managers have family ties together through marriage or even as siblings, please reevaluate. In many cases, companies don't perform very well when the people managing the company are related and working together because anything that happens in their personal life will affect their working attitude and moods. 

2. Communication

Keep in mind that even if you need a job very badly, you must not accept a job that you know you will not be comfortable with. You are probably experienced with the position, but you cannot really find out how is the working environment. However, this can be guessed from how you are being interviewed, or how long they take to answer your e-mails and phone calls. If it happens that they call you to attend the interview at certain time and ask you to call back as soon as possible to confirm that you will be there, but when you call back they never pick up, or you are redirected to the wrong staff who has no idea of anyone hiring you, and then you decide to leave an e-mail to the person who is supposed to be in charge, but never responds to that e-mail anyway - something is definitely running weird in the company. Communication problems can occur from this even while you are working there and it can affect the quality of your work, so be careful.

Don't be impressed with managers who don't show up during your interview either, especially when the reason they don't show up is because they are having a vacation abroad which is not related to work. What are being told when you are being interviewed may differ from what is expected from the managers and vice versa. This include working hours, salary, job prospect, and many others. If there are more than one managers, at least one of them should stay behind to keep the company running while the other managers are away.

3.  Too Good to Be True

"Give me an amount of salary that you're comfortable with."

Realize that the company which is hiring you is probably desperate too, just as you are with wanting to be hired and to get paid. They will do anything to make you feel like it's an opportunity that will occur only once in your lifetime, therefore you must not ignore it. 

Yes, you have the freedom to set the amount. You have probably known roughly how much you are supposed to be paid for the position, but knowing the desperate person you are, and that you have a time limit, you still might feel like boosting the amount a little bit even though you know they can also refuse to pay that much.

What happens if they say yes? This is when you should consider. There must be a reason why they agree to the amount you asked. Commonly, the company has already set several things ahead for you, such as managing two or three positions at the same time because those positions are not filled, having to adhere to a very tight deadline while dealing with a very important client which losing the client means losing much more money than how much they will be paying you, or worse, expecting you to perform miracles.

4. Research

For most job-seekers, especially for the first time, they usually will use Google just to search a little bit more about the company hiring them. You are advised to do the same. Try using search phrases such as 'don't work with X company' or more straightforwardly, 'X is a bad company'. If you're lucky, you might be directed to the right information.

People write blogs these days. Normally, people who blog will pour their hearts out online when it comes to things that upset them the most each day. It's true that there are still many out there that will just complain at home to their significant others, causing chaos between them because one side cannot tolerate whinny speeches but calming down a few minutes later, but some prefer to prevent the chaos from happening or simply because they have nobody else other than their blogs, therefore choosing to write about it online.

Do take your time to read. List the pros and cons from there. If what is written sounds like a nightmare to you, then this company is probably not the right one for you unless you're willing to take the challenge and play it along like completing a tough level in a game.

Keep researching even until you are already called to start working. If the job you applied was posted online and somewhat written only one position available, be sure to check whether the job advertisement has been removed or not on the first day when you come to accept your job by signing a contract. But, do this at home as soon as you get back. If the advertisement is still there, you can give it a little more time like one more week. Meanwhile, don't stop your job-hunting there. Keep sending your resumes around. When you see the job advertisement has not been removed yet even after a week, set in your mind that this company is probably hiring you temporarily due to urgency, or just plain disorganized.

Do you know someone in the company? Make some connections. Be nice to the secretary of the company. They are the people who know the most of the company and will most likely provide you with the information you need or even suggest to you some people that you can contact for advice. 

5. Pay Attention to Details

Yes, going for interviews is overwhelming. Your heart beat rate will increase and decrease at the same time. Some can be taking it easy, while most are self-conscious. They don't know what to expect when it comes to the outcome of the interview they attended.

Despite all that, try your best to focus. Take your time to read the contract thoroughly when it is given to you upon your acceptance to the company. Make sure the contract is fair to you, as much as how it is fair to the company too.

While compiling the details you have gathered from your observation of the company, think whether they paid attention to your details as well, such as your mobility or whether you are able to stay committed to work by working until late at night, and so on. The company might have not been telling the truth, for example, saying that sometimes maybe once a week you will have to stay back for 3 hours more than your normal working hours while actually the reality is the opposite. Keep in mind that you are human, not a robot programmed to work the whole time. It's a common sense that if you are happy as a human who is able to spend ample time with family at home, have a social life or even enough rest at night, you will also perform well at work. 

To be able to find the right company for you can be tough but it is not impossible either. When it comes to finding a company that matches your standards, you have to be the judge. We are just people who want to make things happen and by achieving that, we need our source of income and if possible, the one that can last long.

World Treasures in Islamic Arts Museum

Kuala Lumpur doesn’t only build luxurious and modern skyscrapers. Being Malaysian, this city also doesn’t always offer Malaysian heritage or local art and historical tourist attractions. Occupying 30,000 square meters, Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia is a place you must visit when you’re traveling to Kuala Lumpur.

                Getting there is easy. You can choose from taking a bus or simply by hiring a cab. The bus will drop you right at the main street, where you can walk for about 10 minutes inside to reach the museum. When you start seeing signage of the Butterfly Farm, Bird Park, Planetarium, Orchid Farm, and the National Mosque, then you are on the right direction. The museum is surrounded by all those attractions, in the middle of the green scenery, maintained with the turquoise-colored domes that are currently a new landmark of Kuala Lumpur.

A Perfect Day Out in KLCC for Travelers

One of the fun things people must do in Kuala Lumpur is arranging an outing with their family or fellow travelers.  This city always offers variety of activities to do during weekends and also weekdays. If they cannot make it during daytime, they can instead go for it at night.

A perfect outing involves a venue that is active the whole day, and for that, one should pick Kuala Lumpur City Centre or KLCC. This area is fully funded by Malaysian national petroleum and gas company, Petronas. Getting to KLCC is very easily; one just simply needs to take the low transit railway or LRT train and stop at KLCC station. From there, climb up the elevator and they will be inside of it already. Instead, if they’re coming with a car that they drive on your own, there is a spacious and comfortable parking underneath the basements. They can collect the ticket at the parking entrance, or simply pass through using a Touch N Go card, which is much easier to use since they won’t have to find an Autopay machine later.

Central Market: A Paradise for Tourists

One of the main attractions in Kuala Lumpur, Central Market, is a cultural shopping center for tourists and even locals. This is the place people would go to if they are looking for certain exotic items, traditional clothing or souvenirs. It is located along Jalan Hang Kasturi, suitable for its purpose since Hang Kasturi is one of the five legendary warriors of Malaysia from our Malay literature work, Hikayat Hang Tuah.

How to spend RM100 and less in Kuala Lumpur

The first time I landed in Kuala Lumpur is probably about 12 years ago.  My first impression is how small I felt with all the skyscrapers. As a photography student, that feeling made me wanting to venture more. So I started to explore and take pictures of the city.

                Now that I’m married, and still living in Kuala Lumpur, I haven’t yet felt bored of talking about it. Newer buildings are built and more facilities are provided. Whenever I feel like going somewhere, I can always find somewhere to go in Kuala Lumpur.

                This city is a costly city. However, if anyone wishes to spend RM100 and less, one may follow my suggestions as a local. If this is their first time visiting Malaysia, they might need to read a bit about the country, especially when it comes to the culture, food, and the climate. Basically, Malaysia is a multiracial country, with three main races namely the Malays, Chinese, and Indians. Roughly, they can guess how multicultural Malaysians are.