Working?

Without wondering, my one month holiday passed. What have I done throughout the month? I really have no idea. I was supposed to work yet unable to find a suitable job that really fit my intention to stay only two months as I am in my semester break currently. Most of the employer heard that I merely able to work for a short period of time. Most not really want to accept me, even I am qualified to be their staff.

I guess one of the problems for me is that I am too honest. Whenever during the interview, the interviewer asked “how long you can work?” The answer will always be two months as I really have less than two months I can work for them in fact. However, if I could tell lie; I could have worked the first day of being interviewed. Unfortunately, I just could not get myself telling lie just for a job because I know the employer will be going to suffer after my resign. He or she will need to put on the advertisement in the newspaper for the Job Vacancy.

Another situation I found is that they will be disadvantage if you are university student yet applying for a job like promoter in Time Square. As they will usually ask you “what do you study first?” I have this experience that I went to Isetan in Lot 10 for interview as a sale promoter for clothes. The interviewer asked me and I told her. She asked me back a question which might sound really weird, “Do you have any fashion sense?” I was out of witnessed how to reply and I said that this is my first job as a promoter and I wished to experience variety of working environment. The reply from her was that “OMG, you never as a promoter yet you still dare and come and apply for this position?” The first impression from me was that you are so weird indeed, why not a 20 years old “teenager” to be a promoter? But, I did not speak it out and I kept silent.

So, as a university student, you are not top up on the hill. You will still have the opportunity being hurt by someone out there. Not saying that she was wrong to comment me, because what she was thinking was that she does not want to employ a newbie to work for her. In this case, there is no wrong or correct comment; it is just what and which position you are looking in this issue. I can only say there is not everyone out there really willing to give opportunity to newbie. If they are willing to offer to you a chance of learning is all your luck, if they do not; they really have the right to do so.

In fact, I found that not everything in this earth happened in the way we planned. At the very first place, I planned to work 2 jobs together in a day to earn extra money. A part time teacher in primary school and a promoter in The Store near Pudu area, yet I failed to do so. I found that my first intention to be a teacher is really wrong. I thought to involve myself in education will fit my standard as a university student. However, I was so naïve in this context. I really spent about 2 weeks time just finding something did not have any pay back. I was indeed disappointed until a level I admitted to myself that I am a failure, a job also cannot find by me. During that period of time, I found that if I finish my study, yet I face the same problem of finding job, I will be more stressful than now.

Anyway, I found it great to have gone through that few weeks of despair time and I was so lucky that I still have my family members to support me. I have interviewer for a job as teacher in OUG and nearly want to sign up, however due to the reason they signed me up is for part time and the working areas are too far as well as transport needed to prepare by ourselves. I found that it really sounded like very untruthful as they advertised for a full time teacher and on that day itself before we discuss the agreement, he did ask for his staff has anyone to recommend to work as full time in the center. However, when I asked “can I convert myself to be a full time teacher?” *as full time teacher can be paid as high as RM1500-RM2000 as settled in the newspaper.  The answer is no and he said that he has enough person. So, what was I said here is the trick being used by the persons today. Hence, just be careful to be cheated sometime.

Next, I went to interview as a sole assistant in Genting with my friends. I found that Genting is a big company so is also a good shelter for person like me. At first I wished to interview as the Guest Service Customer position. However, it was limited to permanent working staff merely. At first, I really have no idea what do I need to do as a sole assistant. After the interview, I was told that it needs to work in casino for the gambling machine “Lou Hu machine”. Due to the reason of the salary is low and I found that I could find the same offer here in KL, hence I reluctant the offer at my final decision.

At last, I worked for e- Promode which is an agent company for training promoter to supermarket and hypermarket. Since the day I have joined the company, I have worked on a project with the duration 2 weeks only weekend. To be a promoter in the hypermarket and supermarket, it is not as hard as I thought. The product training is the easiest as due to the reason I have received a product that really fit what I have studied. The project is a Nestle Nesvita Omega Plus, it is basically an adult milk product. So, the focus group will be basically range from age 19 to 50 years old. They are my target!

You really have no idea what was the feeling of being the first day promoter. Moreover, my working place is in Jusco Maluri. Yes, you do not see wrongly, it is in Jusco where is well known because of its strict rules. However, the rules not really effective to me as I always fulfill it for example no highlighted hair, no long fingernail and etc. May be I was studied in MBS before, I found it really is not a big duel to me. Wahahaha…

I was not guided to the working place, I was out of my idea where is the entrance for staff, I was doubt that I able to bring hand phone inside my working place and etc, etc……

These were my first worry when starting off my work. I was given a contact number that she is the “senior there”. She might be able to help me to settle my problem. I was told that I need to prepare the samples in chill. Hence, I was told to buy mineral water to prepare the sample. I was not tasted the milk product before, hence I really have no idea what will be the favor and taste of that milk product.

First day of work, I felt like pain in my both legs after the 8 hours working time. I had never been a promoter before due to one of the reason is that it requires standing which might be a kind of trouble for me. However, I felt better for the next day of work as I think I have adapted to it. Luckily, I have someone really helped me a lot whenever I faced any problems; she is Jyu Yann, a young girl who will be in university soon. She is nice and helpful as well as easy to interact with and I felt like she is my friend but not my colleague.

In fact, I was quite enjoyed in this project and learnt a lot from my mistakes too. It made me knew how to promote and approach to strangers easier if I would like to promote my own products in future. Moreover, the product that I promoted was having strong selling points for me to make the sales. Thus, I will usually make my sale target which is 30 pax for everyday.

The selling point are this product is the first Malaysian Milk Product that having a triple goodness. Firstly, it contains omega3 and 6 for maintaining a better heart condition. Secondly, it does consist of Acticol which is a kind of plant sterol that functions in lower down the bad cholesterol in the body if we consume it. Scientists proved that it able to reduce 7% of the bad cholesterol in the body after 30 days consumed. Thirdly, it is high in calcium and if you take 2 glasses a day, day and night; you will be able to receive 100% of the recommended daily intake of the calcium. Furthermore, it is reduced fat milk product; it simply means that it contains 60% low fat composition if relative to full cream milk. Hence, you will not need to worry that drinking this milk product will make you gain weight. In addition, you can have this product in other fit other purposes for example cooking. We knew that “santan” is not healthy to us; hence I am here to recommend to you this product to cook curry for an example.

Generally, the above are all my selling points. Therefore, if you are nutritional aware persons, you should be able to accept this product easily and they used to ask me question like “what is the difference between your products with Anlene?” I could not make a direct comparison in this case due to sensitive issue like conflict with the promoter of Anlene. So, usually what I will do is that I will reemphasize my selling point 1 and 2. The reason being that as mentioned before this is the first Malaysia product that having the triple goodness, hence usually the clients will accept and might end with grabbing one for a trial.

I can roughly classify the customers into three groups. One is that they are money minded as like me; the price will still be the ultimate determinant for purchase. In this case, we have to cut down the long elaboration of the facts and faster straight to the point-promotion price/ cut down how much/ save how much and etc. If you keep telling him or her facts, perhaps your customer will just stop you from continuing your elaboration.  If you straight to the point, perhaps they will consider your product and stop for another 30 seconds for the decision making on hold period for you. This will be the golden time for me to start attack  clients with the benefits and need to enlarge the picture of promotion in their mind so they will buy your product. Hence, here is the technique I will use for convincing my customer.

Next, the other group will probably like what I have said just now, they really inquiry the benefits of having your products. They do not mind to spend their money on product but they want the value in spending too. Hence, this group of people will need extra elaboration of the facts. For example, create the scenario of the seriousness of the heart disease as first Malaysia killing disease that killed a lot of Malaysian. Owing to this reason, Nestle is more focused on this issue and came out with this product, this is a 3 in 1 product as it will maintain your heart, bone and artery as well as veins in your body. For me, I really thinks this is a wonderful experience for me especially when I need to counseling my clients in future as dietitian.

The third group of people will be mixed of first and second group, this is more likely to be the challenging part as they will not decide based on one factor but more than that, hence it might need more passion to convince them.How to judge among these three groups of people? The answer is experience helps me to make a general judgment at first glance!

Anyway, I felt happy to have this as my job. In term of learning a new thing, I am able to have flexibility of working time merely on weekend although I might sacrifice my plan to go out somewhere during weekend.

~ by Willam on June 9, 2009.