I am not a recruiter by profession but I have read hundreds of programmer's resume over the years. Sad to say, quite a number of the CVs are neither well presented nor urging for a "Let's arrange for an interview".
Therefore, I guess it will be helpful if I list down some of the tips on writing an eye-catching resume.
1. A short headline will be nice, for example "Java Programmer with 3 years working experience". Don't try to be gobbledygook like "Seasoned IT professional with great problem-solving skills" though.
2. List your skills up-front, preferably categorized into something like this:
- Programming: HTML, Javascript, JSP...
- Framework: Struts, Spring...
- Web Application Server: Apache Tomcat...
- Database: Oracle, MySQL...
I am begging you not to list MS Office as one of your skills.
3. Make sure your project experience highlights your skills. Don't elaborate much on the "business logic" of the system or software you are working on, but show the hiring manager how you apply certain technologies into your project. Choose those worth mentioning projects instead of listing all 20 projects you have done.
4. Hiring manager will have doubts if there is a long list of employment history, especially those like switching job (or being fired) in every few months. If it was a contract job, state it clearly that you were contracted for x number of months.
5. Some IT hiring managers might put a huge emphasis on educations, but I personally treat that as a tiebreaker if there are candidates on an equal footing. This is especially true if you have a relevant professional certification.
6. I am not fully against hobbies, but I guess interest like having a blog or twitter expressing your knowledge or thoughts on technology will be a differentiator. It will be great too if you are a contributor to an open source project or technology forum.
7. Keep your CV short preferably within 2-4 pages, and remember to format it neatly to make it easier to read. Also, write a short self-intro cover letter in the email to attach your resume.
8. I know, some geeks don't speak English. Not everyone is a native English speaker but try to avoid simple grammar mistakes. If your English level is not that great, get someone who is to proof-read before sending it out. You will not leave a good impression if you can't even put in a decent effort to write a proper cover letter or CV.
Bonus tip: Stand out from the rest, ditch the boring JobStreet's template!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
An Inconvenient Shopping Experience at Acmamall.com
Labels:
e-commerce,
malaysia,
review
Acmamall.com started off years ago as an online book retailer in Malaysia and Singapore. Since not long ago, flowers and beauty products are being introduced, as well as shipping to the rest of Asia, Europe, Americas and even Africa!
Their catalog is quite extensive by Malaysia's standard, but personally I am not very impressed with their pricing. Take this book for example, which they are selling at RM 109.16 after "20% discount".
At the time of writing, you can get this book online for RM 95.80 from MPH or Kinokuniya, without any sort of discount.
The thing is, I won't be fussing about this if they don't markup the price and give a "20% off". It's like someone trying to sell you a teh-tarik at RM 3 with "50% discount". Also, I wonder how they get the RRP (recommended retail price)?
To be fair though, there are some books which are priced reasonably at Acmamall.com. My wife even asked for my help to order a beauty product, which is relatively cheaper from those she can source elsewhere.
I was a bit hesitated at first, having heard of complaints on their slow delivery (due to the fact that they are drop shipping from overseas?). Still, we proceeded with the order and fully aware that it takes 5-14 business days for the order to arrive.
As my normal practice of ordering online, I opted for the order to be delivered to my office address, thinking that there will be at least someone in the office to accept the parcel on working hours. Smart eh?
My order did arrive on the 7th working day, virtually but not physically. The postman just left a delivery notice in the mailbox at lift lobby, that explains why I couldn't receive the order physically. Not so smart at all.
I called up Pos Malaysia (it's a pain calling them), requesting them to re-deliver the parcel. But, they said it's not possible as the parcel is only an "Ordinary PosDaftar (registered post)" instead of Poslaju. That explains why they don't even bother to come up to the doorstep of my office.
I ended up driving to the post office in order to collect my parcel.
Imagine how ironic I was when I saw this label on the parcel: "Safe, Trustworthy, Convenient". It's not that kind of convenience I was expecting from buying online. It is also hard to build a trustworthy relationship with the shoppers if some of the prices are marked-up.
Since Acmamall is shipping via an ordinary postal service, I wonder how can I reschedule for a second delivery as stated in the FAQs? I know I could blame Pos Malaysia for not delivering the parcel straight to my doorstep. But, at least they will (in most cases) if it's a Poslaju, or worse case I can still request for a re-delivery.
It will only be right if Acmamall state it upfront that they are using local ordinary postal services. Alternatively, I personally wouldn't mind topping up a few ringgits for Poslaju just to ensure that the order reaches my doorstep.
Don't get me wrong, I am not just venting my frustration here but instead I will be glad if Acmamall improves, and playing its part on maturing e-commerce uptake in Malaysia.
Their catalog is quite extensive by Malaysia's standard, but personally I am not very impressed with their pricing. Take this book for example, which they are selling at RM 109.16 after "20% discount".
At the time of writing, you can get this book online for RM 95.80 from MPH or Kinokuniya, without any sort of discount.
The thing is, I won't be fussing about this if they don't markup the price and give a "20% off". It's like someone trying to sell you a teh-tarik at RM 3 with "50% discount". Also, I wonder how they get the RRP (recommended retail price)?
To be fair though, there are some books which are priced reasonably at Acmamall.com. My wife even asked for my help to order a beauty product, which is relatively cheaper from those she can source elsewhere.
My Order Experience from Acmamall.com
I was a bit hesitated at first, having heard of complaints on their slow delivery (due to the fact that they are drop shipping from overseas?). Still, we proceeded with the order and fully aware that it takes 5-14 business days for the order to arrive.
As my normal practice of ordering online, I opted for the order to be delivered to my office address, thinking that there will be at least someone in the office to accept the parcel on working hours. Smart eh?
My order did arrive on the 7th working day, virtually but not physically. The postman just left a delivery notice in the mailbox at lift lobby, that explains why I couldn't receive the order physically. Not so smart at all.
I called up Pos Malaysia (it's a pain calling them), requesting them to re-deliver the parcel. But, they said it's not possible as the parcel is only an "Ordinary PosDaftar (registered post)" instead of Poslaju. That explains why they don't even bother to come up to the doorstep of my office.
I ended up driving to the post office in order to collect my parcel.
Imagine how ironic I was when I saw this label on the parcel: "Safe, Trustworthy, Convenient". It's not that kind of convenience I was expecting from buying online. It is also hard to build a trustworthy relationship with the shoppers if some of the prices are marked-up.
My Two Cents to Acmamall.com
Since Acmamall is shipping via an ordinary postal service, I wonder how can I reschedule for a second delivery as stated in the FAQs? I know I could blame Pos Malaysia for not delivering the parcel straight to my doorstep. But, at least they will (in most cases) if it's a Poslaju, or worse case I can still request for a re-delivery.
It will only be right if Acmamall state it upfront that they are using local ordinary postal services. Alternatively, I personally wouldn't mind topping up a few ringgits for Poslaju just to ensure that the order reaches my doorstep.
Don't get me wrong, I am not just venting my frustration here but instead I will be glad if Acmamall improves, and playing its part on maturing e-commerce uptake in Malaysia.
Marketing is important to attract new customers, order fulfillment is equally (if not more) important to make returning businesses.
Well, not really a breaking one if you have noticed the policy updates in your PayPal account.
For those uninitiated, PayPal has just introduced new currencies which included Philipino Peso, Taiwanese Dollar, Thai Baht, Argentinean Peso, Brazilian Reais and yes, Malaysian Ringgit! Nothing official from PayPal yet but if you have a PayPal account, you will be able to check the policy updates as below:
You can now send and request money using Ringgit Malaysia.
However, withdraw funds to local bank account is still not available yet at the time of writing. Neither does adding funds from local banks.
Maximum transaction fees for domestic payments is 3.4% + RM 2.
Maximum transaction fees for cross-border payments is 3.9% + RM 2.
Let's keep an eye on official announcement from PayPal, and hopefully we will be able to add or withdraw funds via local banks very soon from now.
This is certainly a great piece of news to stimulate e-commerce growth in Malaysia. Now, everyone can really buy and sell online!
UPDATE: It is now possible to link PayPal to 21 banks in Malaysia!
http://bit.ly/3adO4y
For those uninitiated, PayPal has just introduced new currencies which included Philipino Peso, Taiwanese Dollar, Thai Baht, Argentinean Peso, Brazilian Reais and yes, Malaysian Ringgit! Nothing official from PayPal yet but if you have a PayPal account, you will be able to check the policy updates as below:
You can now send and request money using Ringgit Malaysia.
However, withdraw funds to local bank account is still not available yet at the time of writing. Neither does adding funds from local banks.
Maximum transaction fees for domestic payments is 3.4% + RM 2.
Maximum transaction fees for cross-border payments is 3.9% + RM 2.
Let's keep an eye on official announcement from PayPal, and hopefully we will be able to add or withdraw funds via local banks very soon from now.
This is certainly a great piece of news to stimulate e-commerce growth in Malaysia. Now, everyone can really buy and sell online!
UPDATE: It is now possible to link PayPal to 21 banks in Malaysia!
http://bit.ly/3adO4y
Years ago, the first thing up and running on my computer was the internet browser. Months ago, it was the feed reader - FeedDemon. Now, the first thing I read up every morning is tweets arriving at my TweetDeck.
Yes, you can say that I am addicted to Twitter. However, I am not a serial poster but enjoy observing updates within my circle of interest. I do tweet occasionally (when geekness kick in) and here are some of my selected tweets.
Yes, you can say that I am addicted to Twitter. However, I am not a serial poster but enjoy observing updates within my circle of interest. I do tweet occasionally (when geekness kick in) and here are some of my selected tweets.
Jason Jiang: There are plenty of people with bright ideas, but there are very few who can implement bright ideas.If these are within your circle of interest, follow me at @ckaywong.
According to Maxis, more than 40% of its subscribers surf mobile internet.
My dream gadget, Amazon Kindle goes international later this month, please make it available in Malaysia! http://bit.ly/ph4SR
Pathetic! Malaysia has one of the world's lowest broadband download speed, #59 out of 66 countries studied. http://bit.ly/2NQ6HX
Japan’s No. 1 Online Mall Rakuten Buys Into Thailand’s Leading E-Commerce Company Tarad. http://bit.ly/2P5aAY
Just realized Google has generated sitelinks for my blog. http://bit.ly/4CH3rS
Compilations from HMetro (khalwat's) and SinChew (celeb gossips) have always made it to the @staronline "Most Viewed" section.
@ovistore Why don't you sell mobile content in local currency (Ringgit Malaysia)?
I wonder why so many are doing McDonald's a free promo with their so called Drive-Thru VIP Stickers?
@myMaxis Foul language not accepted on WebSMS? I am impressed that you can filter out Cantonese and Hokkien ones, haha! http://pic.gd/1e85
RT @myMaxis Save up! Send & receive SMS for FREE via any PC with Maxis WebSMS at websms.maxis.com.my.
Malaysian shoppers hang out in malls, but prefer to find out about and buy products online. http://bit.ly/czgMg
Another hidden Malaysian heritage, one of the founders of plurk.com is Malaysian. http://bit.ly/4XmrB (in Chinese)
Wow, sharein is led by a Malaysian and engineered by some Malaysians too! http://bit.ly/BZskH #sharein
Oh jeez, not another flexible, scalable, groundbreaking, industry-standard, cutting-edge product from a market-leading, well positioned company!How many times have you came across these in web sites or press releases? I guess it's a common sight especially when you are reading some product or company write-ups.
Let's have some fun here. I just did a quick search on local IT companies and I think these deserve to be in the shortlist of Malaysia's Gobbledygook Award. Drum roll...
Not to forget this, the front-runner to the award.
Write for your buyers
Is it that the writers do not understand how their products can solve their customer's problems?
Please, write for one or more of the buyers that you intend to reach. Write in plain-language instead of "industry jargons" so that your buyers can understand how your products can solve their problem. As simple as that.
Again no, not the blogshop. If you are currently selling on blog, eBay, Lelong or forum, you might want to explore Trosworld to setup your own branded store for free. At the very least your customers will be able to navigate and browse all your offerings with ease.
A little bit on the background, Trosworld was just being officially launched about 1-2 months ago. This year is no doubt the year of e-commerce SaaS in Malaysia, with the launches of webShaper, SMilDS.com and now Trosworld. And I bet there are a few more out there.
Coming back to the free offering, it's really free where you will get basic e-commerce features like manage product, configure look & feel, setup manual payment channel etc. One thing to take note as your store will be parked under http://www.trosworld.com/youstorename.
Once you are ready to have your own branded domain or you are getting more serious as an online seller, you can upgrade to their premium package priced at RM 365 per year (current promotional price: RM 198 per year).
You can click and enlarge the following screen capture to check out the premium features (left-bottom):
One thing has to be said that Trosworld's administrative functions are quite easy to use. Even if you are not the everyday-internet-user, you don't need to refer to a user manual to setup or operate your store. They keep it so simple that even pakcik or makcik can start to sell online.
Other than that, Trosworld also offers a marketplace consolidating all the products offered by the registered merchants. At the time of writing, more than 3,000 products are offered by over 400 online shops. However, I guess it's quite a challenge for users to know what they should look for, and whether the queries return any (or desired) results.
Still, kudos to Trosworld for braving themselves with the freemium model to help stimulate e-commerce growth in Malaysia. Personally, I am impressed at how they get this far within months and of course, there are always rooms for improvement since the platform is still young (and so are their team).
A little bit on the background, Trosworld was just being officially launched about 1-2 months ago. This year is no doubt the year of e-commerce SaaS in Malaysia, with the launches of webShaper, SMilDS.com and now Trosworld. And I bet there are a few more out there.
Coming back to the free offering, it's really free where you will get basic e-commerce features like manage product, configure look & feel, setup manual payment channel etc. One thing to take note as your store will be parked under http://www.trosworld.com/youstorename.
Once you are ready to have your own branded domain or you are getting more serious as an online seller, you can upgrade to their premium package priced at RM 365 per year (current promotional price: RM 198 per year).
You can click and enlarge the following screen capture to check out the premium features (left-bottom):
One thing has to be said that Trosworld's administrative functions are quite easy to use. Even if you are not the everyday-internet-user, you don't need to refer to a user manual to setup or operate your store. They keep it so simple that even pakcik or makcik can start to sell online.
Other than that, Trosworld also offers a marketplace consolidating all the products offered by the registered merchants. At the time of writing, more than 3,000 products are offered by over 400 online shops. However, I guess it's quite a challenge for users to know what they should look for, and whether the queries return any (or desired) results.
Still, kudos to Trosworld for braving themselves with the freemium model to help stimulate e-commerce growth in Malaysia. Personally, I am impressed at how they get this far within months and of course, there are always rooms for improvement since the platform is still young (and so are their team).
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Malaysia's E-Commerce Statistics
Labels:
e-commerce,
malaysia,
statistics
eCommerce statistics in Malaysia is hard to come by and I have got quite a number of requests on that. Thankfully, there was a special report on Oriental Daily News (yes, the no.4 Chinese Daily) last week presenting updated stats from IDC.
Again, sampling methods used in generating the statistics are not known but the stats itself might be useful as a reference.
Internet Users VS Buying Online
Can you believe it? More than 8 million Malaysians (half of our internet population) have actually bought something online. No doubt, most of the numbers are contributed by the airlines and I am not sure whether online financial activities, bill payments etc. are included as well.
Products or Services Bought Online
By comparing to the 2007's statistics, the gap between travel and the rest of the gang is narrowed, which is a good thing to prove that e-commerce in Malaysia is not all about airline / hotel / tour reservations. I am not too sure though on what kind of items are being categorized as "General Consumer Goods", and where does the apparel's segment stand?
Online Consumer by Age Group
No surprise here in which most of the consumers are contributed by the working adults. Almost 60% of online consumers' profession are managers or executives and 13% of them are students.
Hat tip: Joe.
Again, sampling methods used in generating the statistics are not known but the stats itself might be useful as a reference.
Internet Users VS Buying Online
Can you believe it? More than 8 million Malaysians (half of our internet population) have actually bought something online. No doubt, most of the numbers are contributed by the airlines and I am not sure whether online financial activities, bill payments etc. are included as well.
Products or Services Bought Online
By comparing to the 2007's statistics, the gap between travel and the rest of the gang is narrowed, which is a good thing to prove that e-commerce in Malaysia is not all about airline / hotel / tour reservations. I am not too sure though on what kind of items are being categorized as "General Consumer Goods", and where does the apparel's segment stand?
Online Consumer by Age Group
No surprise here in which most of the consumers are contributed by the working adults. Almost 60% of online consumers' profession are managers or executives and 13% of them are students.
Hat tip: Joe.
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