MUST Career Fair: Employers say attitude is “most important factor” to be successful

2014-3-6

From：Macau Daily Times

The Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) two-day career fair closed yesterday. Representatives from several local and international enterprises that took part in the event have said that they do not expect fresh graduates to possess special skills. Instead, they will focus on assessing the attitudes of job applicants. Some of them also claimed that recruitment has become more difficult.
MGM Macau’s Director of Human Resources, Fatima Cou, said that the casino resort planned to recruit both local and mainland graduates. It offered several hundred opportunities in different departments, such as information technology, human resources, casino and hotel.
Ms Cou said that there are not many specific requirements. MGM only wants applicants to be enthusiastic about their jobs. “We don’t really have many tough requirements, as long as the graduates are interested in entering the hotel industry and are enthusiastic about it, as well as willing to start from a lower position and willing to learn and endure hardship. We really hope that the younger generation can have this attitude. Basically, we are not trying to recruit those who have exceptional academic performance or with GPA 4.0. We don’t need them. The most important factor is the attitude of the graduates.” She added that they do not expect fresh graduates to know a lot, and that MGM will provide training courses to their employees.
Fatima Cou revealed that, according to their experience, around 20 to 30 percent of the applicants in MUST will be qualified for the positions they have applied for. The minimum salary starting point is around MOP10,000. She said that they do not believe in keeping staff through raising salary. Since MGM has to prepare for its Cotai project, Fatima Cou said that they will organize and participate in other career fairs in the future.
Millie Chan, Head of Human Resources at BNU, also said that the local bank does not anticipate fresh graduates to possess any special skills. The bank is hiring people to fill vacancies such as clerks and tellers, with a minimum salary of between MOP9,000 and MOP10,000. She said that applicants should show their interest in the position during interviews and demonstrate that they are responsible. Millie Chan said that it is very common for university graduates to change jobs frequently, and she does not think that there is a solution to that. However, she argues that if an employee is truly talented, the company will try its best to fulfill their demands.
The HR head also believes that even though some casino resorts are offering higher salaries, there are always going to be people who do not want to work in the casino industry. Therefore, she is not worried about not being able to hire people.
Apart from gaming operators and banks, accounting firms are also popular targets for job-hunting fresh graduates. Tracy Chong from PricewaterhouseCoopers said that it is the work attitude that is the most important. “As long as you are interested in the industry, you can be successful in any career path.” She revealed that the average minimum salary starting point of the “big four” accounting firms is around MOP12,000.
Some students have already made up their minds about their futures. Ms Ho, a mainland student, said that she intends to stay and work in Macau, and is looking for jobs in banks or investment companies. She seeks a starting salary of between MOP15,000 and MOP19,000.
Local students Michelle Lau and Kathy Wong, on the other hand, claimed that they did not have a target position. Majoring in marketing, Michelle Lau said that she wants to work for the government because it is more stable. Another local student, Ms Ling, said that she wants to find a job that matches her human resources major. She will first try to find jobs in the gaming industry. Moreover, she does not want to apply for a government job because the assessment process is too challenging for her.

Copyright@Macau Daily Times