Resume 101

Yesterday I was helping a friend to vet through a few resumes sent by so called fresh graduates and desperately job seekers. There is a vacancy at her office - Admin cum reservations Officer with a small offering salary at RM1,700. Well, by looking at situation nowadays, where fresh graduates carrying iPhone and driving MyVi, yes, that is small. But what her office can offer is real experience and exposure to an exciting working environment, with hands on training where your college/university or parent could never taught you. Anyways, what is iPhone and MyVi when those things are provided by your parent and boyfriend? You will never know how hard to earn money and the value of it. Plus, you'll stay stupid with no skills.


BUT, That's not what I wanted to highlight.


The more I open and read those resumes, the more it drag me into blasphemous thought, until I was too hesitate to click the next 'view' button. I was cursing and asking myself, what happened to the  education syllabus today? I still remember when I was finishing my diploma, there was one particular subject in my English class specifically teaches how to:-


1) Write a resume or Curriculum Vitae
2) Write a cover letter
3) Interview Ettique
4) A must do & don't when writing a resume / attending interview.


Obviously, 80% of the submission are without cover letter -That's fine.


Apparently, those resumes are copy and paste - that is still acceptable.


The fuck is, the photo attached with..

MY GOODNESS!


I still have a few with 'camwhore' for FACEBOOK profile's photos. Trust me. If we are interested to see how cute you are, we will ask you to put your FACEBOOK profile account's link on the job's requirement. But we are not.


What the hell is this? Try to AprilFool's me?? You Fools. That office wasn't publishing event for telemovie, TV commercial or modelling casting! It is a serious job, and we don't fucking care about how sweet your look or the way you pose but your ability and how far you willing to learn!


and, what is this?

a Hi? and she can't even spell 'Hi' in a correct manner. What the fuck is happening to them Job seekers nowadays?


Not to mention the email 'ids'. Apple_Pie@yahoo.com, Miss_World@gmail.com, HanieCutie, MissBeautiful, Sexyandgorgeous, Cutiebunny...


THIS WILL BE MY LAST TIME SCANNING THESE BULLSHIT.


and I still remember few years ago, I received a resume from a guy applying for the post of Account Executive in my previous office. We were laughing so hard and decided NOT to call him in for the interview. He attached a full head to toe picture, wearing nice collared shirt, nicely tucked into his pants, wearing beach flip flops, kneeling down with his right hand supporting his chin and a bicycle as his background. I guess he's trying to be Abang Kassim Selamat here. Thanks, for made our day with laughter. But no thanks - no interview call for you. 


You guys are very lucky in the name of 'BUMIPUTRA' because there are many foreign companies set up all over Malaysia which the requirement for them is - has to employ 'Bumiputra' as a staff. But I, as a polished Bumiputra has to make sure that my race stays un disgrace from these monkey acts during the preliminary stage (resume's stage) and have to select only the qualified ones and  bring it forward to these foreigner's employers. For the rest of you who still refused to wake up - good luck. There are still plenty franchise, foreign's fast food restaurant chain that can offer you a job as waiters and cashiers. Starbucks, Delifrance, McDonalds to name a few.


It's a sad truth. Our graduates are 10 years behind other races, indeed.


I am not sure you guys are using internet more than just for Facebook, Twitter and Angry bird, but you can always Google on 'How to write a Resume'


and below is my advise in general;-


1) Try to get a decent, normal, standard passport sized photograph. If you can afford to eat KFC during your jobless period, believe me, you can afford to get a decent passport sized photograph taken in the studio (Cost: RM15)


2) Spend sometime to get the best sample of cover letter. Tips: Google it.


3) Do some research, Google about the company background. Every company has its own website. Just spend 5 minutes to read it. It is important for you to know with who you apply the job with. If it is a foreign company, you definitely has to be fluent in English. Do not waste people's time by calling you for interview and sitting there looking at you having a hard time to arrange Malays into English sentences in your head.


4) Always keep in mind that, the one who's going to review your application and resume is a bitter, bitchy person who think everything is never good  enough. This will help to set your writing quality above par.


5) Don't try to flirt by sending your flirty sweet photograph. That won't help you.


6) Please reserve one serious email id with your real name on it. And use it only for job application. Example: Zarina.yusoff@gmail.com,  Anita_Mohammad@yahoo.com


7) Relevance  and relate: Your working experience or certificate you have in hands with the job you're applying. If it is Travel Agency, we will look more on someone with a working experience in hotel or ticketing or graduates in Tourism. Diploma in Nursing is a no-no.


8) Don't try your luck when sending job application. You must ensure that you are going to be selected for at least interview stage. So check the content of your resume. Is your skills or certificate is relevant to the post you are applying for.


9) Write clear and accurate subject title on the email which you are going to send. Example :"APPLICATION FOR THE POST OF ADMIN OFFICER". Not "hye" or "Hey there"


10) Don't try to flirt by sending your flirty sweet photograph. That won't help you.


11) Try to get a decent, normal, standard passport sized photograph. If you can afford to eat KFC during your jobless period, believe me, you can afford to get a decent passport sized photograph taken in the studio (Cost: RM15)


Seriously, the way you smile, your posture in the picture and how you look into the camera lens - reveal your general attitude.


After I went through some serious hardship and tormenting hours of selecting the best candidates for the interview, I manage to get 4 among 100. Thank God.

Happily Never After.

Emotionally and mentally exhausted. Too tired till I can't sleep. Thinking about what went wrong. I would like to be someone that I am not for once. It has been too long, I'm starting to forget how it feels to have someone I can run to, belong to. I'd do anything to have it back, I'd go everywhere to find it again, but here I am, talking to my own tears for many nights.. thinking - what went wrong?


Where are you, where are you.. did you already left me long time ago, and never thought of coming back, love?

be·long/biˈlôNG/

Verb:

(of a thing) Be rightly placed in a specified position: "learning to place the blame where it belongs". Be rightly classified in or assigned to a specified category go, fit in, have a home, have a rightful place This piece really belongs in a museum. go with, fit into, be part of, relate to, attach to, be connected with, pertain to, have as a proper place

"Now I know I've got a heart, 'cause it's  breaking... " ~ Tin Woodsman.

Japan: Kobe, Kyoto and the toilet.

Whatever you heard about Japan - is true. Their train is faster, their streets and compound is cleaner, the girl is cuter, the food is more expensive, their sense of style is fancier, their gadget and stuff sell on the streets are crazier and their toilet is..already so 3012. You think your wide LCD flat screen TV or iMac is the most futuristic item in your house? Meh. You need a manual guidebook to operate toilet bowl in Japan. Im not surprised in a few months time they come up with self twitting toilet bowl just by sensing the temperature of your ass cheek - then help you remotely log in into your twitter account and update the condition and texture of your poop, right at the moment. Well, today, people already updating shitty stuff on Twitter while doing their number 2, anyway. So why not update about your shitty's shit shit while shitting? A TWITSHIT  A DAY, MAKE YOU FAMOUS ALL THE WAY.

Er, seriously, I can have a specific long blogpost just by talking about toilet bowl in Japan alone. So, I better stop now. AND, it is a toilet bowl in Public Toilet! Not hotel or expensive restaurant. My depression towards shitty stuff has become more critical after I visit more and more other countries. Now I feel frustrated every time I push a door of Malaysia's public toilet. Wet, gross, shoe prints and tissue all over the places view waiting for me. And we think we had it all, the Cyberjaya and carrying iPad, or iPhone.

This supposed to be a summary post, and why I already blabbering half page just about toilet? Damn.

So, we were back to Osaka after 3 days short trip in Tokyo. It's definitely not enough for Tokyo, if you ask me. Planning to make another visit to Tokyo soon, maybe during transit to somewhere. A 2 or 3 days transit to make up what I missed during this trip :(

Back to Osaka and staying in Hommachi area, with a walking distance (less than 5 minutes) to Shinsaibashi and Nagahoribashi -  A home to many of Osaka's stylish fashion boutique and many many fooooods. Close enough to Dotonburi too, when I say close enough, it means walk. They describe Dotonburi as a single street running alongside the Dotonburi Canal, but I say it's a canal of shopping madness and varieties with bright lights and piercing voice of Japanese sales girls greeting and welcoming you into their shop with high note somewhere around F note, over 3 octaves above Middle C. It's greater than Mariah Carey, if you know what I mean.

There is Daimaru shopping mall in between and if you walk straight up, further further up (1 hour I think?) you will end up with another mother of all motherfucker shopping malls - Takashimaya, Namba. Here in Namba you can find popular bars, restaurants, nightclubs & arcades. I don't know, I never been up to all over Osaka or Shibuya 109 in Tokyo. So I don't know which is the boss of all these m*fcker shopping malls in Japan. I guess they are all equally big? hey, I saw Hankyu malls in Japan too. Remember Hankyu Jaya?? Hahaha.

It's hello Kitty House. 3 floors to be exact.
I'll brag about shopping activities in Osaka on part 2.
We supposed to visit Nara, but apparently we don't have enough time for that. But here we are - 50 minutes train ride from Osaka - Kobe City.

Map of Kobe

Kobe's Street performer.

Intriguing sculpture along Kobe's streets

Entrance of Chinatown, Kobe

Visit Kitano Cho: is a historical district in Kobe, Japan, which contains a number of foreign residences from the late meiji and early Taisho eras of Japanese history. Source: Wikipedia.

ah, whatever.

Im bad at history or anything historical . I just purchased a pair of shoes at this historical place so that I can remember. So, there, I created my own history herstory in Kitano Cho too :)

The spirit of getting around and about was kinda low. We were clueless where to go since we did not do any research about Kobe. It's more like.. buy that train ticket and let's go! So I just made a stop by at whatever pink, to refresh my clueless and gloomy spirits.

So we went back to Osaka for little dinner and

MORE TAKOYAKI!!! Wait, did I say "More"? yeah. We had Takoyaki the day before this too! Hehehe. I never thought I ever eat pure, original Takoballs again since Taiwan. Takoballs Takoballs Takoballs.. I HEART YOU!

Back to Osaka and unwind. It's bigger bed and room, this time.

Above is the definition of big room & bed in Japan. Which is, you are  able to move around both of your legs in that room at the same time.

Next Day;

See the Hira Shuriken sign?

Kyoto: A city of thousand castles, shrines, temples and geisha. Too bad I didnt manage to bump into real geisha on the streets :(

Except with dummy one :(((((

and I think they invented Nihon Kamasutra in Kyoto.

I met the cutie in Kyoto :)

So I got my hands on this shiny sticky candy apple at the entrance of Yasaka Shrine. I don't bother to take pictures and get to know what is this shrine is all about because I was totally distracted by the sweetness & busy licking this candy apple.

Get to meet them Japanican teenager couples wearing Kimono.

More castle visit.

Mostly all the castles are situated at the peak of the hill, with thousands stairs to climb. It was the 9th day of our journey in Japan, I used the most of my both legs to do the walking this time of the year. So on the 9th day stay in Japan.. I was unable to do the climbing anymore. I only made to the gate, main gate and that's it. All the big and grand castles situated in every corner of Kyoto. East, north, west .. and we are only been in the Eastern part of Kyoto, and walked up a bit to the central. We didn't get to walk in Gion nor Kinkakuji temple (Golden Pavillion) which is situated at Northern Kyoto, the temple which is covered with gold :( I definitely will be here again someday.. to make up to all the things that I missed. And maybe, get myself into one of the Geisha's costume, complete with white painted face :)

This street in Higashiyama displayed the best preserved historical, old Kyoto.  Finally I was able to feel, experience traditional old Kyoto where wooden shops and buildings lined up along this street, invoke a feeling of old capital city. They even removed the telephone poles and repaved the streets as to keep the traditional feel of the district.

Seriously, I had to google again to distinct the difference between Castle, Shrine and Temple in Kyoto, because to me, it looks just the same  - big, tall roofed, wooden gate and old.

I bought some candies and snacks here in Kyoto for the girls back in my office. They didn't know how lucky they are to feed on something that came from this part of Japan.. 

As I strolled the streets of Kyoto, my boyfriend told me about the history of World War II. Apparently he's so into Japan history and post Hiroshima/Nagasaki atomic bombing since since it's a big thing between American and Japan? 

Kyoto was spared from air raids during World War II, dropped from the list of target cities for the atomic bomb due to the historic value, priceless architecture and structure that it hold across the land. That's how priceless Kyoto is. That's how historical and culture saved the land. Unlike us, we tear down the oldest Pudu Jail just because the location is more appropriate for more shopping malls and hotels. I know what is Jail to Temples and Castle. That's is why Malaysian just willing to tear down their every historical monuments and structures just to replace it into RM15 per hour parking lot. Malaysian willing to tear down their old super grandmother wooden house and replace it into golf field and more shopping malls.

That's the sad truth.

at the end of the day, we were back to lively city of Osaka.

Next day, left Osaka at 5pm, with a dream wish that I will be here again, and again.

Last meal in Osaka, Japan.


End of Summary post.

Japan : Eat. Play. Love

Urgghh. my intention to blog directly from Japan failed miserably. I don't know how some people able to do that. Apparently, I can't. Walking all day in cold, wet, windy weather - back to the hotel all tired - and I don't remember when and how I sleep, because the next thing I know, it's 8 am in the morning and wake up tired.


Another summary. Before I forgot all the details.


We went to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka on day 3.

Just like day 1 and 2, Osaka is wet and cold. But it was the warmest 35 minutes journey in my life - from Umeda to Universal City. Because the train has heater underneath its seat.

Look at how comfortable the girlfriends are.

Come rain or shine, it never slowed down the spirits of theme park riders!

Look! I don't need umbrella or plastic ponchos! 

It costs me 6200 Yen :(

But get to hug warm Cookie Monster on cold windy, rainy day - Priceless.

Getting expensive bill for simple lunch on cold, windy rainy day is a bitch.

We took few rides and waste our time trying on hundreds of hats, hair band and few other 'head' accessories. More pictures on Japan: Eat. Play. Love part II.

Ok, here's a sneak peek. LOL


Oh, did I tell you that the cold, windy rainy weather is actually early spring in Japan/Osaka?

I thought it was a plastic one, until I was resting on one of the street's bench and touched it. It's a real blue and pink daisies!

Eating Elmo's Apple Waffle in cold early Spring in Osaka.

Stars in Universal Studios Japan.


We left Universal Studios Japan at 8pm and proceed to our next destination - Tokyo. We took a night ride and arrived Tokyo at 7.30 the next morning. We are doing the 02 of the most expensive city in Japan, within 10 days, 02 theme parks and various city train rides in between. Yes, we can't afford Nozomi Bullet Train :(

Glowing Hummer? Only on Japan streets




For those who is planning to tour Japan on budget, I strongly suggest you to take Willer Express. It has it's own route to explore Japan from 3 days to 5 days plan. The bus seat is nothing like here. So, never worried about the comfort on your long trip journey.

Look at my models demonstrate how comfy it is. Make you a sleeping beauty, totally!

1st breakfast in Tokyo at a small Milk shop called Milk bar - serving hot milk and delicious waffles. And free wi-fied iPad.


Stayed at Asakusa, Tokyo. Had trouble in finding the hotel for the 1st one hour or so :P But then I noticed that everything is far more easier in Tokyo compared to Osaka. Most Japanese can speak good English, everywhere in Tokyo. Train fare and food is fairly cheaper by 50 - 100 yen compared to Osaka too. The train route is easier to understand and things are much more simpler in Tokyo. 

The hotel that we stayed in is so kind to let us to check in early. As early as 9am. So we had few hours nap and continue with exploring Tokyo CBD.

The crooked tower point (due to last massive Tsunami hit) has been straighten up. There are still few showcase and event in remembering the catastrophe - donations collection in this building. In fact, there is a tv channel 'rebuilding Japan' on air like 24 hours in my hotel room. Anyways, it is nearly impossible for me to see the ruins or crack on Japan streets, everything all cleaned up as if the Tsunami has never happened at all. That is Japan.

Visit Zojoji temple.

I was lucky to be able to see an early bloom Sakura in Japan Land, at Zojoji Temple. It suppose to happen between March 28 - 5 April 2012

Some tea house at the back of Zojoji Temple.

and I get to meet the 'locals' :D . They were docile cats and let me to rub their belly without hesitation. It's a street cats since there is no collars on. But the hair is so soft and clean, and they are quite fat to be considered as street cats!

Went up to Tokyo Tower to see Tokyo Sunset and the metropolis at night :)

To Roppongi from Tokyo Tower - by foot!

Next Day - Tokyo Disney

Pink Ariel the Lil' Mermaid pass for her and Green Goofy goofy pass for him

Hired by Monster Inc! Seeking screams and laughter is a serious matter!

Got cheated by super expensive entrance fee. This is not what I expected from the firework final show. Not in Disney Japan!


Not after you saw HongKong Disney!

Back to the hotel, grunting.

Last day in Tokyo.

Visit Sensoji Temple - Asakusa

Takeshita Dori - Shibuya

Electric City - Akihabara.

Time to sleep on the night ride again. Back to Osaka.


....to be continued.