GOING THE EXTRA MILE

Managing Director reveals brilliant career tip

Continental AG, with its headquarters in Germany, is one of the largest tyre manufacturers worldwide and one of leading suppliers to the automotive industry for tyre and brake technology, vehicle dynamic control as well as electronic and sensor systems. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Continental AG, Continental Malaysia upholds the same passion and dedication to innovation as the group.

Cameron Wilson, Managing Director for Continental Tyre Malaysia and Vice President Marketing & Sales for Passenger Tires Asean and Truck Tires Malaysia, says the key to Continental’s success lies in its employees. “We invest a great deal in the workplace to ensure that our employees are provided with a safe and healthy work environment, as well as one that rewards excellence and creates working conditions that enhance quality performance. As an employer, we stand for innovation, ‘internationality’, passion and success – attributes that we put into practice across all our offices, including Malaysia.

“Human relations is one of our key focuses. We are working on enhancing our selection and diagnostic tools, and putting in place fairly rigorous assessments to recruit the best fitting talent for our organisation,”

says Wilson. This includes facilitating easier movement of talent from Continental’s overseas offices into Malaysia, and vice versa, thus encouraging greater talent mobility within the organisation.

Wilson believes that while the expectations of today’s fresh graduates may be different from those before them, they are fundamentally motivated by the same things. “At the end of the day, graduates want to do what they believe in and are passionate about. Some of the skills that we look for when hiring fresh graduates are motivation, involvement in extracurricular activities, ability to communicate, good energy, ability to work in a team and adaptability.”

Wilson reckons that one of the most important qualities to have is to “offer to do a bit more” on the job. “You shouldn’t shy away from extra responsibility, because it’s an opportunity to learn and grow, regardless of what role you are in. Also, play the game at the next level; act as if you are already in the role that you want to be in, demonstrating your capabilities and ability to take on more responsibilities. It shows your supervisor what else you can do beyond the scope of your work, and that you can possibly be entrusted with bigger responsibilities in the future.”

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