How one talent graduated and got hired during the pandemic!

By Ahmed Wafi

From Bristol to Kuching to KL, here’s how Rabiatul Adawiyah landed a role with Malaysia’s most preferred employer.

Not many of us can say we graduated in the middle of a global pandemic and even fewer can say they kick-started their career with Maybank during this time.

Rabiatul Adawiyah, a fresh graduate from the University of Western England is a prime example of one who had this opportunity.

“Being on lockdown in a foreign country to experiencing the suffering of the economy at that time, and graduating in the middle of a global pandemic was a scary experience,” the Global Maybank Apprentice recalls her graduation followed by her immediate job hunt.

The Accounting and Finance graduate recognised the effects the pandemic would bring to the job market and began hunting for her first job early on. She applied for vacancies to various organisations and attended multiple virtual interviews. The difference in time zones resulted in sleepless nights and groggy mornings. “I remember sitting for a six-hour job assessment at 2AM when I was in the UK and continued on with my final examination at 9AM the same day!”

MEETING MAYBANK
All that dedication paid off though, in a rather unique way. Believe it or not, Rabia’s Global Maybank Apprentice Programme (GMAP) journey started on Instagram. While scrolling through her phone one day, she came across an engagement Maybank was having in conjunction with its #DefytoDefine campaign, a virtual campaign consisting of a series of engagements aimed at connecting graduates and working talents to the Maybank community as even during the pandemic, the Bank continued to host interactive engagements and were actively hiring.

She wasted no time in registering for the next hangout session that would shed more light on the GMAP programme and how she too could be part of Maybank’s flagship management trainee programme.

After her final examinations, Rabia flew back home to Kuching where she had to serve a mandatory 14-day quarantine. That was when she received the invitation for her final GMAP interview. “I had to call my best friend and ask her to send over a suit to my quarantine centre to prepare for the big day! Also, I have never wished so hard for a stable Wi-Fi connection,” says Rabia.

It all went well for the new graduate as right after her quarantine, she flew to Kuala Lumpur; moved into her new apartment and was ready to report for her onboarding session at Menara Maybank.

Rabia was one of the first to go through the entire recruitment process virtually. “From the digital hangout session up until the day I signed my offer letter, I never met any of the Maybankers physically. Being in Menara Maybank for the first time and meeting my colleagues was really exciting for me,” she recalls her first day at Menara Maybank.

A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE
Having only been with the bank for nine months, the Global Maybank Apprentice has already been involved in a host of exciting engagements, meeting C-suite management and even helping local businesses weather the pandemic through Maybank’s Sama-Sama Lokal initiative. Needless to say, Rabia’s time in Maybank has been nothing short of exciting.

“In just my third week at the bank, I was given an unexpected opportunity to share the floor with Datuk Nora Manaf, Maybank’s Group Chief Human Capital Officer during the Nora Manaf Show, a live talk show broadcasted by GRADUAN. I was also entrusted to curate Maybank’s Digital Race as soon as I joined the bank,” says Rabia.

Helping local businesses continue to operate during the pandemic made her job sweeter. “Knowing that your work impacts the lives of others is a priceless feeling and that keeps me going,” she says.

Her soft skills were polished considerably during the nine months she’s been with the Bank and she credits this to the personalised rotations that are part and parcel of GMAP. “Rotating into different departments every three months meant I have to rebuild relationships in my new department. Through this, I honed my people and stakeholder management skills as we were exposed to work on different projects, involving Maybankers from different business sectors and executive levels,” says Rabia.

Her tips on how to emulate her success? “Understand yourself better by exploring your strengths and weaknesses to be able to portray your uniqueness in the market. Don’t forget, take the time to know the employers too to see if they are the right fit for you because the secret to a great job-seeking experience is a two-way conversation!”

So, if you are the next Global Maybank Apprentice we’re looking for, seize the opportunity by clicking here for a chance to be part of the GMAP family.

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