National Young Economists Summit 2017 (NYES) by University of Malaya Economics Society (PEKUMA) 14th - 15th January 2017

Entrepreneurship in a nutshell

The definition of entrepreneurship differs to each speaker yet they all agree that to be a successful entrepreneur is to have a goal in mind to help change or create a solution for the society. With the increasing number of startups across Malaysia, and you aspire to be in the industry, you should able to be to think out of the box while working (very) hard towards it.

“To uphold a business is a hard task and a big responsibility to make sure your team grow and contribute to society”

“Its an ability to identify potential and making it a reality but the hardest part is to sustain your business” explained Nada. Sustaining To uphold a business is a hard task and a big responsibility to make sure your team grow and contribute to society.

You will go through countless hurdles and challenges where people will put you down and it is one of the many challenges on starting your own company or even starting a new job. It helps a lot when you have a clear vision of what you want.

Pursuing the right career

Consider all available options after thinking about what you might like career wise. Do not limit yourself because you wouldn't know what different types of opportunities are out there. Sign up to career resource sites such GRADUAN.COM to explore different careers choices and also different industries.

It helps a lot when you have a clear path of what you want to be and remember age is not a factor. Companies are more keen to know about your experiences rather than being young plays an advantage. Although, the younger generation have the ability to understand the technology more and identify what is needed by talents these days.

However, being a young person with experience does come with its own challenges. “I have had meetings with senior management officers who walked out of the meeting because I look too young and it didn’t matter that I have 10 years working experience in recruitment” explained Nada on her experiences starting with Graduan.

As a young person trying to get to ace a job or starting your own companies, you’ll meet with challenges and also failure and mistakes. When faced with setback, Nada elaborated it’s crucial to learn from your mistakes and get up then try again.

Working your way up

There’s no shortcut to success only hard work and dedication. Again, in this age of technology, you are more likely to be hired if you possess technical skills. Most of the recent graduates are equipped with these knowledge which makes them one step ahead than other candidates.

“We look for people who have a drive within them.”

Your personality and attitude plays a big part on what employers are seeking for someone to fit in the candidates’ applied position. Again, experience plays a part here, focus more on building relationship with other people, interaction people from various background helps you grow and understand the diverse nature of the working society.

For example, volunteering are a good way to gain exposure, the members of PEKUMA are among GRADUAN ambassadors that enables them to interact with industry leaders and peers from different universities. These insights will help you ace interviews and understand what prospective employers want.

Said Nada on recognising the right person from potential employees, “Humility and perseverance, to me, is really important. When we hire, we look for people who have a drive within them. Someone who will get the job done with a smile of course.”