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YOUR ULTIMATE CAREER& TALENT RESOURCE

Saturday 19 January 2013

PHYSICISTMichio Kaku shareshis passion fortheoretical physics

Pg 3

YOUR OUTFITcan enhance yourpower in theprofessional world

Pg 7

HOW TO LEARNis an important skill todevelop from the firstday of your education

Pg 13

Get amentorHaving a mentorat work can helpyour career reachnew heights

Pg 05

Oil and GaSPaGeS 8-11

read abOut OPPOrtunitieS inthiS faSt mOvinG buSineSSinduStry

a Career in the

Career Tips

roshan says

Looking aT The

mystarjob.com, saturday 19 January 2013�

WHILE I was working in the United States, I wastransferred to Dallas, Texas to work at an oil and gascompany. It was my first taste of the astonishing oiland gas world and the complexities of the industry.I was immediately intrigued by the magnitude of

the industry and its intricacies. For example, did you know that theoil and gas industry provides the world’s 6.9 billion people with 60%of their daily energy needs? The other 40% comes from coal, nuclearand hydro-electric power, and “renewables” like wind, solar and tidalpower, and biomass products such as firewood. So, it a huge part ofthe energy world.

The oil and gas industry influences virtually every aspect of theglobal economy. In fact, almost everything we do, like driving a car,has an impact on the oil and gas industry. As the population of theworld continues to grow to the predicted 9.2 billion by 2050, thedemand for food, water and energy, especially oil and gas relatedenergy, is expected to increase.

Another interesting note is that Petronas is one of the biggest oiland gas companies in the world. In fact, national oil companies likeSaudi Aramco, Gazprom, CNPC, NIOC, PDVSA, Petrobras and Petronascontrol approximately one-third of the world’s oil and gas productionand reserves. Having worked with numerously talented Petronasemployees and others from various oil and gas organisations, I cansay it is truly a great place to start your career and to have a globalcareer. There are many great Malaysian leaders, including Datuk SeriIdris Jala, who began their careers with oil and gas organisations.

I clearly remember my boss at Global Compression Services (thecompany in Dallas where I was sent to work in). She was a command-ing woman named Sherri Larkin. After introducing me to the team,she sat me down and walked through the products, services andofferings of the company. She then walked through the financials ofthe organisation, its challenges and outlined what her expectationswere of me. Her overview and kindness to “mentor” me in my earlydays in the organisation helped me tremendously later on in myassignment. We also have a special feature on mentoring (page 5).Having mentors are key to your success.

The oil and gas business is clearly a complex, global industry thataffects all aspects of our lives. There are some great career opportu-nities in the oil and gas world and we hope this issue of the careerpullout will help you get an understanding and awareness of therichness and amazement of the oil and gas industry. Our featurestory on the oil and gas industry is brought to you by our partners atTalentCorp, who have put together an awesome spread on the indus-try for your benefit.

So, enjoy this special oil and gas overview issue. We do hope ourcareer guide will continue to inspire you to keep learning and grow-ing. We have filled this issue with ideas and resources to help yougrow your career. Keep leveraging our amazing videos and otherresources which can be accessed online at www.leaderonomics.tv orat our main home site www.leaderonomics.com.

We wish you all the best inyour career journey and all thebest wishes for a wonderful2013. Have fun with our pulloutand if you have any feedbackon the pullout, feel free toemail me and my team fromLeaderonomics at [email protected]. We love allfeedback (we believe it’s a giftfrom you to us regardless of thenature of the comment!) So dosend us your thoughts, ideas andaspirations for the pullout. Havea super weekend!

Warm regards,Roshan ThiRanEditor, myStarjob.com& CEO, Leaderonomics

oiL andgas worLd

l Editorial | [email protected] l Advertising | [email protected]

EDITORIALEditorRoshan ThiRan

Contributing EditorsLiLy CheahevaChRisTodouLouPRemaJayaBaLan

Sub EditorLee KaR yeanLayout, Art & DesignTung eng hwa

mohd izudin ismaiLzuLhaimi BahaRuddinahmad fadzuLadznam saBRi

mohd KhaiRuLmuhd hafeezRazziahshawn ng

Lisanne yeohWriters & Contributorsangie ngwendy Lee

gaRy miLesJames LeeRiCK nguLennise ng

Sales ManagerimRan hashim

handling sTRess aT woRkWE all experience pressure and need it to motivate us. However, too much of it can lead to damaging con-sequences. Stress is the physiological and physical effects on a person whether it is mental, physical or emo-tional. Work-related stress derives from many causes: long hours, job insecurity, conflicts with bosses and/orcolleagues, heavy workload, and the threat of losing your job or being redundant. If work stress is not dealtwith, you will not be able to function at your best and this results in poor job performance and can even tar-nish your relationships with your co-workers. Here are some ways to keep your stress levels down:

MainTain a sTrong soCiaL neTwork A strong social support group made up of friends,family and peers is essential in helping you through the hardest of times. These are the people you feelcomfortable with when you need cheering up. So take some time off to grab a cuppa with your friends or callyour family as it will elevate your spirit and in turn, reduce your stress level.

idenTify The Cause Identifying the cause of the stress helps you to figure out what needs to bechanged or improved. Usually work stress occurs when one feels that he or she is not in control of a certainsituation - this could be resolved by reorganising and prioritising your tasks.

seLf-Care Start by paying attention to your emotional and physical conditions. When your needsare fulfilled, you will manage work stress without becoming overwhelmed. The better you feel, the moreresilient you are to stress. Exercising and getting enough sleep are examples of how to take care of yourself.

MediTaTe When practising meditation, your heart rate and breathing slow down, your blood pressurenormalises, oxygen is being used more efficiently, and you sweat less. There are many different types ofmeditation techniques that can calm your mind and reduce stress.

Think posiTiveLy Studies indicate that optimism or pessimism may affect the quality of life.Optimism enables you to manage better in difficult situations, like reducing the effects of stress on yourbody.

keep calm and carry onGary Miles writes about howto manage people during aneconomic downturn Pg 14

Top 10Ready, get set, workOur workplace guru gives 10 ways to get yourself motivatedfor work. Pg 6

science for lifeAmerican theoreticalphysicist Michio Kakushares his love for math-ematical explanationsof the world. Pg 3

keep calm and carry on

spotlight on o&gTalentCorp provides us an overview ofcareer opportunities in the oil and gasindustry. Pg 8-11 what are you

wearing?How to dress in a way thatboosts your assertivenessand credibility at work. Pg 7

mystarjob.com, saturday 19 January 2013 �

BESOTTEDDR MICHIO

KAKU SETS OUTTO COMPLETE

EINSTEIN’STHEORY

By ANGIE [email protected]

WHILE some people will automati-cally “switch off” when it comesto making meaning of numbers,famed American physicist, DrMichio Kaku makes a living

crunching and simplifying complicated math-ematical data and numbers.

In many ways, his fascination with physicsand numbers makes him a modern day AlbertEinstein. In fact, the physique of the 65-year-old professor of theoretical physics at the CityUniversity of New York has a slight resemblanceto the great physicist.

So it was not by chance that he chose “analys-ing data from a mass spectrometer” as his firstjob when he was 19 and a first year student atHarvard University.

Working at leading electronics company, VarianAssociates, the young Kaku’s job involved using aPDP-10 computer to analyse collected data.

Sharing his first job experiences with myStar-job.com, Kaku says that back in the 1960s, gettingdata from a mass spectrometer was, in fact, hardwork.

“It took many hours to analyse the data; tofind out what chemicals were inside an unknownsample. My job was to computerise everything,so that, with a touch of a button, one could getall the data required instantly.”

His job involved working with vacuum pumpsand electron guns; shooting ionsout of the electron guns, througha magnetic field, and then adetector, after which a computerwould analyse the data to revealwhat was in the original ionbeam.

Although it may seem com-plicated, he says “the compu-ter made the whole processrather painless.” The one thing helearned from his work was thepower of mathematics to governthe properties of atoms.

“If I had written down anequation for a particle moving ina magnetic field, and then actu-ally did the experiment, the par-ticle would obey the equationsexactly. It was amazing. I couldactually predict and change the

trajectory of sub-atomic particles by using puremathematics. This made me appreciate evenmore the power of pure mathematics to governthe behaviour of atoms.

“Mathematics to me was not just scribbleson a sheet of paper, but the laws behind realityitself,” he explains.

He also cherished the opportunity to interactwith other physicists.

“This was the first time I could work profes-sionally with other physicists, and they providedrole models for me. I did not feel out of placeanymore, unlike high school days.

“All my life, I had read and idolised the work ofgreat quantum physicists who solved the math-ematics of the atom, but I had never actually metmany of them in person. One of my superviserswas Dr Richard Ernst, who would later win theNobel Prize in Physics for work that eventuallypaved the way for the MRI machine, which has

revolutionised all of medicine.It was quite an experienceworking with skilled and com-petent physicists at Varian,”he beams.

UNRAVELLINGTHE MYSTERY

Kaku says that workingall day with vacuum pumps,powerful magnetic fields,and spectrometers, con-firmed his belief that hewould become a theoreticalphysicist rather than anexperimental one.

“If I had become an experimentalist, I wouldhave been married to my vacuum pump. If any-thing went wrong with my spectrometer, I wouldhave to rush back to the lab and fix it.”

He says working as an experimentalist atVarian made him realise that his “true love” wasworking with pure mathematics.

“I was not the most gifted student workingwith vacuum pumps, magnetic fields, and elec-tron guns, but pure mathematics fascinated me,because you could actually understand the lawsof nature through them. Mathematics is the lan-guage of nature,” he enthuses.

Kaku further explains, “Sometimes, being themost brilliant student is not the most importantcharacteristic in becoming a scientist. It certainlyhelps to be smart, but the ones who actually suc-ceed in science are more often the people whocombine brilliance with hard work and dedica-tion. We forget that even Einstein had to strugglefor long periods of time to discover the laws ofphysics.”

Kaku received his Bachelor of Science (summacum laude) from Harvard University in 1968 anda PhD from the University of California, Berkeleyin 1972.

He currently holds the Henry Semat Chair andProfessorship in Theoretical Physics at the CityCollege of New York, where he has taught forover 25 years. He is also a visiting professor at theInstitute for Advanced Study at Princeton, as wellas at New York University.

The prolific professor has written 14 books oftwo genres - popular books for the average non-scientist and PhD level textbooks for graduatestudents in physics.

“I have been overwhelmed by the response tothese books. My last two books, the Physics of theImpossible and Physics of the Future, have bothbeen New York Times best-sellers. It used to besaid that the word ‘physics’ would never appearon the best seller list. I proved them wrong,twice,” he muses.

His books have been translated into over 25different languages and many of the books havebecome TV programmes as well. Physics of theImpossible became a 24 episode TV series on theScience Channel which discusses everything fromtime travel, warp drive, light sabers, to star ships.Physics of the Future is the basis of a new ScienceChannel series called This Changes Everything.

His other books include Parallel Worlds (in2006), Einstein’s Cosmos (2005), Hyperspace(1995) and his most recent New York Timesbestseller, Physics of the Impossible: A ScientificExploration of the World of Phasers, Force Fields,Teleportation, and Time Travel.

He is also the co-founder ofstring field theory (a branch ofstring theory), which is a con-tinuation of Einstein’s searchto unite the four fundamentalforces of nature into one unifiedtheory.

AMAZING FEATAccording to Kaku, the theory

is the leading and only candidatefor a “theory of everything” thatcan complete Einstein’s dream.

“We hope that the LargeHadron Collider in Switzerland willbe able to test aspects of string

theory,” he says.He has also written more than 70 articles

on superstring theory, supergravity, supersym-metry, and hadronic physics that have beenpublished in physics journals.

On television, he has appeared on Discovery,BBC, ABC, Science Channel, and CNN; written forpopular science publications like Discover, Wired,and New Scientist, and has been featured in docu-mentaries like Me & Isaac Newton and a recentBBC series on the nature of time.

He explains that his fascination to Einstein’ssearch for a “theory of everything” - “an equationperhaps no more than one inch long that wouldexplain the entire universe” - has inspired him towrite books and host television programmes onleading-edge science.

Einstein died when Kaku was just eight, buthe can still remember people talking about thetheory that the genius physicist could not fin-ish. Even at that tender age, he had made up hismind “to be part of the effort to finish Einstein’stheory”.

His fascination with the future, especially sci-ence fiction, and frustration of not finding theright books on the subject also fuelled the writ-ing interest in him.

“So I made a promise that when I grow up tobecome a theoretical physicist, I would, in myspare time, write books about advanced physicsand the future, to explain to the average personthe wonderous and fantastic physics that wasbeing studied by the world’s leading physicists,”Kaku explains.

If Kaku has his way, many more young peoplewill be signing up to study science and physics.

“I tell young students that the engine of pros-perity is science. All the wealth we see around usis a direct result of science, especially physics.”

To him, physicists were the ones who hadhelped to invent and build some of the mostimportant inventions of all time, including elec-tric motors and generators, the transistor, thelaser, radar, TV, radio, the GPS system, space pro-grammes and modern electronics.

“In fact, physicists invented most of the 20thcentury. So I tell young students that, if theybecome a physicist, they will join the ranks ofsome of the most important scientists who haveshaped human destiny, with names like Newtonand Einstein,” he says.

n Dr Michio Kaku will be in Kuala Lumpur onApril 9 to speak at The Business of Innovationforum organised by The London Speaker Bureau.For more information, visit www.bizofinnovation.com.my or call 03-23010988.

In his latest book, Kakuwrites how he hopes his

predictions for 2100 will beas successful as science

fiction writer Jules Verne’s1863 novel Paris in the

Twentieth Century.

Kaku

has

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BY NUMBERSrevolutionised all of medicine.

working with skilled and com-string field theory (a branch ofstring theory), which is a con-tinuation of Einstein’s searchto unite the four fundamentalforces of nature into one unifiedtheory.

AMAZING FEATAccording to Kaku, the theory

is the leading and only candidatefor a “theory of everything” thatcan complete Einstein’s dream.

“We hope that the LargeHadron Collider in Switzerland willbe able to test aspects of string

A young Kaku (right)won top honours with

his project on anti-matter at the National

Science Fair held in 1964in Albuquerque.

Please RSVP your attendance to Lily Cheah at [email protected]

www.leaderonomics.com

LEADERONOMICS

OPENS INPENANG

INVITATION TO

CEORoundtableTo mark the opening of our new offices in Penang,

we would like to invite CEOs and business leaders to anetworking session with Johan Merican (TalentCorp CEO)

& Roshan Thiran (Leaderonomics CEO).

DISCUSSION TOPIC:

Talent for the 21st CenturyDate: Monday 21st January 2013

Time: 8:00pm - 9:30pmRegistration will be open from 7:00pm.

Light refreshments and finger food will be provided.

Venue: Level 3A, Star Northern Hub202 Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang

myStarjob, Saturday 19 January 20134


By PREMA [email protected]

As an eldest child, I always had myyounger sister who is five years myjunior look up to me. My motherwould always advise me to set a goodexample for her to follow. Although I

felt proud that my sister had always sought formy advice and help, there were many occasionswhen I wished that I had an older sibling whomI could confide in. True, my mother was alwaysthere for me but I needed someone closer to myage.

When I was in school and made friends withthe older girls, I used to admire some of themand wished to excel academically like them. Bythe time I reached tertiary education, I was ableto establish relationships with my seniors whomI could turn to for guidance on my studies andpersonal life.

After entering the career world, I realised thatthey actually played the part of a mentor to me.A bond formed by two people with the aim ofpositive development professionally or personal-ly is called mentoring. This relationship is vital onthe professional front as it helps accelerate one’scareer to the next level. A mentor is an individualwith experience and knowledge which he/sheshares with the mentee who has less experienceand is usually a newcomer in an organisation.

If you want your career to take you to greaterheights and hone your leadership skills, you needa mentor. If you are experienced in leadershipand other relevant skills and want to provideguidance to other people, then you need to lookfor mentees. A mentoring partnership is a win-win situation for both parties.

These days, professionals are looking outactively to become mentors in order to moveforward in their careers. Most organisations areconducting mentorship programmes to help thenewcomers gain an insight on how to succeed intheir career. Mentoring enhances and developscommunication, leadership and critical think-ing skills. It also encourages your mind to thinkcreatively, be more innovative as well as comeup with intelligent ways to approach work-basedsituations and tackle problems. This partner-ship provides an opportunity for both parties toadvance in their respective careers.

Throughout this mentoring process, mentorsare seen as role models and trustworthy advis-ers. They are people who are have an abundanceof knowledge and experience. They provide asupport system to their mentees by providingthem with information, advice and help. Thementees on the other hand, receive this valuableknowledge to improve their skills which elevatestheir career to a higher level.

A mentor-mentee alliance can be formedbetween individuals within the same organisa-tion, the same industry or from the same net-working channel.

Unlike consultants, trainers or coaches whoare paid for their services, a mentor provideshis/her service by making it a voluntary commit-ment.

Aspects in mentoring are not confined to justgaining knowledge and skills but it also involvesdeveloping personal qualities and competencies.Key elements needed to sustain a favourable andprogressive relationship are mutual respect andtrust between both parties.

Mentoring partnerships promise greatrewards and bring mutual benefits. For a mentor,it is a platform to flourish one’s leadership abilitybesides reaping a personal sense of satisfactionfor having changed someone else’s life. For thementee, it provides a sense of achievementin having widened one’s knowledge and skillswhilst simultaneously acquiring priceless adviceand guidance from individuals deemed as expe-rienced professionals in the industry.

For both parties, mentoring is an avenue toimprove one’s communication and people skillsbesides brainstorming to come up with creativeand innovative ways to prosper in careers.

ADVANTAGES OF BEING A MENTOR:Mentoring not only enables a person to elevatesomeone’s life but a mentor’s life can be amel-iorated on a professional and personal level aswell. Here are a few things mentoring can do:

n Helps enhance communication skills – Yourmentee may not be at the same wave length asyou or might be from a different environmentor background. Thus, you might not be able tocommunicate with him/her as you usually do.This scenario will push you to research and findeffective ways to communicate better with yourmentee in order to foster a good mentoringrelationship whilst simultaneously introducingyou to different methods of effective communi-cation.

n Helps strengthen your leadership skills– By advising and counselling your mentee, youwill be able to cultivate the ability to be a goodmotivator and bring positive influence to others.It also boosts your confidence and will enhanceyour relationship with other employees.

n Helps elevate your career – Enhancing andrejuvenating your leadership skills as a mentorcan make your job performance more solid andget you promoted to management or seniorlevel management. In today’s world, gettingrecognition for having helped someone achievesomething plays an important part in careeradvancement.

n Introduces you to new things and widensyour perspectives – While mentoring, you comeacross many newcomers from various back-grounds with little or no experience. Most ofthem are also from the younger generation andby engaging with them, you will discover howthey think and perceive things. They may alsohave fresh ideas and thoughts which will helpyou in your work and personal life.

n Helps achieve personal happiness and sat-isfaction – Knowing that you are a big reason forsomeone’s exceptional growth and developmentin career can give you utmost fulfillment person-ally. Witnessing your mentee achieving successin their career because of your support can be amajor reward.

BENEFITS GAINED BY A MENTEE:For a newcomer or a young executive in an organ-isation, having a mentor is a golden opportunitywhich should not be missed. Mentoring bringsmuch advantage to a mentee and a trustworthymentor can support you in the following ways:

n Helps develop your skills and knowledge– Mentors will be able to gauge your ability andcompetency and advise you accordingly. They areable to assist you in identifying your key talentsand skills and help you with the training neededto enhance them. They will be able to provideyou with valuable knowledge and teach you allthat you want to know or advise you.

n Provides you with valuable advice andthoughts – Priceless insights and sound adviceand information can be gained from a goodmentoring relationship. Mentors can provide youwith information you need to help you tackletough situations and move ahead in your career.You may also learn short and effective methodsto move fast in your career.

n Helps form a strong and established net-work – Having a mentor can open up channelsfor you to meet influential and prominent peoplewho will be able to help you in your career. Youwill also be able to expand your network of pro-fessional and personal contacts.

n Helps you in communicating with higherlevel management – Your mentor will be ableto improve your communication skills and teachyou the ropes on how to speak to people fromdifferent levels in the organisation hierarchy.Having this important skill is essential as you willalways be remembered for the way you presentyourself. A positive approach can open up oppor-tunities of promotions and advances.

n Helps you climb up the career ladder– Equipped with advice and teachings from yourmentors, there is no stopping you from stay-ing focused, determined and on track in yourcareer goals.Having learntthe ropes, youwill be able tomake all yourcareer aspira-tions a reality.

MENTOR-MENTEEALLIANCE MENTORINg Is CONsTRuCTIvE

IN ENhANCINg YOuR CAREER

hOw TO fINd A gOOd MENTOR1 Ask yourself what you are looking for

in a mentor.

2 Check with your company’s humanresources department to see if it hasa mentoring system established.

3 Research people in the company (oryour field), and find out informationabout them.

4 If you are over 50, consider getting amentor that is younger than you, togain from their insights on fields youmay not be too familiar with.

5 Create a list of people who seem like agood fit for you.

6 Start contacting them, perhaps with apolite email, and see who responds.

7 Try to form a relationship and get toknow them while letting them findout your personality.

8 Make it fun and interesting for them,and don’t forget to give somethingback! Remember, this is a two-waystreet and your mentor should alsofind the relationship interesting - it’snot just about you!

9 Become a mentor yourself - this willhelp you understand your mentor’sperspective, and enhance your rela-tionship.

10 Like so many other things, whenyou find the right mentor, you’llknow it.

mystarjob.com, saturday 19 January 20136

Top10 waysiSnap mefor a videohttp://thestar.com.my/isnap

To view this video, visit www.leaderonomics.tv/top10

To geT yourselfmoTivaTed for work

6 Be A StepAheAd

By planning ahead,you will be doing thethings you’re goingto look forward to atwork. It could be thecoffee breaks withyour colleagues, or theday you’ve musteredthe courage to askyour colleague out.Whatever it is, it willdefinitely get youexcited for that day.

4 Up the BUm GoeSYou don’t have to sit around at the office

the whole day. Go and explore! How much do youknow about your office building, really? This littleadventure will make you look forward to going towork. But remember that safety comes first! Bringa friend or two and don’t go wandering alone.(This can also build and improve relationshipswith your colleagues).

1 Remind yoURSelf of whAtyoUR joB meAnS to yoU

Reminding yourself of what made you chooseyour career and why you are passionate about it.It will make long hours feel much shorter. Afterall, it’s not a job if you love what you are doing!

9 AweSome SonG plAyliStIt is the perfect thing to kick-start your day. It

is one of the most essential things to lift the spirits.Listening to great songs on your way to work makesthe journey pleasurable.

7 ReflectionTake a notepad and

jot down all the thingsthat you like about yourjob. This allows you tofeel grateful about yourworkplace and at the sametime inspire you to getmore things done.

10 tAke note of yoURmotivAtion levelS

We all know that we cannot be motivated to work 24 hours a day. So,take note of your motivation levels and what makes it fluctuate – makesure you do your hardest tasks while you are highly-motivated, and thenwith the worst over, you won’t feel so bad about completing the rest.

3 AppReciAtionIt is always a great practice to appreciate

someone, especially if he or she has helped you.A little warning though, this gratification processis highly contagious. Once you start appreciatingsomeone, that person will doit to others and soon, youroffice is filled with happy,helpful and gratefulpeople. Nowisn’t that alovely place towork in?

8 Self-mAintenAnceThey say presentation is

key, so dress to impress! Itis important for you to feelconfident wherever yougo. And with thatconfidence, youwon’t dread goingto any places at all– even to work!

2 chAllenGe yoURSelfCreate goals that you will look

forward to achieve. We, as humans,like to accomplish things and feel thatsense of achievement. Be it a smallor big goal, just as long as you lookforward to accomplishing it. Remember,it’s okay to start with baby steps!

5 tARGet one GoAlSometimes we feel that there are

too many things going on at the sametime. We feel that we cannot go onand slow down instead. If this is thecase, target one goal at a time at work.Prioritise your tasks and goals andtackle them one at a time.


withyour GArB

1 Stand tall and Speaklouder

When it comes to authority, having heighthelps. So stand straight! The squarer yourshoulders, the more stable people willperceive you to be. Gentlemen – place bothfeet a little further from each other. Ladies– move a few steps around to claim yourspace. You are now sending a visual image “Iam the boss!”And when your posture is straight, thiswill help you speak a little louder. Highervolume projects higher authority, but youshould increase only your volume, not yourpitch. If your pitch goes up at the end of thesentence, it will seem as if you are asking a

question. This will make you sound as if youare seeking approval and make you seem lessauthoritative.

2 Mind Your WordS andeliMinate diSclaiMerS

Present your ideas to your clients confidently.Use short, concise sentences. A chunk ofwords can be a phrase or a short sentence.This will help you eliminate filler words like‘ums’ and ‘ahs’. Pause between points andtake your time to finish whatever you intendto say. And never start your sentence byapologising, “I am not sure if this is ok...” or“I may be wrong...” This will only show yourweakness and insecurities.

3 connect With Your eYeSand SMile confidentlY

Linger your eye contact a few secondslonger and give a warm smile when youare talking to people. Eye connectionmakes what you say sound importantand make the person you are talking tofeel important. People will remember youand warm up to you when they senseyou have paid attention, and have asincere interest in them.

4 loWerYour pitch

“I’ll be back,” says ArnoldSchwarzenegger, in his low-pitched,deep voice. Imagine if he had said itin a shrilled, high-pitched, voice - itwould have conveyed a totally different

message altogether. Low-pitched deepvoices command respect and suggestleadership qualities, whereas high-pitched voices are associated withweakness and submissive behaviour.Schwarzenegger sounded authoritative,powerful, domineering, someone you willlisten to. Ladies, while it is true that mostmales are attracted to feminine, soft-spoken women, if you are in a leadershipposition, I’d suggest you lower the pitch ofyour voice. People will take you seriouslyand pay more attention to you.

n Wendy Lee is the president of MABIC(Malaysian Association of Brand & ImageConsultants) and director at Brand ImageInternational Institute. She is a firmbeliever that with Style there must beSubstance.

By WENDY [email protected]

IN a perfect world, substance will winover style every time. However, the truthof the matter is that you must look thepart if you want to get ahead. When allyour energy is focused on just carrying

out your everyday tasks, it is very easy to letyour wardrobe slip into a state of disrepair.Before you know it, your work clothes aretattered, too small, or, worse yet, out of style.

If your clothes don’t convey the message thatyou are competent, ambitious, self-confident,reliable and authoritative, nothing you sayor do will overcome the negative signalsemanating from your apparel.The sad fact is that people will indeed judgeyou by your clothes. If you want to advancein the workplace, be promoted, look likesomeone authoritative, then start lookingthe part!up

An outfit thAt SAyS, “i MeAn BuSineSS!” 1 Wear Straight lineSin Your garMentS

One of the easiest ways to projecta no-nonsense, serious look, is towear garments with straight lines.Curved lines convey fun, informalityand relaxation. Blouses with lapelsand sleeves project more authorityand competence, compared withsomething sleeveless and withruffles and lace. Similarly, striped tieswill send an authoritative messagecompared with paisley.Soft garments drape over your body,giving it a casual and relaxed feel;whereas those that are boxy and stiff,project a formal outlook. So, choosesomething that is skewed towardsboxy and stiff to increase your valuein power.

2 the little touchthat countS

Attention to detail can make adifference between mediocreand someone that lookspolished, professional, andconfident. Wear cuff links.Carry a briefcase instead of apurse. Pick pearl earrings overplastic ones. These items canhelp you exude power andconfidence and thereby, projectan authoritative impression.

What about women’s shoes?The undisputed dark-coloured,closed toe, one to two inchespumps. Clients DO notice yourshoes. So, your shoes must notlook as if mice have nibbledon them. Heels are preferredfor ladies, but it should not beso high that you trip on everysingle step. One to two inchesare good. For men, opt for blackpolished dress shoes. The ruleof thumb is that your workshoes should not look overlysexy, athletic and frumpy. Andyes, this also means you shouldnever wear Crocs.

4 dark SuitS Win handS doWnBlack, dark grey, dark blue are strong colours. If you

want to project an image of strength and power, theseare the colours you should go for. You may stray fromthese three colours, but keep the suit dark. For jacketsand suits, the darker the colour, the higher the levelof professionalism. The stronger the colour, the morepowerful the wearer will be perceived.

5 ShoW leSS SkinPower up by covering your skin. All things equal,

a longer-sleeved shirt has more power than a short-sleeved shirt, a knee-length skirt has more power thana mini-skirt, wearing pantyhose is more powerful thanbare legs, because more skin is covered.A general rule of thumb when dressing for power is to“raise the necklines; lower the hemlines.”

BehAve Like you MeAn BuSineSS!

someone authoritative, then start looking

3Be W

ell-h

eeled

Newstyle

Newstyle

Newstyle

power

mystarjob.com, saturday 19 January 2013� mystarjob.com, saturday 19 January 2013 �

NAME: Laurie BemiEDUCATION: Bachelor of Sciencein Chemistry,University of Guelph, Guelph,Ontario, CanadaROLE: Senior business analystCOMPANY: Talisman Malaysia LtdYEARS IN OIL & GAS: 20

My job is excitingbecause…

EVERY drop of oil adds valueto every oil company. Bemi saysbeing able to contribute to mak-ing every drop count for hercompany and their productionpartner is rewarding.

“A few years ago, I was sec-onded to our partner company’soffice” she recalls. “My job was toprepare a spreadsheet that calcu-lated each partner’s share of oilunder a very complex productionsharing agreement”.

“The result was an entitlementmodel which I believe is still usedtoday. Most importantly, by work-ing within our partner’s office, Igained a better understandingof our partner’s point ofview, which led to bet-ter working relationsbetween our compa-nies.”

Bemi lived fru-gally while at uni-versity, thus, neededlittle convincing tojoin the profitable busi-ness of O&G upongraduation.She has sinceworked inmany areas

of the business: reservoir engi-neering, joint ventures, corporate,planning and economics which“prepared me for my current rolein business development.”

At Talisman Malaysia Ltd,a Canadian O&G companyin Malaysia, her job “involvespreparing strategic plans andeconomics for new deals, such asacquisitions or joint ventures, fornew exploration blocks, and forexpansion projects for our exist-ing operations.”

“Every day is different,” thisresidence pass-talent holdersays. “Some days I meet withother members of the team todiscuss strategy, options andproject input data. Other days, Iprepare cash flows to determinethe future value of a project. Stillother days see me making pow-erpoint slides to share ideas andresults with the management.”

She says these meetings todiscuss numbers and report

preparations are key togetting a project off theground as she points out“for every 20 propos-als I analyse, maybe 10

will be presented to myimmediate management,

two or three presentedto senior man-

agement andone will getapproval.”

Drilling forsuccess…

“Analytical skills are critical inmy role,” she says as she needsto understand the input data,prepare accurate analysis, andthen interpret the results. So isthe ability to communicate theresults most succinctly to man-agement teams.

“Good verbal communicationis required early in the projectto ensure correct input data:ask the right questions and lis-ten to the answers,” she adds.“Management presentationsmust be clear and concise, withthe message clearly articulated.It is a challenge to say enoughfor management to make a deci-sion but not so much to becomebogged down in details.”

talentcorp’s touch…“I heard about the 10-year

Residence Pass-Talent pro-gramme through a friend andwent to a TalentCorp presenta-tion,” she recalls. “I liked the ideaof staying in KL on a longer termand so I decided to apply.”

“My dealings with TalentCorphave been top notch as everyonehas been courteous and under-standing. The website is clear andworks well. I’ve recommendedresidence pass-talent to a cou-ple of friends who also want tostay in Malaysia and they haveapplied too.”

NAME: Zarool Hassan Tajul AmarEDUCATION: Master ofEngineering in PetroleumEngineering,Heriot-Watt University,Edinburgh, UKBachelor of Engineering inAeronautical Engineering,University of Sydney, AustraliaROLE: Senior petrophysicistCOMPANY: Petrofac (Malaysia-PM304) LtdYEARS IN OIL & GAS: 26


PETROPHYSICS, “it’s an art,”quips Zarool, adding it is vital tounderstand the science behind itas one will otherwise be drillingfor oil or gas blindly, and that willbe too costly.

Zarool explains that petrophys-ics is “an evolving sub-surfacediscipline encompassing twomajor university-taught disci-plines – geology and reservoirengineering. A petrophysicist, hesays, works closely with sub-sur-face professionals like geologists,seismologists, reservoir engineers,drilling engineers, and productiontechnologists to find hydrocarbon(oil, condensate or gas) reservoirsfor commercial development.”

“However, there is no univer-sity that awards a degree in this,”Zarool says. “Petrophysics skill isacquired while working on-the-job and formal trainings are givento O&G industry’s geologists orreservoir engineers after a fewyears of working. These trainingsimpart the science of petrophys-ics to the participants but not theinterpretation skill.”

He says complications arisefrom the complexity of the geol-ogy of rocks and the engineeringof the flow mechanics of various

fluids (gas, oil, condensate, andwater) in those rocks that areoften complex and sometimesdo not behave exactly as scienceor mathematical formulas wouldhave predicted them to be.

“Experience always prevails,”Zarool adds.

The intricacy of acquiring thisexperience has prompted himto develop an in-house trainingcourse focusing on the interpreta-tion skills in petrophysics for allsub-surface personnel in a majorO&G company, which is still beingused to teach young geoscientistsand engineers.

Drilling for succes …“My skill in petrophysics allows

me to interpret and integratevarious sub-surface geologicaland engineering data to deter-mine different types of fluidsin reservoir rocks and estimateits properties for exploration ordevelopment purposes,” Zaroolexplains.

He says the complexity ofreservoir rocks and scarcity offinding “easy” hydrocarbons forcethe O&G industry to move awayfrom traditional silo sub-surfaceskill-based working environmentto an integrated multi-skills envi-ronment.

As petrophysicists do notundergo the specialised train-ings of geoscientists or reser-voir engineers, they gain “adistinctive position to bridgethe two major disciplinesbecause of their capability tointegrate both geological andreservoir engineering data,”he says.

“As more O&G companies relyon sophisticated geological andengineering computerised mod-els for exploration and develop-ment of hydrocarbon reservoirs,petrophysicists are now highlysought after due to their inherentskills in both disciplines,” Zarooladds.

talentcorp’s touch…“I came back under the

Returning Expert Programme(REP) scheme,” Zarool shares.

“TalentCorp made my returneasier because of its one-stop-centre arrangements with othergovernmental agencies.”

“The benefits that come withREP are attractive but I feel thefive-year duration for the schemeis too short as transfer of skills

NAME: Eileen LeeEDUCATION: Bachelor of Sciencein Environmental Policy withEconomics,London School of Economics andPolitical Science, UKROLE: Contracts engineerCOMPANY: Shell MalaysiaYEARS IN OIL & GAS: 1


Lee is trained in policy makingfor environment and sustainablegrowth yet works in a controversialenergy sector – O&G! Lee finds workexciting because she intends to use

her knowledge and skills to

shares. “This project will significantlyreduce the risk of oil leak incidents,while ensuring efficient operationsof a Shell refinery.”

In the O&G industry, her role isknown as contracts engineer. Shedeals with work related to majorconstructions and provides con-sultancy for contracting within theAsian region.

“I play a major role in sourcing forthe best contractors with the bestvalue for money while maintainingethics, controls and principles. I alsolead and participate in commercialnegotiations and contract manage-ment. The job is exciting due tothe high monetary value and riskinvolved, innovations in engineering,and the diverse dynamics that existin every project.”

Drilling for success…Lee maintains that it is important

to manage multiple interfaces invarious situations with differentstakeholders to achieve one goal.

talentcorp’s touch…“I was under the STAR programme

early on,” she recalls. “TalentCorpmade my transition from over-seas where I studied, to workingin Malaysia close to hassle-free.TalentCorp has exceeded my expec-tations in responsiveness and profes-sionalism.”

NAME: Terry LumEDUCATION: Bachelor of Engineering(Civil),Universiti Malaya, Kuala LumpurROLE: Well intervention / well integ-rity engineerCOMPANY: Shell MalaysiaYEARS IN OIL & GAS: 1.5


Lum is a JPA scholar who is keptbusy as he takes on two roles; one islooking after well integrity, the otherbeing well intervention. Yet, he is notcomplaining.

“I’m really excited working with agroup of people from different back-grounds and personalities on largescale projects that have a big impactto the company,” Lum explained.“Our work has the potential toimpact our country’s gross domesticproduct.”

No doubt Lum knows how big hisjob is! Yet, he added “the best part isI can concentrate on my job know-ing my bank balance is well takencare of.”

Lum also sleeps well at night hav-ing “the satisfaction of a job welldone, hitting targets we have setand being able to go home knowingeverything is good and safe.”

Lum’s day in the office is varied.When on-shore, he attends meetingsto discuss well integrity issues andplans for any remedial work to becarried out. His off-shore work com-prises of waking up at 5am, attend-ing safety and operations meetingsat 6am, getting his permit and workdocuments checked and signed offbefore heading to the wells site towork until 6pm.

Then, it is relaxation, and revisionfor exams.

“Yes, we still have to sit for examsto assess our competency to carryout our jobs,” adds Lum.

Drilling for success…Well intervention coiled tub-

ing and slick line operations, andWellhead maintenance and wellintegrity troubleshooting, are twoskills instrumental to improvingO&G production.

“In 2012, I was involved in a wellintervention campaign on two of ouroil fields offshore Sabah,” Lum says.“The main objective of carrying outcoiled tubing sand clean-out opera-tions was to boost production ratefrom our existing oil wells. We com-pleted the operations safely and suc-cessfully, and thus brought in addi-tional oil production and revenue.”

talentcorp’s touch…“I came under the STAR pro-

gramme when it had only juststarted,” Lum recalls, adding in 2010,he spent 10 weeks as an intern inSarawak Shell Bhd.

“I passed the internship and wasoffered the opportunity to workwith Shell upon my graduation,”he reveals. “Luckily, TalentCorp wasaround so it was possible for meto serve my bond working for Shellunder STAR. Aftera short wait, Iwas given thegreen lightto join Shell.JPA andTalentCorpwere helpfuland under-standingthroughoutthe process.”

JPA scholAr EilEEn shinEs At shEllmAnAging risks And costs

JPA scholAr lum grinds on And off-shorE to mAkE wElls function wEll

rEsidEncE PAss-tAlEnt holdEr lAuriEcontributEs to “oil-gonomics”

rEturning ExPErt ZArool shArEs thEArt And sciEncE of PEtroPhysics

tAlEntcorP suPPorts

thE oil And gAs sEctorthrough vArious tAlEnt ProgrAmmEs

Brought to you by

gained a better understandingof our partner’s point ofview, which led to bet-ter working relationsbetween our compa-

Bemi lived fru-gally while at uni-versity, thus, neededlittle convincing tojoin the profitable busi-ness of O&G upongraduation.She has since

many areas

results with the management.”She says these meetings todiscuss numbers and report

preparations are key togetting a project off theground as she points out“for every 20 propos-als I analyse, maybe 10

will be presented to myimmediate management,

two or three presentedto senior man-

agement andone will getapproval.”

and engineering data to deter-mine different types of fluidsin reservoir rocks and estimateits properties for exploration ordevelopment purposes,” Zarool

He says the complexity ofreservoir rocks and scarcity offinding “easy” hydrocarbons forcethe O&G industry to move awayfrom traditional silo sub-surfaceskill-based working environmentto an integrated multi-skills envi-

As petrophysicists do notundergo the specialised train-ings of geoscientists or reser-voir engineers, they gain “adistinctive position to bridgethe two major disciplinesbecause of their capability tointegrate both geological andreservoir engineering data,”

and technologies in certain dis-ciplines often takes much longerfor it to be effective. Professionalsmay not be enticed to return to

Malaysia due to thislimited tenure,

or worse, theymay chooseto leave afterthe durationis over.”

enhance sustainabil-ity in the sector.

“I am cur-rently workingon a 48” sub-sea pipelinereplacementproject offSingapore

waters,”Lee

a short wait, Iwas given thegreen lightto join Shell.JPA andTalentCorpwere helpfuland under-standingthroughoutthe process.”

resiDence pass – talent (rp-t)l Open to highly-qualified expatriates who

have lived in Malaysia three years or more.l Ability to live and work in Malaysia for up to

10 years.l Flexibility to change employers without hav-

ing to renew the pass.l Spouse and dependents under 18 years of

age are eligible for the RP-T.l Spouse can seek employment without the

need to apply for an Employment Pass.l Dependents over 18 years of age are eligible

for a five-year Social Visit Pass.l Parents and parents-in-law are also eligible

for a five-year Social Visit Pass.

returning expert prograMMe (rep)l To facilitate return of experienced Malaysians work-

ing abroad who are able to contribute to the ETP.l Applications are approved based on qualifications

and working experience abroad.l Approved REP applications are entitled to:

n An incentive of 15% flat rate of income tax onemployment income for five years.

n Tax exemption for all personal effects broughtback into Malaysia under one consignment.

n Tax exemption (excise duty and sales tax) forup to two locally assembled/manufacturedCompletely-Knocked Down (CKD) vehicles.

n Permanent Resident (PR) status for foreignspouse/children within six months upon submis-sion of complete application to the ImmigrationDepartment of Malaysia.

scholarship talent,attraction anD retention (star)l Collaboration between Public Service

Department (JPA) and TalentCorp.l Goal: To enable JPA scholars to serve scholar-

ship bonds in the private sector.l JPA scholars in STAR can work in Malaysian

companies supporting the EconomicTransformation Programme (ETP).

up-skilling prograMMel To equip fresh graduates with industry-spe-

cific skills.l Talents are placed in Malaysian and interna-

tional MNCs to develop industry-driven skills.l Key talents needed include engineers,

researchers, accountants, content developersand scientists.

l Technology Specialist in Specific DomainExperts (TeSSDE)

l High Income Talent Research ScientistEngineer (HIT-RSE)

n For more information or to participate in anyof the programmes featured, do visit us at www.talentcorp.com.my

THE oil and gas (O&G) sector has been a keycontributor to the Malaysian economy since the1970s. Petroliam Nasional Bhd, Malaysia’s onlyFortune 500 company, oversees all petroleumactivities including upstream exploration, pro-

duction of O&G, downstream oil refining, marketing anddistribution of petroleum products.

O&G contributes 19% or RM127bil to Malaysia’s grossdomestic product (GDP).

The Government launched the EconomicTransformation Programme in September 2010 to propelthe country into a high-income economy by 2020. O&G isone of the National Key Economic Areas to continue driv-ing this growth.

To maintain the energy sector’s contribution toMalaysia’s GDP, plans have been put in place to:

n Diversify the energy sector;n Enhance production from current reserves;n Increase exploration for new oil and gas reserves; andn Encourage the use of alternative energy sources like

solar.We need talents with different experiences and qualifi-

cations!TalentCorp has various talent programmes

to retain and recruit talents, locallyand globally.


Universiti Teknologi Petronas and TalentCorp will jointly organise the oil andgas (O&G) sector Focused Career Fair (SFCF) targeted at the O&G NationalKey Economic Areas to search for talents.

Who are the target talents?l University students (year one to year four)l Fresh graduatesl Young professionals (one to three years experience)

specialisation/trainingThe O&G industry needs talents from different disciplines. With the rightattitude and aptitude, you can be hired!l Engineeringl Geography/Geophysicsl Business/Accounting/Financel ICTl Economics/Statisticsl Environmental science

Why participate? there are many reasons.l Find out about yourselfl Get employed or secure an internshipl Contribute to the nation’s GDPl Join the high income and high value-added O&G sector

Career fair

for o&G talentstalents are assets! Yet, tHeY areas sCarCe as oil in tHe oil fields!

Meet recruiters from top O&G companies at the SFCF:

Days/Date:Saturday and Sunday, Jan 26 and 27, 2013

time:9am to 5pm

VenUe:Hall 3, MidValley Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur

companies recrUiting?Malaysian and international O&G companies involved directly orindirectly in the O&G business. Among the participating companies are:

OIL & GAS SECTORVALUE CHAIN

Source: TalentCorp’s Oil & Gas Sectoral Study

VALU

ECH

AIN

SUMMARY

WORK

GROUPS

POSITIONS/JO

BS

Exploration

PRODUCTION

Extraction Production Refinement Distribution Marketing Trading

EXPLORATION

Licensed by hostgov. who agrees

to lease acreage ifdiscovery made.

UPSTREAM DOWNSTREAM

DEVELOPMENT

Explore the leasedblock for finding

reserves of Oil andGas deposits.

REFINING TRADING & MARKETINGDISTRIBUTION

Refineries process crudefeedstock into a variety of

products such as heating oil,asphalt, diesel, petrol etc.

Refined product isdistributed for retail,

trading or for processingby petrochemical plant.

Lifting the oil and gasdepletes the reservoir &

produces crude of aspecific grade for the area.

TRANSPORT STORAGE

Crude oil and natural gas istransported to arrive at a given

location at a certain date.(Trading starts at this point.)

EXPLORATION

Geological field partySeismic field party

MDTProcessing

EXPLORATIONDRILLING

Drilling crewWell crew

MDT

DEVELOPMENTDRILLING

Drilling crewWell crew

MDTSurface facility development

REFINING MARKETING TRADING

Receipt, storage& dispatch

RefineryProduction

PRODUCTION

MDTProduction

TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline/shipping/ wagonsStorage terminals

Quality/ safety

SIESMIC FIELDPARTY/PROCESSING

GeophysicistData processorGeoinformaticianObserverSupervisorProgrammer

MDT

GeologistGeophysicistPetrophysicistGeochemistReservoirengineerMud loggerMud engineersProgrammer

Distributionterminals

Sales & marketing

Front officeMiddle office

Back office

Drilling suptd.DrillerAsst. drillerTool pusherDerrickmanCrane operatorRouchneckRoustaboutChief mechanicChief electricianWelder

DRILLINGCREW

GeologistGeophysicistDrillerGeochemistProductionengineerReservoirengineerPetroleumengineerProgrammer

SURFACE CREW

Chemicalengineer

PRODUCTION

STORAGETERMINALS

ProgrammerCompletionsengineer

RECEIPT &DISPATCH

MechanicalengineerElectrical engineerFire & safetyengineeerCorrosionengineerInstrumentationengineerTechnician(all stream)Asst. technician

HSE officerHSE assistantQC officerLab assistant

Tank farm officerTank farmoperatorMaintenanceengineerTank farmassistant

HSE/QUALITY MARKETING

Tank wagonofficer

Planning officerOperationsofficerBoarding officerTank terminalofficer

Sample takerWell pullersMining &geologicalEngineersProgrammer

Oil wellcementerAcidizerPerforatoroperator

WELL CREW

Chemical engineerMechanicalengineerElectrical engineerProductionengineerCivil engineerInstrumentationengineerTechnicianAsst. technician

SURFACE FACILITYDEVELOPMENTCREW

RECEIPT &DISPATCH

Planning officerOperations officerBoarding officerTank farmassistantTank wagonassistant

REFINERYOPERATIONS

Process controlPetroleumengineerProcess technicianMaintenancearchitectInspectionengineerSite HSE engineer

Tank farmassistant

Marketing managerSales officerCommercialanalyst

FRONT OFFICE

Product traderTrading analystLoss control

MIDDLE OFFICE

CommercialanalystScheduler

BACK OFFICE

ITL&D

ChemistPlanning analystPlant designProject/shutdownengineerReliabilityengineerElectricalanalystField compliancespecialist

Tank farm officerTank farmoperatorMaintenanceengineer

STORAGETERMINALS

mystarjob.com, saturday 19 January 2013 11

Fresh/Inexperienced Talent

2014 20122013

Average time tofill positionsExperienced Talent

Chemical Engineer

Petroleum Engineer

Mechanical Engineer

Electrical & InstrumentalEngineer

Geoscientist

Health, Safety &Environment

Civil & StructuralEngineer

Materials &Metallurgical Engineer

Mechanical Technicians

Electrical Technicians

JOB AREAS (TOP 10 BY SHORTAGES)

01002003004000 300 600 900 1,200 1,500

Electrical & InstrumentalEngineer

Petroleum Engineer

Plant & FacilityOperator

Geoscientist

Civil & StructuralEngineer

Chemical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer

Electrical Technicians

Supply ChainManagement

Offshore Specialties

30 - 60 days

> 90 days

> 90 days

> 90 days

> 90 days

60 - 90 days

60 - 90 days

> 90 days

30 - 60 days

30 - 60 days

Source: TalentCorp’s O&G Sectoral Study

Oceaneering is a global oilfield provider of engineered services and products primarily tothe offshore oil and gas industry, with focus on deep-water applications.

A pArticipAting compAny At the oil& gAs sector Focused cAreer FAir

holistic ApproAchin oceAneeringAsset mAnAgement

Q: What does your company do?A: Oceaneering Asset Integrity is an industry leader in the provision ofinspection and integrity services. Consistent organic growth coupledwith strategic acquisitions has positioned Oceaneering as one of thelargest providers of integrity services in the world.

Q: share an interesting challenge faced by your company.A: Asset owners want to improve operational performance andprofitability. They want a modern maintenance solution that is costeffective and uses minimal manpower.

Our Asset Integrity management and services can change theway the O&G companies manage their resources. Our maintenancemanagement solution is holistic whilst our approach is risk-based.This enables operations and maintenance staff to focus on the mostcritical areas.

Q: What rocks for fresh graduates?A: Opportunity in asset management.Why? Most O&G companies are shifting towards cost effectivenessand maintaining life cycle of assets due to aging assets.

topj

obsi

ndem

And

Ford

egre

ehol

ders

Ands

kille

dtAl

ents

n Engineeringn Constructionn Subsurfacen Electrical &

instrumentationn Weldingn Procurementn Plumbingn Installation &

commissioning(EPCIC) management

degreeholders

skilled tAlents

founded in 1964, oceaneering offers:n Remotely operated vehiclesn Built-to-order specialty subsea hardwaren Engineering and project managementn Subsea intervention and installation servicesn Asset integrity managementn Non-destructive testing and inspectionsn Manned diving

n Mechanical engineersn Geoscientistsn Mechanical techniciansn Material & metallurgical

engineersn Electrical &

instrumentationengineers

n Chemical engineersn Petroleum engineersn Electrical techniciansn Civil & structural

engineersn Health, safety and

environment engineers


AFTER three gruellingmonths of intensivetraining and entry-level work experi-ence, four studentsgraduated with “fullhonours” and permanent job offers fromtheir respective sponsoring agencies.

The Graduate Fellowship Programme,a collaboration between the 4As, MSA,and MAA, was initiated to attract newtalent into the industry with short-listedcandidates required to undergo a vigor-ous training programme conducted 95%by The Advertising Academy, and aninternship at the sponsoring agencies.

HURRY! YOU STILL HAVEA CHANCE TO WIN

Researchers at YaleUniversity found that when

A study shows that people who

provides physical andemotional release, which

The difficulty ingetting out of bed inthe morning is called

In a recent sleep study,people who were

On average, our short termmemory is capable of

30%

A recent study hasproven that your

The components ofthe brain that carryinformation to long-term

Laughter

keeps the mind andheart healthy.

depressed or sufferingfrom loneliness, both menand women tend to

take longer bathand/or shower.

dysania.

sleep on the left sideof the bed are generally

happier and havelower risk ofdepression.

sub-consciousmind is smarterthan you.

of the world’s entire population isnow online, and the global time

spent online per monthis equivalent to 3,995,444 years.

concentration, irritability,hallucinations, and signsof psychosisafter only three days.

awakened atthe beginningof each dream,but still allowed theireight hours of sleep,experienced difficulty in

holding onlyfive to nine(seven is an average)items at a time. Haveyou observed that most

phone numbershave only sevendigits?

memory turn offwhile sleeping.That is why dreamsquickly fade out after youwake up. Normally, onlyfragments of a dream leftin short-term memoryhave a possibility to beconverted after you areawake.


Good Habits starton tHe First day oF Class

By TERRY [email protected]

DO you know what the No.1 jobof your brain is?

The No.1 job of your brainis to keep you alive! Your brainis mainly concerned about

survival and it was hard-wired that way.For example, no one taught you to quicklypull your hand off of a hot stove! Learningon the other hand is a different story. Yourbrain wasn’t hard-wired to sit and learn.You have to learn how to learn. Learningto learn is a critical skill for everyone. Wereyou ever taught how to do this?

Most of us weren’t.So here it is January. Most of us are back

to school or work. Let’s make this yearmore effective. Work smarter, not harder!It’s all about strategies. This article recentlyappeared in the North Shore News. If youare a student, it will help. If you are not astudent, it will help. Learning is for life. Infact, learning is one of the best ways tokeep your brain healthy.

Good habits start onfirst day of class - setstrateGies to helpstudents excel at school

North Shore News Aug 18, 2006, by LisaFoeste

“A lot of students don’t really know howto study.” That’s why many students seemto struggle in school these days in subjectslike math, science and social studies,” saysTerry Small, a former teacher and now afull-time speaker who helps students andparents put together strategies to help stu-dents excel in school.

What students along with their parentsneed to do is to set strategies to get, storeand retrieve information so that they canexcel throughout the school year.

“I try to give parents and kids a com-plete strategy to use before the first day ofschool and until when the learning experi-ence (exam, project, school year) is over,”Small says.

Small recommends students start offthe school year on the right foot.

“Preparation for the final examstarts on the first day ofclasses.”

On the first day of school,get to know the teacher andmake a good impression asjudgements are often formedduring the first week.

“Make the first week soyou set the tone for theentire year. Make a goodimpression and get on top,especially in a subject thatis cumulative like math.”

With math, it’s easy to getbehind quickly.

Small says that studentsneed to set goals at thebeginning of the schoolyear. “In reality, it’s the sin-gle most important thinga student can do.”

Take a piece of paperand at the top, label(for example) “Tom’sgoals”.

“List your sub-jects and askyourself, real-

istically, what is the best mark I think I canachieve on my first report card?’” for eachsubject, Small says. “Stretch yourself a bit,but make it realistic.”

After your goal-setting session, makecopies – one for the bedroom wall, thefront of your binder, on the fridge and inthe locker. All are places you will see yourgoals posted every day.

“Essentially, what happens when yousee those goals is that those marks go upby magic.”

“Why does Coca-Cola spend millionsof dollars on advertising?” Small asks.“Advertising works.”

Setting your goals, writing them downand posting them up is essentially a formof advertising to yourself. “You are influ-encing your behaviour,” says Small.

Also during the first week of school,start well by making a weekly time charton a spreadsheet to schedule your home-work, or home study, as Small likes to callit.

We schedule dental appointments,sports practices but often homework is leftfor whenever so the brain defaults it to a“B” priority, Small says.

If you are in Grade 8, about one hourper day six times a week is a reasonableamount of time for home study, says Small.One hour of study time can be broken upinto two 30-minute time periods.

“Take Friday off for good behaviour.”Post the schedule on the fridge.“It makes home study an A priority now

that it is scheduled.”Having a schedule also takes the argu-

ment out among parents and studentsas students are held liable because theymake their own schedule. If they don’t likethe time scheduled for a week, they canchange it the following week, he says.

Home study should be the consistentsystematic reviewing and previewing notonly the material assigned by the teacher,Small says.

Previewing is a great way to stay aheadof the game especially in subjects that areeasy to fall behind in.

For instance in math, if the teacherreviewed page 48 in class, he will most

likely review page 49 the followingday. Your ideal scenario wouldbe to preview that page 49 the

Small explains that theVancouver Canucks plan theiropposition before the game.They watch videotapes andwatch how the opposingteam plays to help increasetheir chances of winning the

Students can do similarlyin school by taking five to 10minutes to preview pagesthat will likely be covered inclass the following day.

While setting goals, writ-ing them down and posting

them, making a weekly homestudy schedule, and making a

good first impression the firstweek of school is importantto excelling in school. Other

study tricks will help stu-dents do well as exam

time approaches.“One of the biggest

issues facing studentsis diet,” Small says.

Start the morning right with a healthybreakfast. Drink lots of water and drinkwater before feeling thirsty.

“Most students’ brains are dehydrated,”he says.

Set up a study area and keep the roomtemperature on the cool side - about 18degrees Celsius.

Use a master binder to get you ready forstudying. Take breaks every 10 to 15 min-utes to keep the brain sharp. A good way todetermine the amount of breaking time isto take your age and add by two minutes.After the age of 18, break intervals stay at20 minutes, he says.

When studying, prepare questions andanswers and use memory and masterycards. Small says to use the active learn-ing approach where you interact with thematerial as opposed to passive learningwhere you read notes over.

“If you watch a basketball game, you dolearn but by playing you learn more,” saysSmall.

Studying out loud, writing things downas you study and adding colour to noteswill help increase information retention.

Get on your feet as it will help retaininformation more. “When you stand up itincreases the blood flow to the brain.”

Small also recommends playing baroquemusic softly in the background whilestudying.

When putting together a study strategyput parents on your team. “The more the

parents are involved the more the marksgo up.”

Decrease the amount of TV that stu-dents watch. “TV viewing goes up, marksgo down,” he says.

When you sit down to do homework,tackle the least favourite or hardest subjectfirst.

In the next Brain Bulletin I will tell youwhy you don’t have a brain.

RemembeR: “You are a genius”.

n Terry Small is a brain expert who residesin Canada and believes that “Anyone canlearn how to learn easier, better, faster, andthat learning to learn is the most impor-tant skill a person can acquire.” To interactwith Terry, email [email protected]

Small recommends students start offthe school year on the right foot.

“Preparation for the final examstarts on the first day of

On the first day of school,get to know the teacher andmake a good impression asjudgements are often formedduring the first week.

“Make the first week soyou set the tone for theentire year. Make a goodimpression and get on top,especially in a subject thatis cumulative like math.”

With math, it’s easy to get

Small says that studentsneed to set goals at thebeginning of the schoolyear. “In reality, it’s the sin-gle most important thinga student can do.”

Take a piece of paperand at the top, label(for example) “Tom’s

“List your sub-

reviewed page 48 in class, he will mostlikely review page 49 the following

day. Your ideal scenario wouldbe to preview that page 49 theprior night.

Small explains that theVancouver Canucks plan theiropposition before the game.They watch videotapes andwatch how the opposingteam plays to help increasetheir chances of winning thegame.

Students can do similarlyin school by taking five to 10minutes to preview pagesthat will likely be covered inclass the following day.

While setting goals, writ-ing them down and posting

them, making a weekly homestudy schedule, and making a

good first impression the firstweek of school is importantto excelling in school. Other

study tricks will help stu-dents do well as exam

time approaches.“One of the biggest

issues facing students

iF you watCH a basketball Game,you do learn, but by playinG you learn more

1. Leave studying and homework until the last minute.2. Get to the bottom of page and wonder what did you

just read?3. Get marks below potential.4. Lack motivation.5. Have trouble paying attention.6. Spend too much time studying.7. Achieve grades too low for university admission.

Terry’s DVD or video is based on the latest research onhow your brain learns best. If you know how to study,then your marks improve!do

youo

ryou

rkids

make

anyo

FtHe

semi

stak

es?


Invest and engageManagIng In an econoMIc downturnBy GARY [email protected]

THE International MonetaryFund has forecast that theworld economy in 2013will remain sluggish with3.6% growth. Although

Asia is still set to grow, China andIndia will also witness a slowdown.While the Malaysian economy,according to the Economic Report2012/2013 released by the FinanceMinistry recently, is anticipated tostrengthen further and grow at afaster rate of 4.5% to 5.5% in 2013,the unpredictability of the worldsituation, particularly concerns sur-rounding the eurozone debt crisisand the US fiscal cliff, may heralda rude shock for the region, whichis dependent on Western trade.Companies, anticipating the worstsituation, are likely to have alreadybegun belt-tightening measures,bracing for an economic downturn.

It is very easy for managers in alltypes of organisations to imaginethat with astute cost-control anda tight rein on their workforcethey can weather the storms ofeconomic turbulence. While strongattention to the bottomline andcareful management on spendingto trim unnecessary expenses maybe important strategies for manag-ers to adopt, there is a danger thatorganisations may, in their zealouscost-control efforts, cut back oninvestment in people and in humancapital development with longer-term damaging implications forboth businesses and the economy.Companies must be mindful not torepeat the mistakes of the financialcrisis of 2008/2009 when manyorganisations retrenched workersonly to find themselves severelyshort of talent when the economyrecovered.

While ensuring that the peoplehave benefits packages that arecompetitive, it is also importantfor managers to review non-mon-etary rewards. It is better thatorganisations continue to invest indeveloping their future leaders andtalented specialists rather than cutback on development. Neglectingstaff development during difficult

times can leave key staff discon-tented and move away from theorganisation once the economicsituation improves. Through theimplementation of talentsuccession manage-ment programmes,which utilise cost-effec-tive approaches totalent development,financial prudence neednot be at the expenseof talent retention. Cost-effective approaches totalent management suchas job rotation, short-termattachment, coaching andmentoring can complementhigher spending on other devel-opment initiatives which mayneed to be managed moretightly during a downturn.Other non-traditional waysto compensate lowly-paidworkers include flexiblework hours and options towork from home on cer-tain days.

Happiness indexThere is a school of thought

that managing in an economicdownturn means working evenharder to raise productivity.Globally, people aspire to be at thetop of the happiness index as wellas the productivity index. Recentresearch from our ManagementAgenda – an annual survey in theUnited Kingdom undertaken byRoffey Park, which highlightedchallenges facing managers intheir day-to-day work – showedthat many managers in the UK hadnever been used to leading theirpeople in a recession. This wasbecause the UK had enjoyed a longperiod of prosperity prior to the2008/2009 financial crisis. And it iseasier to get results out of peoplewhen everything is going well andevery individual is guaranteed aregular annual salary increase; itis much more challenging when

profits aresqueezedunder tighter

trading condi-tions and public

spending cuts adversely affectwages. Managing in tougher eco-nomic conditions, therefore, meanshaving a mindset that acknowl-edges the need to work hard butalso to look at more creative waysof doing things.

sTROnG senseOf pURpOse

It is during an economic down-turn and under the clouds of uncer-tainty and anxiety that true leader-ship must come to the fore. It isabout engaging with the workforcein a way that galvanises workers topull together in tough times andcontinues to give them a strongsense of satisfaction with theirwork. A strong sense of purposebinds people together in troubledtimes. Therefore, to be an effectiveleader, managers have to engagetheir people regularly around pur-

pose which needs to be articulatedat every possible opportunity; theyneed to reiterate the mission andvision of the organisation and enrolworkers in the organisational pur-pose and their role in that purpose.

Recent research by Roffey Parkon employee engagement foundthat where managers led by beingconstantly visible to their teams,communicated at regular intervals

and were not isolated from theirworkers, the levels of employeeengagement were higher especiallyin tough times.

Above all, managing in aneconomic downturn means hav-ing strong internal resources ofresilience that enable you to brushoff the setbacks, learn from themistakes of the past and use thatlearning to push forward a visionthat you and your people believein. People in organisations do notfollow half-empty glass managersor those who panic when the goinggets tougher. They are more likelyto respond to those who proudlysay, “Keep calm and carry on.”

n Gary Miles is the director ofInternational Operations at RoffeyPark Institute, an internation-ally renowned leadership institute.Roffey Park is recognised as a lead-ing authority in personal effective-ness, human resources and organi-sational development. The institute’sservices include the MSc in peopleand organisational development.

mentoring can complementhigher spending on other devel-opment initiatives which may

profits aresqueezedunder tighter

trading condi-

CAREER


We have four experts on career management,HR and office issues who will address your ques-tions weekly. We refer to them as Careernomers- experts in career matters who will help you inyour career journey. So if you have any burningquestion to ask, send it to [email protected] and we will get the panel toanswer your questions.

This week, Ang Hui Ming, co-founder ofLeaderonomics, and guest careernomer NancyLim, senior vice-president and head of humancapital, Great Eastern Life Assurance (M) Bhd,answer Jason’s question.

Dear Careernomers,I am particularly interested in acareer switch to investment bank-ing/corporate finance.

I am in my mid-30s and anaccountant, having 14 years in

accounts and finance. I am currentlya finance manager with a US-basedmultinational company, responsible forbusiness finance support. I have been inthis role for the past 2½ years and real-ise that this is not my aspiration.

In my past roles, I was mainlyinvolved in financial and managementaccounting with relatively limited expe-rience in corporate finance.

I have only been involved with groupfinance functions during one of myroles with a public-listed companywhere I was responsible for consolidat-ing results, quarterly announcements,board paper preparation and some

basic corporate exercises.I am contemplating a career switch

into areas like corporate finance - work-ing in an investment bank or a publiclisted company that has high involve-ment in corporate exercises.

Do you think it is a good idea toswitch careers and start all over again?

If this is the case, I may need to com-mence from a junior position with alower pay scale.

Honestly speaking, I have financialcommitments which can be difficult forme to meet if I earn a lower pay. Do youthink is it something really worth doingor are there alternatives that couldallow me to maintain at least my cur-rent salary after switching career?

I truly appreciate for your kind advice.

Best regards,Jason

Dear Jason,Firstly, may I commend you for

having a wealth of experience anddepth in the finance function. Yourspread of exposure across the vari-ous accounting and finance roles is astrong foundation that you can lev-erage as you consider making yournext move.

Whilst corporate finance andinvestment banking have a lot incommon, especially in the aspect ofraising capital, they are also quitedistinct in the job scope/approach.

Firstly, corporate finance is arole that can be in-house withinan organisation or an external rolewhereby you play a consultant rolefor a client organisation (for examplewith the Big Four accounting firms).Investment banking, on the otherhand, is a role that resides withinan investment bank, and acts as anexternal consultant to organisationsin meeting their capital needs. Thisminor distinction in itself is some-thing you have to consider as youanalyse your preference whetheryou’d like to be part of an organisa-tion’s decision making or to be anexternal consultant.

At the same time, corporatefinance is a role which is more stra-tegic in nature, has a wider spectrumof goals besides just raising capitalespecially in ensuring the organi-sation’s corporate structure is opti-mised and poised for growth andrequires working with investmentbankers in many of their projects.Whereas, investment banking is aspecialised role with its main objec-tive being to raise capital for a clientorganisation guided by bankingrules.

I do think it’s important for youto find out more about the natureof both roles so that you are ableto narrow down your targeted rolewith more precision. I must say thatthe mindset of corporate financiersand investment bankers are different

from the perspective and mindsetyou would have had while in yourvarious accounting and financeroles. Often, in business finance oraccounting, the mindset is moreretrospective and also risk averse(maybe due to the “conservative”approach required by accountingpractices) whereas in corporatefinance and investment banking,your mindset has to be one thatconsiders many economic forces, ahigher tolerance for risk and creativeways to structure deals and portfo-lios to achieve the maximum capitalposition. So, even if you have thefinance and accounting experienceas an advantage, your challengewill also be whether you have thepotential mindset to go into any ofthe two roles.

In my humble opinion, corporatefinance is probably a slightly easiertransition for you as you can lever-age your finance and accountingexperience very well in all the corpo-rate exercises. In fact, in most MNCs,there is definitely a robust corporatefinance division (or maybe it’s calledsomething else like the capitalinvestments division/ventures divi-sion, etc). If you can apply for aninternal transfer in your current com-pany, it would be a better choice andyour compensation level will mostlikely not be impacted.

If you do plan to apply externallyto the big corporate finance con-sulting firms, your background isan advantage and as long as youare willing to learn and put in thehours, you can pick up the skill setsof corporate finance. You may notlead a team in the new role, but yourcompensation level will unlikely beimpacted.

The switch to investment bankingmay be more challenging for you asit involves quite a big change fromthe corporate environment you arefamiliar with to a banking environ-ment. Also, the level of competition

is stiffer and you probably have tostart from scratch in this arena asyour juniors (in age) who startedtheir career in investment bankingwill be way ahead of you in termsof specialisation and expertise. Yourcompensation here is hard to predictas investment bankers earn as muchas the deals they close, so it’s drivena lot by your expertise and ability togenerate capital and wealth for yourclients. The income potential andalso the demand of the job is differ-ent from whether you are inclined togo with the Buy side or Sell side ofinvestment banking.

Being in your mid 30s is still a rea-sonable time to make a switch if youreally believe that this is the pathyou want to take. But do considerthe requirements of this job fromall aspects and whether it suits yourfamily needs as well.

ang Hui ming

Dear Jason,Thank you for your question.

You have shared a bit of backgroundon yourself and that helps. In spiteof the recent setback in the globalfinancial world, Malaysia is well-positioned and there is still a hugedemand for good candidates in thefinancial sector. Your question is spe-cific and I will attempt to drill downand answer it.

Your current role in this US-basedMNC would have given you a lot ofinsights as to how a business is oper-ationally ran and you could be doingloads of analytic work. This alsomeans that you are exposed to MISreporting and a good financial infra-structure. The previous exposure tothe board and drafting of papers alsoadds weight to your resume.

You did mention and I am assum-ing that you have a good account-ing and finance degree and haveachieved professional certifications

besides having 14 years of experi-ence. To move to corporate finance,here are some options:

1. Join an investment bank;2. Join a bank or insurance com-

pany that is strategically lookingfor acquisitions and have an activestrategic planning function. Not allorganisations have a strategic plan-ning function but those with sizea-ble assets and revenue will probablyhave one. Sometimes, the strategicplanning function is subsumedunder the finance function. Over thenext 10 years or so, we foresee thatthere will be a lot of mergers andacquisitions (M&As) in Malaysia andthe region which would impact theinsurance sector.

These are possibly two placeswhere you can locate a role quickly.In terms of age, your past commer-cial experience will put you in goodstead. Essentially, corporate financemeans managing shareholder valuebetter and you should join a forwardlooking organisation, that has loadsof cash and is actively looking outfor deals.

To move here, this is what youcan do.

1. Identify a good headhunter whospecialises in the financial services.At your age, you could be earningaround RM180,000 to RM200,000per annum and this means that yourpotential role could be operated bya search company. They would havetheir ears on the ground and can linkyou to some interviews.

2. Read the local and regionalnewspapers daily and shortlist someof the companies that you like andanalyse their corporate plans andwho are the dealmakers behindthem. That is also a good way toknow if they are potentially hiring orlooking for resources.

Sometimes, joining an organisa-tion is about timing. If you are inthe right place at the right time,then the negotiations could be in

your favour. However, if you go toa well-managed brand companythen chances are the HR head andbusiness partner will recogniseyour past achievements. To do thecorporate finance function well,you need not only be a good com-mercial manager and have a goodnose for how business is man-aged, but you should also be ableto value organisations and theirpotential business. At the end ofthe day, HR heads would like tolook for an applicant more holisti-cally; he must not be a job-hopper,but has worked in good brandnames. Other factors includemannerism, interpersonal andinfluencing skills, depth of pastexperience, conceptual thinking,the ability to develop people, lan-guage and numerical abilities. Incorporate finance, one must alsohave the ability to work with thirdparties like bankers, lawyers andaccountants especially during duediligence and acquisitions phase.

You should try and promoteyour business experience andyour project management skills (ifany). The best place to start is torevamp your resume to highlightyour commercial skills. Write to fitthe potential role you are aimingfor. You should at least attempt tosatisfy your short-term curiosityand try and gain access to someinterviews. It is only through try-ing that you will know. I wouldalso encourage you to completea three-year term in your currentcompany. Reconnect with yourformer colleagues and bosses, andyou will be surprised by how muchthey can be of help as well. Goodluck.

nanCy Lim

n The opinions expressed are those ofthe authors and not necessarily thoseof myStarjob.com

Coming up in next Saturday’s issue . . .mystarjob.com, saturday 19 January 2013

Coming up

It takes the effort ofthose aroundyou to build aleader, writes RoshanThiran in Be a Leader

Also next week

Get an insight into the dailyroutine of an MMAfighter in A Day in the Life

Emotions inthe workplaceare not necessarilyharmful. Find out morein Women and Careers

Ways to reducestress and benefityour familyrelations, in WorklifeBalance

CareeradviCe from

Spiderman

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