Sector Focused Career Fair - Shared Services and Outsourcing

Did you know that last week Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) hosted a Sector Focus Career Fair (SFCF) today at University Teknologi Mara (UiTM). SFCF UiTM was a joint effort between TalentCorp, Graduan, MDeC and UiTM. The focus areas for the fair were Shared Services and Outsourcing (SSO).

I myself am working in Shared Services and Outsourcing industry, which specialized in IT SSO. Previously I was working in Hewlett-Packard (HP), which has an IT SSO business unit. We work for HP but are supporting the IT infrastructure of our customers that outsourced part or all their IT infrastructure to HP to minimize their IT cost.

Two years ago I left HP and joined JT International (JTI) as a Data Center Operation Analyst. In JTI, my department is somewhat like a shared services that supports JTI's data center infrastructure around the globe. My department doesn't only support Malaysia. The different between working is HP and JTI is that the former is serving external customers while the latter is supporting internal customers.

SSO is a growing industry and there are a lot of demand. Malaysia seems to be one of the choice for Multi National Company to set up at SSO hub such as Global IT Services or Global Finance Services or Global Business Services. Yes, SSO is not limited to IT services.

According to Johan Mahmood Merican, CEO of TalentCorp, “The success of our Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) depends on having the right quantity and quality of talent, to support Malaysia’s priority sectors to move up the value chain and continue growing. Malaysia certainly has a strong pipeline of young talent. TalentCorp and UiTM are hosting this SFCF to provide exposure and attract our young Malaysian graduates to pursue an exciting career with the fast growing shared services sector. We certainly believe it is a win-win proposition – through a career in shared services, our young graduates will enjoy an international experience from right here in Malaysia and at the same time, our graduates can play their part in contributing to the success of the industry and Malaysia’s transformation. “

“UiTM’s vision is to establish its reputation as a premier university of academic excellence, able to produce dynamic individuals of world-class standards and globally competitive with sound ethical standing. Here we aim to enhance the knowledge and expertise of the next generation of talents in all fields of study through professional programmes, research work and community service based on moral values and professional ethics. In this globalised world, we welcome such initiatives as this sector focused career fair as it provides our students with a solid platform to explore critical industries like SSO and to contribute towards Malaysia’s growth,” said Professor Dato’ Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Said, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs, UiTM.

SFCF UiTM is supported by more than 30 companies, including AIG, DHL, Electrolux, Frost & Sullivan, GlaxoSmithKline, HP, IBM, LaFarge, Sime Darby and PwC.

The SFCF provides an opportunity for graduates to meet with CEOs and senior HR representatives of participating companies, while providing a platform for companies to scout for potential talent from universities in Malaysia. Several critical industries are in need of top talent, and the undergraduates are able to use this opportunity to better understand these developing sectors in Malaysia. The companies also have the opportunity to educate the public about industry developments, sectoral branding and increase understanding of the SSO sector.

The two-day event included Career Talks and Couch Corner Slot. Career Talks is a platform developed for the young generation to engage with prominent industry leaders while the Couch Corner Slot was designed for the visitors, especially students, to interact with the companies in a relaxed atmosphere.

For further information on TalentCorp and SFCF, please visit www.talentcorp.com.my or www.facebook.com/SectorFocusedCareerFairSFCF.

If Your Plan A Failed, There's Always Plan B

There was one time colleague A asked another colleague B during lunch time, where to go for lunch? So, colleague B replied,"We are going for Plan B.". Colleague A then asked,"So where are we going for plan B? I didn't know we have a plan A". Hahaha. Colleague A didn't know Plan B is the name of the place that he's going to eat in.

Joke aside. Last week, thanks to Nuffnang's interest group #NNTasteBuddies, I got to taste a variety of food from Plan B that I haven't tried before. There are just so many choices in the menu. We went to have a food review session in Plan B, Bangsar Village. Henry, Mai Sarah, Saimatkong and Jun Zheng were there too.

Now let's starts with the coffee. Plan B has their own blend of roasted coffee, which I found is quite nice. I had Flat White and later an Australian Iced Coffee.

A scoop of vanila ice-cream in the iced coffee. Nice. I don't even have to put in the syrup.

Now let's eat!

Avo Quino is kind of of dish that one will order for breakfast and it's vegetarian food.

Avocado and poached eggs? My kind of thing.

We were told that one of their more popular pasta dish is the Asian-Style Soft-shell crab spaghettini. This a kind of a fusion dish. Rich butter sauce covered the spaghettini and a tinge of curry leaves. Yums. Recommended to be shared if not it will be too jelak.

Looking for pasta with more greens? Look no further. We tried the Arugula Pesto Spaghettini with seafood (please not the seafood is optional). Aroma of pine nuts from the pesto sauce is nice. Pasta is cooked al dente.

In between the heavy stuffs, we added something refreshing like the Som Tam Crab salad, which is green papaya salad. BIG Group's marketing people love it.

Nasi Lemak Goreng is a combination of two of our all time favourite mamak food, nasi lemak and nasi goreng kampung. I like the sourish sambal, it's so appetizing.

Going for some tea time snack? One can opt for Spicy Fish Tacos. To me not very spicy at all. Fish is cooked just right. Sweet potato fries as side is something not normally found but it's the norm for Plan B.

Not a fan of fish? Why not go for the Char-Grilled Kimchi Chicken Burger? Burger is tender but I will like the kimchi to be a little bit more sourish.

Oh, Plan B just revamped their menu, some of the food we tried are new in the menu. They took out my favourite Ox Tongue Sandwich :(

Now the mother of all comfort food must be the Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Crispy skin and the meat still juicy and tender. It's so sinfully good.

Now even though we are quite full already, we still make rooms for dessert. The Coconut Cake is nice.

But the Apple Sugee Cake is awesome! Warm apple sugee cake eaten with the cold vanilla ice-cream is da bomb. I think it will paired very well with coffee.

Plan B is really a good place to look for comfort food and a cuppa. Plan B has outlets in Bangsar Village, Mid Valley, Publika, One Utama, Paradigm Mall and Ipoh. Click here for the address and business hour.