Well said!

However I'm not sure people will agree with me on the following:

1. You don't necessarily apply what you learn in uni despite the excellent grades.
2. One of the important criteria to ask as a freshie is what you can learn (to decorate your resume), and not so much on squeezing employer for a few hundred bucks.
3. Yes, there shouldn't be a problem to find job. However, some people may not be as fortunate as you.

Speaking from a former employer point of view, I usually start negotiating with other candidates once a fresh grad starts playing hardball with salary. To me, there are plenty of fresh grad that may take up the offer and if there's nothing special with the candidate that is playing hardball, I'll usually move on to the next person.

Sometimes salary is not only the thing to look at. It's easier for salary to go up then to change a policy regarding other benefits. Sometimes the company that give you RM 200 less, gives RM 400 for vision benefits, or RM 500 for dental yearly (and may be extended to your family) so I guess you must look at the overall package.

depends on your luck oso..some fresh grad cant find job, some can find 3k salary job..
for fresh grad, better find a small or medium size company to start, gain more experience first, then u jump to big company, u will get more..

I am sorry to say that... but I spend exactly RM2k a month, living a comfortable life, which includes paying loan for a Kenari, life insurance, rent a room, Streamyx + phone, handphone, food, etc... and I am staying in Petaling Jaya.

So... who said RM1.8k is not sufficient? Unless you going out for supper every nite, ciggy + booze, clubbing every weekend, change handphone every couple months, every weekend go for Japanese buffet, movie every week, drive a Honda Civic, etc...

i think your lecturer is quite right. and it depends on whether you want to branch out or not. MNC usually lets you specialize in your given job whereas smaller companies might need you to work in other areas as well (not enough headcount to cover). But one thing I do know, if you start at smaller company, it's nearly impossible to make the jump to MNC but it's easier the other way round.

No prob. Guess you're not a snob after all.

Some ppl believe that handling people/ability to communicate is the most difficult job in the world, that's why PR folks can get quite a good pay.

I actually think it's good that you get 50:50 coverage on both the technical and non-technical aspects. Dealing with the production line and operators will give you a feel of how things work on the grassroots level.

One thing about lecturers dispensing advice is that many of them have never worked outside the academic circle so they might not have the 'real world' experience to actually give usable advice. But this is just my point-of-view, as almost all my lecturers went straight to teach after grad.

This post has been edited by cks2k2: Aug 9 2006, 07:46 AM

Your car doesn't need maintenance? You do not need to fill up petrol for your car? Parking is free everywhere? No entertainment at all? No need to pay for EPF? No need to pay electricity bill? How about emergency funds? You do not need to buy groceries (toothpaste, shampoo, magazine, etc)? ...

You said you spent exactly 2K ... that means salary = RM 2K (before EPF and SOCSO) is not enough ... my statement is correct.

My senior is earning more than RM5K, and he is not having a car. We actually did some calculation, and find out that if you manage to take taxi, it is actually much cheaper than owning a car, although it might not be convenient.

My RM2K is all inclusive, meaning I dun need financial help from others. If you are not paying any car loan, and driving ur mama's car, then you can deduct about RM500 out of it.

And to all the freshie out there, just remember... You cannot demand a comfortable life when u just start working. That is the truth. You need time to build up ur experience, reputation, before your company is willing to pay you good. You have nothing but just a certificate. Mind you, a first class student will worth nothing if what he does is only reading from books.

Like the old Cantonese saying, "Everything will be difficult at the beginning". If you are given a good start, then u will not appreciate what you have, and you will always demand for more and more.

is RM200 such a big difference? After deduction it'd be RM178x and 16xx, so it's about 100+ difference. Maybe cut down on some other form of luxuries can.

Thx for your guys reply, appreciated the feedback from those ppls with work exp, it act as a reminder to us - fresh graduate.

Sum ppls might think abt, y we fresh graduate so chosy abt the RM200+ difference,since we are fresh graduate , which mean we dun have any saving in the past (unless ur parents dun mind to sponsor you a bit when starting, or you got work part time in the past before), and summore, sum of us are bond with the PTPTN Loan/bank loan. Plus like other expense that other forumer had mentioned, this is also need to be take into consideration also.

And one things for sure, if i stay back in my home (let said found job in KL), even 1.8k also ok for me as long as the job scope can learn the thing i want, cos stay with family member together is different then rent house outside, there will be sum hidden cost can be exempted.

maybe different ppls got their own way to spent money, however for my case, for 2k+work in outstation(without any allowance such as accomodation provided, subsidies) is hard for me to survive. However my dad had mentioned that even get paid for RM800 for trainee, he also dun mind to continue sponsor me to work there initially, as long as the job is what i want, and can learn thing. However this is the last resort that i will go for it, cos to me, after graduated, I won't allowed me to take any financial asistance from my family anymore, i will feel guilty abt it, cos by right, I should be the one who give them money, not the other way round.

ok, back to the topic, from the experience that i deal with those interviewer, i got the kind of feeling that they are trying to exploit on us (certain company i mean, not all), ok, i understand that we fresh graduate, we cant demand more, but shouldnt that we can enjoy other allowance which same with other ppls? with a 2k basic and no other allowance/subsisdies and work for half yr probation period then onli increase 10%, imagine after one yr, how mush can we get ? RM2.4k ? RM2.6k ?

ok, maybe from their point of view, they just wan cheap labour, cos once after one yr, those "freshbie" with one yr exp with jump to other company, so they will re-hiring again for freshbie, then re-exploit again, they dun appreciate those ppls, cos they want is a senior operator that can help do those miscellaneous job. Doesnt mean that work in those small MNC cant learn things, is just that the manager mentality make me afraid of being used by them as a slave, i dun want end up mumbling for everyday work.

and another is the transparencies, while interviewed, I had fill in the expected salary, and they had look at it already, while if they got their own company policy, they should said it initially, instead of try to "bargain" when offer me the job. Maybe ppls will said that the salary they offered are based on my interview performance, then I would said, my performance are not so worst yet, cos most of the interivewer had tested my personality and technical thing, and so far, most question are still in my scope of knowledge. Maybe problem is my personality, maybe they boh song me? if yes, then y still wan hire me ?

However, now i had put those offer in the last on my list, I will now preparing more toward the interview in KL/penang, and hope that can get a job that i wanted soon. And also, those fresh graduate who searching for job currently, don't be panic, be patient, as long as you be yourself and prepard for the interview, it shouldnt be a problem for us to find job.

I hope that won't kena bashed by other forumer, i just express out wat had in my mind, if I'm wrong, kindly point out my fault.

I had asked about other allowance/benefit that i can have, however, they stated, all these benefit/allowance onli can be claim once we pass the probation period. meanwhile during probation, we cant claim anything, and OT rate is lower then a permanet stuff.

I had explained clearly my difficulties and abt the salary that i stated initially for the job, becos i need to rent house outside, extra expense will be needed, unless accomodation provided by company. and i had told them clearly that i need to pay for my PTPTN loan monthly. Is not that i greedy on asking more on it, I just ask for RM2.2k-RM2.4k range, end up offered me RM2k. If company policy then tell me clearly, instead of asking me to spent my time/money to go from selangor to johor for interview.

However It is a nice trip to johor, as i learn a lot during those interview, is worth for the trip. Is just that i feel very boh song, after 4 yr studies, all the hardwork and effort, end up getting this kind of reply, ok, fresh graduate, no exp, so give u low salary no matter who you are. Using current unemployed fresh graduate issues as excuse, come on, in that categories, how many percentage is engineering sector ?Maybe is my luck ... nvm, i still can going on trying, i dun believe I cant find a suitable company with a reasonable salary.
My lecturer previously worked in a reputable MNC I****, and based on what he told me that, the choice i got is like double edge sword, it "might" help me or limit me in future, tat y he want me to consider clearly abt it.