Interview? What the prior?

INTERVIEW: HIGH CGPA vs LOW CGPA ; BEST UNIVESITY vs LOW RANK UNIVERSITY

Yesterday I’ve interviewed 4 candidates for 2 posts of Assistant Quantity Surveyor in my company. All were fresh graduates without any working experience. These were the candidates summary:

Candidate 1: Universiti Teknologi Mata (UiTM): CGPA 2.72

Candidate 2: University of Malaya: CGPA 3.55

Candidate 3: INTI International University and Colleges: CGPA 2.97

Candidate 4: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM): CGPA 3.41

Candidate 2 and Candidate 4 came from the best university (UM) and 3rd best university (UTM) in Malaysia. Came with outstanding CGPA of 3.55 and 3.41. They brought in all the “sijil dekan” and “sijil kecemerlangan”. I asked 10 questions to each candidate but they could only answer 3 out of 10 questions. They have no self confidence and the 1st impression was really bad. They were not showing enthusiasm and interest on the job. They fail to elucidate how their skills match the job. What surprised me; they were inattentive, looking around and fidgeting. And one of the candidates arrived LATE (overslept)!

Candidate 1 and 3 came from UiTM (ranked 7 in Malaysia) and INTI International University and Colleges (not even in Top 10 in Malaysia). They obtained low CGPA of 2.72 and 2.97. No dean list, no sijil kecemerlangan BUT they managed to answer 8 out of 10 questions. The spoken English was super duper great, they have self-confidence, they really understand about their scope of works as Quantity Surveyor. The 1st impression was great and presentable. And they have good leadership qualities in their CV’s leading a few events during university life.

And I hired Candidate 1 and 3 & rejected Candidate 2 and 4. As an employer:

1. I am not looking for “scorer” with high CGPA in my company

2. I don’t care how many sijil dekan or sijil kecemerlangan you have got in your file

3. I don’t care which university you came from whether the best university in Malaysia or the worst university in Malaysia

4. I am not looking for book smart but I prefer street smart that could help my company to make money

5. I am looking for someone with the ability to take charge, to volunteer for tasks, and to accept accountability for achieving the required results of those tasks given

6. I am looking for someone who can work in a team NOT just sitting in front you a table and do your own work.

7. I am looking for someone with the ability to set priorities, to separate the relevant from the irrelevant tasks, and then to concentrate single-mindedly until the job is complete

8. If i can have candidate with good CGPA, good attitude, presentable and got all the x-factor, then it is a bonus for my company to have them in

Regards,

Sr Dr Md Azree

#copy frm Sr Dr  Md Azree