Job-seeking Gen-Y and Gen-Z can now do it via videos

• Malaysian startup Positunity aims to complement current HR processes
• At media preview, industry execs share their views and tips

MALAYSIAN startup Positunity Sdn Bhd has unveiled its ‘wowintro’ online video impression platform, targeted specifically at Generation-Y and Generation-Z jobseekers.
 
wowintro allows its users to upload a 30-second video of themselves, along with their résumé and curriculum vitae (CV), for potential employers to view.
 
It acts as a complement to the usual hiring process of human resource (HR) departments in brick-and-mortar companies, the company said at a media preview of the platform at Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus on Oct 13.
 
“We hope to increase the productivity and efficiency of HR departments,” said Positunity founder Alex Phang, a former student of Taylor’s University.
 
 “With this platform, employers don’t have to spend countless hours screening CVs anymore,” he added.
 
According to Phang, casual research done by wowintro about a year ago – via personal interviews and meetings at approximately 100 companies – revealed that 55% of employers make a decision to hire an individual within the first 90 seconds of an interview, but an average interview lasts for up to 45 minutes.
 
“If it wasn’t the first 90 seconds, it would still take less than five minutes to leave an impression,” he said.
 
Phang said the survey was done as part of Positunity’s market validation process to determine interest in the platform, as well as the optimal time span for video impressions.
 
“And here we are, 30 seconds,” he quipped.
 
Phang claimed that the wowintro website has received up to 3,000 job applications covering different fields such as communications, engineering, accounting, and others.
 
He also claimed that wowintro has engaged with 100 companies on its platform, and these include AirAsia, Great Eastern Life Assurance, Volkswagen, and Prudential.
 
However, Phang declined to reveal any information on Positunity’s investors or initial funding.
 
He did say that wowintro would be officially launched within the next “few months,” as his team is still developing a version for smartphones, with current progress indicating “a simultaneous release for both iOS and Android.”
 
Tips for Gen-Y and Gen-Z

At the media preview, member of the board of directors at the Malaysia International Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tina Yeung listed out ‘The 10 skills employers want in 20-something employees.’
 
She stressed that 20-something employees should be able to communicate verbally with people within and outside of an organisation, meaning that they should pay attention to getting their messages across to others, whether they are friends and family, or employers.
 
The ability to obtain and process information is equally essential. “Employees should always be able to utilise search engines to obtain information and most importantly, decipher them,” said Yeung.
 
“Proficiency with computer software programs is also important. You would be surprised at the number of young employees who do not know how to use Microsoft Office,” she added.
 
The other skills she listed are:

• Ability to work in a team;

• Decision-making and problem-solving skills;

• Ability to plan, organise and prioritise work;

• Ability to analyse quantitative data;

• Technical knowledge related to the job;

• Ability to create and edit written reports; and

• Ability to sell and influence others;

Yeung also advised those who are seeking jobs to always be prepared to market themselves, be punctual for an interview, and to allocate some time to research the company that they are interested to work in.
 
“It shows how interested and keen you are to join them,” she said.
 
Meanwhile, with so many young people eager to found their own startups, one industry executive urged them to get some work experience under their belt first before embarking on their entrepreneurial journey.
 
“There is no harm in being an employee first and absorbing all that knowledge – like a sponge – during your employment before starting your own business,” said REDtone International Bhd founder and group managing director Wei Chuan Beng.
 
“I started out that way as well,” added Wei, who also shared his experience of ups and downs as an entrepreneur as a panellist at Digital News Asia’s inaugural What’s Next conference on Aug 29. To find out more, click here.
 
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