Personal Reflection of my Strengths

Very often, we coast through life without taking stock of our strengths. I do not mean that we ought to boast about ourselves. However it is essential to know our strengths so that we can be in a better position to provide the appropriate support and help to the organizations and individuals we serve. After much reflection, I realized that I possess the following skills, experiences and qualities:

Skills

1) I have prerequisite skills in Field Interview and Leads Generation & Qualification which are essential to market research.

2) I have advanced written and spoken proficiency in English, honed through writing press release, newsletter articles, blog posts, essays and poetry. 

Working Experiences

1) I have prior project experience conducting Sector Research for BoP  Hub. In addition, my work at Synovate was in collaboration with Spring Singapore- the leading statutory board focusing on SME and Singapore enterprise development.

2) I am used to delivering and managing programs & projects under a tight schedule. This is exemplified in the various projects I undertook at DP Information Group, BoP Hub, iActs Matriculation and Board Gamers Society.

Qualities

1) I have a strong personal interest in high tech startups, social enterprise and growth strategy.

2) I am effectively bilingual- I taught my Chinese national peers Microeconomics  in mandarin. In addition, I am at ease working with people of various nationalities. I had befriended or collaborated with people from the following nationalities: France, Germany, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam, Kenya, India, Japan, Taiwan, China and South Korea   

3) I am constantly learning- in the 4 weeks since my exams ended, I had already exposed myself to a variety of competencies in digital marketing, html basics, merger model, gap analysis, enterprise management, solutions selling- all of which are not directly related to my major in Economics. 

4) I have a strong disposition towards analytical work. Academically, I score distinctions in all the quantitative modules such as Managerial Economics, Econometrics, Statistics and Mathematics. Practically, I tend to see gaps in work flow processes and attempt to rectify them. 

5) Due to my training in Economics and natural strength in Analytics, I can easily move from a Micro perspective to the big picture Macro scenario, and is able to visualize and organize the information in either a top-down. bottom-up or meso-unidirectional level. 

6) I can also take in copious amounts of information from different sources, identify patterns, trends & linkages, and come up with a concrete response to the object of analysis.

7) I have an above-average ability to discipline myself and focus on the task at hand. This is evident in my daily regime of running, news reading, scheduling and purposeful self-education. During the exam season, I wake up at 8.30am, study till around 1pm, rest for an hour or two, and persist till 6pm. I will rest for around an hour before I continue studying and eventually retire at 11.50pm. People sometimes ask me: "How do you do it?" Well, I do it because I will it. And having a success-oriented personality drives me towards excellence too. 

8) I am naturally attuned towards the practical needs of people (but I do need to improve in identifying and meeting emotional needs). When I realize an acquaintance/relative/friend/family may be falling into a trap, physically unwell or have certain immediate needs, I am inclined to advise, aid or provide some form of help to them.

All these I would not realize, had I not take a sober stock-take of my life experiences thus far. It is still a journey of learning and discovery. 

Some Questions I Encountered

If given a choice what would be your preferred business role and why would you be suited to such a role?

My natural strengths lies in data & content analysis, strategic thinking, networking and creativity. Therefore I will prefer a role that involves research, planning, meeting prospects and understanding needs.  

What are you looking for in your career?

I am looking for a challenging career that stretches my abilities, engages my mental faculties and enables me to learn continually. Most importantly, I enjoy the satisfaction of creating value for the organizations and clients I work with.

How would you describe your leadership skills? Please describe an activity or event where you used these skills successfully.

My leadership style can be distilled as pragmatic planning and consultative engagement. This is evident during the succession planning phase of SIM Board Gamers Society (BGS). 

My Executive Committee had only four members (including me). However due to the explosive growth of BGS, we had to consider expanding and formalizing the roles of our successors to meet the organizational needs. 

As the Secretary, I helped and advised my President throughout the planning process. There was a tactical dimension in terms of fair representation of interest groups, personality fit and competencies for the positions mooted. 

On the other hand, the "people factor" was a thornier issue as we examined the existing relationships, politics and possible outcomes and consequences of forming the succeeding executive committee. 

Instead of merely formal interviews, I had to gather intelligence from different sources on the ground. There were also situations where I had to argue for (and against) the selection of certain candidates for a position, whilst taking into account the likely team dynamics that may emerge. 

Although we did engage in pragmatic planning (a skeleton/structure to work towards), there was a need to tweak as we consult and engage people on the ground- their inputs often allow us to realize that some of our assumptions are inaccurate, and even open our mind to different permutations of team structures that may be more effective than our existing plans. 

The two-pronged approach of planning and consultation bore fruit, and the results were well-received by the majority of the BGS. Till today, the succeeding executive committee of seven members continues to work well together. Infact, three of them attended a leadership camp in East Malaysia in end June 2013.


Why are you interested in advertising?

This is the toughest question of all. Being an economics graduate, I have no prior exposure to advertising as a profession. However I noticed that advertising is really an interesting industry that challenges all-rounders. The individual need not be perfect, but he/she needs to have guts, creativity, excellent interpersonal skills, be a great team player, rise to the occasion when leadership is required, proactive, meticulous, curious about many things in life (well, that's where the inspiration comes), artistic and/or poetic, able to envision the final product, extremely diligent, open to different perspectives, culturally and technologically savvy. In short, a career in advertising does not merely earn a wage, but also shapes the individual. To me, it is the most alluring aspect of growing in a career in advertising. 


Can you tell me what you did at your last job/internship?

In my previous internship at DP Information Group, I was tasked with pursuing financial reports of Small Medium Enterprises. The financial reports are essential for a ranking exercise, Singapore 1000. Although it was a short internship and the responsibilities were relatively straightforward, I realized I could contribute in additional ways other than what my job description entails. Tapping on my previous work experience as a List Researcher at IQPC, I developed a personal system to keep track of my progress. In addition, I also assisted my fellow interns to organize the pipeline of prospects generated. 


What projects/accomplishments in school or in work were you proud of?

There were many things I could be proud of, particularly in school but also at work. I had the privilege of befriending people from various nationalities across France, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Kenya, India, Taiwan, China and South Korea. It was an "accomplishment" considering that from 2009 to 2013, I had made at least three hundred friends. However I do not deem it appropriate to reduce relationships to mere numbers- each of them has a personal story to tell. They broaden my perspective towards life and individual motivations, paying particular attention to their background, formative years and the social pressures they faced.

There are other things I could be proud of- I was part of the Board Gamers Society when it was in shambles. The club originated as a small group of less than twenty people in 2009. However in April 2011, the President had graduated and many senior members left the society. There was no one willing to pick up the slack, except for one person named Dino who took over as the new President. As a friend, Dino asked for my help to support the society since it would have collapsed without the official headcount, consistent attendees and Executive Committee. I took on the role of the Executive Committee Secretary. It was tough getting the word out, but within a year the club grew phenomenally from around thirteen to thirty nine people. There were various reasons for the growth, many of which would not be possible without members who were willing to open their friendship and commit their time to meet every Friday. Some of them had become genuine friends, meeting and spending time even outside the official schedule of Friday- it really warms my heart to see these beautiful connections and relationships unfold before me. I graduated with a sense of assurance along with Dino and two other Executive Committee members, having picked the "right" successors who will bring the society forward. We went in broke, but we came out glad.

As a student, it is unavoidable to discuss academics. However despite the above average results I received, I would have to say that the glory goes to God and the people who supported me along the way. I realized along my academic pursuit that education is a privilege- one that should not be taken lightly. This is my story: I ended my first year with second upper honors results. Unlike my peers, I was forced to take a gap year instead of graduating in three years because I lacked the funds to continue my second academic year. However I was thankful during that year because it was also one which taught me the basics of working life such as integrity, networking, resourcefulness, coping with stress and demands, teamwork, having a balance of work and play, personal discipline, punctuality, tenacity, communication and many other key lessons. The gap year also allowed me to appreciate the fact that education does not come cheap, and I ought to be serious about it. Due to some serendipitous turn of events, I was able to return to studies which commences in September 2011, and I ended up with full distinctions and clinching the international academic prize award. However I would say that my joy did not come from the achievement, but from the gratitude towards friends and family members who stuck by me and encouraged me during the trying period.