CV and Interviewing Skills Workshop for Pharmacy Students and Graduates

In Malaysia, pharmacy graduates are currently facing difficulties in searching for placements as a Provisional Registered Pharmacist (PRP). In addition to this, many of the pharmacy graduates recognised that they are lacking the skill of writing a good curriculum vitae (CV) or resume. They have also acknowledged that they need to master their interviewing skills. With this in mind and with the help of the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society-Young Pharmacists Chapter (YPC) and IMU Alumni, a group of IMU pharmacy alumni from BP1/12 (Erin Ooi Suet Chien, Heng Li Xuan, Yong Weng Yee, and Chien Kim Eik) hosted a CV and interviewing skills workshop on 20 August 2016, at International Medical University (IMU) for pharmacy students and graduates. The response was overwhelming and all tickets were sold within the first week of announcement. The number of participants were limited to only 120 in order to ensure maximum attention for all registered participants. Throughout the event, panel speakers from major pharmaceutical sectors ie Chella Pandian (Human Resource Director from Merck Sharp & Dohme, MSD), Jack Shen Lim (Senior Manager of Business Development from Berjaya Corporation) and Stephanie Yee (Clinical Pharmacist, iHeal) shared about the recruitment processes from industrial, community and hospitals respectively. Thoughts and guidance shared were the highlight of the day. Participants were able to interact with the speakers via the Q & A session. Chella also highlighted the important key features in an outstanding CV as well as the tips to excel in an interview. A hands-on mock interview session was also conducted with 10-12 students assigned for each group. The participants took turns to role-play as interviewers and interviewees with a guided script. When asked for a feedback, a participant commented “I got to learn more about interviewing skills and I appreciate the fact that the common mistakes were pointed out to me.” The PRP forum sharing given by Sharon Ding (PRP from CCM Pharma), John Yeo (PRP from DF Pharmacy) and Low Hui En (PRP from Hospital Kuala Lumpur) was a great session too. This forum enabled participants to understand more on the job scopes for each field, which will be helpful for them when choosing the right career pathway based on their respective interests. A third year pharmacy student said “Overall, I find the session very informative and useful, and I was able to gain a clearer insight on CV writing and interview skills.” Overall, the event was a success. The organiser is very grateful for the assistance and advice of Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society-Young Pharmacists Chapter (YPC) Chairperson, Lim Shi Hao and Deputy Chairperson, Dr Mai Chun Wai, as well as the support from its committee. The organiser would also like to thank IMU Alumni, CCM and MSD for their generosity.