GRADUATES ATTRIBUTES MAGAZINE

UHMT1012 UHMT

EDITION
2022

THE

GRADUATES

AUTHOR BY

AHMAD DANIAL HARITH BIN AHMAD KAMAL
SHAZLY IMAN BIN SHAMSUL FANSURY
MUHAMMAD BIN ZULNIZAM

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Table of Contents

The Challenges Faced by Graduates in IR4.0 ......................................................................... 4
The Key Attributes to Survive in IR4.0 ......................................................................................... 6

Creativity and Innovation ..................................................................................................................... 6
Data Literacy: Tech-Savviness ............................................................................................................. 6
Adaptability and Resilience.................................................................................................................. 7
Commit Lifetime of Learning ................................................................................................................ 7
The Employment and Unemployment in Post Covid 19 .......................................................... 8
How to Polish Graduate Attributes to excel in the workplace ..........................................11
Negotiating Skills ...............................................................................................................................11
Technology Skills...............................................................................................................................11
Learn A Foreign Language .................................................................................................................11
Soft Skills...........................................................................................................................................12
Public Speaking Skills........................................................................................................................12

UHMT1012

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AUTHOR

NAME MUHAMMAD BIN ZULNIZAM

MATRIC NO. A21EC5026

COURSE SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

SECTION 46
QUOTES
“My back is not a voice mail, say it to
my face”

NAME SHAZLY IMAN BIN SHAMSUL
FANSURY
MATRIC NO.
COURSE B21EC0055
SECTION
QUOTES BIOINFORMATIC

46
“Start somewhere else or else you
will end nowhere”

NAME AHMAD DANIAL HARITH BIN
AHMAD KAMAL
MATRIC NO.
COURSE B21EC0006
SECTION SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
QUOTES 46
"If you don't like the road you're walking,
start paving another one."

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The Challenges In recent literature, the lack of English
Faced by language communication abilities among
Graduates in IR4.0 graduates has also been explored. The
inability to speak in English becomes one
Work readiness is defined as a skill or of the impediments to employment for
graduates and a major deterrent for firms
quality that enables graduates to potentially seeking to hire local graduates.
attain the desired work by combining a
collection of achievements, one's Another factor that contributes to graduate
understanding, and personal attitude. unemployment in Malaysia is a lack of
Graduate job readiness, according to work experience. Employers hiring
Prikshat et al. (2018), consists of abilities, graduates for jobs want them to have some
knowledge, attitudes, and commercial basic experience in the field. Work
awareness that enable graduates to make a experience is one of the most important
good contribution once hired. Based on factors that many employers evaluate when
these definitions, it can be deduced that deciding whether or not to hire local
graduate work readiness is determined by graduates. This will be a hurdle for new
graduates' capacity to apply the skills they graduates, as the majority of them will be
learned at university to their preferred inexperienced prospective employees. As a
employment. result, industrial training programmes must
be integrated into academic curriculum.
The absence of soft skills is one of the During the training term, graduates will
factors affecting graduate job preparedness receive work experience and build the skills
in Malaysia. Soft talents are the qualities, and knowledge required for IR 4.0
attributes, and skills that reflect a person's employment expectations.
personality, attitude, and behaviour. Low
self-confidence, poor time management, Despite the importance of industrial
communication issues, problem solving, training, Prikshat et al., asserted that
critical thinking, a lack of originality, Malaysian industrial training is insufficient,
proactive, low interpersonal behaviour, and resulting in the recruitment of
leadership abilities characterise the inexperienced graduates to fill employment
majority of Malaysian graduates. Employer demand in IR 4.0.
input also indicated that a lack of positive
work ethic, teamwork, decision-making Graduates are required to have up-to-date
abilities, communication skills, and skills in order to match current industry
leadership skills were among the concerns needs, due to the nature of the workplace in
affecting graduate employment in IR 4.0, which has changed substantially and
Malaysia. In recent literature, the lack of is distinct from that of the old workplace.
English language communication abilities Furthermore, past study has discovered that
among graduates has also been explored. due to a lack of exposure to industrial
training, Malaysian graduates have a skills
gap in the IR 4.0 labour market. Employers
prefer to hire experienced applicants to save

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money on training because retraining fresh likelihood of finding work. Graduates with
graduates is an additional operating cost. a high level of self-confidence and the
ability to explain themselves during job
Another factor that contributes to graduate interviews are preferred by interviewers.
unemployment in Malaysia is the issue of Graduates with a low level of self-
graduate. Expectation and skill mismatches confidence are too shy to speak up during
are examples of mismatches. As interviews, and their chances of being hired
highlighted, there is always some degree of are lower than those of graduates with a
mismatch between educational attainment high level of self-confidence. According to
and employment requirements, particularly Jobstreet.com. Poor attitude and time
when it comes to IR 4.0 job requirements. management are two reasons that contribute
to graduate unemployment in Malaysia.
When there is a gap between the
competencies sought by employers and the
actual competencies displayed by
university graduates, this is known as
expectation mismatch. For example, Azmi,
Kamin, and Noordin discovered that
graduates believe their critical thinking and
problem-solving skills are excellent for
employability, whereas employers in the
engineering field rank graduates' abilities as
intermediate. This misalignment of
perceptions between job seekers and
employers results in graduate
unemployment. In an interview with Rohit
Sharma, CEO of INTI, performed by Hsu,
it was discovered that there is a substantial
mismatch in perception between graduates
and employers, which, if left unchecked,
might lead to a serious problem of graduate
unemployment.

The low degree of self-confidence and
attitude difficulties among Malaysian
graduates were also issues in terms of
graduate unemployment. Graduates with
poor self-confidence have a decreased

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The Key Attributes to
Survive in IR4.0

Creativity and Innovation

Creativity is a vital skill across every

industry and sector. In Asia Pacific alone,
the creative economy has an estimated
worth of US 743 billion (RM 3, 080 billion0
in revenue – making up a significant 33%
of the creative economy global revenue.
The ever-evolving business landscape will
need human ingenuity in coming up with
fresh ideas to create new products, deliver
services efficiently as well as skills to steer
companies through challenges and
opportunities.

Data Literacy: Tech-Savviness

Emerging technologies such as artificial

intelligence (AI), big data, Internet of
Things (IoT) and robotics are fuel for the
4th Industrial revolution - there is an
enhanced need for specialised digital
skillsets to help align organisations with
today’s technologies especially in a post
covid world, therefore, having skills in this
field whether you want to be an engineer,
financial analyst or a UX designer is one of
the best ways to future proof a high-income
career.

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Adaptability and Resilience

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated

many shifts in how companies operate.
Operations are becoming even more
digitised, new jobs are being created and
new ways of doing things will constantly
change – organisations need employees
who will be self-aware, confident, and self-
reliant for them to adapt to ever-evolving
workplaces and can continuously update
and refresh their skills.

Commit Lifetime of Learning

One way for you to remain relevant in a

post-coronavirus reality is committing to a
lifetime of learning. With the job market
increasingly tightening professionals with
advanced skills will be in high demand.
With things moving online our industry
crafted curriculum across all our faculties
prepares you for exciting careers across all
fields; You will graduate ahead of your
peers and be able to compete in the ever-
evolving marketplace.

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The Employment countries which are infected by a
and Unemployment coronavirus. There are 175 countries
in Post Covid 19 infected by coronavirus compared to 29
countries affected by SARS and 28
The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) countries infected by MERS. This is shown
in Picture 2. To date, there are 216 countries
is the most concerning topic worldwide. It infected by COVID-19 as reported by the
is also known as SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19 WHO.
is a newly discovered strain of coronavirus
that will cause respiratory infections in The impacts of COVID-19 on Malaysia’s
humans. It has emerged in Wuhan, China economy can be seen via high
(World Health Organization, 2020). The unemployment rate and depreciation in
Chinese government has informed the Malaysian Ringgit against USD. In 2019,
World Health Organization about there are the unemployment rate of Malaysia is 3.3%
several cases of pneumonia with unfamiliar which means there are 508,200 individuals
aetiology at the end of 2019. According to unemployed. The COVID-19 pandemic has
the National Health Commission of China, seriously impacted the Malaysian economy.
the patients who have been infected by This can be shown by comparing the
coronavirus may visit the seafood market in unemployment rate in Malaysia. In January
China which sold live animals. For 2020, the unemployment rate is 3.2% but
instance, bats and rabbits. The primary host there is a continuous increase in the
of coronavirus is humans who eat the unemployment rate until Page 3 of 10 May
infected bats as a source of food. However, 2020 and it reaches 5.3%. This is shown in
the virus also can be transmitted by humans Figure 1 below. This is not a good
to humans due to close contact. This phenomenon because there is a negative
transmission process is illustrated in Picture trend in the labour demand. On the other
1 below. The coronavirus also can be hand, the relative level of economic health
exposed by coughing and sneezing by the can be determined by the foreign exchange
infected humans. rate. This is because the foreign exchange
rate plays a fundamental role in a country’s
On 24 January 2020, the first case of level of trade. Malaysia’s exchange rate for
COVID-19 was detected in Malaysia. March 2019 is RM4.08 in exchange for 1
There are a total of 22 cases being detected USD and it has depreciated to RM4.26 in
and 12 cases had travelled to affected exchange for 1 USD in July 2020. This is
countries and regions, 8 cases due to close shown in Figure 2 below. Weaker exchange
contacts and 2 cases from a humanitarian rates will lead to cost-push inflation as the
mission (World Health Organization, cost of imported raw materials are rising.
2020). Based on the medical studies, This will impact almost all the sectors
COVID-19 has a high transmission rate especially the manufacturing sectors in
compared to SARS and MERS. This can be Malaysia as most of the machinery are
proven by comparing the number of imported from China and Japan. Weakened
currency adversely affects the purchasing
power of Malaysian Ringgit as more
Malaysian Ringgit is required to exchange
for the US Dollars. This means that living
standards of citizens in Malaysia decrease
due to lower purchasing power.

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It is acknowledged that the tourism sector economic impacts of COVID-19 (U.S.
in Malaysia plays an important role in Department of the Treasury, 2020). The
boosting economic growth by promoting CARES Act includes expansion of
foreign spending on goods and services in unemployment insurance, substantial
Malaysia. If the number of tourists resources for the small and medium-sized
continuously decreases, some of the enterprises (SMEs) and health coverage.
tourism industry will be forced to shut Unemployment insurance will provide
down due to unbearable losses and unable benefits to unemployed citizens. Health
to pay workers’ salaries. At the same time, coverage is a program that provides health
other non-essential sectors were also forced care services for the needed citizens during
to cease their operations during the MCO. a public health crisis. Not only that, it also
For instance, the economic activities in the covers the costs for the hospitals and states
manufacturing and construction sectors by providing critical resources (Parrott,
were put on hold in order to control the 2020). The CARES Act also provides loans
spread of COVID-19 in Malaysia. That is to small and medium-sized enterprises
why financial support from the government (SMEs). With the loans, the small and
to the affected sectors is important. This is medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) can
aligned with Keynesian view on solve their temporary financial problem,
government roleplay during the economic that is insufficient financial resources. The
recession. small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) can use the loan in supporting their
Last but not least, as a finance minister, I businesses’ production costs during the
would like to adopt the Coronavirus Aid, pandemic. The CARES Act will provide
Relief and Economy Security Act (CARES) wider protection to all the citizens in
Act that is implemented in the United States Malaysia. For instance, it will provide the
of America. It is an economic relief fund to unemployed people which allows
package to protect citizens from the them to afford the daily expenses during
this pandemic period. In the meantime, this
can lighten their burden because most of the
families have been affected by COVID-19
pandemic. This means most of the labours
have been forced to resign,while they still
need to support their family expenses. With
the CARES Act, the financial burden of
unemployed people are reduced. The
hospitals today are bombarded with the
COVID-19 patients and all the frontliners
in the hospital are at higher risks as their life
is compromised due to the risk of getting
the virus. The hospitals experienced limited
resources like surgery masks, disposable
protective suits and other necessary
resources in order for the doctors to treat the
COVID-19 patients. In light of this issue,
the CARES Act will provide the critical
resources to the hospitals so that the

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frontliners and the patients will have higher forces. Go to the centre of your inner
survival rates. beginning and generate that positive energy
for the welfare of humanity.”
The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE)
has announced temporary suspension on all 10 | P a g e
physical learnings during the MCO period.
Later, the MOHE relaxed its policies in
order to allow the resumption of learning so
that students can continue their study
without any disruption. However, all
learning was executed in an online medium
which is a new experience to most of the
students in Malaysia. To ensure optimal
learning experience, I would like to suggest
free e-text books to all Malaysian students
particularly the college and university
students. In addition to this, I also suggest
provision of laptops to the real hard- core
poor students (mean-tested benefits) and
tablets vouchers to all Malaysian students
regardless of their family’s background
(universal benefits). It is acknowledged that
not every student has their laptop or tablet
at home. It is hoped that the initiatives can
reduce the burden for the parents to provide
necessary equipment for the children to
have an optimal learning experience during
the MCO or RMCO periods.

In a nutshell, the COVID-19 pandemic has

seriously impacted the Malaysian economy.

Therefore, the finance minister plays an

essential role in this crucial period in order

to help Malaysia weather the crisis. I

believe that all policies that I have

suggested will be able to help most of the

Malaysians if not all throughout this

challenging period especially the small and

medium-sized enterprises and

underprivileged families. However, this

will not work if there is no unity in

Malaysia. Thus, every individual has its

own responsibilities to help Malaysia in

winning this war. To end my topic, I would

like to quote a speech by Amit Ray in
regards to unity, “The world needs huge

positive energy to fight against the negative

UHMT1012

How to Polish Graduate Attributes
to excel in the workplace

When it comes to landing their first full- talents, and years of experience earn on
average? Ask mentors about wage
time job, recent grads need every skill- expectations and do some web study to
related advantage they can get. However, figure out how much you're worth. You'll
they frequently rely solely on academic have a better chance of receiving what you
excellence to secure top positions in strong want if you can back up your request with
organisations. Whether you're starting a solid arguments.
career as an engineer, programmer, artist, or
something else entirely, there are Technology Skills
fundamental business skills that every
professional must possess in order to be Technology skills, only a solid grasp of
successful. So, whether you're looking for Microsoft Office probably isn’t enough to
your first job or a promotion, this list of impress. So head online to learn how to
professional talents can help you close the code, get certified in Google Analytics and
sale. discover the basics of SEO and SEM
marketing.
Negotiating Skills
Learn A Foreign Language
These business skills can also help you in
the future when you’re looking to get a Learning a foreign language has numerous
promotion or boost your appeal to potential advantages. It not only increases your
employers. Negotiating abilities come in cognitive abilities, but it also makes you
helpful in a variety of professional more marketable in the job market. Most
circumstances, but they're especially useful cities have low-cost group learning
when it's time to ask for a raise or land a opportunities. Practice makes perfect, so
fantastic job offer. Because most salary keep an eye out for opportunities to
increases are based on earlier salaries, converse in your new language.
becoming a competent negotiator early in
your career is critical. Other job bonuses 11 | P a g e
and benefits, such as a signing bonus,
flexible work schedule, or relocation
assistance, can be bartered for with
negotiation skills. How can these abilities
be honed? You need to arm yourself with
statistics when laying the framework for
compensation discussions. In your industry,
how much does someone with your degree,

UHMT1012

Soft Skills

Although you may believe that your ability
to fulfil specialised job requirements is
sufficient to secure a job, soft skills are just
as important as any other business talent.
Soft skills such as teamwork, people skills,
and effective communication, among
others, are not only important in any
company, but also indicate that you will
stick around! It's no surprise that businesses
search for these qualities in a potential
employee.

Public Speaking Skills

Establishing yourself as a competent,
charming, and approachable individual
requires public speaking skills. Whether
you're speaking to a huge group or a small
group, your ability to clearly communicate
your message and vision is crucial. Sharpen
your public speaking skills by giving
speeches at team meetings. Do you get
nervous before a presentation? Just keep in
mind that you are in charge of what you say,
how you say it, and how your audience
takes it. Make sure you get feedback from
your manager so you can improve your
presentations in the future. Consider
participating in public speaking seminars
and debate clubs to gain experience outside
of the office.

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Reference

• (2022). Retrieved 2 January 2022, from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342641580_Industry_revolution_40_the_readin
ess_of_graduates_of_higher_education_institutions_for_fulfilling_job_demands.

• 5 must-have skills a new graduate needs to excel in his professional life - Monster.com.my.

Monster.com.my. (2022). Retrieved 2 January 2022, from
https://www.monster.com.my/career-advice/5-must-have-skills-a-new-graduate-needs-
to-excel-in-his-professional-life-7282.html.

• Oecd.org. (2022). Retrieved 2 January 2022, from https://www.oecd.org/sdd/labour-

stats/OECD-employment-and-unemployment-statistics-during-the-COVID-19-crisis.pdf.

• 9 Skills You'll Need to Succeed In a Post-Coronavirus Business World. Top Universities. (2022).

Retrieved 2 January 2022, from https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/careers-
advice/9-skills-youll-need-succeed-post-coronavirus-business-world.

• Limkokwing articles - Top 5 skills you’ll need to succeed in the post covid world.

Limkokwing.net. (2022). Retrieved 2 January 2022, from
https://www.limkokwing.net/m/articles_amp/top-5-skills-youll-need-to-succeed-in-the-
post-covid-world.

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MATLAMAT PENDIDIKAN UTM
1. Demonstrate knowledge and competency in various field of study, appropriate

research and professional practices, and the processes of critical thinking,
creative thinking, and problem solving for universal well-being and prosperity
Mempamerkan pengetahuan dan kemahiran dalam pelbagai bidang pengajian,
amalan penyelidikan dan profesional yang bersesuaian serta proses-proses
pemikiran kritis, pemikiran kreatif dan penyelesaian masalah untuk
kemakmuran dan kesejahteraan sejagat
2. Demonstrate high standard of ethical conduct, positive character, and societal
responsibilities
Mempamerkan taraf etika yang tinggi, watak positif, dan tanggungjawab sosial
3. Appreciate and always be guided by the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia core
values of Integrity, Synergy, Excellence and Sustainability
Menghayati dan sentiasa berpandukan nilai-nilai teras Universiti Teknologi
Malaysia iaitu integriti, sinergi, kecemerlangan dan kelestarian
4. Communicate and collaborate effectively with other professionals, and the
society
Berkomunikasi dan bekerjasama secara berkesan dengan ahli profesional yang
lain serta masyarakat
5. Demonstrate the ability to learn and grow profesionally and further contribute
to the development of science, technology and engineering
Menunjukkan keupayaan untuk belajar dan meningkat secara profesional dan
seterusnya menyumbang kepada pembangunan sains, teknologi dan
kejuruteraan

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