Blazing a trail in career counseling & services for tomorrow’s graduates

Singapore, 18 September 2012 (Tuesday) – The Singapore Management University (SMU) launched a fully-renovated, state-of-the-art facility today for its students to engage with prospective employers or internship partners in a welcoming atmosphere and conducive setting. It is SMU’s latest innovation to better equip students for the corporate world and workplace - initiate the students into the corporate life, formulate job search strategies, explore career-related interests, as well as pursue internships or other experiential learning opportunities.

The establishment of the centre, located on Level 7 of the SMU Administration Building and a centralised space on campus for career planning, education and resource support, is made possible by the generosity of Dato’ Kho Hui Meng (拿督 许惠铭), who pledged part of his gift for a complete makeover of the facility.  Named in recognition of a S$ 3.2 million (including matching grants) contribution by Dato’ Kho, the Dato’ Kho Hui Meng Career Centre (DKHMCC) is a well-appointed centre that offers comprehensive services, programmes and resources to assist SMU students in positioning themselves strategically as confident, would-be employees with marketable skills.

“I hope that by equipping SMU students with the necessary skills and resources to make informed career choices, this Centre will help transform them to become active, ethical and grounded leaders of tomorrow and employees who will add value to the organisations and society they serve. My exhortation to each and every student is to Love Life, Do Good and Be Your Best,” said Dato’ Kho Hui Meng.

Said SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer, “SMU is extremely grateful and honoured to have benefitted from Dato’ Kho’s generous donation. We thank Dato’ Kho for believing in, and supporting our long-term education goals to nurture all-rounded and socially-conscious graduates from Singapore and the region. I have every confidence that this purpose-built Dato’ Kho Hui Meng Career Centre will long be an essential facility on SMU’s campus that provides rigorous and relevant training and preparation for our students before they embark on their career undertakings in the corporate world.”  

The DKHMCC is committed to helping SMU students chart their career directions and empowering them with the necessary skill sets for them to realise their potential and goals. It will host a wide range of career training programmes, enrichment skills workshops, career events and internship placement arrangements. Designed specially to facilitate interactions, DKHMCC is ideal for industry partners and employers to connect and engage with the students for recruitment purposes. Simulating a corporate office, it also provides a business-like environment for job or internship-seeking students to exchange valuable ideas and first-hand experiences of their journey towards a working life with one another.

At SMU, all freshmen are required to complete two workshops in career planning and self-discovery, before proceeding to five mandatory career skills workshops in their second year. These workshops cover the following areas – i) Job search strategies; ii) Résumé and cover letter writing; iii) Social etiquette and grooming for success; iv) Personal branding and networking skills; and v) Interviewing skills. All seven workshops are part of SMU’s distinctive “Finishing Touch” career preparation programme introduced in 2001 and regularly revamped to keep abreast of employment trends, career assessment practices, career counselling techniques and the changing needs of students and recruiters. Successful completion of all workshops is a requirement for the students’ graduation. 

Besides enhancements to the “Finishing Touch” programme, with Dato’ Kho’s donation, students can also sign up for Enrichment Workshops which hone specific skills and give them a head start when they join the workforce now. These include workshops in navigating professional careers (finance, legal or trading); career assessment and interpretation; wine appreciation; advanced interview skills; advanced résumé & cover letter-writing; and fine dining.

Apart from the “Finishing Touch” classes and programmes, events such as career fairs, recruitment talks, networking sessions will also be held on a year-round basis at DKHMCC.  

The DKHMCC comprises five interview rooms and one discussion room bearing the names of Commitment, Integrity, Responsibility, Collegiality, Leadership and Excellence, respectively. The acronym, CIRCLE, embodies and reflects SMU’s core values, which the University continually reinforces and impresses on its 7,200-strong student population. These rooms are typically used for interviews, mock interviews and practice, career counselling and approved meetings. Interviews can take place at these rooms as face-to-face sessions, or via telephone, video or four-way Skype simulating different overseas locations. Two interview rooms are each equipped with a Polycom system to facilitate conference calls for phone interviews. Skype-enabled laptops are available in the other three interview rooms to facilitate online interviews for the employers with the students.

In addition, there are three training rooms at DKHMCC, each with a capacity of 45 persons, used for career skills workshops as well as career-related events organised by SMU’s OCS. IP cameras are mounted in all training rooms and an area for fine dining simulation. These cameras could stream the training sessions LIVE to the projection screen and LED TVs, providing useful visual tips for the observing students.   The Blue and Gold Business Centre, on the other hand, is an informal and intimate space for employers who are in between interviews, or speakers/trainers who are taking a break to catch up with their office or personal communication.

With the use of technology, students have access to a variety of on-line services and resources.  Students can use their mobile phones and tablets to access the internship and job opportunities on the go; they can also set job alerts for jobs they are keen on, as well as sign up for events and set up appointments with their dedicated career counsellor.  Access to the career management system will allow students to choose from a reservoir of more than 3,000 industry and job function-related interview questions, get tips on how to answer, practise answering and record their interviews for instructors/consultants to review and identify pitfalls to avoid and areas for improvement.

Officiating at the launch this evening was Professor Arnoud De Meyer, SMU President. The opening ceremony was attended by some 150 guests, including Dato’ Kho; his friends and business associates; employer partners of SMU’s Office of Career Services (OCS); SMU management staff; alumni and student leaders.