PETALING JAYA | The rising cost of living has affected everyone, especially those who are fresh out of university and applying for a job that meets their salary expectations.
Mohamad Shazwan Yazin Mohamed Shukri, a recent actuarial science graduate, said that he can’t afford a job that is lower than his expected salary, which is at least RM2,500 as the starting pay.
Mohamad Shazwan said the competition for jobs was intense for those working in his field.
He adds that firms that are most likely to take fresh graduates that have passed professional examinations will most likely be chosen than those who don’t.
Even though she applied to more than 100 companies, senior analyst Nur Adila Syahzanni Mohd Izsnni, 23, claimed that it took her eight months of job searching before she was hired.
She adds that the job hunting then led her to about five interviews and eventually, three job offers.
She said that even with her relatively good salary of roughly RM3,500, it was still insufficient to cover her living expenses and transportation costs.
Adila Syahzanni said that in addition to other expenses, she also spent roughly RM800 on rent and RM800 on e-hailing trips to travel to work.
Hiew Gee Chen, 25, a marketing project manager, claimed that finding a job that paid more than RM3,000 was the only part of his job search that wasn’t “relatively smooth”.
It apparently took him two to three months to find a career that was suited for him, and he specifically sought a job with a steep learning curve and possibilities to advance his interpersonal skills.
“I allocate about 30% for food, 20% for transportation, 30% for savings, and 20% for other needs.”
