PETALING JAYA: Fresh graduates faced with rising cost of living are keeping their fingers crossed for jobs that meet their salary expectations.
Mohamad Shazwan Yazid Mohamed Shukri, 24, said he hoped to receive at least RM2,500 as starting pay.
“I can’t afford a job that is lower than my expected salary,” said the recent actuarial science graduate.
Mohamad Shazwan said the competition for jobs was intense for those working in his field.
“Fresh graduates who have passed professional examinations will be preferred to those who haven’t completed any,” he said.
Senior analyst Nur Adila Syahzanni Mohd Izsnni, 23, said it took her eight months of job hunting before she was hired.
“I applied to more than 100 companies. It led to about five interviews and eventually, three job offers,” she said, adding that she wanted a job that matched her degree in finance.
However, she said her relatively good pay of about RM3,500 was still not enough for her to cope with transport expenses and the rising cost of living.
“I spend about RM800 on ehailing rides to get to work, and RM800 on rent, besides other bills,” she added.
Marketing project manager Hiew Gee Chen, 25, said that it had been a “relatively smooth” experience for him job-hunting except when it came to finding a position that offered a salary of more than RM3,000.
“It took me about two to three months to secure a suitable job,” he said, adding that he wanted a position that had a steep learning curve and offered opportunities to develop his interpersonal skills.
“I allocate about 30% for food, 20% for transportation, 30% for savings and 20% for other needs.”
