This article was published in the Phnom Penh Post in 2009. At the time, we received an overwhelming response from employers, managers and young professionals in the market as to this “new concept” we were writing about. There was much disagreement that subordinates need to manage their manager as that is the primary responsibility of the manager to manage. Subordinates need to follow directions and do the jobs that manager’s request.

We are republishing the article with a few additional edits as “Managing your Manager” is one of the most pertinent behaviours today that employers and managers’ seek in their employees and that business needs to succeed. In a world of so much information access and new technology, a very fast paced environment, “Managing your Manager” is more important today, than it ever was for young people to succeed in a competitive professional environment and for companies to manage risk.

Managers need to listen closely to their employees, today more than ever. It is the power of knowledge, employee perceptions and realities of business operations that our employees know better than we do as managers. A manager’s success is that of their employees.  Our ability as managers to listen to feedback and inputs we get from our teams and integrate that into strategic thinking and business strategy, is how managers ultimately can coach and lead for success.  Employee feedback is how our businesses’ innovate and succeed today and how we mitigate risks in daily operations.

“Who is the manager if I must manage my manager!?”

Surprising as it sounds managing your manager whether it be your supervisor, manager, or managing director is something we do every day! We are all managing our time, projects, family priorities, personal challenges and tasks constantly. In reality, every one of us is a manager! Managing your manager is the first step to becoming a successful well rounded professional in the future and achieving your career goals.

Our environment today is global, fast paced, extremely dynamic. We want more as professionals, companies want more from their employees, competition keeps pushing our limits, innovation is essential to success. Everything keeps changing and we feel a lot of different pressures than perhaps we had in 2009! To maintain a successful work-life balance, there is no escaping managing your manager. If employees do not effectively manage upwards, set expectations and communicate in a timely manner, our work life will not only become stressful, we will suffer disappointments and stressful situations, which can easily be avoided. Managing your manager is all about managing your managers’ expectations, managing and planning your work and communicating effectively to ensure that you are the most effective, efficient and creative in doing your job. Here are some tips and tricks to help you manage your manager effectively!

Keep your manager up to date.

Often managers are frustrated that they have to keep following up all the time on many different things. “Did you do this, did you do that, why are you late!” We have all heard those words from our manager. In an effective work environment, your manager should never follow up on your tasks, but you should follow up with your manager as to your progress and challenges you face!

How to do this? Send your manager regular updates on what you are doing and how it is going – this could be done every week, or every two weeks depending on your work load. Discuss with your manager how he or she wants to be updated. Before the deadline of any task, you should be giving your manager the results of your projects not waiting for your manager to ask for them.

Communicate your challenges with possible solutions

Communicating a challenge does not mean you cannot do your task, it means, you are managing expectations and your work effectively. It is not a good thing if you reach a deadline and say “but I could not because ….”  Don’t wait until the last minute to inform your manager of challenges – it’s too late! 

How to do this? Tell your manager immediately if you are unable to do something and importantly, make a recommendation and give ideas of what you think you can do to overcome the challenge! Don’t say “I can’t do this …” rather say, “I have tried all these things, but this is what has happened. I suggest we try a, b, c.  I would like your inputs to continue with my task.” 

Discuss your ideas with your manager and find a solution together. Always provide a solution to a challenge, don’t just bring the challenge or problem to your manager! Demonstrating your thinking and solutions shows your manager that you are creative, business minded and ready to go to the next level. Don’t be disheartened if your ideas are not used, learn from manager why a particular solution was chosen so that you understand why and can develop your thinking and knowledge.

Keep your manager informed of your competing priorities – Be realistic.

Sometimes, we have too many things to do! It does not help to say, my manager gives me too much work to do. We must discuss and keep our manager and team members informed of all the tasks we need to do – especially if you have more than one manager or reporting line.

How to do this? Try and have regular meetings with your manager and your team. Make sure that “Work Load – Who is doing what?” is on the agenda so that you are aware of all the things your team and manager are doing. Discuss when you have too many deadlines and need support. Very often, there is someone in the team who will be able to give some support!  If there is no time for a meeting, try have a 5 minute discussion during the day or send an email. Remember that if you don’t communicate, then you cannot complain!

Ask for information & plan in advance

Sometimes managers assume you know something but you don’t! At HRINC we always say, “Don’t assume. Ask and know!” It is important that you ask questions about what you are doing and why. What are the objectives, deadlines, risks we will face, etc.? Managers are busy people and it is not an excuse to say – “But my manager is busy!” You have colleagues and other team members that can give you information and ideas. If you don’t ask, you won’t know and you will never be able to be proactive and anticipate.

Plan your work in advance, and plan on regular update meetings with your manager so that you can be effective in your job and get the required inputs from your manager you need. Regular updates doesn’t mean daily updates! Depending on your projects and tasks, perhaps a weekly or monthly update is sufficient.  

You can always send an email to update your manager on progress and challenges you face. Managers don’t always respond to updates, but they read updates and appreciate knowing what is going on. If you have an important question that can answered on email – highlight the question in a different colour and bold it so that it stands out in the email.  

Remember that too much communication can be overwhelming, be smart and thoughtful in your communication and choice of communication – speaking to people is much better than writing an email. Confirm your understanding in an email always on important matters, so that it is documented. Always remember to put a clear subject line in your emails if you are sending emails and set clear meeting objectives if you request a meeting with the necessary information your manager will need, to make decisions and be effective in the meeting.

Be proactive and anticipate

A challenge for managers is that often their team only does what they are told and nothing more. It is important that employees are proactive and anticipate challenges, different opportunities, and ideas.   

How to do this? Think about what you are doing and how it will impact other processes and projects that are taking place in the office or your business unit. Remember that you cannot be proactive and anticipate, if you never asked any questions!  Take an interest in other projects going on in the office. Take an interest in reading the news and keeping abreast economic changes. Take an interest in understanding what others in your team are doing. Connect the dots.  

If you have identified an opportunity or a challenge that will impact your task – communicate them to your manager.  Don’t wait too long, especially if you feel what you have identified, could have a big impact on your work – whether or not that impact is positive or negative! 

Summary

The few golden rules are all about communication and being aware of how your job and tasks (no matter how big or small) are an important part of the success of your company or organisation! Remember, you see things differently from where you are sitting. Your manager sees things different from where they are sitting.  Combining the two perspectives are what makes and incredibly dynamic and innovative organisation that succeeds and grows.

We must all manage upwards and manager our manager. A CEO to a board, a manager to a CEO, staff to a manager, worker to supervisor. If you try a few of the suggestions, you will see that your work will run smoother, you may have less stress and most importantly, you will feel that the work you are doing is really contributing and having an impact on how your company is growing. And the most important thing you feel, is a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day and wake up feeling refreshed and ready for a new opportunity and challenge. You will know that you are making a difference to the people and the place where you work.

Remember that practice makes perfect and you cannot do what the article says and expect things to change – how you manage, plan, prioritise and communicate needs to become a habit and an integral part of the way you work, so that you can climb the career ladder and achieve your professional goals.

This article was written by Sandra D’Amico, Managing Director of HRINC. It was published in the Phnom Penh Post in January 2009 and updated in August 2015.  

“A job isn’t just a job, it consumes more than a third of your day – make sure you enjoy what you do and challenge yourself to be creative and do things differently!” Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information

“I always prefer to believe in the best of people, it saves me so much time!"

Rudyard Kipling

A much shortened version of this article appeared in the Phnom Penh Post in early 2009. Since then, we have done a lot of “conflict management” and “managing difficult conversations” training. Over the years, with successful growth and expansion of our business, we have had to deal with resolution of conflict and uncomfortable interactions in the workplace – not only in one location, but across provinces and beyond borders. Whether a difference of opinion amongst management or a team dispute, what we have learned from conflict is that, if managed effectively and we take a step back and listen, conflict brings out the best each one of us as individuals and a team.

Today, we are elaborating on “Resolving conflict and uncomfortable interactions at work”. At HRINC we know, that the challenges we face as a growing SME are very often challenges that our clients and extended network of young and seasoned professionals face, every day.

We can all recall an uncomfortable interaction or situation at work – with a colleague, a subordinate or manager and even within our teams. As managers, we have experienced that strange silence in the room, where everyone looks down!  Or, someone has finally had enough and just lets it all out making a manager look bad, or a team member crumble.  In the worst case scenarios – an employee resigns as they have had enough.

Uncomfortable interactions at work can be healthy, surprising as that may sound, if they are managed effectively, and you are able to harness the power of differences in opinion and approaches. But in extreme cases, uncomfortable interactions become conflict and can be very stressful for everyone involved. Conflict results in poor staff morale, high staff turnover, low productivity, and lack of innovation.

“Ultimately, in all spheres of life, we don’t need to be best friends with everyone. What we do need to do is learn to foster and build exceptional professional relationships and networks, and learn that diversity and differences of opinion and way of working, are what makes companies great!”

HRINC Managing Director

It is important to be able to deal with uncomfortable situations and conflict effectively, as the rewards and outcomes are greater sometimes than we know. What can we say at HRINC these rewards and outcomes are from effectively managing an uncomfortable situation or conflict?

• We create productive relationships that learn to leverage the strengths of each other
• We enable team members to respect each other and their views and see that everyone contributes to success
• We propel success and innovation by identifying real issues, by removing the personal dislike or attack
• We create productive and constructive workplace relationships where we leverage the strengths, skills and knowledge of each other.
• We create cohesive and constructive teams who use conflicting ideas and approaches to their advantage and by so doing they work towards and achieve the best outcomes for the client and company; and finally,As managers and leaders, we have over time learned to deal with tougher situations with a greater sense of confidence and appreciation that we are a facilitators, leveraging the best out of people and leading them to great accomplishments.

All that said, we know that dealing with uncomfortable situations and conflict is not easy. Like an art, it takes time and experience to master the skills and know when to intervene or seek help. It takes patience, courage and confidence, to not doubt oneself and keep going in the face of a conflict. And today, we continue to learn and manage uncomfortable situations and conflict because it is something that is inherent to the diversity of our workplaces.

• The reality is, we cannot avoid uncomfortable situations and conflict

  Uncomfortable situations and conflict will occur at some point in time. This does not mean, however, that these situations cannot be managed and resolved. We can limit workplace conflicts by understanding the reasons why conflicts occur, identifying small conflicts or uncomfortable situations before they turn into bigger ones, anticipating conflict within our teams, and using proven techniques for resolving conflicts.

Causes of Conflict at Work

• Social Differences: We are all different!

  “Smiling is our cultural way of dealing with disappointments and keeping a composed and non-confrontational front with our manager. We understand deeply where we went wrong and what the challenge is. Please don’t have such a discussion in front of the team in the future, we lose face in front of each other which is not good.”

  HRINC employee to foreign Manager

  Every individual is unique and has different ideas about what language and behaviour is appropriate. In countries as diverse as ASEAN, from developed countries such as Singapore and Malaysia to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, there are many cultural differences relating to ethnic background, religion, social status, home province, age and gender. In addition, work brings together people with very different personalities – shy or outspoken, timid or aggressive, serious or fun-loving, and team-oriented or individualistic. Even a smile can be misleading in an uncomfortable situation or situation of conflict.

  People also have different values, both personal and professional. Some people are very status-conscious and believe that high status should command respect and obedience, without question. Others believe that all people are essentially equal and that everyone’s views should be taken into account when making decisions.

  All these personal differences and perceptions, certain language or behaviour that seems perfectly appropriate to one person might be highly offensive to others. We all need to try to understand and respect these differences. Take a few minutes to think from the perspectives of other people. Put yourself in their shoes. Do you really understand where they are coming from? What is important?  What is appropriate behaviour?

• Professional rivalry: responsibility, performance, promotion

  Other sources of conflict relate to the actual work situation. A common flashpoint is jealousy or rivalry in Asia is regarding salaries, promotions or work allocations. Conflict can also arise over disagreements about who is responsible for group successes or failures. Understandably, an employee and their manager will sometimes have different opinions about how well the employee is performing. These tensions can quickly degenerate into vindictive and destructive office gossip, which can spiral out of control.

  It is important that managers acknowledge the successes of teams and individuals, publically and individually. Employees should also be aware that their manager is responsible for accepting successes on behalf of the team. The manager or leader is the “front” of the team and as such, has the responsibility for accepting both the good and bad of the team in an appropriate manner.

• Differences in motivations, perceptions communication and working styles

  A classic source of conflict is that we are all so uniquely different and do things differently. We have different motivations, different ideas about what we see is important and how we communicate and approach our work. This is driven by our values and cultural differences as well as our respective education background. We share this table of how colourful and different our team is at HRINC.

  	Managing Director	Different People in the Office
  Different perceptions in working with the team	It matters that the team is involved in providing inputs and views.	Don’t spend so much time getting more work and more ideas.
  Different perceptions in understanding clients	The client doesn’t understand the context, provide your recommendation on practical application in the local context so that the client has a full understanding of their options available.	The client asked specifically about the law and what is says.  The client can decide what is best for them based on what the law says.
  Different perceptions in general	It’s OK to have a bad day.	Managers must always be smiling and helpful. Never have a sad face as this demotivates people.
  Different motivations on project work	Go above and beyond. Pay attention to details	Deliver on the terms of reference or contract. Don’t be a perfectionist all the time.
  Different motivations on internal work and sharing knowledge	This project will build capacity and better engagement.	This project will overwhelm the team and take our focus away from our core KPIs.
  Different communication styles in sending a message	Focus on the details, context, and reasoning. Be structured and clear so that people have the information and can make informed decisions.	I wish the managing director would write less and just tell me what to do, I am also busy.
  Different communication styles in sending a message	Be clear and to the point so that there are no misunderstandings	Tell a story with the conflict embedded in it so that no one losses face.
  Different communication styles in receiving a message	Give me a challenge or problem with a solution based on your perspective and how you see things.	I just want an answer to the challenge. You know what is best.
  Different working styles	Share challenges, so that we all learn. We always stand together and support each other.	Don’t share challenges too broadly. Keep them contained to those involved.
  Different working styles	Motivated by innovation, quality, details and learning.	Motivated by completion of tasks and KPIs.
  Different working styles	Sense of urgency.	Complacency.  It will eventually get done.

  The power of the differences in the HRINC office, are exactly what makes us innovative and drives us every day. Different situations require us all to behave differently. As Managing Director, I know that I have had to change the way I work and engage. We have managed over the years to address small uncomfortable situations to having more serious and formal “management interventions” to deal with our different views and perspectives and will continue to leverage the differences and conflicting perspectives positively. It’s an ongoing process that evolves as we evolve as a business. My team, more often than not, has a critical view on a decision or the business which I have not seen or thought about and this enables us as a Group, to grow, expand and innovate. It enables me, to remain focussed on the priorities.

  The differences show that managing expectations upwards and downwards, is essential to managing uncomfortable situations and avoiding conflict. We need to be on the same path and going in the same direction regardless of how differently we operate. Employee engagement and channels for feedback and inputs are essential, but so too is the maturity and ability of those of us receiving feedback. Read the article “Managing your Manager” to get your team to manage up effectively.

  Different situations require us to be flexible in how we manage as managers. It’s not about “Me”, it’s about “We” and how we as a team drive the business. Some situations require more management and oversight, others require to just set the goal and the team will achieve it. The balance is a fine art and requires managers to be open to letting go, open to failure and learning so that the team can grow, open to receiving critique and ideas and taking the risks that are calculated to foster learning and innovation. The most difficult thing to achieve constructively, is receiving critique and fostering a culture where ideas and feedback are valued, regardless of how they are delivered, precisely because we all have a different view or perspective. This is essential to managing and reducing uncomfortable situations and conflict at work.

• Unseen Causes of Conflict

  A final source of conflict is deliberate workplace intimidation or harassment, including sexual harassment. This can have devastating consequences for the victim of this abuse. Organisations should make it absolutely clear to everyone that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.

  Unseen causes of conflict are the most difficult to identify and address as they bring together all the above sources of conflict and require that a diverse working environment has a common foundation and understanding of what is appropriate professional conduct and behaviour at work. This includes professional conduct and behaviours from using bathrooms and toilet facilities to what is considered reasonable social conversation and language use amongst colleagues to dress code and understanding what constitutes intimidation, harassment and sexual harassment.

From Conflict to Change Management

• Company policies and culture set the tone

  There are several things that organisations can do to avoid conflicts arising in the first place. A good start is to have clear procedures in place for things like recruitment, promotion and performance evaluation and conflict management. Policies on sexual harassment, professional conduct and appropriate use of email will ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them. In addition, staff satisfaction surveys can act as an “early warning system” to alert senior management to potential conflicts. If you are not sure about whether or not you HR Policies and procedures are contributing to conflict, perhaps it is time to do an HR Audit and identify what your priorities need to be in developing your HR function and management.

  It is essential to have a structured induction program that sets out clearly the policies and conduct of the firm and its employees. Refresher courses are essential. Make policies and codes of conduct visual and attractive through posters in key employee meeting areas and client engagement areas. Such visual policies constantly remind employees of their commitments and company standards. Visual policies go a long way in ensuring that professional behaviours are reinforced every day.

• Build an excellent workplace environment: foster team engagement

  Managers and employees should also look for ways to encourage team bonding, improve staff morale and create a constructive feedback environment. Regular lunches or social activities can help people get to know each other at a personal level. Good communication across all levels of an organisation can also help to prevent misunderstandings and encourage a unity of purpose.

  As we say at HRINC: “It is important to remember that ultimately, in all spheres of life, you don’t need to be best friends with everyone, neither do those who are in a conflict. What we do need to do, is learn to foster and build exceptional professional relationships and networks, and learn that diversity and differences of opinion and way of working, are what makes companies great.”

• Four steps to managing conflict as a manager

  Once conflicts actually emerges, try to resolve things before they grow into something more serious. The right approach will depend on the circumstances. It might be better to simply “agree to disagree” and leave the issue alone. More likely, you will need to discuss the issue with the other person. Try to use a non-combative style (fighting approach) and follow these five simple steps:

  1. Take a step back and reflect. Don’t jump in and try be the champion. Be aware of the barriers to resolving conflict and where you will go wrong as a manager – read the box “Typical barriers in dealing with difficult interactions” by Harvard Business Press. Even, cut out the barriers and share those with people who are in conflict and let them use the barriers as a tool to helping resolve conflict.
  2. Assess the facts on hand. What is really going on? Is it personalities? Is it differences of opinion? What is the source of the conflict?
  3. Identify the real challenge and conflict that needs to be resolved. Get the team to write down what they see are the challenges and take a step back to get perspective. Very often, it can be competing interests, personal ways of wanting to do things and the team has forgotten about the ultimate goal at hand. Sometimes it is power-play. Remember that it is not about changing people, but enabling people to see their differences and strengths and how they contribute to the bigger picture.
  4. Address the feeling and emotions involved. Feelings and emotions are often the most difficult to deal with. How you manage the emotions so that everyone comes out feeling good, is where you will shine as a manager. Get those involved to move from “I” to “we” and to respect the differences in each other.
  5. Everyone is part of the solution: Get everyone who is part of the conflict to be part of the solution and determine the next steps moving forward. Remember that those involved in conflict, don’t need to be best friends, they need to develop excellent professional relationships and learn that diversity and differences are what makes a great team.

  The most important skills you will need in managing conflict are diagnostic and questioning skills, listening skills, ability to remain factual and neutral, ability to facilitate and be open, compromise and seek out the best in everyone, ability to help others identify where they have gone wrong, ability to help others generate ideas and get others to compromise so that everyone comes out feeling they have been fairly treated and importantly that they have learned in the process.

  Barrier	Proactive Approach
  Fear of interpersonal conflict	Acknowledge that although conflict can be uncomfortable, it’s a fact of life. Focus on the positive outcomes of addressing conflict
  Failure to recognize that you have a problem with another person in the workplace	Notice the quality of your workplace relationships. Ask which relationships seem tense, frustrating, or unproductive. Consider acknowledging that these relationships are hampered by difficult interactions
  The belief that a difficult interaction is the fault of others	Acknowledge your role in the difficulty. Identify what you can do to improve the situation.
  The conviction that other people won’t change, even if you try to improve the situation.	Remind yourself that you’re not trying to change another person. Rather, you want to alter the way the two of you interact. You can do that by changing your own behaviour.
  The desire to accept the status quo because you’re not prepared to manage the outcome of the situation	Evaluate whether the risks of the difficult interaction are worth the benefits of an improved situation. If they are, map out a plan and carry it out.
  The belief that the problem will resolve itself	Remind yourself that most problems don’t resolve themselves.
  Source: Harvard Business Press, Pocket Mentor, Managing Difficult Interactions

• Make time to manage conflict effectively

  As a manger trying to resolve conflict, it is important to ensure that your role is to listen to all points of views and be objective. You are not there to “win the argument” and get the team to agree with you and what you want to happen. Individuals involved in the conflict should not be trying to “win the argument” either. Getting people to understand each other, is what needs to be done.

  Your role as manager is to enable the team to see where they have gone wrong, and how leveraging and respecting the different points of view, is what makes the team great. It takes time, and not always time a manager has. But not investing the time now, means you will be constantly resolving the same conflict in the future and employees will simply avoid each other and be less productive – eventually they will leave.

  It is essential that managers make the time to deal with conflict effectively instead of just give solutions and tell people what to do – this will set an example to your team in how to manage and deal with similar situations moving forward and you will definitely have less conflict that disruptions in the workplace.

• Engage - don’t hide behind emails

  In almost all situations, a face-to-face discussion will be most productive – with the individuals involved and then ultimately with the team if several members are involved in conflict. To engage, means you need to be well prepared and objective. You need to step out of the conflict and have courage to tackle conflict, listen, receive critique and internalise feedback and different points of view.

  While emails allow you to choose your words carefully – and give the other person time to think before responding – there is a big risk that your words will be misinterpreted during a conflict situation. A small criticism can look very aggressive in an email precisely because people are emotional. It is best to avoid emailing when you are having a conflict situation so as to make sure there are no misunderstandings.

  Engagement can be formal or it can be less formal in a neutral environment where you are out of the work place environment and don’t feel pressure – going for a drink or having a coffee. Don’t attempt an engagement or discussion, if you are not well prepared with all the facts on hand. Always end positively. Resolving conflict requires courage and being objective and reasonable – you need to give and take, listen and learn.

• Ask for help if conflict is escalating

  If trying to resolve the conflict has been unsuccessful, then you may need to seek the help of a third party. Usually, the most appropriate starting point will be the HR Manager alternately select someone who is respected and can be objective to help you manage the conflict.

  Similarly, if your conflict is actually with your manager, then try the HR Manager or another senior manager. Once again, try to keep things informal and low-key, at least in the first instance.

  If there is still no resolution, there may be a need to escalate the dispute. In larger organisations, there might be formal dispute resolution mechanisms. In smaller organisations, your only course of action might be to report the problem to a senior manager or even the managing director.

• Train and build capacity in conflict management across the organisation

  Prevention is better than cure! We know that conflict is inevitable at some point in time – at all levels within an organisation. If not through induction programs when joining the firm, it is essential that all employees are equipped with the tools and knowledge to be able to manage and deal with conflict – from the bottom or the organisation, all the way to the top.

  So much of conflict can be avoided, if employees are provided with tools and practical advice in how to manage conflict. It is not only the role of the manager to manage conflict, but also that of employees to play an active role in being constructive and addressing workplace conflict.

• Organisations – whether big or small – should think about the best ways to handle conflicts in their workplace.

  One good initiative is to implement a mentor system, where each staff member is allocated somebody who they can go to for advice. Staff should know who they can approach in any situation. In response to a particular conflict, there may be a case for pro-active interventions such as anger management and stress management courses, or even psychiatric counselling.

  Create an organisation and culture where feedback (constructive and positive) is valued. Set up regular feedback structures with employees, whether this be office meetings or team meetings or anonymous feedback forums. Catch uncomfortable situations early to that your organisation remains healthy and leverages employee feedback positively.

Finally, it is worth remembering that in any workplace conflict, there are no real winners if you don’t take actives steps to managing the conflict.

Your attitude to resolving the conflict is most important.  Whether you are trying to resolve conflict or are a part of the conflict, start out by agreeing that there is a particular situation that needs to be addressed. You can start out with agreeing to disagree on differing views, but try to get the best of the conflict, not win. You will see that conflicts can often turn into constructive debates with powerful results in which everyone does come out better for it, with a higher appreciation for diversity and respect for personal and professional differences.

“Ultimately, in all spheres of life, we don’t need to be best friends with everyone.  What we do need to do, is learn to foster and build exceptional professional relationships and networks, and learn that diversity and differences of opinion and way of working, are what makes companies great.”

This article was written by Sean Power and Sandra D’Amico and published in the Phnom Penh Post in 2009. It was updated in 2015 Sandra D’Amico, Managing Director of HRINC.

A job isn’t just a job, it consumes more than a third of your day – make sure you enjoy what you do and challenge yourself to be creative and do things differently!
Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information

A degree is not enough. This is a topic that the team at HRINC has been delivering to university students in a series of forums in Cambodia, though the message is relevant to university graduates throughout the region.  

In a study published by the National Employment Agency in Cambodia in 2015, it was found that 4 out of the top 5 skills and competencies lacking among first time job seekers leaving Higher Education had little to do with their field of study.

The top 5 listed were:

1. Lack of working world / life experience and maturity
2. Technical or job specific skills
3. Poor attitude / personality or lack of motivation
4. Foreign language skills
5. Communication skills

This is bad news for those people that have spent years studying to get good grades and focusing only on the technical skills and knowledge required for their studies.

To make the transition from student to employee, there is a far greater skill set required than just the knowledge you learn at university. An example of this is when an average student with strong English language skills is more likely to be hired by an international company than a top student with limited English language skills. Without effective communication there is little chance of success.

If you are simply studying for the knowledge, then study should be your focus. If you are like most people, and the purpose of studying at university to get a good job, then there are some other skills you should develop to ensure you are better prepared for the workforce.

Focus on these skills and competencies:

1. Try your best to get internships, part-time work or even full-time work (ideally in your field of study) during your study. It may impact your grades, though it will give you valuable experience in the workplace environment, exposing you to realities of the workplace and preparing you to take the next step in your career after graduation.

2. Improve foreign language skills: As mentioned previously, language skills can be a vital skill in gaining employment. Focus heavily on language skills through your study. Many interviews for professional jobs are in English. Many companies require strong English or other language skills. Even if you are a top student, without the ability to communicate and interview well, then you will not have the opportunities that others will have.

3. Read about, or attend courses on how to improve motivation and create a positive attitude. Employers are seeking those that are able to solve problems, focus on achieving a results, and are realistic in their expectations.

4. Participate in group or project activities throughout your study. These activities can help you develop your team work, communication and leadership skills. 

5. Be realistic about your career path and show maturity. Be prepared to work your way up. Just because you have studied management, this does not make you a manager. Employers want employees that understand they have to work hard to prove themselves. The employee / employer relationship should be a win-win situation. Be prepared to give before you receive.

With the number of graduates and competition for the best jobs increasing, it is important that you make every effort to give yourself the edge over the other graduates by gaining the skills and experience that employers are seeking.

To encourage yourself to make the extra effort to gain the skills and experience listed, answer this question.

Why am I really studying?  

1. to get a degree
2. to get a job

Get the skills that will give you the advantage over the thousands of students you will be competing with when you graduate.