Former Microsoft Employee's Misery, Still Jobless Despite Applying to 250 Companies

Dream - Technology giant Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees in March 2023. One of the affected employees is Nicholas Knowlton. 

Unfortunately, until now Nicholas has not been able to find a new job after applying to 250 companies. 

In a post shared on LinkedIn, Nicholas revealed that he had worked at Bill Gates' company for one year and eight months as a Cloud Solution Engineer. 

"I have been on a journey for the past two months, giving everything to find a new job," said Nicholas, quoted from The Economic Times, Friday, June 9, 2023. 

Nicholas has sent his application to more than 250 companies, received 57 phone calls from recruiters, and made it to the final stage of the recruitment process three times. Unfortunately, none of them accepted him as a new employee.

"Here are some numbers that reflect my efforts: 250+ Applications, 57 Recruiter Calls, 15 Recruiting Manager Interviews, 3 Final Rounds, 0 OFFERS," he said.

Nicholas Knowlton previously worked at Raytheon Technologies and Ciena Telecommunications. The difficulty of finding a job makes him feel like he's riding a roller coaster. Despite the numerous interviews he has done, they all ended with the companies choosing other candidates to move forward.

"This is a roller coaster journey, with many interviews ending with them deciding to choose other candidates to move forward,” he said.

However, Nicholas is not giving up. In his post, he asks people to provide him with information about job vacancies that match his skills. It is known that he holds an Associate degree in Computer and Information Systems from George Mason University.

"I would appreciate any guidance or referrals. I am looking for opportunities to improve my interview skills, especially in behavioral and product-focused questions. If you are available to conduct a mock interview, your assistance would be greatly appreciated," he said.

Nicholas also added a message that anyone can contact him to get to know his background and experience. Even if the company does not have any job openings, he is interested in networking and building professional relationships.

Viral Fact: UI Graduates Lose to STM Graduates When Applying for Jobs at PT PAL, This is the Cause

Dream - Twitter was buzzing with a complaint from a netizen claiming to be a graduate of the University of Indonesia (UI) who lost to STM graduates when applying for a job at PT PAL Indonesia (Persero).

This tweet became a public discussion when it was reposted by Aviation Observer Gerry Soejatman on the @GerryS account.

In the screenshot uploaded by Gerry, the applicant claimed to be a 2022 graduate of UI's mechanical engineering program. He and his friends were eliminated by a 30-year-old man. 

"It's really stressful and unbelievable, the story is that I applied for a job at PT PAL, I am a 2022 graduate of UI's mechanical engineering program. There were 15 of us, but we were defeated by a 30-year-old man,” wrote the applicant, whose identity was not disclosed.

Story of UI Graduate Losing to STM Graduates

The UI graduate applicant also revealed that the man who was chosen over them was only an STM graduate and had a Welding certificate and had worked in Italy. However, he felt disappointed because the man was immediately offered a salary negotiation.

"The man is only an STM graduate + Welding certificate and has work experience in Italy, specifically Fincantieri. And what makes it frustrating is that he was accepted without training and immediately offered a salary negotiation,” he said.

He found the incident unreasonable as UI graduates lost to STM graduates. He questioned whether companies no longer trust university graduates.

"It's unbelievable that UI graduates lose to STM graduates, even though the man has experience in Europe. Do companies no longer trust graduates in their own country? It's just that people with only an STM diploma are accepted,” he wrote.

I read this and I want to laugh but I'm afraid of sinning.

Diplomas are important, but experience, understanding, and attitude are FAR MORE IMPORTANT.

If I need engineering design and solutions, of course, I would consider this mechanical engineering graduate, but if I need a hull welder, shift... pic.twitter.com/KMDQArjCVG

— Gerry Soejatman (@GerryS) May 28, 2023

PT PAL Indonesia's Response

The complaint, allegedly from a UI alum, went viral on Twitter. Many netizens criticized it.

The post from Gerry's Twitter account was responded to by PT PAL Indonesia, explaining that the company is not only looking for candidates who can fill one position, but also those who have certifications and extensive experience.

"@GerrySHai PAL Friends, the need for welders in PT PAL Indonesia is not limited to one welding position. They must also have skills in various welding techniques. All welders at PAL are required to have certifications, skills, and extensive experience,” wrote @PTPAL_Indonesia.

Thank you @PTPAL_INDONESIA for explaining the standards and experience requirements for welders. 👍

Welders for shipbuilding are no joke... especially when it comes to submarines. https://t.co/uCdh9S1JML

— Gerry Soejatman (@GerryS) May 29, 2023

Reasons Why Companies Prefer STM Graduates

Chairwoman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) DKI Jakarta, Diana Dewi, revealed the reasons behind the phenomenon of companies preferring STM graduates over university graduates.

According to her, the main factor is that the salary offered to STM graduates is much lower compared to university graduates. In addition, STM graduates have the skills required by the workforce.

"These vocational school students, if we say they are ready to work, but their salary is not too high. So, they are trained, trained in companies," she said, as quoted from Liputan6.com.

Diana added that vocational school graduates are willing to accept job offers according to the applicable Minimum Wage. On the other hand, university alumni tend to prefer jobs with much higher salaries than the current Minimum Wage.

"Because the standard for new employees is the Minimum Wage. University graduates sometimes refuse, they prefer to choose first. When there are job openings in state-owned enterprises, local government-owned enterprises, ministries, they all go there,” she explained.