Opportunities for job advancement, training, and good salary offers are the criteria high-calibre Thai graduates prioritise when applying for jobs, a recent survey revealed.

The study which was presented at a seminar yesterday, was conducted from December to January this year and surveyed 300 MBA graduates at prestigious schools including Chulalongkorn University's Sasin Graduate Institute, Mahidol University and Thammasat University.

It found that in terms of the criteria candidates look for when applying for a job, the importance of career advancement opportunities as well as training courses, starting salary and a business development atmosphere ranked 30, 29, 15 and 15 per cent respectively. The rest of those surveyed mentioned other criteria such as fringe benefit packages, location, pay rise scale and job titles. Slightly over a third of those surveyed said they would aim for a salary of between Bt40,000 and Bt50,000 while 29 per cent said they would aim at Bt50,000 and above. The students cited their strongest assets as intellectual ability, educational background, work experience, personality, and a hard working/trustworthy character at about 18, 14, 13, 13, and a further 13 per cent respectively.

The students were also surveyed on their opinion of the "most desirable companies" to work for. The list toppers included; Procter and Gamble Manufacturing - for Consumer Products; GE Capital - for Finance; GMM Grammy PCL - for Entertainment; Nokia (Thailand) Ltd - for Telecommunications; IBM (Thailand) Ltd - for Electronic Appliances and IT; BMW - for Automotives; MK Restaurant Co Ltd - for the food industry; Siam paragon Development - for Retail; PTT Public Company - for Energy; Siam City Cement PCL - for Construction and Real Estate; Astrazeneca (Thailand) Ltd - for Pharmaceuticals; and Maersk Logistic (Thailand) Ltd - for Aviation and Logistics. However, the survey did not elaborate on the reasons behind the students' choices.

The survey by PROMPT Professional Resource and Service Co Ltd, was presented at a seminar yesterday, co-hosted by the Nation Group, the publisher of The Nation newspaper. It also introduced a directory for job applicants "Thailand's Top Graduate Employer 2006" that will hit news stands in June.

At the same event, PROMPT Chief Executive, Piyamitr Rangsitienchai, addressed concerns about what has been dubbed the "Generation R" phenomenon. The term refers to young employees aged between 21 to 25 years old who display disregard for rules and discipline, which might detrimentally affect the country's path to professionalism.

Piyamitr also said that although job search engines, Thailand's most popular means for job-hunting, were convenient for employers and job candidates, they can also be abused as they allow individuals to apply for hundreds jobs via several clicks of a mouse. He added that this has led to a significant increase in the number of applicants failing to turn up at job interviews.

Piyamitr put forward a number of techniques for recruiters involved in the employee selection process, including reviewing CV's on their presentation and style as well as accuracy and the candidate's focus objectives; and taking a closer look at application forms and how they reflect the candidate's character and professionalism.

Premyuda Boonroj

The Nation