Career Information - Human Resource

A company's greatest asset is its staffs, the people who drive the functions and operations of the company. This is the approach that is adopted in the modernising of the Human Resource (HR) department of companies, resulting in the analytical and systematic approach to managing the people of the company (human resources).

Ten or twenty years ago, Human Resources personnel worked behind the scenes to ensure personnel records were in order and employee benefits were being properly administered. Today's Human Resources personnel don't only handle small administrative tasks, but is responsible for crucial staffing matters in major corporations.

New information and discoveries from researches and studies in the field of human resource management shift the traditional administrative role of HR to a more sensitive and human-centred one which tries to determine what really works with employees. One of the major aspects of HR maintenance involves employee recruitment, training and development as a function of human capital management.

The nurturing of employees ensure optimal contribution from them. This is done via training and development, which are key aspects of human resources. The department also scouts the job market for the best talent available to add to the organisation's value. Besides these, HR is also concerned with labour relations between employers and their employees, monitoring of office interactions to find ways to improve on employee management, matters concerning employee benefits as well as other concerns relating to the workforce of the company.

Most HR personnels work in an office, working 35-40 hours per week unless involved with contract negotiations where extra hours are to be expected. Some may travel quite a bit, such as recruiters who have to travel to campuses and meetings for interviews or trainers who would be giving courses outside the office in conference venues.

To pursue a career path in Human Resources, one doesn't necessarily need to have a degree in Human Resources. Majoring in Business Administration, Psychology, Labor Relations and Personnel Administration, as well as degrees in Social and Behavioral Sciences, can also be beneficial. Experience is a key element in progressing up the ranks in the HR sector.

One's career path may begin from a basic level of being an HR Assistant earning between RM1,500-2,000 progressing to the lucrative position of Senior HR Manager yielding a potential RM12,000 per month.

A career in this field would be ideal for someone who is a "people's person", possessing integrity to handle crisis in a smooth, discreet manner. Perhaps more importantly, a person keen on HR must be a person with empathy to promote the comfort and satisfaction of an organisation's workforce in maintaining harmony.

Career Information - Business Analyst

In a very general sense, a Business Analyst (BA) is someone who analyses the operations and design of an organisation, in order to come up with solutions to the organisation's problems. The Business Analyst is the information technology worker who lives in two worlds, one being the business world and the other being the software development world. The BA will analyse the organisation's business model to determine how it integrates with technology. The idea is to determine the organisation's business needs or objectives, and then improve the effectiveness of IT in meeting those needs/objectives. They are able to elicit these business requirements using interviews, document analysis, requirements workshops, surveys, site visits, business process descriptions, use cases, scenarios, business analysis, task and workflow analysis.


There are no fixed paths as to how someone becomes a Business Analyst yet, but often the BA has a technical background, whether having worked as a programmer or engineer, or having completed a Computer Science degree. Some may move into the position from a business role utilising their subject matter expertise and their analytical skills to qualify themselves for the job requirements. Business Analysts may also overlap into roles such as project manager or consultant. A BA does not always work in IT-related projects, as BA skills are often required in marketing and financial roles as well.


The International Institute of Business Analysis provides a certification program for business analysts (Certified Business Analyst Professional or CBAP), as well as providing a body of knowledge for the field (Business Analysis Body of Knowledge or BABOK).


Data reports that in a junior position, the salary range per month is between RM2,500-3,500, and as one progresses up to a management level, a pay of more than RM7,000 is likely.


Compared to a computer programmer, BAs would spend less time on coding programmes, devoting more time to interacting with business users. Thus, there is a higher emphasis on interpersonal skills than technical computer programming skills.


The position would be ideal for IT graduates with a mind for business analysis, who also prefers a more social working environment.