Anonymous career talk from Malaysian job seekers — salary, interviews, company culture, WFH and more.
Short answer: it depends on the company and role, but it matters more than most people think. Through a headhunter: - You get a human advocate who can brief you on the hiring manager's preferences - Negotiation is somew…
People always say you need an offer letter to negotiate. I didn't have one. Here's what I did instead. Step 1: Built the data case. Pulled salary data from JobStreet, LinkedIn Salary, and conversations with recruiters.…
Based on my own experience and conversations with friends. Sample is small so treat this as directional, not data. MNCs: Usually tied to company performance (global or regional) + individual rating. Typical range 1–3 mo…
Tested 11 co-working spaces in KL and PJ over the past 18 months. Here's the honest ranking based on: internet reliability, noise level, value, and community. Tier 1 (worth the money): - Common Ground (multiple location…
Been here 2.5 years across two divisions. The culture varies wildly by team so broad Maybank reviews are almost meaningless — but here are patterns. The brand is genuinely strong and doors open with it. Benefits package…
Three years since finishing a 16-week bootcamp. Here's whether it was worth it. The good: - Got my first junior developer job 3 months after graduating - Saved 3 years and RM60,000+ compared to a degree - The portfolio…
I am deeply, constitutionally introverted. I also have to present to leadership quarterly and run client workshops. HerE's how I got functional at something that doesn't come naturally. What helped, actually: Toastmast…
Not legal advice — please consult a lawyer or HR professional for your specific situation. But here's what I've researched and confirmed. The Employment Act 1955: Medical leave entitlement is 14—22 days per year dependi…
This wasn't a leap — it was a staircase. Month 1—6 (side hustle phase): Took on small freelance projects evenings and weekends. Said yes to everything to build a portfolio and testimonials. Deliberately undercharged at…
Did this last year. Here's what happened and what I learned. Before applying: I read my contract carefully. My non-compete clause covered a 12-month post-employment period but said nothing about applying while still emp…
I was put on a PIP 18 months ago. The professional outcome was fine — I met the targets and came off it in 8 weeks. The psychological outcome took much longer to recover from. The period on the PIP was the most psycholo…
The internet is full of "passive income" content that's either aspirational or scammy. Here's what's realistic for a Malaysian on an average salary. What's genuinely possible: - EPF voluntary contributions: not exciting…
I'm 43. I changed jobs last year after 12 years at one company. Here's what was genuinely different from job hunting in my 20s. What's harder: - Some companies explicitly or implicitly age-filter. You notice it in which…
Starting this thread because I cannot be the only one who has lost 15 minutes of their life hunting for parking and arrived at a meeting sweating. My worst: company allocated parking in a basement lot with a height rest…
This came up in a conversation with colleagues and we all had different opinions. Genuinely curious what people think and do. The case for: shows you're a normal human being with a life, can humanise the relationship, m…
Figma's pricing changes have pushed a lot of small teams to explore alternatives. Here's what I've actually tested. Penpot: Open source, self-hostable, free. The closest to Figma in terms of feature set. Not quite at pa…
Sharing my config because I've been asked enough times that this is faster. Terminal emulator: Ghostty (fast, GPU-accelerated, has a proper config file) Shell: Fish — auto-suggestions, syntax highlighting, and abbrevia…
The goal is to be visible to the right people, not to perform for an audience. Those are different things. What actually works: - Writing about specific things you've learned from real work — the more specific, the more…
Been on hiring panels for 2 years. These are the patterns that send a CV to the bottom of the pile. Short tenures everywhere. A pattern of 6—8 month stints across 3—4 companies raises questions. One short stint is expla…
Internship 1: Local e-commerce startup, 3 months, product team, RM800/month. Internship 2: CIMB management trainee rotation, 6 months, RM1,200/month. Internship 3: Regional fintech (SG-HQ, KL office), 4 months, RM2,000/m…