Author: dxmy

Best Practices in Microsoft Excel
A lot of people work with VLOOKUP. However, it has some limitations. Most of the limitations can be resolved with using INDEX MATCH instead.
2025-01-17
Why Google Sheets Cannot Replace Excel
Among the Excel features that I like include Tables and easy date filtering.
One user, sethsn wrote the benefits of Excel at an online forum:
- It automatically populates the formula throughout the table – and continues to do so as you extend the table
- It automatically moves cells below the table down to make room for new roles
- You refer to columns by name rather than address which hugely improves readability as well as obviating the need to use absolute references
- It enables autofilter on each column and allows several columns to have filters on them
- The table can be referenced as a unit when used, say, as input to a pivot table
- It automatically formats the tables with alternating row colors to aid readability
- It allows you to total columns by name from outside the table (which, in turn, ensures that your total references the entire table no matter how many rows are added
Sources
Creating Tables in Calc – English – Ask LibreOffice
2024-01-27
Recruitment Advertising in Malaysia
Malaysia is known for having a diverse and well-educated talent pool. The country has a good education system, and a large proportion of its population has a tertiary education. The government has also invested in human capital development, making Malaysia an attractive destination for multinational corporations looking to enter the Southeast Asian market. Malaysia’s population is also multilingual, making it an excellent location for companies looking to expand into the region. The country also has a large and growing pool of young, digitally savvy talent, which is crucial for businesses looking to capitalise on digital technologies.
Why recruitment advertising is important?
Recruitment advertising is essential because it allows employers to reach a larger pool of potential candidates and attract the best-qualified candidates for open positions. Advertising can be used to target specific groups of people, such as those with specific skills or experience, as well as to increase the visibility of a company and its job opportunities. Furthermore, recruitment advertising can aid in the development of a positive employer brand, which can attract top talent and aid in employee retention.
Tackling the recruitment issues
In recent years, Malaysia has faced a number of recruitment challenges. One of the major issues is a mismatch in skills between the labour market and the educational system. Many graduates lack the skills required for currently available jobs. Furthermore, a lack of soft skills, such as communication and problem-solving abilities, among job seekers is a source of concern. Another issue is a lack of transparency in the hiring process, which can deter job seekers from applying for specific positions. Furthermore, the high cost of living and housing in Malaysia may deter job seekers from relocating there. To address these issues, the government and private sector have been working to improve education and graduate employability, as well as increase transparency in the hiring process.
Another core issue is that in the advertisements, some recruiters still list basic benefits as part of the advertisement. For example, EPF and SOCSO contributions at the prevailing statutory rate.
While technically the information given is true, the fact that it is still written on the advertisement shows how rampant the violation of basic employment laws is in some sectors of the country and that the recruiters find that information still necessary to put in the advertisements.
2023-01-28

Python Calculator

The code here is still not finished, subject to future refinements. Hey, it’s a good start anyway.

Code:

print ("Kalkulator v1")

def add(x,y):
  return (x + y)

try:
  num1 = int(input("Insert 1st number: "))
except ValueError:
  print ("Not a valid number")
  num1 = int(input("Insert 1st number: "))

num2 = int(input("Insert 2nd number: "))

print ("1st number is ",num1," while 2nd number is ",num2,"." )

print ("The answer is: ",add(num1,num2),".")

# oper = input("Insert operator: ")

# References URL: https://www.programiz.com/python-programming/examples/calculator

2022-08-24

Colour Codes
Color codes
Malaysian Flag: Malaysia flag color codes
2022-07-30
Guides
Tools
Color codes
2022-07-30
Data Science
Data Science is a field of study on data.
In a data-driven organisations, more informed decisions can be made and predictions can be much more objective. While there is no perfect model to predict the future, past data can certainly help in predicting how the future will be.
Data Science tools: Most of the tools featured here are open source in nature.
Data Science Case Studies:
Data Science Portfolio: A collection of portfolios relating to data science
Portfolio 1: Calculator in Python
2022-05-16
Performance Management
Performance Management is broken down into 3 smaller parts, namely Performance Management, Reward Management and Consequence Management.
Performance Management
Performance management is a process of setting a set of targets for the employees. Employees will report in with a clean slate, hence it is very important for the employer to communicate its expectation on the employee as early as possible.
The usual implementation method is through Performance Management (PM) cycle. The cycle consists of 3 phases, namely Planning, Mid-term Review and Appraisal.
Objectives and Key Results (OKR)
There is one organizational system called Objectives and Key Results (OKR) that I find useful to be used for all of us. Originated from Intel, it is also now being used by Google.
First, we need to set up an Objective. The objective must be ambitious and feels comfortable. I guess it is somewhere between too hard and too easy.
Then, we need to have a number of “Key Results”, which needs to be achievable, quantifiable and lead to objective grading.
Scoring is easy. Google uses 0 to 1 scoring. Usual good scores re usually 0.6 or 0.7, indicating that there’s room for improvement. If you get a perfect 1.0, then definitely the goal is too easy to be achieved.
I find this to be a useful tool for us to keep our career progress quantifiable and our performance will be easier to look at from a supervisor or manager’s perspective.
Read more here.
Reward Management
Reward management is the concept of rewarding the employees based on their performance. Reward Management comes after performance management, in which the expectation of the employer is outlined and communicated to the employee.
Reward management has several benefits. Among them include better engagement, lower recruitment costs and reduced possibility of employees making mistakes.
Reward management is important to send a message to the employees that their good effort is being noticed and they will be rewarded for extra mile steps that they have taken for the employer.
Consequence Management
Consequence management gives us some sense of accountability on our performance. While Reward Management serves as a motivation tool as well as a platform to reward the best performing employees, consequence management acts as a platform to remind the employees about how they can improve and the need for them to align their performance to the employer’s specifications.
2022-03-17
Employment Laws
Employment Laws
Employment Act 1955
Those who are interested to look at Malaysian labor laws can read more about it by looking at Malaysian Employment Act 1955.
For your information, the law is only applicable to Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan Federal Territory. Sabah and Sarawak are subjected to their own state laws.
Here are several noteworthy points in the law:
- 12(1): Give early notice before termination
- 12(2): a) Less than 2 years, 4 weeks notice b) More than 2, less than 5, 6 weeks notice c) More than 5 years, 8 weeks notice
- 14(2): Suspension pending inquiry: wages no less than half
- 22: Employers cannot give out advance wages unless it is for (including but not limited to) buying house, land, vehicle, livestock
1. Industrial Relations Act 1967 (Act 177)
2. Trade Unions Act 1959 (Act 262)
More info soon
2022-03-17
Recruitment
Recruitment is the process of identifying suitable candidates for a particular job role. It happens when the organization has decided to replace any of its employee or increase the number of employees.
The first step in recruitment is to identify Job Specification (JS) and Job Description (JD) for a particular position. This is to make sure that the workload are being distributed fairly according to the organization structure.
One of the benefits to prepare JS and JD in advance is it helps to reduce potential of redundant hires as well as having the possibility of opening the position to internal staff.
- JS: Requirements to carry out the job. For example, able to communicate in both Bahasa Malaysia and English.
- JD: Description for a particular job. For example, one of a cashier’s JD is “taking orders from the customers”.
Once a JD and JS has been prepared, the recruitment staff can start to look for candidates based on the selection criteria.
The sourcing of candidates can be done via any of the following channels:
1. Job search portal (such as jobstreet.com)
2. Referral from existing employees or the public
Screening
Screening can be done in multiple stages too. Screening is useful because it helps to save the precious time of the hiring managers by effectively filtering the candidates.
Pre-interview screening is done at many companies. Usually the preferred method is online assessment. Online assessment is quicker and easier to implement. It helps to save the time of the recruitment staff.
Onboarding
Onboarding is a process of recruiting employee from the moment a job offer is issued until some time after the job commences, depending on how a particular organization would like to shape its own onboarding phases. We think the onboarding process should be divided into several phases as follows:
1. Pre-employment
2. First day
3. First week
4. First month
Pre-employment
Pre-employment can be divided into several more sub-phases depending on the company’s recruitment strategies.
Before first day of employment, the recruitment staff must ensure the following is prepared for the new employee:
1. E-mail account
2. Access card
3. Employee handbook
4. Workstation
5. Computer and login information
6. Buddy assignment
First day
In many of the small companies, company induction is being held for only half day or one full day.
The induction briefing should consists of the following:
1. Company profile
2. Payroll information
3. Compensation and benefits
4. Contact information
2022-03-17