AN ENGINEER WHO PRAYS

Lito with his family.  He and his wife Cecille are prayer group leaders in Singapore.

Manuel Henares—Lito or Manny to family and friends—has been in Singapore for the last 16 years now.  He has taken a variety of Sales & Operations roles with his current employer, ExxonMobil, and has been involved in projects and initiatives across multiple countries within the Asia-Pacific region.

Born in Bacolod City, Lito moved to Manila in 1976,  when he was accepted in  Philippine Science High School. He  went on to earn his degree in BS Electrical Engineering at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.  Upon graduation, he targeted the then thriving semiconductor industry, but ended up as a Commodities Trading Assistant at Procter and Gamble instead.  He realized then that for him to move up in an organization, he had to have the knowledge and skills relevant in running a business. Hence, two year after, he resigned and enrolled in the MBA program of the Asian Institute of Management.  With the support of his wife Cecille, who was then working at San Miguel Corporation, they were able to manage financially.

After earning his MBA degree, he took on a number of roles of increasing responsibilities in the electronics & semiconductor industry, where he gained extensive experience in materials management, production and corporate planning. He got concerned about the fast-paced technology advances and short product life cycles within the industry, which exposed its vulnerabilities.  Thus, when the opportunity came to transfer to an oil company, he made the move.

In 1994, Lito became   Storage & Distribution Manager at Mobil Philippines.  Armed with his experience in supply and logistics, he was able to make the shift and succeed in this new industry.  In 2000, he and his family were expatriated to Singapore and he has remained there since.  He has always attributed his good fortunes to God, whom he continues to serve via  parish work and the prayer group that he and his wife lead.

In the book "Pointers for New College Graduates,"  Lito offers some advice:

• Plan your career. Know what you want to do, which industries to explore and which companies you want to work for. Keep milestones regarding your career progress. If you are not moving up in 2 to 3 years on a job, ask yourself why and be prepared to initiate action.

• Equip yourself. Be aware of your own areas for improvement. Identify the skills and knowledge needed for you to move up. In my case, I saw the need for an MBA and personally invested time and finances in it. And always guard your integrity. Aside from your competencies, your character will always be evaluated.

• Pray. You need more than luck to manage your personal life and your career.

Read more about Lito's pointers for new college graduates, specifically for  those aiming to  work in Logistics and Supply.

"Pointers for New College Graduates," by Gerry P. Siquijor. Available at FULLY BOOKED,  St. Pauls, Pauline Bookstores, and branches of Catholic Book Center.

AN IT PROFESSIONAL'S JOURNEY: FROM ATM OPERATOR TO PROJECT MANAGER

John, now  based in Singapore with his family

John Paul Pecson is currently a Senior Project Manager for DBS (Development Bank of Singapore). When he graduated from college in 1990, he did not have any idea that he would one day embark on a  foreign journey.

John was aiming to be a medical representative, when he completed his degree in BS in Business Administration at PSBA (Philippine School of Business Administration). He was then attracted to the car that was normally assigned to a medical rep for covering doctors in wide territories. However, a friend alerted him then about an opening in the IT team of United Coconut Planters Bank, where he eventually landed a job as an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) operator. For four years, John was responsible for answering queries on accounts balances, resetting machines and retrieving captured ATM cards. In time, he concluded that he wanted to do more than those tasks.

He searched for related IT jobs abroad and after a short while, his efforts paid off.  In 1994, a headhunter found in Singapore a job opening for him as a computer operator at Citibank—which he readily accepted. After two years, he moved to Reuters News Agency Company, where he served as Team Lead for Mainframe. In 2007, he was outsourced to Fujitsu—a Japanese multinational information technology equipment and services company, where he became the Regional Infrastructure Manager for Information Technology Management Asia Pacific.

 In 2010, he was in-sourced back to Reuters after its merger with Thompson and two years after, John opted to take the redundancy package instead of getting posted in Bangalore, India.

Looking back, John attributes his sustained marketability in a competitive field to his staying updated in IT though regular training and project involvements. He recognizes that there will always be transitions in his line of work so he has to be mentally prepared for them always.

In the book "Pointers for New College Graduates," John shares the following points:

 • Read the job description. When looking for a job, check what it entails. Usually, the job would require more time and effort from you, so be sure that you are genuinely happy in what you will be doing and with whom you will be working with.

• Keep on open mind. There will always be job uncertainties. Companies can decide to outsource work, relocate operations in places that may not be attractive to you, and they can even collapse entire departments for various reasons. So remember that your role or your company may change but you can always remain positive, knowing that with determination and perseverance, you will get a job that you will be happy with.

• Value your family and friends. Give time to your family and friends. Remember that you could experience setbacks in your career—there could be changes in your roles and in your employment status. From my experience, it is reassuring to know that you will have family and friends who will remain supportive of you through all the highs and lows of your career.

Read more about John's pieces of advice for new college graduates, specifically those aiming to join the IT industry.

"Pointers for New College Graduates," by Gerry P. Siquijor. Available at Fully Booked,  St. Pauls, Pauline Bookstores, and branches of Catholic Book Center.