Life Story After Grade

Conservationist That Become Internal Auditor

Seem i will be the first person to post my status after grade. Well, i dont mind though, hope this will not be the first and the last.

I'll start with how am getting my current job. It start during our race of looking for place to do three months practical. After decided to do my practical in Unit Sains and Technology (UST), i was approach by a man (i didnt know he was a Manager) from IOI Corp. Berhad. He ask if i still interested to undergo my practical in his place (i'd applied previously), and looking for at least three gentleman 'only'. I know during that time, this guy would probably recommend me for a work after practical since it was a SDN BHD company, but he didnt accept if only one guy going in. However, he gave me hope. He said "you can contact me for work after your graduation". So, i take his name and cellphone number. Thinking of calling him after grade.

However, luck not on my site during that time. I lost my cellphone and i guess everyone know whats the consequences. So, after grade, i start looking for job just like anyone else. I do extra work by doing some research (I mean study the background of any company that i'll approach) before going for interview. But, i didnt focus on so many job, i just made applications for work at IOI Corp Berhad that located in Lahad Datu (still not given up on IOI) and a position in bank that i also didnt know what is that actually (decided to apply when i saw the salary range from RM1500-RM4000).

After waiting for few weeks, a bank's lady call me for an interview in KK. I was excited, but i didnt straightly go. I'm got some comments from my brother and suprisingly, he adviced me not to go. He said the position that i applied for is something like promoter. You get people to buy insurance to get paid. Since the interview will be held at KK, i decided not to go. I dont actually care about the work description, as long as i have a job, that should be fine for me.

Then, comes an interesting part of story to the front line. Since, i have applied two jobs only, it makes the one left is the only chance. So, after a weeks waiting, i'm done and decided to go directly to the IOI Office Berhad. Since their office is just 5 minutes drive from my place. When i reach the office and talk to few people there, i finally meet the manager (i guess). He said "since you have come, i'll interview you now". Yes!! then i followed him to his office. After interview, he said, very unlucky for me to have a Biology background. He said, he needs people with at least agricultural background or financing background. I said, i've took economic course as my minor course in university, he said that not enough to get me through. Well, thanks then. Before i walk out of the office, i ask the guys if he know someone with a name of Jimmy Tan (the guy who offer me before). I didnt remember very well his name. But my luck is back when he said "Yes". I get the number from him and call the guy straight.

Ding dong ding dong ding dong dealing with him. I was called for an intreview, and get the job. During the interview, my superior ask me to do the job of "consultation with people". I dont know what exactly he meant during that time but with confidence, i told him "it shouldn't be a problem for me i guess". With my confidence and spirit, he gave me the job with a basic salary of RM1,800 and 1 year provision. The post he gave me was "Sustainable Palm Oil Cadet Executive" which is hard for me to remember.

Now, am here already with over a year experience. My job was like advicing people (mostly manager of palm oil estates and mill) of IOI Corp Berhad in Sabah to follow Priciple and Criteria of Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil.

Lets me start with the actual point of my story as what the title said. How i become an internal auditor.
Before that, let me tell you something about Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil or well known as RSPO. It is actually a way of how palm oil stakeholder (Buyer, User, Investor, Interest Holder etc) to recognize which products of palm oil were produced in a sustainable manner. RSPO secretariat will issued a certificate showing that you are producing your palm oil with a sustainable manner after their acredited auditor confirmed it through the audit. Learn more on this link http://rspo.org/.

So, here our role comes out, before those auditors come to confirm our practises on a sustainable manner or not, we have to ensure that the estates or mills to be audited was implementing a sustainable practices. If they dont, we have to make sure they done it before the audit. Some practices they have was a practice that proven to be good since long time ago, but in the eyes of sustainable practices, its not. So, some times they will take times to understand and accept the fact. Argument is a basic way of discussion we have. There is where our knowledge in environement, sustainable practices and science comes out.

It was pretty simple actually, there is a guideline to ensure that their practices is on a sustainable manner or not, check it out here http://www.rspo.org/?q=page/525. So, basically we have to cross check the practices with the principle and criteria on the guideline.

The principle and criteria on the guideline show you indirectly how to manage your
    1. Environment
    2. Wild Life
    3. Human Resource
    4. Business management
in a sustainable manner.

Intersted part of this job was we were able to use some of our knowledge (even not all) to talk about sustainbility with target group. For example why we should take care of our streams, why goverment is keeping buffer zone along the streams and why we should aid, why EIA and SIA should be done before replanting and so on. We also have done water quality index analysis, some biodiversity study and also GHG emission study. I guess more interesting work will come out in future.

But, still there is a tough part of this job. It was to convince "old timer" on what we said. This poeple were those who have working in plantations for more than 5 year and some of them reach 15 to 20 years of working experience. I guess none of you can imagine how it is. Well, its like teaching an 'expert' of basic things. How do you think thats gona work? Those expert can talk to you 24 hours 7 days without stop about palm oil cultivation. From the seeds, nursery, land clearing, immature planting, manageming mature palm and thats not included their knowledge in account management. Then suddenly comes a baby with no experience of palm oil at all (just a little knowledge from book and story telling) told them what to do and what is good and bad. You should laugh la. There is no way i would listen if am the one standing in their place.

But, we were lucky to deal with professional community, even not all of them, but most of them were open minded. And lucky for us too to have a good communication skill also. You can't use sentences such "You have to do this", but this kind of sentences "we advice you to do this" should do well with them.

Thats a little bit of my story. Let me know if any of you want me to continue.

Before i ended this boring story, i would like to tell that am open for question. You can ask anything if you have any interest regarding my work. If you interested to get a job also you can contact me. Who know its your lucky day or not. Well, Thanks for reading my post. Looking foward to know what you guys have gone through.

Regards,
A. Hamid K.