FRESH graduates should do a reality check when applying for jobs - instead of being choosy, they should accept any offer that comes their way.

This piece of advice comes from JobStreet.com, an on-line recruitment company, which has pioneered the concept of delivering job matches to the job seekers by e-mail.

Graduates must not underestimate the current market situation and be flexible accordingly.

Since its inception in 1995, the company has helped more than 600,000 Malaysians find jobs by sending more than 26 million job matching e-mails to each individual informing them of relevant jobs in Malaysia.

Recently, the company took another step when it set up JobStreet CAMPUS at http://www.jobstreet.com.my/campus.htm, a virtual meeting place targeted at both employers and fresh graduates - the benefit being the easy accessibility it offers fresh graduates who are in search of the correct employment.

JobStreet.com vice-president (operations) Suresh Thiru says the company - winner of the Internet Company of the Year at the @my2000 and @my2001 Malaysia Internet Awards - was concerned with the number of unemployed fresh graduates (the Education Ministry estimated there are about 40,000 graduates who are jobless) and wanted to do something to ease the situation.

Suresh, however, points out that JobStreet CAMPUS does not promise fresh graduates their ideal job, it does, however, assure them that there are jobs to go around.

"The jobs may not be THE ones sought after by graduates but with the current soft market, instead of being choosy, which is what many fresh graduates are doing, they should take any job that comes their way, even if it is an intern position," he explains.

Suresh adds: "We expect JobStreet CAMPUS to play a role in helping fresh graduates to improve their chances at securing the right job. In the past we had come across many instances of fresh graduates who have jeopardized their chances of securing employment because they applied to the wrong jobs - they were either not qualified for the jobs or the companies were not hiring new graduates."

JobStreet CAMPUS is a free service for recent graduates. They need only deposit their resume once and from then on they can be "tracked" by employers who have the relevant vacancies to offer.

To date, JobStreet CAMPUS has secured nine major subscribers. They are: Dell, Motorola, Unilever, PROTON, Price Solutions (a fully-owned subsidiary of Standard Chartered Holdings Asia Pacific), Peremba Construction, MDC, PNB and Bumihighway, while discussions are on-going with a 10th company.

Suresh says these employers will enjoy the benefit of a direct link from JobStreet CAMPUS to their corporate site.

"These subscribing companies will also be able to have a quick and direct access to a ready pool of 60,000 fresh graduates based on their preferences, that is, qualifications, skills or any other criteria.

"These companies will also be featured in career fairs that JobStreet.com participates in, where their companies and logos will be highlighted directly to graduating students."

Although there is a big labour force available for recruitment, hiring them is not an easy task for employers.

Suresh explains: "The big companies face a problem in sourcing for the right employee. They are looking for candidates who are flexible, that is, with multi tasking ability, and candidates must understand the current market situation which requires them to be flexible, especially when it comes to wages. For instance, there has been a drop in the starting salary from the previous RM2,200, to RM1,800 today and fresh graduates must be able to accept this turn of events."

JobStreet.com's experience shows that there is a large pool of people who have multiple skills. The problem, however, is that these skills are not well projected in their resumes nor aptly described in their interviews.

"Also our fresh graduates do not sell themselves very well to their potential employer. When they go into an interview, they need to be confident in describing their skills. They should not be timid because there is a tendency for people to be timid and reserved in an interview. If the fresh graduates have been tutoring their neighbour's children, they should put that down in their resumes because it is a skill and shows they were enterprising.

"In today's competitive environment, fresh graduates need to put in a little more effort in sprucing up their resumes and essentially be confident in sitting through an interview, having no expectation of doing well in the first interview."

At JobStreet CAMPUS, fresh graduates receive tips on how to write resumes. The CAMPUS service comes incorporated with JobStreet.com's award-winning resume management system, SiVA, for easy search and retrieval of resumes for future hiring needs. Career talks are held at local colleges and tips on the dress code for an interview are also provided.

"We hope universities could provide job-interview coaching to their students to prepare them well for the big `moment'.

"A few private colleges are already doing it but more should follow suit. Another major requirement of recruiters is that they want people who can speak fluent English, which seems to be lacking at present among fresh graduates.

"What JobStreet CAMPUS does is to provide recruiters who are focused on hiring fresh graduates the avenue to do so."

Suresh says JobStreet CAMPUS is aimed at creating awareness among campus students that it is important to know the work market requirements long before they graduate.

"This way they will know the market requirements and structure their education path towards market demands."

One advice to fresh graduates is that they must understand the current market situation and take up any position that is available.

"One's career spans over 30 to 40 years. Fresh graduates need to be flexible at this point and get some experience, rather then being out of the job market for several months.

"My observation has shown that many of our fresh graduates are still choosy and are looking for the ideal job. They should change their attitude and move according to the changes around them."