What is one trait you look for in an interview candidate?
I look for interpersonal skills or leadership competencies, depending on the position a candidate is interviewing for.
What is one way candidates can impress you during an interview?
A candidate can impress me by showing good listening skills and possessing a natural disposition.
What is one interview blunder candidates often make during the interview process?
Many interviewees make a mistake of talking out of ‘tangent’, and it is important to be focused during an interview and convey your points succinctly.
Best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve received it to be good at what I am doing. Once you are doing something that you have a natural aptitude for, success naturally follows.
What makes your company a great place to work?
Jebsen & Jessen (SEA) is a great place to work because the company has a strong focus on family values and have great respect for people, both internally and externally. We’re a privately, owned, family led business with a rich entrepreneurial history, keeping integrity and commitment as the basis for all that we do. We create products, services and relationships – with employees, clients, customers and communities – that have value and that last and we provide a working environment with sound and respectable business ethics.
What is one skill candidates would need in the future?
Candidates must have an awareness of the developments in the business world, both locally and globally.
How can I improve my productivity at work?
Productivity can be improved by focusing on what’s critical for the success of the job and not attempting to do too much.
I would like to switch departments within my company. How should I go about raising this query with my supervisor?
Be honest and speak directly to your immediate superior of your wish and aspiration, and put a case together explaining why such a switch will be good for the company.
What is one misconception candidates have about your company or industry?
Some candidates believe we are a European company when we are in fact an Asian company, headquartered out of Singapore. Since our inception in the early 1960’s, we have established a unique and integrated regional presence in South East Asia. Today, we have eight core businesses including fields such as life sciences and technology, across the entire ASEAN region. Jebsen & Jessen (SEA) is part of Jebsen & Co which began in 1895 as a trading company. Our company founders, Jacob Jebsen and Heinrich Jessen, came to Asia from their hometown in what is today southern Denmark. Today, Jebsen & Jessen (SEA) is closely connected to our network of sister companies with operations throughout the world, with each member of the Family Enterprise operating as independent entities, while subscribing to the vision and philosophy of the founding fathers.