While a majority of those faced with the situation may feel helpless and depressed, former job recruiter Abdul Khaliq Putra Abdul Rahman Putra, looked at the positive side of things and made it work for him.

He was working at a talent recruitment agency when he was laid off but he used his eight years of experience in the recruitment field to start his own agency.

“My friend who is a lawyer advised me that I could still contribute my interview technique skills and resume writing skills to many who are unemployed amid the pandemic.

“I thought about it and it dawned on me that I could help many graduates get jobs although many companies and businesses were hiring in small numbers, especially in the conditional movement control order (CMCO) phase.

“Initially, I started taking donations of any amount from my students, but then many started joining and that was when I needed to collect commitment fees to avoid last minute cancellations for my online classes,” Abdul Khaliq Putra told Malay Mail.

Students galore

His initiative seemed to work as he said 500 students had signed up for his classes, 200 of them received job interviews and 66 received job offers.

“My only goal is for my students — unemployed graduates, to get jobs amid such trying times. And I want to help them using my own experiences and to impart relevant knowledge using these experiences.”