Gen Y today make up one of the fastest growing age groups entering the workforce.

As we live in an entertainment and consumer driven world today, Gen Y's spark of youthful energy and creativity could bring tremendous value to companies out there.

However due to vast differences with mindsets and working styles, finding an ideal job match seems to be an issue. This is a problem WOBB aims to solve — by being the online platform to help the next generation find their ideal career matches.

Today we are fortunate to have the chance to interview the founder of WOBB, Derek Toh.

Here is the interview below:

1. What is WOBB and why did you venture into this business?

When I start WOBB four years ago, I found that both Gen Y jobseekers and employers had big challenges trying to find each other. Jobseekers were struggling to decide which employers to apply to, because there was very little information for them to make this decision, all job advertisements look the same. So many of them end up working in the wrong companies, because they missed out on applying to the right ones. Every person’s early career plays a big part in setting the direction of the rest of their career, and choosing the wrong employer in their early career will impact the rest of their lives.

In the same way, because jobseekers are applying blindly to employers because they don’t have enough information, employers in turn struggle to get the right applications to their roles. There are many good employers in the market that don’t successfully recruit good people, not because they are not a good place to work, but because jobseekers don’t know who they are.

So I decided to change that, and WOBB was created to reinvent how Gen Y jobseekers and employers find each other. Our mission is to be the most loved job search platform in Asia by focusing on company culture and employer branding, and we’ve created very unique experiences using our web and mobile platforms and even events that we organise.

2. What sort of obstacle did you face starting out this business initially?

Jobseekers loved using us from day one, but the obstacles came from trying to sign on employers to use us. Many businesses were more careful when it came to using a new tool or platform that they were unfamiliar with. But eventually several forward thinking companies decided to give us a go, and many of them have stayed with us for the last couple of years because the love the quality of talent that use our platform. Over time, other employers became more prepared to use us, and our growth has sky rocketed since then.

3. What is the vision of WOBB for the Gen Y?

We believe Gen Y is the future of the workplace. It’s estimated that by 2020, most than 50% of employees in all companies will be Gen Y, and it’s only going to keep going in one direction.

We want to grow with users and be a part of their career journey, helping them reach the top.

4. There are many job portal out there, how do you overcome your competitors?

We are the only Malaysian portal that is specialised in the professional Gen Y market, as far as I can tell.

5. How do WOBB help Gen Y to find their ideal job?

Gen Y talent can discover the right place to work through three different channels that we work on - our website, mobile app and through our unique events that bring Gen Y jobseekers and employers together. Our tech-based platforms create an immersive experience for jobseekers to take virtual tours of different employers through our Company Profiles, and our events bring them together in a fun way, including networking style career fairs and actual office tours of different employers.

6. What is the best piece of advice you can give to Gen Y who are looking for jobs?

Its important to realise that their early careers play a big role in deciding how far they go and what direction their career have. So make sure you pick, as best of possible, the right employer to work in. And once you’ve made a decision, stay, work hard and take your career seriously. I know it’s counter productive for me as the founder of a job portal to say this, but don’t give up or switch jobs everytime you encounter a challenge. Part of having a great career is to learn how to have resilience and strength.

7. Share with us what drives you to be successful.

It’s definitely the people we are impacting, and I’m not just referring to our users. Almost the entire team in WOBB is a Gen Y. And everyday they work hard to build platform that they themselves would want to use. There’s a certain magic to see your own people being so engaged and believing in building something together that impacts their own lives and the lives of their friends.