Desaru Coast offers jobs like no other!

I read the invitation to Desaru Coast’s Recruitment Party and wonder: Is it a recruitment drive or is it a party?

Desaru Coast - Recruitment poster with list of roles to hire

There’s no better way to find out than to pop by and see it for myself.

When I spotted the splash of colour on the men’s flowered shirts and the flower garlands that adorn the ladies’ necks, wrists and heads, I realise that I missed reading the fine-print: To come dressed in Hawaiian themed attire.

“Aiyoh!” I exclaim in jest. “If I knew about the dress code, I would have come wearing my grass skirt and pair of coconuts!”

Desaru Coast, Vice President, Destination Sales & Marketing, Kristine Lim, laugh good-naturedly along with me but I’m sure she agrees that such an Over-The-Top outfit would be far too distracting (not to mention, outrageous!) for words!

Candidates apply at the various job categories

Kristine leads me to the ‘beach’ which in fact, is a hall designed in a beach party theme for a fun and exciting ambience to welcome candidates and give them an idea of the lively mix of work and fun in a beautiful location like Desaru.

With a tagline that reads: A job like no other, candidates are assured that extraordinary careers with world-renowned brands like Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, The Westin Desaru Coast Resort and Desaru Coast Adventure Waterpark, promises something spectacularly special!

I’m pleased that the recruitment drive to fill 4,000 hospitality related job opportunities in Desaru Coast kicked off on March 5 in Johor Baru. After all, Desaru Coast, the nation’s most anticipated premium integrated tourism development, is in Johor.

Candidates sit down to complete given forms

This series of recruitment opportunities will continue in four other cities including, Kuala Lumpur (March 7), Kota Kinabalu (March 12), Kuching (March 14) and Penang (March 18).

Desaru Coast aims to offer candidates throughout the nation an opportunity to attend the recruitment events, open at each city from 3pm to 11pm.

Any candidate who did not manage to attend one event may go to the next city where the recruitment drive continues up to March 18.

Selected candidates will be notified by month-end so that they may start the necessary training and orientation into their roles and be ready to welcome guests to Malaysia’s first premium integrated resort destination in Johor.

The the 1970s, this logo was instantly recognizable!

As the familiar name of Desaru is repeated over and over again in its new identity, Desaru Coast, I cannot help but share the excitement at the rebirth of this leisure destination that once enjoyed huge popularity in the 1970s.

Back then, the resorts in Desaru were accessible by a 2-hour scenic drive via Kota Tinggi but fans evidently did not mind the distance as they flocked to this destination regularly.

Now travel time is cut by more than half through a smooth drive along the Senai-Desaru Expressway that includes an exciting river crossing on a 1.7 km long bridge that spans Sungai Johor.

I watch as candidates arrive holding their files, folders and backpacks and join the queues set up for various categories of positions like kitchen staff, spa therapists, gym attendants, retail assistants, housekeeping and front office personnel.

An interview in progress...

Then they sit around tables set up in the hall, to complete given forms with essential personal information before being led into another room.

Here, candidates are served chilled drinks topped by a miniature paper umbrella and in an adjacent open space, crew members lead them to play fun games.

When they are comfortably relaxed, the candidates move into the next rooms where they join the queue for a personal interview.

Separate rooms are assigned to the various properties – Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, The Westin Desaru Coast Resort and Desaru Coast Adventure Waterpark – with their foyers decorated in a consistent beach party theme.

Welcome to the Recruitment Party!

So even while waiting for their turn to be interviewed, the candidates are reminded of the sea, sand and sun in scenic Desaru Coast.

After taking a peek into each interview room, I stroll over to the open concourse and spy a camera crew, occupied with making a video recording with a subject.

The subject is speaking while the camera rolls and as I listen (read, eavesdrop!) to the contents of her speech, I realise that she is the Executive Vice President, Group Legal and Secretarial & Group Human Capital of Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels Sdn Bhd, Karina Ridzuan.

“We are looking for talented candidates, from fresh graduates to experienced professionals, to fill up the available roles,” said Karina.

“In addition, we are developing talents to fuel the quality services befitting an international destination and we will continue to focus on world-class creativity and talent development that will drive business success,” she added.

Camera crew filming Karina Ridzuan in action

Later when we sit down to drink mugs of traditional teh tarik, Karina reiterates that Desaru Coast is currently offering 4,000 employment opportunities during the first five years of operations.

One of Malaysia’s most anticipated new tourism developments, Desaru Coast is a premium integrated resort destination that spans over 3,900 acres along a pristine 17km unspoiled beach front.

Facing eastwards over clear ocean waters, this destination is a unique blend of globally renowned hotels and resorts, a conference centre, a 27-hole and 18-hole golf course, a themed waterpark and a retail village.

Desaru Coast is developed by master developer, Desaru Development Holdings One Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels Sdn Bhd.

Here's a look at what went down at the Desaru Coast Recruitment Party in Johor Baru!

For more information and details, please visit website: www.desarucoast.com/careers