Graduating from college is a great milestone that leads to the reality of landing a job. Here’s what fresh graduates have to know for a smooth first job experience.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the unemployment rate in the Philippines is around 4.8%, which translates to around 2.37 million Filipinos. Though it may be significantly lower compared to January 2022’s rate of 6.4%, this still poses an undeniable challenge for job seekers, especially fresh graduates who mostly lack experience. Specifically, the unemployment rate for college graduates is at a staggering 19.6%.

And for fresh graduates, it is important to you equip yourself with the right information that will prepare you for the professional world. 

Aside from building a strong resume and finding the right employers, you should also take note of any requirements that may be asked of you during the onboarding process. More importantly, having the necessary documents before starting a job is great since you’ll have ample time to process everything. 

With this guide, you can get more insights about the necessary paperwork you need to prepare as well as some working rights you should keep in mind:

Basic Requirements You Need for Your First Job

During the onboarding phase of a company, you will be required to submit a handful of requirements, which includes your transcript of records and diploma which you can both acquire from your alma mater. And in most of these, you will be required to submit some valid IDs before you can acquire the actual document. These include:

• PSA birth certificate
• Marriage certificate (if married)
• Valid passport 
• Postal ID
• Voter’s ID
• Valid school ID 

Before, government documents required certain fees. Thanks to the approval of RA 11261 or the First Time Jobseekers Assistance Act, certain documents can already be issued for free. With this provision, Filipino citizen fresh graduates who happen to be a first-time job seekers can acquire the following for free: 

• Police clearance certificate
• National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance
• Barangay clearance
• Medical certificate from a public hospital 
• PSA birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Transcript of records from state universities
• Tax Identification Number (TIN)
• Unified Multi-purpose ID (UMID) 

Government Contribution Accounts to Have 

Aside from the aforementioned requirements, employers will also require you to have certain accounts for your basic government contributions. Though all of these can be filed with the assistance of your company’s human resource (HR) department, you may also opt to file these even before your job starts. 

According to Philippine labor laws, all employees should be members of the Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG). Meanwhile, government employees are required to register with Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) rather than SSS. Everyone should also have their own Tax Identification Number (TIN).

Each of these has special computations for their monthly deductions. With that, it is important to learn about each of them so you’ll have an idea about what they’re for and how to sign up with them. 

SSS

The SSS was made to provide its members with social security benefits that cover sickness, maternity, disability, old age, and even death. They will provide pension benefits to all their members upon retirement. 

All Filipino employees—including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)—are required to be SSS members. The only exemptions are for government employees since they are to register with GSIS. Meanwhile, non-working spouses of SSS members and unemployed people may be voluntary members. 

One great thing about SSS is how it allows you to avail of loans that you can use as housing funds, business capital, or even for educational loans.  

To be an SSS member, you may visit their site www.sss.gov.ph, and fill in the information asked on the ePersonal Record Form. This generates an SSS number slip and an SSS number application which will be sent to your email. Print these documents and bring them to the nearest SSS office along with your PSA birth certificate or PSA marriage certificate. 

GSIS 

GSIS is quite similar to SSS, except that it’s only for government workers. Among the benefits that come with this are life insurance, as well as retirement, separation, and employee compensation benefits. They also entitle their members to avail of multi-purpose loans, enhanced emergency loans, enhanced pension loans, and several others. 

GSIS benefits apply to most government workers as exemptions apply to members of the judiciary and constitutional commissions who are covered by separate retirement laws. Other exemptions include contractual employees, uniformed members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), as well as Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and the Bureau of Fire Protection.

To be a GSIS member, visit http://egsismo.gsis.gov.ph/ and register before going to the nearest office. To sign up, you need to know your members’ business partner number and birthdate. Fill in the necessary information and wait for the confirmation.

Upon processing the registration in their office, you may sign up for an online account on their site. This will give you access to your contributions and loan status. 

PhilHealth 

PhilHealth is mandated for Filipino workers, as this aims to provide universal health insurance coverage to all its members. With this, you can receive financial assistance for medicine, hospital bills, and even some medical procedures when you or your beneficiaries are hospitalized. 

To register, drop by the nearest Local Health Insurance Office or Philhealth Express outlet and fill out two copies of the PhilHealth Member Registration Form (PMRF). Submit them, and wait for the member data record (MDR), and your PhilHealth ID card. 

After registration, create an account on https://memberinquiry.philhealth.gov.ph/member/ to have access to your contributions. 

Pag-IBIG 

Pag-IBIG fund works as a national savings and housing assistance program for its members. With this, you can avail of loans which you can use to build a new house, renovations, or rehabilitations after calamities. You may also want to partake in their special savings program where you can get higher dividends. 

Aside from personally dropping by the nearest Pag-IBIG office, you may also go to https://www.pagibigfundservices.com/virtualpagibig/ to register. Create an account, follow their instructions, and get your permanent Membership ID (MID) number. 

TIN 

The TIN is a permanent number overlooked by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). It is used for tax purposes and as proof that you are a taxpayer. Having a TIN number also helps in opening bank accounts as well as applying for other government-issued IDs. 

To register, head over to your designated Revenue District Office (RDO) or the office that has the jurisdiction in your home or office area. For new employees, fill out Form 1902. Once completed, request a TIN card. 

These special numbers are important and should be secured before or during your first weeks of onboarding. Should you opt to get the IDs from each government branch, make sure to attach a 1×1 picture (in case they didn’t photograph you) and sign the IDs for added validity. 

Employee Rights You Should Know 

Once you have secured all necessary documents, you should also be aware of some factors that will be important to your working experience. Upon being hired, make sure to ask your immediate head or the HR about the following as well: 

• Salary and cutoff dates: Know how much you’re being paid. Make sure to also ask for their salary policies so you’ll determine what time of the month you’ll be compensated. If you can, ask about the cutoff dates of each salary period. In line with this, you may also ask if the company offers overtime pay and other monetary incentives. 

• Leave entitlements: Ask about the possibility of filing leaves and what types of leave a company offers. Consult this with HR and ask when you’ll be qualified to have them, as each company may have different leave policies. 

• Additional benefits: Feel free to ask about special benefits such as health maintenance organization (HMO) memberships or life insurance coverage plans. Most private companies in the Philippines offer this, so it won’t hurt to ask if your company does. 

More importantly, make sure to read every aspect of your work contract and learn about the policies that the company implements. Doing this will make you aware of the dos and don’ts you should keep in mind. It will also manage your expectations about the company you aim to work with. 

Key Takeaways

Overall, it is important that fresh graduates and first-time job seekers come in prepared for their first job. Not only with it lead to a seamless onboarding experience but it will also leave a good impression from the company you applied for.

Though it won’t hurt to ask for assistance with these matters, it will help a lot if you’ll be aware of the importance of the documents asked from you. It’s also one way to be confident and knowledgeable about the hiring process that’s followed by almost all companies in the country.