Established 2010
16 Years  Connecting the nation's talent and employers since 2010 25,000+ Employers  From MNCs and GLCs to the nation's fastest-growing firms 100+ Universities  Partnered across the higher-education ecosystem 50+ Career Fairs a Year  With universities nationwide, where employers hire 52 Sectors  Covered by the Graduate Recruitment Handbook 1,000+ Employers Surveyed  Behind the latest Graduate Recruitment Handbook 9 Months of Fieldwork  Behind every edition of the Handbook 1,000s of Events  Delivered since 2010 Nationwide Presence  Career fairs in every major region Graduates' Choice Award  The nation's most-loved employers, chosen by graduates Employers' Choice Award  The universities trusted by the nation's leading employers 100% Student-Voted  The Graduates' Choice Award is decided by students Millions of Votes  Cast by university students since 2018 2,500+ Employers in the Running  In every Graduates' Choice Award cycle 38 Practitioners  On the Graduates' Choice Award Board of Audit Graduate Employability Index  How employers rate Malaysia's universities Now Open  Voting for the 2027 register is underway 9 Editions  Of the Graduates' Choice Award, since 2018 Graduate Recruitment Handbook  Worth USD 2,100, free for employers Employer Branding  Becoming the employer every graduate aspires to join Recruitment Drives  Your own hiring day, filled with the right people Young Professional Hiring  Two to 10 years' experience, run end to end Executive Search  Senior and confidential mandates LinkedIn Talent Campaigns  Reach the exact talent you want to hire Bespoke Engagements  Built to brief and led from the top Talentbank Career Passport  Register free at talentbank.ai and reach 25,000+ employers Free to Join  Create a profile and be seen by employers Upcoming Career Fairs  See every fair ahead on the events calendar The Career Playbook  The graduate's guide to getting hired Your Work Animal  Find how you work best with the Menagerie Method Boardroom Challenge  Solve a real business problem, set by employers Graduation Keynotes  Pro bono, for your ceremonies University Partnerships  Career fairs, outcomes and industry links Corporate University  Postgraduate pathways for working professionals Annual Dinners  Planned and delivered from A to Z Team Building  Sessions your people will actually remember Menagerie Keynotes  Team sessions built on the Menagerie Method Pay It Forward  Talentbank's graduate mentoring movement Game On  Monthly social sports for our community Ask Amira  Our assistant is here to help, whenever you need her Malaysia's Employability Authority  Trusted on employability since 2010 ASEAN on the Horizon  Extending the ecosystem across the region Where Talent Meets Opportunity  Employers, universities and graduates, connected Millions of Lives  Touched through career fairs, awards and the Handbook
About Pay It Forward
Boardroom Challenge

A real business problem, open for solving.

Companies and Talentbank post real business problems, and you send in what you would do about them.

Ask about open problems → How it works
  • Free to enter
  • Solo or team
  • 2 to 4 weeks per problem
Why enter

An interview shows how you talk. This shows how you think.

Most hiring processes ask you to describe your judgement. Here you use it on a real problem, and the people who would make the decision read your work.

  1. Not a case study

    Briefs come from companies that have the problem. Some come from sponsoring organisations, others we set from what we see across employers. Either way, the constraints are real.

  2. A panel that counts

    Judged by a mixed panel, not by a form. Sponsor representatives sit alongside our team, so your work is read by people who hire.

  3. Seen either way

    Submissions that impress us go to employers in our network, whether or not they win.

Free to enter, with no fee at any stage.

How it works

Four steps, start to finish.

Several problems run at once, so you choose the one that suits you.

  1. Pick a problem

    Choose an open problem. Each brief states who posted it, what they need decided, and the deadline.

  2. Do the work

    You get 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the problem. Enter on your own or as a team.

  3. Submit in writing

    Send a written proposal or deck setting out what you would do and why. Everyone is read in writing first.

  4. Finalists pitch live

    A shortlist is invited to present to the panel and answer questions on it. That conversation decides the outcome.

A team presenting on screen to a judging panel seated around a U-shaped table in a meeting room
A team presents to the panel, 2025 Talentbank Boardroom Challenge.
How you are judged

Four things the panel looks for.

So you know what you are measured against before you start.

  • Quality of the recommendation

    Would a business actually act on it, or does it just restate the problem?

  • Evidence and reasoning

    Whether the thinking is supported rather than asserted. A modest conclusion you can defend beats a bold one you cannot.

  • Commercial realism

    Whether it survives contact with cost, people and time.

  • How well you communicate it

    Clarity of the writing and the pitch. A good recommendation nobody can follow does not get implemented.

What winners get

Recognition, access, and a way in.

Three award trophies standing on a black-draped table
The trophies, 2025 Talentbank Boardroom Challenge.

  • Public recognition

    Winners are recognised publicly.

  • In front of employers

    Winners are put in front of employers in our network.

  • A way in

    Where the sponsor is hiring, winners are put forward for an interview or internship.

  • A cash prize and time with the panel

    A cash prize, and time with the panel that judged you. The exact prize is stated on each problem, as it varies by round and sponsor.

For organisations

Post a problem worth solving.

Organisations can post a problem for entrants to solve, and sit on the panel that judges the answers.

Post a problem →

  • A real decision, put to this audience

    Get a range of thinking on it.

  • A close look at how people reason

    Something no interview gives you.

  • A seat on the panel

    You sit on the judging panel.

We will tell you if your problem is not a good fit. Some decisions need a consultant, not a competition.

Questions

Before you enter.

Who can enter?

Students and fresh graduates. You can enter on your own or as a team, your choice.

Is it free to enter?

Yes. It is free to enter, with no fee at any stage.

Which problems are open now?

Several problems run at once, posted by companies and by Talentbank. Each brief states who posted it, what they need decided and the deadline. Ask Amira what is open and how to submit. Anything she cannot answer, she passes to a person.

How long do I get?

2 to 4 weeks, depending on the problem. The brief states the deadline.

How are entries judged?

By a mixed panel that includes sponsor representatives. Everyone is read in writing first, against four things: the quality of the recommendation, evidence and reasoning, commercial realism, and how well you communicate it. A shortlist then presents live to the panel, and that conversation decides the outcome.

What do winners get?

Winners are recognised publicly and put in front of employers in our network. Where the sponsor is hiring, winners are put forward for an interview or internship. There is a cash prize and time with the panel that judged you. The exact prize is stated on each problem.

Does it help me get hired?

It can. Strong entries go to employers in our network whether or not they win, and where the sponsor is hiring, winners are put forward for an interview or internship. It is not a guarantee of a job, but it shows employers how you think on a real problem.

Can an organisation post a problem?

Yes. Put a real decision to this audience and sit on the judging panel. We will tell you if your problem is not a good fit, because some decisions need a consultant, not a competition. Ask Amira to start the conversation.

Ask about the open problems.

Amira answers the basics: who can enter, what is open, how to submit. Anything she cannot answer, she passes to a person.

Ask about open problems →

Explore more

Organise a Business ChallengeA case competition or hackathon built on a real problem from your business, for the students and graduates you want to hire.Find out more →Tech HackathonTalentbank's national tech challenge: build a better job platform in 21 days.Find out more →For TalentCreate a free profile on Talentbank Career Passport and put yourself in front of our 25,000+ employer partners.Find out more →The Career PlaybookA practical, step-by-step career guide by Talentbank's CEO Ben Ho, written for school leavers, students and young graduates finding their way into work.Find out more →