I've been applying for jobs in SG for the past one week. Applied 18 on Jobstreet, 12 were rejected so far. Applied & the next day got rejected as "not suitable" though I am qualified for the position. Those employers didn't even view my resume. I suspect they are hiring only Singaporeans or PRs.

FYI, my Jobstreet resume is impressive. I've been headhunted 10 times in Malaysia (since 2016 to date) coz local employers saw my Jobstreet & LinkedIn profiles and they contacted me to offer me different positions. Yet, those applications for SG jobs are unsuccessful. According to my recruiter friend, SG companies have tightened their hiring policies & unemployment rates among their locals are high now.

Anyway, I was just trying coz my bf is a PR there; I just wanna be with him & develop an international career. I have an outstanding career here in M'sia & would like to progress even further. Anyway, it's time to try a different strategy to job hunt.

When they contacted me, I turned them down politely coz I was happy with my present position. I'm still happy working at my current company.

I rarely apply for jobs through websites. Usually I get job offers via networking & recommendation. Faster & easier, plus good career progression after that.

I work at a tertiary institution as an academic. Looking for edu jobs. Maybe I'm overqualified; some SG employers require min. 2 years and some min. 5 yrs experience. FYI, I'm 6 years in the industry & have worked for various institutions from primary up to tertiary level, taught kids as young as 5 y.o. up to students as old as 25 y.o., local & international students...

... yet can't even get a job at secondary schools or education centres in SG... despite my work experience & qualifications. I don't think it's because of my age either. I'm 28 this year but my resume is impressive; have been approached by local international schools, tertiary institutions, MNCs as well. I don't doubt my work performance & competence as I'm one of the top employees who are close to the top management + working for another higher institution (also via recommendation).

Anyway, haven't tried my best yet coz still waiting for my Master's cert. Plan to apply for academic positions in SG when I have it.

Just enjoy myself in M'sia first. I have 31 days of leave per year. Can travel to meet bf; not in a hurry.

This post has been edited by Ralna: May 8 2017, 11:57 PM

I work in Subang Jaya. I teach business English, biz communication & writing. Need a Master's degree if you wanna work as a lecturer.

I applied for 40+ jobs in one month via Jobstreet; no news at all though some employers viewed my profiles (mentioned this in my previous post here, #665) I thought there was something wrong with me, but can't be, coz I'm often headhunted here in Malaysia (15 job offers in 1.5 years since 2016) and my CV is impressive with excellent references.

Anyway, I got an offer (finally!). The recruiter contacted me on LinkedIn in end-July, and offered me a position in Singapore. I sat for the written test (online), and passed 2 phone interviews (difficult questions asked). The whole process took 3 weeks. The reference check was in the final week, and my current boss and senior colleague gave excellent references (they wanted reference from my direct reporting manager and colleague).

My hiring manager and supervisor (my interviewers) were very impressed. They are now waiting for me to be on board, coz I have to give 2 months' notice. They knew it from the start, yet still proceeded with the screening and hiring process.

Then, they posted the official job ad and emailed me to apply on the same day (30 August). The job was not open to public (not on their official website or Jobstreet) until they confirmed hiring me. They emailed me the official link and asked me to apply online to generate my employee credentials. The job ad is now on Jobstreet, dated 31 August, and has 37 applicants in 5 days. Well, they told me beforehand (in July) that there will be another round of hiring in October, so that's why they're posting the ad now for the whole month of September.

***

So yeah, just sharing with you guys some real life behind-the-scene recruitment and hiring process which I have just experienced first-hand. I'm glad to be headhunted this way, really, and beat the competition (literally none?). I'll tell you how fast/eager they wanna hire me (to them, I'm an excellent candidate/ talent):

Week 1: recruiter contacted me (25 July) -> I applied via email (26 July) -> recruiter replied with job description & package (27 July) -> recruiter forwarded my application to hiring manager (27 July) -> hiring manager contacted me (28 July)

Week 2: sat for written test (3 Aug; Thurs); 2-3 hours later, they called to schedule 1st interview (damn fast!)
Week 3: phone interview #1 (10 Aug; Thurs); 2-3 hours later, they called to schedule 2nd interview (really fast, again)
Week 4: phone interview #2 (14 Aug; Mon) -> recruiter emailed and said team welcome me (15 Aug) -> reference check (16-17 Aug)
Week 5: verbal confirmation (22 Aug; Tues)
Week 6: online application on official website (30 Aug; Wed)
Week 7: application for work permit and complete employee profile (5 Sept); receive letter of offer (6 Sept)

I'm tendering my resignation this week and will serve my 2 months' notice... new employer (a large MNC) is willing to wait, but also asks me to be on board faster if possible; preferably early Nov instead of mid-Nov. Well, I have to work this out with my boss and HR; still have unused annual leave, and I don't mind salary deduction for 1 week of early release.

***

Back to story, in the same month (July), I was offered another position to be a training manager by a Singaporean recruitment firm, but based in another country. However, I replied the recruiter 3 days later coz I didn't check my LinkedIn, so I didn't get the offer in the end; missed it.

On the other hand, my bf who is a Singaporean PR, was retrenched and unemployed for 11 months. He told me he had submitted more than 200 job applications and then finally got the job he wanted. He was applying for senior/ management positions back then. I was frustrated with my applications, but he kept encouraging me, said he was even more frustrated back then.

***

It's harder now to get hired coz of the influx of foreign workers. Plus, my Singaporean friend told me the quota is 1 to 1 now, meaning that, for every Singaporean, a company can only hire 1 foreigner; previously, it was 1 citizen to 5 foreigners. Their government has changed the hiring rules and become stricter.

& yes, my job application and hiring process went extremely smoothly coz... it's a blessing from God. I've been praying about it and have my church friends praying for me too. It works.

So what you can do is... attract recruiters on LinkedIn to view your profile. It works way better than Jobstreet, from my personal experience. & do apply through recruitment firms too; they store your profile in their databases if you're a good candidate. Though the position may not be offered to you, they will contact you if there are any suitable ones; I received such messages before.

Lastly, have the patience to wait while applying at the same time, and keep your fingers crossed. Your luck will come one day when you put in the appropriate level of efforts and promote yourself well enough.


UPDATE (6 September): Signed offer letter and got my work permit approved today. My work permit was approved in 5 hours.

This post has been edited by Ralna: Sep 7 2017, 12:32 AM

Yup, need to, but company will pay for the checkup.

2-3 minutes walking distance from the unit to Braddell MRT (red line).
Also nearby: wet market, grocery shop, McD, KFC, clinic, dental, food courts

Bigger photos:



Posting for my good friend. 2 Malaysian female housemates + another Malaysian tenant renting in November. All are decent and clean housemates.
Now looking for tenants for master room; can accommodate up to 3 new tenants (any gender).
Monthly rental at $900 (non-negotiable); HDB unit


Whatsapp +65 9455 2608 if interested.

Thank you. I'm changing career to work in the hospitality industry for a 5-star hotel MNC; corporate job based in office.

Salary wise, if 1-1 (without conversion), it's lower by 36%, coz I'm starting all over again with zero experience though I have the required technical and soft skills to perform the new set of job functions. This will also be my first time working in the corporate environment in a totally different industry.

However, due to the currency exchange rate, my new job is able to cover all my expenses in M'sia and SG with surplus every month. I'm still young in my late 20s, so it's either now or never if I want to take the leap.

Just to share, my first career (age 23-28) in the education industry is outstanding (with proven track record & recognised by the top management). Now I'm developing my 2nd career (age 28 till mid-30s) in the hospitality industry to pave the way to my 3rd career in training (mid-30s onwards). I aim to be a corporate trainer one day; it has always been my ambition since I was 18.

Hi, everyone. Just some sharing here since my last post (shown above). I moved to SG in Nov 2017, and guess what, I just tendered my resignation in end-May. My last day will be a week after, in end-June.

I'm actually doing very well on the job, and the management really hope I'll continue to work with them. I resigned coz I don't like how things are done here: human errors here and there, demotivated staff, inaccurate information, messy workflow, abrupt changes and others. I'm working for an industry-leading MNC and yet, sigh.

As a result, 40% of the workforce (12 employees) in my department have resigned. From 30 employees reduced to 18 in just 6 months. This month alone, 4 employees including myself, resigned and left.

& due to some previous issues, I escalated level by level, from supervisor -> manager -> director -> senior director. In the end, my manager apologised to me last Monday. There were some mistakes on her part that made me really upset. We talked for an hour, and we're on good terms again after that.

I'll be presenting to the management tomorrow... presenting to the senior director, director, 2 managers and supervisor. That's the last thing I can do for the company before I leave. Hopefully, things will change to become better after that.

In fact, just yesterday, my senior colleague told me the employee engagement survey result was 16% last year. I was like OMG ! He said it's the lowest among all the departments/ offices worldwide. He's happy that I'll be presenting/ discussing with the management tmrw. Sigh.

***

What I'll be doing after my last working day:



This post has been edited by Ralna: Jun 17 2018, 12:00 PM

Thanks for the advice. ^^

Yes, I'm aware of that, but not worried about it as both of us have strong networks. In fact, I always get job offers & projects via networking (online/offline), recommendation & referral; rarely do I need to job hunt. Since 2016 till today, I have received 17 offers from different industries, which I never applied for. I was headhunted for my current position too, and my previous ones.

I don't think it's because of sheer luck (can't be lucky for 17 times, right?), but rather, it's because I know how to present and promote my skills, experience and knowledge to the target audience (employers and recruiters). I know this sounds too good to be true, but this is what happened in reality, and I wish I could share these with people who struggle with getting a job. That's why I wanna set up my own training biz, and also because I really enjoy speaking in public and organising events. It's not about the money, but rather, it's what I love to do (and good at) that can really help more people.

Fiance & I both have biz family background = have biz connections. I myself am a communication major (not mass comm); into PR, CS, social media, branding & marketing (with practical experience), which are very useful because all biz need these. Fiance himself is highly accomplished in his career. I told him that he should really train law students and lawyers.

Coz of these advantages, I think chances of us succeeding are so much higher than the norm. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Yes, I'm thinking of how to make Malaysia better too. I have an issue with "minda kelas ketiga". The thing is, Malaysia can't be a better country if mindsets don't change. The election of a new government is just the first stage of transformation.

Are you currently in SG or still in MY?

First, what's underlined is your personal opinion. You don't seem to be able to distinguish between facts and opinions, before you form any judgement.

A fact is a statement that can be objectively proven true or false. For example, qualifications, achievements, experience and skills, companies worked for, offers received, biodata etc. I don't see what's wrong with sharing about what I experienced/ went through, coz they are not made up. I don't believe in false humility either. If you are good, admit it. If you are not, acknowledge it and improve yourself.

On the other hand, an opinion is an expression of a person's feelings that cannot be proven. Opinions can be based on facts or emotions and sometimes they are meant to deliberately mislead others.

If you feel that what I shared are self-praising or boasting, that is your opinion.

I can't change how you perceive my sharing, but neither can you inhibit my freedom of expression.

This post has been edited by Ralna: Jun 17 2018, 09:07 PM