Singapore Expats

Hi guys !

I'm currently working in Qatar (Middle East) and have hard time over there...
I'm looking for a new job in south east asia and Singapore would be for me the best place!

Of course I have written and sent CVs to most of the recruitment companies from singapore but I think its not the right thing to do.

I'm looking for some advises or ideas... Sharing experiences with people who tried the singaporean experience before me... and of course would like to be in touch with headhunters or employers...

A bit about me :
I'm 24 yo French with already 4 years experience in Technical Sales...
Worked in IT, Aeronautics, Fire Alarm Systems ...

It seems that IT is one of the biggest sector looking for ressources however my interest is more in Industry, manucacturing and aeronautics...

Frankly, it's about the only game in town. You can come here if you can apply for an Employment Pass Elgibility Certificate (EPEC) or if your income is >S$7000/month apply for a Personal Employment Pass (relatively new) and these would give you a leg up possibly. But at the end of the day, (hate buzz phrases!) it all depends what you can bring to the table and also the current state of that industrial sector to not be able to fill out existing positions with locals. For an employer to sponsor anyone for an Employment Pass, regardless of you actual work experience or qualificatons, it is still up to the employer to justify WHY then need to hire a foreigner to do the job. It would be like an American going to France to look for a Job. Could he just waltz in there and take any old job or would France be selective in who it lets in?

Sometimes people think that because it is Asia, they will fall over backwards to hire someone as long as they have a caucasian face. May have been true years ago, but getting harder today as educational levels rise. Come over on a 3-month exploratory trip if you can afford it. Often employers are hesitant to go through the hiring process with people who are not physically present and can walk through the door for an appointment the next morning.

Also, keep bombarding the agencies (none are any good, but you never can tell). You also need to do thorough searches of the job boards as often employers don't bother to use the databases of those sites but do use them for advertising purposes (this is to get fresh CV's and not those that are "on file" "Just in Case".

Good luck with you search.

sms

True SMS.. totally agree with what say... now excuse me for a while ha...

Lilian bon je vois que toi de meme tu souffrebien a qatar hein.. ben de meme que moi je souffre aussi mieux que toi et je te le promet la.. je suis au E.A.U de meme que toi je cible a changer ma destination ver Singapour.. d'ailleur j'etais en Asie de Sud Est pour presque 4 ans.. a cause des probleme et bon bref je raccourice le tout je me retrouve a dubai et voila presque 8 mois ecoule et je veux quitte cet horrible ville..

D'ailleurs tu sais tu dois sacrifier c'est un jeu de kif-kif quoi mois j'ai des acehtez mon billet vers singapour debut aout je serai la bas.. j'utiliserai tout mes frics pour securise un boulot jusqu'ai dernier centimes.. c'est un va est plus jamais un viens.. 40 jours qui me reste je les compte toutes les secondes....

Tu peux faire un seul truc demande a la companie que tu prendra des vacances ou cree un histoire quelconque et puis sa part d'ici le valise et le billet et saute.. je peux t'aider a sur les renseignement des auberges la bas et pa mal des infos si je suis au courant bien sur...

Je t'assure que si tu par la bas tu vera pas mal de chance et d'ailleurs comme SMS l'a dis prend une visite et fait le pas mal des gens l'ont font pourquoi pas nous...

Oh oui on ai de meme age

Thanks SMS for these interesting information.

You're right about your comparison about the american going to france... but frankly speaking the only problem that the american will face would be the language ... I don't think its such a big deal for someone who is qualified and speak french to work in France.

However, you know much better that me concerning Singapore... haha

Well, I'm working hard with Monster.SG and other online job providers... But of course it would be better to be there and meet the head hunters...

I'll pass by singapore for the Grand Prix in September and will take the occasion to celebrate my birthday there! I'll also try to get appointments for interviews... who knows...

Thanks for all, It was very usefull !

Cheers guys!

Salut Kim,
(pas encore acces aux messages en privé... pas encore passé assez de temps sur ce forum)

Anyway, Pour ma part ça fait 3 ans que je suis perdu au moyen orient... et j'ai du mal avec le travail et avec le pays.
En ce moment il fait vraiment trop chaud.
Tu bosses dans quoi?
Je connais des Kim garçons et filles... toi tu es?

Tu as la nationalité française? ou sinon de quelle origine es-tu?

J'imagine qu'il n'y a pas de restrictions particulières pour l'imigration des français a SG mais j'ai peur que passer un moi la bas meme en auberge me coute assez cher et j'ai des économies assez limités!
Cependant je pense que je bougerais d'ici le début d'année prochaine. ça m'étonnerais que j'arrive pas a trouver quelque chose d'ici la.

Mais en tout cas merci pour ton aide! On est dans la même galère tt les deux!

Tu faisais quoi pendant tes 4 ans en Asie du Sud Est?

See ya!

t'inkiet une fois ke tu poste plus tu me contacter au prive pas de bleme

Non j'ai pas la nationalite francaise, je fais mes etudes en francais j'ai un BAC STT, en ce qui concerne autreement je suis ebara, je te dirai quand il est bon temps je viens d'ou exactement.. bon je suppose que tu connais le verlans non le language a l'envers heehee

bon sinon toi t'a bien souffert etre au moyen orient pendant 3 ansd ah ben la toi t'a un grand coreur moi a peine 8 mois et hop je ne supporte plus je veux quitter... j'ai fais mes etudes superieur en malaisie plus exactement et j'ai passe par Singapour aussi quand j'ai le temps

oh oui je suis un mec et je suis dans l'informatique truc reseaux et systeme tu vois nan

t'inquiete sa se passera continue a bombarder les agence de travaille et sa ira sinon moi debut aout hop vers la singapour et je m'en fou et contre-fou meme de dubai.. pour moi mon sejour est finis ici

tiens bon

Lilian.Cance wrote:
Well, I'm working hard with Monster.SG and other online job providers... But of course it would be better to be there and meet the head hunters...

Employment Agents/Headhunters are a complete and utter waste of time in Singapore and all they are interested in is collecting CVs by the thousands. I reckon half the jobs posted on sites like Monster and Jobsdb don't actually exsist. Most MNC in Singapore don't use agents because they are a waste of time and so positions themselves.

Here's where the next hurdle comes, HR departments. They are incredibly slow and are usually not skilled enough to understand CVs and just look at your qualifications. This is a problem I've had over the last couple of weeks while job hunting here as I don't have a degree so my CV tends to never hit the Business Manager's desk. This nearly cost me a job offers yesterday but it was only because I managed to find out the Manager, who was recruiting, email address and sent my CV directly to him that I got an interview with him.

By far the best way to get yourself noticed and find out about jobs going and who to speak to is by networking, virtually all the interviews and contacts I've made over the last few weeks is by going out and having a few beers with people, especially with people from Forums like this one!

Saint wrote: Employment Agents/Headhunters are a complete and utter waste of time in Singapore

My impression of Singapore is a good many things work by word of mouth not unlike here although I think it more so on the 'little red dot.' Employment agencies and headhunters alike serve a purpose or they wouldn't exist. The problem with approaching them is what I call the 'Asian obsession' with degree certificates. When I have made a cursory look at job vacancies in Singapore online via the agencies mentioned by Saint and others I rarely if I ever see one that doesn't ask for a degree. Perhaps the fee paid by the employers has something to do with it?

Wow saint great Job... networking with people is always the bestr solution .. a good sneak you did to hunt down the Manager huh!

Hmmm you mentioned get in touch with people from this forum.. couple of them here are in the HR Detp.... i guess SMS is one maybe other like SE or Taxico not too sure...

Well i'll try to find all those that are in the recruitment line and HR and get a meeting with drinks and chips if i find no solution to land my job quickly then that will be my last resort

kimtaymour wrote:
Hmmm you mentioned get in touch with people from this forum.. couple of them here are in the HR Detp.... i guess SMS is one maybe other like SE or Taxico not too sure...

I said forums like this, so not necessarily this forum

I belive Saint to be on the ball! When it comes to agencies it is quite normal to bullshit, they are agents, which means they need as many qualified people as possible, No degree no chance, because the agents themselves are also limited in qualifications, not all of course.

But agents network and help each other out, it's a little like second hand car salesmen, that have good contact with all the local garages, having daily contact allows you to offer, what you have on the books, so 50 to a hundred pound, is a nice little turnover...if networking.

Guys without degrees and experience I would be more focussed on, they are normally very productive, and dedicated to what they do, some are guru's in there own right.

Although problems in MNC are probably more to do with SOP's, and to overcome the criteria, there is only one way, get straight to the decision maker, and sell yourself. and the way to do it is really to offer yourself free for a couple of week to prove yourself.

It is really worth it in the end, because motivation to prove your worth, beats degrees to a pulp, and gets you promotion.

The most important issues are knowing your worth, when you know your worth, you have bargaining power, and the documentation goes straight to where it belongs, in my opinion the toilet.

Can you imagine how children have to study under Asian expectations My own daughter included, but i do not agree, and I will fight for her freedom, Sad that i have to say that, but I find the pressure on people in general is inhuman, fixated and completely irrelevant.

The only reason it is going this way, is because education is a business, connected direct to the $ in every Country and university are actually selling their brand these days, at a cost of quality, thinking they can compete with the supreme.

The supreme have limited vacancies so maybe one should be taking education in how to network at all levels. rather than an education in a specific field of employment.

It's still my belief that a jack of all trades is worth, their weight in gold, and through the people I do know, that have inherited wealth in a frightening way, meaning multi millionaires, that have inherited their wealth and have the best educations still have difficulty to succeed in their own right.

That is just the way the cards are dealt, the same way most of us have to face life every day, and it is nothing to do with education, it's just the luck of the draw, karma call it what you will. I used to call it bad luck, but really luck changes with the more people you connect with.

So my two cents is most certainly networking every time. I know I'm not the cleverest of persons, when it comes to education, so selling myself is quite important, because i know i can produce more than i am worth, and that is what counts.

Saint wrote:

kimtaymour wrote:
Hmmm you mentioned get in touch with people from this forum.. couple of them here are in the HR Detp.... i guess SMS is one maybe other like SE or Taxico not too sure...

I said forums like this, so not necessarily this forum

Probably not me. I run a small independent company, with requirements for very specific kinds of talent: For example, you need to be older, with wisdom and maturity. If you're under 40 I probably can't use you (with exceptions).

You will have lots of IT experience but more importantly you will know how to manage the client relationship. You're not married to a technology. You know that if the customer wants plan 'A' you will implement it even though it is doomed.

ksl wrote:I belive Saint to be on the ball! When it comes to agencies it is quite normal to bullshit, they are agents, which means they need as many qualified people as possible, No degree no chance, because the agents themselves are also limited in qualifications, not all of course.

Well guys, this has been really informative for me. I'm in my 40's (caucasian) with a (in my humble opinion) excellent cv for a management position in shipping, supply chain or IT project management , but no university degree...
So indeed I've been jobhunting the regular way with sending out cv's etc.. which doesn't seem to work. Hmmm, perhaps time to change my tactics.
I've got something to think about.

Thanks

Will still consider it to be my last resort..

SE i hope you can do well with your company and business

By the way in my current job now i have got 10 international company under me that i am monitoring and always in the contact with them for business growth development and markes needs like (Siemens, Nikai, Optima and other big Co. in the GCC)

erikpatsg wrote:Well guys, this has been really informative for me. I'm in my 40's (caucasian) with a (in my humble opinion) excellent cv for a management position in shipping, supply chain or IT project management , but no university degree...
So indeed I've been jobhunting the regular way with sending out cv's etc.. which doesn't seem to work. Hmmm, perhaps time to change my tactics.
I've got something to think about.

Thanks

Have you tried selling yourself to NOL?