Singapore Expats

I am Malaysian I found that is it very difficult get jobs in Singapore as a foreigner. I have been travel to Singapore for a month and applied almost hundred of jobs and there is only few replied but unfortunately I still fail to get the job. Since I am freshgraduate and not much experience as I major in international business some jobs that I apply might not much relevant to what study so I fail to get it. another problem is because as foreigner I have limit time to stay in Singapore so force to travel back to Malaysia I just wondering other like jobstreet, jobdb still got any method to get the job from Singapore? I don't want go through agent as I dont have enough money. just abit frustrating ....

well, the job situation in Singapore is not as good as it used to be. And as a fresh grad foreigner, it will be quite difficult, as this is the highest visa rejection rates are. (Not sure if being Malay helps.)

Just keep trying, is all I can say.

How about working a couple of years in Malaysia and then looking for a job in Singapore? Your chances will be much higher than trying as a fresher here.

AngMog, yea this is the only way - keep trying

Wd40, yea now trying looking in Malaysia but the company interview process have many stage like phone interview, face to face, assestment and go through presentation each stage like waiting like 2 weeks is kind of waste time. The main reason is sg environment is more safety compare to KL (Malaysia) so my parent wish i can get job there. Any jobs recommend??

there were earlier posts here by some of the OPs who tipped as to how to land a job by bypassing masses of candidates. have a search in this forum.

Anyhow, I can advise how you can stand out from amongst the applicants. Read the job scope carefully then tailor your CV accordingly. your cv should read that whatever you are bringing to the table fulfils the employer's requirements. next write out a cover letter which will show your enthusiasm through. loads of cover letters i have seen are crappy, ie., cut and paste. lastly follow-up. it has worked for me!

little fairy angel wrote:AngMog, yea this is the only way - keep trying

Wd40, yea now trying looking in Malaysia but the company interview process have many stage like phone interview, face to face, assestment and go through presentation each stage like waiting like 2 weeks is kind of waste time. The main reason is sg environment is more safety compare to KL (Malaysia) so my parent wish i can get job there. Any jobs recommend??

Hi yogaloungeforever, thanks for the useful information I take note. so u do the cover letter for different job that you apply? but may I know your way of follow up as I send out a lot of resume sometimes its difficult to call each company by using my Malaysia phone number. Mine to share your method?

yes i tailor each cover letter to each job app i submit. it's time consuming but it shows the employer that you are enthusiastic rather than just another one of the many job applicants out there. whilst your cv highlights your achievements, your cover letter should look as if you are speaking to the employer and telling him why you ARE the candidate for the job.

i knew someone who was recently laid off fr her job. her interests however had always been in brand marketing and strategy and yet she had zilch experience in that field. nevertheless that did not deter her and when she saw a brand management and strategy job posting she submitted a cover letter (along with her cv) explaining why she would be the right candidate for the job. 4 interviews and 2 months later she got the job. and that too, i was told, against 150 odd candidates. not bad for someone who's never at all done brand strategy.

little fairy angel wrote:Hi yogaloungeforever, thanks for the useful information I take note. so u do the cover letter for different job that you apply? but may I know your way of follow up as I send out a lot of resume sometimes its difficult to call each company by using my Malaysia phone number. Mine to share your method?

Little Fairy Angel: I agreed with yogaloungeforever on the comments about tailoring resume to jobs applying to. Watch out not to deviate too much from your real experience but highlight your strengths relating to the job capacity. Though being a newbie in job market probably doesn't give you too much to showcase (in terms of work-related achievements) in resume but do demonstrate your soft skills, e.g. leadership (how you have led projects), entrepreneurship (cross-faculties joint events to raise fund, etc.) - anything at all that you have done that could relate to what you have studied in International Business. Put it to good use.

yogaloungeforever: By the way, it seems the quota limit to hire foreigners (Malaysian) is relatively tight lately with most corporations in Singapore. I am looking out to start my next career in Singapore as well but unfortunately, many recruiters and hiring managers had been indicating that Singaporeans and PRs are preferred for most of the job openings despite extreme close match of skill set. Also, the recruiters and hiring managers are really adamant with the industry where the candidate comes from despite the fact that some skills are transferable. Meaning, if the vacancy is for sales/marketing of electronics products, a candidate of telecommunication background is unlikely to be considered. What's your thoughts or comments on this? Is it true?

there is one every quarter and the recruitment is open to public. you can search int he internet to find the next one in Singapore.

To be totally frank, if you are looking to work in MNCs maybe you should also concentrate on your business English. I don't know what companies and positions you are applying for, but, if your English is similar to the posts above, then you may suffer due to this. Your tenses and dropping words that are important to show your aptitude, if your CV and covering letters are missing the same then you could be failing due to this alone.

This will help, I'm sorry if it seems harsh to point this out, we can only help with what we can see. If I wanted someone in a role who does a lot of communications then I'd ensure their English is very good.

Remember, even though you are from a very close by neighbouring country, you are foreign and you have to prove yourself better than local fresh graduates in order to secure the position you want (or any at all).

Good luck

I would suggest to get some experience in your chosen field at home first and then apply for jobs in Singapore.

Do you think by now (5 years on) he has enough experience?

Let's hope so.
I only noticed the date after posting a reply! My bad.