It is time to transform your career! Discover your MBA on 2nd September.
Do you want to take your career to a new level and uncover your leadership potential? Then join us for the Access MBA online event in Singapore and Malaysia on 2nd of September 2021.
Access MBA educates, matches and connects prospective MBA applicants with accredited and top-ranked business schools from around the globe. On 2 September you will have the ideal opportunity to learn more about the world’s most recognised business degrees. Speak with admissions directors of leading international business schools like INSEAD, ESSEC, IESE Global Executive MBA and more.
3 ways Access MBA helps you on your professional journey:
One-to-one meetings, GMAT workshops, and more
At Access MBA you are an active co-creator of the event. Benefit from the many engaging formats – interactive workshops on GMAT preparation and other tests, insightful school presentations, and lively discussions and Q&As. You can enjoy one-to-one meetings with schools online during, or even after, the event. Plan your questions now so you can get all the details about the best MBA programmes from around the world.
Personalised experience
Choosing an MBA or Executive MBA is a different process/experience for everyone. At the online event you will have a personal MBA consultant to guide you to the programmes that best fit your background and expectations. Then, talk one-to-one with representatives from the schools that match your preferences.
Scholarship of EUR 1,000 for your business studies
At the end of each season, Access MBA awards one prospective student a scholarship of EUR 1,000 to help them finance their business studies. For a chance to win the prize, sign up now for free and make the most of the event on 2 September. Take an active part in discussions with some of the participating business schools and you might be the next winner.
Looking for a safe environment to grow your business skills and network? The MBA is your way to a secure career.
Join fellow business professionals for this virtual MBA event open to residents and expats living in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Business schools from around the world look forward to meeting you online on 16 March.
Discover the best in business education. Here’s what you get at the event:
Individual video meetings with MBA programme directors from INSEAD, ESCP, ESSEC Asia-Pacific, Strathclyde MBA – UAE, HEC Paris, HULT and many more
Chance to win 1000 euro in financial aid for your MBA
A free 30-min MBA consultation by Unimy.com
A free online GMAT course by GMAT Prep provider Manhattan Review
How to build your future with an MBA
The MBA degree provides what you need to be the best in business and leadership. AACSB data shows 95% of MBAs land a full-time job within 3 months of graduation, and 74% get hired while still in school. The median salary of MBA grads is 75% higher than those with a Bachelor’s, according to GMAC.
Access MBA is free of charge, but online meeting slots are limited. Register early to save your spot.
We have been asked to share news of this MBA event and, because it is relevant to career development, we are doing so. The difference in this year’s event is that it is entirely online.
Discover a world of MBA opportunities online with Access MBA
Are you looking for the best way to grow your career as a business leader?
This online event gives you the opportunity to explore MBA programs from wherever you are located around the world.
Get ready to meet leading international business schools online and have all your questions about your MBA journey answered on the go.
What to expect from this online event?
Receive a personalized profile evaluation by our expert MBA consultants
Meet with the admissions directors of prestigious business schools in real time
Access scholarships from over EUR 3 million in MBA funding opportunities
What makes the MBA degree valuable?
The MBA study format is designed for business leaders who are ready to develop their international managerial career or wish to move to a different industry. Employers value the business fundamentals, problem solving mindset, and adaptiveness that MBA participants acquire by the time they graduate.
Take the first step by discussing your preferences for business schools and programs directly with admissions directors.
The Access MBA online events are free of charge, but meeting slots are limited.
A previous post on ‘’Ethical Outplacement or Retrenchment’’ on this site introduced and discussed Outplacement Support services in more general terms. This post focused on the benefits of such programmes to both retrenched employees and to employers. Since then I have been asked many times to elaborate on what’s involved in outplacement support, and particularly about the Career Choice and Planning programme.
Sandbox Advisors offers two complementary outplacement programmes: The Transition and Job Search programme which is the basic component of any outplacement service, and the Career Choice and Planning programme which provides greater support to the employee and facilitates reputation or brand maintenance for the employer.
Career Choice and Planning Programme
A frequent reason for retrenchment is that a particular function (e.g. finance or IT support) is being outsourced to a third-party provider in a lower-cost country such as Malaysia, India, or The Philippines. Usually this follows an industry pattern, so as one company outsources a function overseas, so do others. The knock-on effect of this is that jobs in that function are in decreasing supply and increasing demand, so employees in these positions are going to find it harder and harder to find a similar job. The career choice and planning part of outplacement support helps retrenched employees look wider and beyond their previous role to find jobs or careers that they will find satisfying and fulfilling. It turns the traumatic experience of retrenchment into one of opportunity – indeed, many people look back on the experience as liberating, life changing, and the motivation they needed to move from a mundane job to a fulfilling career.
The career choice and planning module helps individuals plan their next move properly. Individuals are guided through a systematic process to get a detailed picture of their characteristics and preferences that should be taken into account for their next career move. These include:
• Strongest life / career aspirations
• Personality type and traits
• Strong interests
Skills and strengths
• Knowledge / motivation
• Work values
• Work environment preferences
• Goals and constraints.
Psychometric inventories are used to help people identify careers and jobs that are firstly suited to their personality type, and secondly, to their core or strongest interests. Other assessments and exercises identify their skills and strengths (strengths being those skills that people are both good at and enjoy doing) and their work values. Participants then have four separate perspectives on finding a career direction that will be personally fulfilling and satisfying, and ones that they are likely to perform well in.
Obviously, this is far different than the individual looking for a similar role to the one they have just been terminated from, and possibly a role that is no longer being offered by employers.
Seize the opportunity to meet online some of the world’s
top business schools. Meet admissions professionals and find the programme that
is best suited to take your career to the next level.
Why is an MBA worth it?
The MBA is a game-changing qualification. It will not
only help you master core business principles with both breadth and depth, but
also nurture the soft skills that are in high demand by employers today. The
MBA is designed to equip you with the tools necessary for business leaders in a
competitive, global business world.
Event highlights
Explore some of the top business schools globally from
the comfort of your home – INSEAD, ESSEC Asia-Pacific, HULT, IE Business
School, Singapore Management University, Suffolk University and more.
Talk about your aspirations with MBA Admissions Directors
A chance to win a free visit to a business school of your
choice
Access MBA Online One-to-One event is free of charge, but
meeting slots are limited and early registration is recommended.
Sign up
today on https://www.accessmba.com/link/Egf
Seize the
opportunity to meet some of the world’s top business schools in Singapore. Meet
admissions professionals in person and find the programme that is best suited
to take your career to the next level.
Why is
an MBA worth it?
The MBA is
a game-changing qualification. It will not only help you master core business
principles with both breadth and depth, but also nurture the soft skills that
are in high demand by employers today. The MBA is designed to equip you with
the tools necessary for business leaders in a competitive, global business
world.
Start your
journey to finding the right MBA programme by discussing your preferences and ambitions
in person with admissions directors!
Event
highlights
Explore
some of the top business schools globally – ESSEC Asia-Pacific, HULT, IE
Business School, Singapore Management University, Suffolk University and more.
Talk
about your aspirations with MBA Admissions Directors
School
panel discussions and workshops
A
chance to win a free visit to a business school of your choice
Access MBA
One-to-One is free of charge, but meeting slots are limited and early
registration is recommended.
Sign
up today on https://www.accessmba.com/link/Egf
As this MBA Fair is relevant to many of our readers, we agreed to announce it on our website. The following is from the organisers of the event:
“Join the Access MBA Tour and connect One-to-One with world’s best business schools. Find your MBA match with the help of our international team of business education experts.
Hold personal meetings with Admissions Directors from prestigious MBA programmes, get advice from our MBA consultants and GMAT instructors, and learn about 2 million euros in scholarship opportunities.
Some of the participating schools: INSEAD, IE Business School, ESSEC Business School, Strathclyde MBA – UAE, Singapore Management University, Duke University – The Fuqua School of Business and many others!”
Date: Tuesday, 17th September, 2019
Time: From 5:00pm to 10:00pm (upon invitation)
Place: Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands
Address: 10 Bayfront Avenue, Metro Station: Bayfront
As this MBA Fair is relevant to many of our readers, we agreed to announce it on our website. The following is from the organisers of the event:
“Join the Access MBA Tour and connect One-to-One with world’s best business schools. Find your MBA match with the help of our international team of business education experts.
Hold personal meetings with Admissions Directors from prestigious MBA programmes, get advice from our MBA consultants and GMAT instructors, and learn about 2 million euros in scholarship opportunities.
Some of the participating schools: INSEAD, IE Business School, ESSEC Business School, Strathclyde MBA – UAE, Singapore Management University, Duke University - The Fuqua School of Business and many others!”
Date: Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Time: From 5:00pm to 10:00pm (upon invitation)
Place: Sands Expo and Convention Center, Marina Bay Sands
Address: 10 Bayfront Avenue, Metro Station: Bayfront
Average graduate starting salaries increased again for 2017
The Ministry of Education recently revealed this year’s results of the Graduate Employment Survey conducted jointly by the universities. The survey reveals the starting salaries that the 2017 graduates from the main Singaporean universities attracted. For simplicity, this article will only discuss the mean or average salaries of those who secured permanent full-time jobs – of course, there were those who attracted higher salaries, particularly those who achieved distinctions in their degree, as well as those who received lower.
All of the universities reported an increase in average starting salaries from the previous year (2016).
Singapore Management University (SMU):
The average salaries that SMU graduates secured were: $3569 for accountancy, $3862 for business, $4013 for economics, $3922 for information systems, $3344 for social science, and $4778 for law. As in previous years, SMU law graduates received the highest average starting salaries for their year.
National University of Singapore (NUS)
The average salaries that NUS graduates secured were: $3005 for arts; $3365 for social science; $4124 for dentistry; $4958 for law; and $2298 for music.
The two multi-disciplinary programmes attracted $3297 for environmental studies and $4010 for computer engineering. The Yale-NUS programme graduates secured an average of $3812 for arts and $4362 for science.
The medical school graduates average starting salaries were $4367 for medicine/surgery; and $3165 for nursing.
Engineering graduates attracted an average salary of $3508, and the individual engineering disciplines starting salaries were $3215 for biomedical engineering; $3550 for chemical engineering; $3361 for civil engineering; $3529 for electrical engineering; $3783 for engineering science; $3425 for environmental engineering; $3905 for industrial and systems engineering; $3269 for materials science engineering; $3537 for mechanical engineering.
The school of science average starting salaries were $3053 for science; $3186 for applied science; and $3473 for pharmacy. The school of computing starting salaries were $4510 for computer science; $4061 for information systems; and $4114 for business analytics.
The business school average starting salaries were $3770 for business administration and $3396 for accountancy. Architecture attracted $4037; $3034 for industrial design; $3105 for project and facilities management; and $3090 for real estate.
Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
The average starting salaries for graduates of the business school were $3530 for business; $3121 for accountancy; $3830 for the double degree of accountancy and business; and $5036 for the double degree of business and computer science.
Engineering starting salaries were $3645 for aerospace engineering; $3326 for bioengineering; $3326 for chemical and biomolecular engineering; $3373 for civil engineering; $3667 for computer engineering; $4078 for computer science; $3532 for electrical and electronic engineering; $3538 for environmental engineering; $3685 for information engineering and media; $3279 for maritime studies; $3288 for materials engineering; and $3422 for mechanical engineering.
Humanities, arts and social science graduates salaries were $2862 for fine arts; $3119 for Chinese; $3134 for communication studies; $3286 for economics; $3042 for English; $3206 for history; $3042 for linguistics and multilingual studies; $3107 for psychology; $3353 for public policy and global studies; and $3263 for sociology.
Science degree graduate average starting salaries were $3177 for biological science; $3035 for chemistry and biological chemistry; $3517 for mathematical science; $3504 for mathematics and economics; $3367 for physics / applied physics; and $2722 for the double degree in biomedical science and Chinese medicine.
Sport science and management average starting salary was $3372; while the Bachelor of Arts in education was $3489 and the Bachelor of Science in education was $3610.
The New Year is a time many people make resolutions and set goals for various parts of their life, but few people set or revisit goals for their career. Rather than having specific and clear goals, many people almost drift though their career – they have an idea that they want to be promoted or attain a higher salary, but they don’t actually have a clear goal of where they want to be in ten years’ time or what is the next step or milestone on getting there.
People who plan their career achieve more and are more successful. They tend to be the people that others are envious of and wonder what they are doing to get promoted faster than their peers. People who plan their career are usually more content, satisfied and fulfilled in their work. People who plan their career are more likely to get where they want to go because they have a ‘career roadmap’.
So, as it is the New Year, now is a good time for you to plan your career, and below describes how you can go about doing it.
The starting point for career planning is a question: Where do you want to be career-wise in seven to ten years’ time?
Seven to ten years is considered long-term in career planning, but it is also useful to consider what job you want to retire from at the end of your career – depending on your age, this may be considerably longer-term than your seven to ten year career goal. However, an ‘end-of-career’ goal can provide overall direction to your career and how you think about it. Your ‘end-of-career’ goal may change over time as you gain experience and/or develop new interests, so it is not completely fixed or ‘set in stone’ – but it is an important beacon providing guidance to your career direction.
To develop your career plan, it is useful to identify both your ‘end-of-career’ goal and your seven to ten year career goal. Indeed, your seven to ten year career goal will be a major milestone on the way to your ‘end-of-career’ goal. Even if you are unsure or unclear about your ‘end-of-career’ goal, you can still develop a valuable and constructive long-term plan by focusing on a seven to ten year period. The process of determining both is the same, just that one is a longer duration than the other and will have more milestones. Here, for simplicity, we will focus on developing a seven to ten year career plan.
Having answered the question of where you want to be in your career in seven to ten years’ time, write that down at the top of a sheet of paper – this is your end point. Also write down at the bottom of the page where you are now – the job you are currently in – this is your starting point. This is the framework for your career ‘roadmap’.
Now you need to consider what milestones are in between your starting and end points. Let’s begin at your end point: What type of job do you need to be in to be considered eligible to get the long-term job that you want? What experience and skills are required for this job? This is the final milestone on the way to your career goal.
And for that job – the final milestone job – what job would you need to be in to be considered eligible to get promoted to this job? This is your second-last milestone. And so on until you are back at your current job and have identified milestones all the way to your end job.
Now you have a career roadmap that has identified your long-term career goal (the end point) and each type of job you need to get along the way as milestones. You can see a clear direction your career needs to take. When job opportunities present themselves, you now have guidance on whether such jobs will help you get where you want to be – are they in keeping with your career roadmap? Will such a job help you get the next job that is a milestone on your career roadmap or the one after that? If so, you should take it – if not, it is a distraction on your way to your end goal.
A following article will show you how to create a career development plan that will identify the skills, qualifications, knowledge and experience necessary to secure the jobs on your career roadmap.
Values are what are important to us in a particular context. In the context of our career or work for example, values are what is important to us about that and may include such things as ‘challenge’, ‘teamwork’, ‘autonomy’, or ‘recognition’. Values are what we want in a particular context.
Money is a value
Money or salary is usually a work value as well, because we all need money to live and pay the bills. For some people, just having enough to live on, look after their dependents (children and/or parents), pay the bills and have a little holiday is sufficient. For others, they want lots and lots of money. The difference between the two is another value which is about what money can do for them – for the person wanting lots of money, money can buy material goods which shows other people how successful they are. The other value here may be a self-esteem related one such as wanting others to look up to them.
Values mean different things to different people
A person who has work values such as ‘autonomy’ and ‘recognition’ will only be happy in work if their boss allows them to ‘get on with it’ – that they are allowed decide how the work is done or the desired outcome reached without being micromanaged by the boss. They also need to be given recognition for the work they do. However, recognition means different things to different people. For some, recognition may have to be in the form of a financial bonus or a pay increment. For others, they may just want the boss to acknowledge that they did a good job or get a ‘thank you’ for doing it. Again, some people want public recognition – i.e. it is also important to them that others know that the boss has recognised their effort – while for others a private word of thanks is sufficient.
Core values transcend contexts
While many of our values are only valid in a particular context such as our work or in our relationships, we also have ‘core values’ which are valid across all or most contexts. Some examples of such core values are honesty, truthfulness, or integrity. These are values that might be important to a person in their work or career, but would be equally important to them in their relationships, or in their buying decisions (where a company would need to have an ethical reputation for them to buy from).
Job satisfaction comes from our values being met
Most of the time we are not aware of our values – they operate in the back of our minds. If a person has work values of ‘teamwork’, ‘collaboration’, ‘challenge’ and ‘autonomy’, they will be happy in work as long as these values are being met. This would require a work environment where people worked together (on projects for example), but where each individual had their own part to play and, once they know what that is, are allowed to decide the best way to achieve their work goal. The work would also need to be challenging in some way – this might be that there is something new to learn or a new kind of problem to be solved. When these values are being met in work, the individual will feel contentment, job satisfaction, fulfilment, and be happy in work.
When our values are violated
But then a new boss takes over the team! This boss is very ‘hands on’ and likes to micromanage his subordinates. He decides the best way the job is to be done and tells people they just need to follow his instructions and do what they are told – no need to work with others. This would also take the challenge out of the job as the boss was deciding how everything is to be done. The person who has work values of ‘teamwork’, ‘collaboration’, ‘challenge’ and ‘autonomy’ will no longer be happy in work – they won’t have job satisfaction or a sense of fulfilment. They will feel that there is something wrong in their life, especially at work, but they probably won’t be able to articulate what or why. It’s simply that their values have been violated. They probably feel a lack of ‘fit’ with their job or the company, and start looking for a new job or even a new career. When our values are violated, we feel disrespected, and know ‘deep down’ that we need to take action.
Using values in career direction finding
When people are looking to find career direction for themselves – whether starting out in their working life or looking to change career – values play an important part. We have already seen the positive and negative impact our values can have in work, so determining whether our values will be met or not in the careers or jobs we are considering, and to what extent, is important if we are to find a career or job we will be happy and content in. Our work values can be our evaluation criteria.
People sometimes take a job that offers them a good salary or makes them look good in some way – it meets these values which can be important to some younger people. Their other values, such as challenge, meaning, or recognition, may not be met in that job, but because their more important value is being met, they work on, sometimes for years. But eventually the allure of the money and ‘looking good’ to others wears off and they feel that they just can’t go on in that type of job – they need ‘something’ more, they just don’t know what it is exactly – they need their values to be met.
Get to know your values for a more fulfilling life
So values are important in all areas of our life, and as this is a career advisory site, we emphasise their importance in work. Get to know your values – have a competent person elicit them for you – and ensure they are being met in your job. If some values are not being met, talk to your boss about it so a way to include them in your work can be found. Doing so has enormous benefits for you, your boss and the company.
Your ‘strengths’ are those skills you are good at and enjoy doing
Finding Career Direction
When trying to determine career direction, it is best to use multiple perspectives including psychometric inventories (such as the Myer Briggs Type Inventory better known as the MBTI, and the Strong Interests Inventory) and a values-based one. Another approach that augments the output of the other perspectives is a strengths-based one. Essentially this is a full identification of your skills – your work skills and other skills developed through your involvement in hobbies, leisure pursuits or sports – and these skills are then categorised.
Skills that you are good at
Everybody has skills, some of which you are good at and others not so good. It makes sense when looking at possible future careers or jobs to focus on those skills you are good at – if your work involves skills you are good at, you are going to do well in that job and progress. However, for those skills that you are good at or strong in, there are always some that you don’t particularly like doing. A job centred on skills that you don’t like doing is one that will eventually cause you stress and unhappiness.
Skills that you enjoy doing
Then there are skills that you are both good at or strong in and enjoy doing – these we call your ‘strengths’. A career or job that utilises your strengths is one that you will do well in because you are working to your strengths – those areas that you are good at. Obviously doing things that you are mostly good at will get you noticed in work, will lead to increased responsibilities, quicker promotion, and continual salary increases. Furthermore, when your work involves doing things that you enjoy doing - whether that is working with people either as colleagues or as customers, uncovering facts and figures through detailed research, using your hands to help make something, etc – your work will bring you contentment, gratification, and joy. Working to your strengths brings fulfilment, job satisfaction and happiness.
Using strengths in career direction finding
There are two ways your strengths can be used in the career direction finding process. Firstly, when you look at your strengths as a group, ask yourself do these suggest a career or job – or what career or job would facilitate you in using most of these strengths? You may have to do some research for this. Talk to family and friends about it. Discuss your strengths with a trusted mentor or teacher. Look at an occupational database such as www.onetonline.org which will allow you search jobs with various keywords. The effort involved is well worth the outcome – finding a career or job that will bring fulfilment and job satisfaction.
The other way you can use your strengths in the career direction finding process is using them as criteria to evaluate whether various jobs will be suitable for you. If you have a shortlist of jobs, ask yourself which of them will facilitate you in using your strengths? And which of them will allow you use your strengths most? If such a job has already being judged suitable to your personality type and core interests, wouldn’t that be your dream job?
