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That’s right. There is something which is legal in Singapore and illegal in another part of the world.
(I’ve been waiting to write that sentence, from the moment I thought about this article 🙂 .With that out of the way, let’s move on to the topic at hand).
If you are looking for a job in a foreign/new country, like many people, you might use your existing resume without much modification. This could hamper your job search, since often there are country-specific resume writing practices that you need to take into account.
For the most part, the main information included in a resume/CV is the same around the world i.e. a description of your previous education and experience. However, there are some things that could be different. For Singapore resume writing for example, people like to see enough detail in resumes - for your previous jobs and also for your personal particulars. So resumes are longer here and could include personal information such as nationality, religion, age, marital status, gender and reasons for leaving previous employment. It is not uncommon for recruiters/employers to ask for a photograph also.
Similar resume writing practices exist in some parts of Europe as well but not in others. In the UK personal information and a photograph is typically not provided. In Australia and the USA, the norms are very different. A recent email I received from a resume writing professional in the USA, best illustrates this point:
“I’m contacting you, hoping you wouldn’t mind answering a question or two. As stated above, I am a resume writer, and recently acquired a new client, a young man, living in Singapore. I asked if he could send me a copy of his current resume, which he did.
This is when the uncertainty and questions started to arise. On his present resume, he includes a picture of himself and a section of personal data, with information such as race, religion, age, date of birth, marital status, etc.
In the US, pictures are never included and not only is the personal information indicated above not added to a resume, but things like age, marital status, religion, etc. are actually illegal for an employer to ask a prospective employee. In other words, including information like this goes against every guideline and rule of resume writing, in this country.
I’ve tried finding examples of good Singapore resume writing and what I’ve found confuses me even further. Most are written much like ours are in the US, but then I found some with personal information and pictures included.
This is something I never imagined would become an issue. Naturally I don’t want to offend anyone by making a huge cultural error., but could you please help me here and advise me on which style is best, more appropriate or proper?”
Key take-away: Always check and double-check to get a good understanding of local resume writing (and job search) practices and be very clear on what information to include/exclude. It could make a difference in the number of interviews you get.
We have a number of articles on our website with Singapore resume writing tips and specifics. Do have a look at those to get a good idea of what works here.
About The Author
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Sriram L -
Amit Puri (Sandbox Advisors)
Hi Sriram - Singapore CV writing practices would apply for jobs in Western companies present here as well.
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Dana Leavy Interesting article Amit, thanks. Though I’m very confused about the headline - it reads as though the service of resume writing is illegal in the US, when more the article is referring to the differences in acceptable professional standards among different countries? Just curious, since I’m a trained resume writer and editor myself. But you certainly do make a good point about these differences and the needs to understand them when working across different locations.
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Amit Puri - Managing Consultant, Sandbox Advisors
You’re most welcome Dana. I’m happy that you liked the article. There are certainly some interesting practical and cultural differences to consider, when searching for a job in another country. With the increased interest in Asia as a destination to live/work, I have been receiving more questions from people in the West, regarding resume & job search practices here. So I’m going to write a few more articles on the subject.
Didn’t mean to confuse you with the title 🙂 . With headlines like this, the right balance is needed between being catchy and confusing. If I get similar feedback from other readers, then I’ll probably tweak it a bit. Appreciate the feedback.
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Gen Caruso Hello Amit,
I just happened to be browsing your site and came across this article. I realize you are familiar with the entire situation, but for the sake of the readers, I’d like to explain this a bit further.I am the person who prompted this article, and all text in gray came from me, via email.
I am a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) in the United States, who recently acquired a client, in Singapore, who wanted his resume re-written. We “met” through one of those websites where you bid on projects, and after some messages back I won the bid. We discussed his needs, etc. and I told him I would be sending a resume questionnaire/worksheet that I typically use to gather all the information. At first it appears rather daunting, but much of it is simply reiterating the same questions for subsequent jobs. In the meantime I asked if he would kindly send me his current resume, as I could at least get some idea of where we’re at.
Well, as soon as I saw it my mouth dropped and I almost fell on the floor with it, as it had his picture and a section with personal information, including date of birth, race/religion, marital status and something that I believe is equivalent to our social security numbers. I was horrified because if you look at any and every book or document about writing resumes in the US, you will find a section that discuss the top information that should NEVER be included in a resume. Some of these are photos, any reference to age, race, religion, national origin, marital status, social security number, if you have children, sexual orientation, and a few others.
My first instinct was to write him immediately and give him the proverbial slap on the wrist for making so many obvious mistakes. Then, thankfully before I stuck both feet in my mouth, I figured there very well may be a valid reason this information is included. I called a friend and fellow CPRW, who has had some experience with international clients and she believed in certain countries this information was appropriate. However, I wasn’t basing anything on a “belief,” I had to know for sure.
I did a general search for “resumes in Singapore,” but came up with as much junk as valid information, yet I still was uncertain. Then, I came across Sandbox Advisors, and above and beyond everything else, was extremely impressed by the comprehensive website and services offered. I knew this was an organization I could trust to give me the correct information, if only they would. I was somewhat hesitant and hoped I wasn’t going to be intruding on their “space,” with my questions that had nothing to with wanting services. I’m never sure how companies feel when you simply want some [free] information, and not a paid service.
Well, I figured the worse that could happen was they’d tell me to “F” off, and that would be that. However, portions of my questions are above in gray, and almost immediately I received a reply from Amit Puri, who was more than gracious and helped me out like we were old friends.
My greatest concern was regarding the legal issues, because as you all now know, questions about age, race, religion, marital status, children, etc. are absolutely, unconditionally illegal to ask a prospective employee. In fact here in the states, we do just about anything to avoid giving away our age, because discrimination is ridiculous here!
Anyway, Amit was wonderful about answering my questions and I didn’t have to feel like an absolute fool with my client. I did his resume, date of birth, marital status and all, and have one more “happy camper,” in Singapore. While I have one issue settled, now I worry what happens if I get a client in Japan?
Thanks again,
Your friend,
Gen
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Amit Puri - Managing Consultant, Sandbox Advisors
You are too kind Gen 🙂
Thanks for the excellent/detailed background. Your comment is an article on resume writing in itself!
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Is this article applicable when we apply to U.S/Europe/U.K companies working within Singapore too?