Finding More Job Opportunities - Page 2

November 6, 2017

Understanding Recruiters

You need to understand recruiters to work well with them

Most people going through the job search process have to deal with recruiters at some point. However, many people are critical about their experience of dealing with them and complain about them not responding to phone calls, being rushed or abrupt, asking for resumes to be sent but never calling back, etc. Understanding more about recruiters and how to partner with them makes the encounter more productive and less stressful.

Types of Recruiters

There are two types of recruiters and they each work differently: agency recruiters, and retained recruiters.

Agency recruiters work on a contingency basis, meaning that they only collect a fee when they place a job seeker with their client company – the person taking up the appointment must stay in the job for a certain duration, generally ninety days. They usually deal with recruitment for junior and middle-level positions.

Retained recruiters are hired exclusively by client companies to manage senior management positions and their fees are paid up-front. As most people’s experience of recruiters is with agency recruiters, they will be our focus in this article.

So what do recruiters actually do?

When a company engages an employment agency, the recruiter contacts the hiring manager involved to gain more specific information on the job vacancy such as responsibilities, required skills, salary, reporting structure, etc. They then check for a match with their own company’s database and also scrutinise major job boards for suitable candidates. In recent years, they are also making greater use of LinkedIn.

Once the recruiter has identified a number of possible candidates, they contact them, usually by phone, for a screening interview. While this may seem like a casual chat to a candidate, it is very much an interview! Their goal is to ascertain the candidates ‘fit’ with the job, their expectations in relation to salary, job advancement, etc, and to discuss why they want to leave their current job (or why they left their last job).

When the recruiter has 8 to 10 candidates that appear to be suitable for the vacant post, they invite them for a more in-depth interview at the agency’s office. This time, as well as focusing on whether the candidate ‘fits’ the job, they collect information on their background (experience, education, goals, etc). If the client company has requested it, there may also be psychometric or aptitude tests. The additional goal in these interviews is that the recruiter wants to screen out any candidates they feel may not stay in the job for three months – their fee depends on this!

When the recruiter has a list of 5 or 6 strong candidates, they send the details to the hiring manager, along with the recruiter’s notes and recommendations. Usually the recruiter then coordinates the interviews for the hiring manager who interviews them.

Many recruiters will coach the candidates on how to approach the interview, how to answer certain questions, what they need to know about the company, etc. This is very valuable and candidates should pay attention to this advice.

As well as getting feedback from each candidate, the recruiter follows up with the hiring manager. If the hiring manager wants to hire one of the candidates, the recruiter establishes the details of the offer to be made and contacts the candidate to discuss the offer. The recruiter acts as a negotiator between the two parties until agreement is reached. Once the candidate starts work and stays for 90 days, the recruiter’s fee of 20% to 30% is paid.

If the hiring manager doesn’t want any of the candidates seen so far, the recruiter restarts the process to look for more candidates.

A follow on article will discuss tips for working better with recruiters.

October 5, 2017

Should you keep your LinkedIn profile General or Focused when job hunting

*Decide whether to keep your LinkedIn profile focused or general*

To be effective, a resume must be focused on the specific requirements of that one job in that particular company. When applying for different jobs, you send (or should send!) differently focused resumes for each position applied for. A LinkedIn profile on the other hand has a potentially much wider audience – and you cannot have (or shouldn’t have!) different profiles for different audiences.

A question arises then, particularly during job hunting, as to whether you should have a general LinkedIn profile, or to focus your profile on your specific target job (i.e. the position you want to secure).

When you are clearly focused in your job search and have a specific job target in mind, a LinkedIn profile focused on that job is the way to go. Your LinkedIn profile will be more consistent with your focused resume, and searches from hiring managers or recruiters related to your job target are more likely to lead to you. So, for people who are searching for a new job, a focused LinkedIn profile is recommended.

However, keeping your profile general will have it look different to your resume and may be more appealing – you can ‘play’ with it more and make it more personal – more ‘you’. Being general, it will attract or match to a wider set of jobs in searches, leaving you open to a wider set of opportunities.

But if it is too general, your profile might not sufficiently match the keywords hiring managers or recruiters might be using in searches – the keywords they use are related to the key requirements for the job they wish to fill. You might end up with a prettier or more attractive profile, but it won’t be particularly useful to your job search if it doesn’t lead to ‘hits’ in job searches or tells recruiters and hiring managers that you have the skills that match their job vacancy.

The other issue in whether your LinkedIn profile should be general or focused is about what your current employer sees! If your profile is very specific or focused on a particular job, and that job is different to the one you are in now, your employer will know that you are looking for a new job. Remember that LinkedIn informs all of your contacts that you have updated your profile, and if you are ‘connected’ to your manager or others in your company, they will see your new profile and status.

If this is not an issue and won’t cause you problems, then go with a focused profile as it will achieve better results when job hunting.

If it is an issue and you don’t want your boss to know you are ‘available’ to the job market, keep your LinkedIn profile more general, but a little focused too – you want searches to lead to you for the jobs you want. The way to do this is to ensure that your profile’s Headline and Summary contain the keywords that match the type of jobs you want. Of course, there will need to be some emphasis on your current role so that your profile seems informative of your current situation and therefore less like you are looking for a new job. This dual approach is ambiguous and will serve both your purposes of looking for a new job while not alerting your boss about what you are doing!

September 19, 2017

Why companies should use outplacement support when downsizing and retrenching

Outplacement support has multiple benefits

For various reasons companies in Singapore are downsizing and retrenching staff. In some industries, jobs are being lost to technology, increasingly so since the government placed more emphasis on the need for greater productivity – there are many government schemes in place to support increasing productivity. Jobs are also being lost by moving them overseas to cheaper labour markets such as Malaysia, Vietnam and China.

Every year therefore, more employees in Singapore are receiving the bad news that they are to be made redundant or retrenched. This can be devastating and very frightening news. Employees with families wonder what is to happen to them and their dependents – will they be able to afford the mortgage on their apartment, pay medical fees for elderly parents, and meet other commitments. They worry whether they will be able to find a similar job elsewhere or whether their career has become obsolete. How long will it take to get a new job? The questions are endless and the anxiety high.

Downsizing and retrenching doesn’t just impact the individuals to be laid off. It also affects those whose jobs survive – they too are frightened that it could happen to them. All of this has a big effect on morale and consequently productivity suffers. This negatively impacts the company internally. But there are also external negative impacts – the company’s image and reputation are affected: people view the company as heartless and inhuman for treating their loyal workers this way and this can reduce sales.

Both internal and external negative impact can be greatly reduced if the company provides outplacement support for employees to be retrenched. Such an initiative should be a crucial part of the marketing campaign that accompanies the process. Companies that provide outplacement support are seen as less heartless and even concerned for the ongoing welfare of former staff.

So what is outplacement support? There are two elements to outplacement support. Firstly there is career review, choice and change. This is where retrenched staff receive career coaching to help them review their current worth in the labour market or assist them in choosing a new career. With some upskilling, the person may well be able to continue in the line of work they have previously done, but in industries where jobs are being downsized, usually there is a reduced demand across the board for such jobs. Retrenched staff are encourages to look at a new career, perhaps something they previously had wanted to do but never got around to it. Frequently psychometric inventories or assessments (often incorrectly called personality tests – but they are not ‘tests’ as there are no right or wrong answers!) can be used to suggest a career in which they might find fulfillment and contentment. Strengths-based and values-based approaches are often used too. The objective is that the person will have a clear idea of the job and career that they are going to pursue. This clarity and specificity is necessary for successful job searching, which is the focus of the second element of outplacement support.

People who have been employed for an extended period usually do not have the knowledge and skill required to successful secure a job in modern day Singapore. They need to know how to craft an impactful resume and to be able to refocus it on the specific requirements of an employer for a particular job. They also need to know how to promote themselves in an interview as the best candidate for the job in question. And before getting an interview and sending in a resume, they need to know the three approaches to finding an available job in Singapore. Outplacement support equips people with these necessary skills and knowledge.

The benefits to a company of providing outplacement support to retrenched staff is twofold: it lessens the negative impact internally as both outgoing and surviving staff see the company as supportive in the process; and through well-managed public relations and marketing, customers and the public in general don’t view it as heartless and only focused on the bottom line. The earlier outplacement support is planned and engaged the better – this gives retrenched workers more time to find a new job – hopefully even before their current one disappears.

August 30, 2017

The starting point for networking is knowing exactly why you are doing it and specifically what you want to get out of it.

People network for many different reasons and most have more than one purpose. Some of the more commonly cited reasons include finding new opportunities, finding a job, help with career, building your reputation, raising your profile, making new contacts (especially sales contacts), finding a mentor (or someone to give advice and/or support), etc.

Whatever your reason, you need to be very clear about it and what you want to get out of networking. Knowing exactly why you are networking is important from three perspectives.

Firstly, it provides direction and focus for your networking. Most people’s networking efforts concentrate on collecting contacts – building the number of connections. But in networking, quality is far more important than quantity. Having hundreds of people in your network is pointless unless they can help you achieve your objectives, whereas having just a handful of people who can help you get what you are looking for will.

For example, a network of family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, former classmates, etc, can easily contain over a hundred people. If your objective in networking is to have a support network, then this would be an excellent network. However, if you are looking for a job as a trader in a bank, then unless one of these people can introduce you to a person in a bank who employs traders, they offer no value to you.

So you need to ensure that the people you are trying to attract to your network are people who can help you achieve your objectives. This will also provide focus as to where you should expend your networking efforts. Where do the people who could help you ‘hang out’? Do they go to certain events? Do they participate in particular forums on the internet? Do they blog or use Twitter? Wherever they ‘hang out’, you should too!

The second perspective in knowing what you want from networking – and the benefits you expect to get from it, is motivation. Networking takes effort and brings most people out of their comfort-zone, especially face-to-face networking. Knowing precisely what benefit you will get from networking provides the motivation to go and do it – you know the payback exceeds the cost of the effort.

The third perspective is if you don’t know exactly what you want from networking, people can’t help you achieve it! You might have many willing and helpful people in your network, but if you can’t tell them what you want, they can’t help you get it.

So make sure to put some thought into clarifying your objectives for networking.

October 25, 2016April 3, 2017

LinkedIn Tip: Let Recruiters Know You're Open To New Opportunities

Everyone knows that the secret to feeling happy and fulfilled in your career is to find a profession that you love.

Everyone also knows that, if you are not feeling happy, fulfilled or satisfied in your current job, then there is no easy way to let the world know that you’re open to new career opportunities, without worrying that your current employer will find out. In a worst-case scenario, you’ll end up having no job at all.

What if there was an easy way to search for another job while keeping your current one after all? Imagine if you could privately signal to job recruiters everywhere that you would like to hear from them, or that you’d like them to help you find new job opportunities elsewhere. By doing this, you increase your chances of having one of those special and magical moments when a job recruiter reaches out to you with an amazing opportunity for career advancement.

Luckily for you, you don’t have to imagine. It is now possible to privately signal to recruiters that you are open to new job opportunities without having to worry over angering your current employer or losing your current job.

Open Candidates

Open Candidates is responsible for making all of this possible. It is a new feature for LinkedIn that makes it easier to connect with recruiters who can land you a job by privately signaling to them that you are open to new job opportunities.

You can specify the types of companies or positions in which you are most interested. You will also be easier to find for recruiters who use LinkedIn.

Open Candidates can be found when you click the “Preferences” tab on the home page for LinkedIn Jobs. To enable this feature, all you have to do is simply turn on sharing and fill in some brief information about the types of companies and positions in which you are interested.

The next thing you know, you are making yourself available and known to recruiters who can help you find a job, while keeping everything private for your own security and peace of mind.

LinkedIn hides the Open Candidates signal from recruiters at your current company or affiliated companies so you won’t have to worry about your boss finding out that you are looking for new work.

Open Candidates is available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia for desktop and mobile use, and it will soon be available worldwide. It is also important to note that before you change your preferences and enable Open Candidates, you should update your profile and make sure all of your information is polished and current.

October 13, 2016October 21, 2016

Your Weight Can Reduce Your Chances Of Getting Hired

Whether it’s a spare tire or muffin top, the health impact of an extra five pounds has been well-publicized for years.

One little-mentioned consequence, though, could have an impact on your future career and earnings.

Recently, a study was published by researchers from the University of Toronto and University of Strathclyde, who wanted more information about the discrimination experienced by individuals who are seeking employment.

Specifically, they wanted to know if the weight of a job seeker has any impact. Would being one size bigger lead to discrimination during the job search process?

What Researchers Did

They used data from 120 individuals — 60 men and 60 women — who were asked to become corporate recruiters for a day and charged with ranking the hire-ability of individuals based on photographs of potential employees.

These photos were of four women and four men, all of whom were white and straight-faced, to minimize chances of bias. Each candidate had the same qualifications listed on their resumes as well.

For each candidate, a few different snapshots were created though digital enhancement. Each snapshot showed the candidate at a different weight. The photos were edited with each subject’s appearance falling within healthy boundaries and none were considered medically obese.

To make a decision, the “recruiters” had to rate the likelihood of hiring the person in each snapshot based on a seven-point scale,with one being extremely unlikely and seven being extremely likely. They were shown the photos in random order.

What the Study Found

Consistently, the heavier version of the same person was less likely to be hired. For women, however, the disadvantage was much greater. Heavier women were judged more critically.

“Women within the normal BMI range appear to suffer greater weight-based bias than men,” researchers noted. “Even a marginal increase in weight appears to have a negative impact on the hireability ratings of female job applicants.”

August 25, 2016October 21, 2016

Try This Approach To Find Your Dream Job

When looking for a job, we all have a dream company and job in mind. We also include a few back-up companies/jobs in our job search efforts, just in case Plan-A doesn’t materialize.

However, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and the University of Wisconsin-Madison believe that having a backup plan can actually derail your success rather than help you achieve your goals.

After studying how people reacted to certain scenarios, their research shows that a safety net may actually decrease your motivation for reaching your highest potential.

THE STUDY

Jihae Shin, assistant professor of management at UW, along with professor Karen Milkman of UPenn, surmised that a backup plan may cause someone to work less hard in obtaining a goal.

The two researchers set out to find out if this hypothesis rang true by setting up an experiment with hundreds of people divided into two groups.

In one group, respondents were given a test to unscramble sentences. Those who did well could leave early or get a free snack.

Researchers added one aspect to a second group of people. The second group was told to also come up with ideas about how to get free food or how to make up any lost time later in the day, if they didn’t unscramble the sentences quick enough.

AGAINST COMMON PRACTICE

What the researchers found went against the notion that successful people always had backup plans in case something went awry.

People in the experiment who made backup plans fared worse on the unscrambling tasks.

Shin and Milkman discovered, through follow-up questions after the experiment, that the lack of accomplishment from people who had backup plans was partly due to a diminished drive to succeed.

Failure is associated with negative emotions. These are important for pushing us to succeed, in order to avoid the consequences of failure. When you have a back-up plan in place, the emotional safety net can reduce the desire to achieve your goals and succeed.

DRIVE VERSUS SAFETY NET

Whereas a backup plan may make you feel safe and reduce negative emotions associated with failure, a safety net could interfere with accomplishing your primary goal.

Security makes you feel better, but it might diminish your desire and drive for what you really want to achieve.

For example, you may settle for a job at a less well-known company because you already have a connection there versus reaching for a loftier objective at a prestigious firm where you don’t know anyone.

Fortunately, the researchers have a solution.

HOW TO ACHIEVE PLAN A FIRST

Shin and Milkman explain that you should rely on a backup plan only after you exhaust all possibilities for earning your original goal.

Many times, people may fall back on Plan B prematurely when they are already close to finishing Plan A.

Figuring when to switch gears means you should know yourself, determine what it takes to realize your objectives, and recognize when you can’t do any more.

What you do during your job search, does depend on your specific situation. However, it might be worth considering and incorporating the findings of this research into your job search.

Before spreading your efforts across Plans A, B and C, perhaps you should give Plan A everything you got first. It could make the difference between getting your dream job and having to settle for something less inspiring.

Having said that, to find your dream job it is essential that you go about the search in the perfect way. Take a look at our free guides to help with this.

May 24, 2016October 21, 2016

Job Hunting In the Digital Age: Reputation, Resumes & Video Interviews [Infographic]

Anything and everything you do online leaves a digital footprint that employers can follow to determine whether or not you’d make a suitable employee.

For that matter, admissions officials might be interested in checking out your online presence — pictures and forum comments — before deciding if you warrant a letter of acceptance.

Fortunately, there’s a way that you can build a good online presence in this digital age. Learning the ins and outs of doing so is important because your online reputation counts for a lot.

What follows, therefore, is a primer on job hunting in the digital age, and how reputation, resumes and video interviews can help you succeed inside and outside of the classroom.

Reputation Matters

Building a strong online reputation is more important than you might think, particularly when you consider the following statistics:

75% of recruiters will conduct research online to learn about applicants
70% of recruiters have turned down applicants based on what they discovered online

Whether you’re a student pursuing an advanced degree or a graduate looking for work or an experienced professional, a LinkedIn account is a must. You can use it not only to market yourself online, but also to look for career opportunities or for network-building opportunities.

When you consider that 89% of all recruiters have hired someone through LinkedIn and that a mere 36% of job seekers are active on LinkedIn, it becomes clear that a presence on the popular social networking site is a good idea.

LinkedIn will help you to establish a strong online reputation, but there are other things that you need to keep in mind such as the difference between private and public profiles. For the former, you need to ensure that you restrict who can access them, get rid of any inappropriate photos or comments, and refrain for using your real name for your username. For the latter, you need to create separate accounts with your real name as the username and post industry-specific content.

Video Resume

In this digital age, you definitely need a video resume. Around nine in 10 resumes are presented in the traditional format, so going with a video resume can instantly differentiate you from the crowd.

As for programs you can use to create your own video resume, the following are three options:

YouTube
Vine
Vimeo

Video Interview

You need to take a video interview as seriously as you would an in-person interview. Consider that 33% of bosses know within the first 90 seconds if they are going to hire a candidate, 53% of surveyed HR managers say that they use video interviews quite often, and 13% of hiring managers plan to use video interviews even more.

As empowering as the Internet can be if used correctly, it can hurt your career plans if your digital trail leads to anything questionable. So establish a good online reputation, showcase your video resume and prepare yourself for video interviews in order to bolster your job prospects.

May 23, 2016October 21, 2016

‘Weak ties’ are more likely to get you a job

Job searching is not what it used to be.

If it has been a few years since you have needed to actively look for a job, you might not be aware of all the possibilities and options available.

Job boards and newspaper classifieds may still have a few benefits and resources, but they no longer play as significant of a role.

A proper digital presence and social media, especially LinkedIn, are now the best way to approach today’s job market.

Although LinkedIn is growing daily in popularity, very rarely is it used to its full potential. Most people use it as just another job board, which defeats it’s purpose entirely.

When used properly, LinkedIn has the ability to place your resume on top of any employer’s stack of applicants.

The main benefits of LinkedIn are:

Easier networking and contact management.
Having access to people in employer companies directly (i.e. being able to bypass recruiters and job boards).
Making use of ‘weak ties’ which are a very effective for job search purposes.

Let’s look into the usefulness of weak ties for your job search.

Connections with colleagues, close friends, and family members are great. You should certainly use these ‘strong ties’ in order to get your next job.

However, according to a study completed by sociologist Mark Granovetter, you are 58% more likely to land a job through the people in your life who you are not that close to.

Such people, who Professor Adam Grant (Wharton School) calls weak or dormant ties, are “people with whom you’ve lost touch for a few years: a childhood neighbor, a college roommate, or a colleague from your first job.”

LinkedIn makes it very easy to find, connect with and cultivate these people during your job search.

Through the years of drifting apart, they have established different connections and developed new friendships with people you probably do not know. They provide an expanded set of opportunities that are not available through your close friends and family members, who have the same general social circles you do.

So the next time you get a LinkedIn request from someone from a distant past, or someone who you don’t know too well, think twice before ignoring it. The power of LinkedIn is in it’s network. You have access to your connections, as well as people in their network, and their network’s network.

For best practices to use LinkedIn during your job search with strong and weak ties, take a look at some of our articles and also the Networking/LinkedIn section of our job search guide.

April 21, 2016October 21, 2016

Use this approach to get your next job in Asia

The question we get most often from job seekers is, “How do I get a good job”

This is a loaded question and tough to answer quickly. Which is why we’ve prepared a complete set of guides on the topic.

However, I wanted to touch upon one job search technique, which people don’t use enough or effectively.

Referrals.

When employers are looking for a new people, one of their preferred hiring sources is a referral from someone they trust.

If you’re looking for a job, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of getting a referral that will land you a job.

List 10 to 15 companies you want to work for and have a good chance of being hired at.

It is important to be realistic here.

If you went to an average university and you haven’t been a top performer for your employer, your chances of getting hired with a highly competitive organization are probably slim.

Don’t devote all your time, effort, and hopes, on jobs that will more than likely not work out.

In your list, have a few companies that are a stretch for you to get into, a few that are just right, and a few that are a safe bet as backup.

Make a list of 20-30 people.

These should be individuals who you know reasonably well, who like you and who may also know someone importance at one of the companies you listed in step one.

Once you have your list of people, document how you will contact them. Some people prefer emails, and some might appreciate a phone call, so make sure you reach out to them accordingly.

Get something from each of those 20 people.

Try to get as many of the following as possible from every person you contact:

Resume and LinkedIn profile feedback.
An introduction to a potential employer. Shoot for a face-to-face meeting, but if that’s not possible, ask for a good word to be put in on your behalf. Or, see if your contact will pass your resume on to the potential employer. At the least, ask if you can use their name as a referral.
Any other companies or people your contact thinks you should get in touch with.
If your contacts don’t have any leads, ask if they’re willing to keep their ears open and contact you when one comes up.

Make sure that you give your contacts a synopsis that tells them the types of jobs you’re most interested in.

Also throw in a subtle bit of marketing, to let them know why you’re a good person to recommend. People won’t want to put their reputation at risk by recommending someone who turns out to be a lemon.

Contact people at your shortlisted organizations.

This could be people who your contacts introduced you to or recommended, or, for organizations for which you didn’t receive any warm leads, a cold outreach. LinkedIn is a great source for finding relevant people extremely fast. Have a look at the networking section of our job search guide for the best ways to use LinkedIn.

Ideally, the person will have the power to hire you, but it could be someone on a similar level, or a little lower, who could get you into a meeting with a hiring manager.

As a last resort, contact human resources, which could still be helpful to you.

Use your connection’s name when you communicate with the company.

Try to get something out of your interaction with people in target companies.

Ideally, you’ll get an interview and subsequent job offer out of your interaction.

If not, try to yield something of value like feedback on your resume, or the start of a relationship that makes you known to the hiring powers. Of perhaps some valuable insider information about the company/industry.

If the meeting doesn’t turn up anything, ask if you can contact them again in some time, to see if anything has changed.

Simple right?

It actually is. It’s just that most people turn straight to job sites/boards when looking for a job, and don’t really use their existing contacts for referrals in a big or organised way.

But once people try this, they see how well it works and like how much control it gives them over their job search, especially compared to some other ‘black-hole’ methods like job sites and often recruiters.

November 30, 2015November 30, 2015

Advantages of using business cards during your job search

In most cases, people have business cards to help them connect with new clients or partners.

However, a business card can also be useful when you are looking for a job.

Here’s some advantages of carrying a business card during your job search and a few tips as well.

1)Cards Can Beat Resumes

Resumes may have the benefit of having more information about your skills and experience, but a business card has the advantage of communicating information in an immediate and aesthetically pleasing manner.

Additionally, cards help cut down on the bulk of carrying around a heavy stack of resumes.

Cards can fit basically anywhere, whether it be a pocket, suitcase, or wallet, making it easy for both you, and the people you give them to, to carry around.

2) People Will Remember You

Unless you have a very memorable set of skills, people are more likely to remember your face before they remember your resume, name or background.

A business card makes it easier for people to recall more about you.

To really ensure people remember you, think about possibly placing a small portrait of yourself on your business card.

3) Networking Is Easier

When networking with people, everyone tends to prefer business cards to simple phone numbers.

Also when people give you their card it’s natural for you to hand one over in return.

If you want to ensure you don’t miss out on a potentially stellar connection, you need to have an easy to hand off business card on you at all times.

Types of Business Cards for Job Seekers

Generally speaking, there exist two kinds of business cards you can create: resume cards and personal business cards.

Resume Cards

Also referred to as “mini-resume” cards, a resume card functions as a smaller and streamlined version of your regular resume.

For those who worry about cutting their resume down to one page, this proposition can seem like a nightmare.

However, if done correctly, a resume card is a great way to impress future employers.

For a successful resume card, you should include the following:

Contact Details

A Photograph

List of Key Jobs/Education and Key Achievements from Your Current/Past Positions

Easier to carry than a resume, and certainly more visually attractive, a resume card is perfect to give out to individuals you specifically talk about future job positions with.

Personal Business Cards

A personal business card, on the other hand, looks more like a regular business card. It avoids mentioning that you’re looking for the job and also avoids providing details of previous employers.

Overall, this sort of card should simply aspire to represent how you see yourself as a professional.

Here are a few of the key things you could include on a successful personal business card:

Current Job Title or Profession
A few words about yourself
Your Website/LinkedIn Profile/Other Social Network Handles
A Photograph or Logo
Contact Details

peosonal business card singapore jobs — Image courtesy https://jobmob.co.il

October 28, 2015October 21, 2016

Is it pointless to search for jobs in Singapore at the end of the year?

singapore job search during year end cny xmas

For job seekers in Singapore, the time around the end of the year is often referred to as the “quiet” quarter.

Many recruiters see it as a slow period due to companies putting their job searches on hold at this time.

This occurs due to the festivities just around the corner, as well as the year-end pressures associated with determining bonuses for employees.

Although the second half of December will be much slower than the rest of the year due to hiring managers taking vacation time, roles still exist that job seekers can search out and apply for.

In fact by looking at the net hiring percentage, released by the recruitment firm Manpower, over the last three years, you can actually see that hiring activity during this period is not always as slow as it is presumed to be.

Net hiring percentage, is the percentage of employers expecting an increase in hiring, minus the percentage who expect hiring will drop.

When looking at the net hiring percentage for last year’s (2014) quarters specifically, the results are as follows:

Spring Quarter/Q1 – 16%
Summer Quarter/Q2 – 18%
Fall Quarter/Q3 – 20%
Winter Quarter/Q4 – 17%

To add to this, the net hiring percentage for the winter quarter was actually the highest in 2013, coming in at a whopping 21%! (The other quarters were at 10%, 17%, 15% respectively.)

When taking this information into consideration, you begin to realize that the year end can actually provide a great opportunity for job searchers in Singapore who refuse to take a break.

According to Shubhangi Faujdar, a recruiter and career coach with JobS-ME Singapore, here are four important reasons why this is.

Less Competition Exists for jobs in Singapore during Q4

Many job hunters will put their search on hold due to the myth of Quarter 4 holding fewer opportunities.

Due to this, you will have much less relevant competition when applying to jobs at this time.

Hiring Budgets are Being Met

Every manager will submit their hiring budgets at the beginning of each new work year, so once it is approved, they will not want to fall short of making the budgeted hires in many cases.

Due to this, many companies will actually ramp up their hiring practices during the end of the year, to make up for shortfalls.

For job seekers, this means that many hiring managers will have a sense of urgency when considering you, and that some requirements for the job may be more lax during this quarter. If you have wanted to apply for a job, but been a bit hesitant due to qualification issues, this is your time to shine.

Many Companies Need an Increased Workforce and Part-time employees in Singapore, at the Year’s End

The holidays are often the busiest time of the year for many companies. Everyone is trying their best to prepare reports, budgets, and are attempting to hit annual targets set at the beginning of the year.

Due to this, if staff leave positions, or positions need to be filled, hiring managers will attempt to fill them quickly, which gives you the advantage as a job seeker.

Additional work is also needed at many companies, which can lead to high-pay temporary work, and a potential permanent foot in the door at an organization you’d like to work for.

In fact, these temporary/part-time positions in Singapore get converted into full-time positions about half of the time according to some studies.

Keeping Active in Your Job Search in Singapore Leads to Better Overall Results

Even if you are not lucky enough to land a job during Quarter 4, keeping on top of your job search during this time can have great impacts on your overall job search in Singapore.

By continuing to apply for jobs and attending initial interviews during this quarter, you get yourself known by companies looking to hire in the New Year. If you are already mid-way through the selection process, you might be placed in the final stages of potentially gaining a position in the beginning of the next year.

Now that you know to ignore the myth of decreased hiring efforts in Quarter 4, it is time to start preparing yourself for the job search in Singapore.