Different people like doing different things and behave in different ways. Some people like the outdoors, while others prefer staying indoors and reading a good book. One person might enjoy social gatherings and interacting with lots of people, while another might like more intimate settings like having dinner with 1-2 close friends. One way to describe and understand these differences is through the concept of Personality. From the career point of view, different personalities are also suited for different careers. If you are wondering what careers are best for you, based on your personality, then "Do What You Are" is a good book for that.
As a job seeker you might face the situation of being rejected for a job, even though you are overqualified and could easily perform the job well. This is quite a common situation and from the company's point of view, they are wary of hiring someone who is overqualified because they might not be satisfied, could show arrogance and also leave the company within a short span of time. There is academic research on the subject does back this concern and shows that employees who perceive themselves as overqualified are likely to be less satisfied and have a higher turnover rate.
The resume critique booth operated by Sandbox Advisors during the recent JobsDB Career Fair, was a huge success. Over the three days we reviewed more than 300 resumes and helped job seekers improve the quality of their resumes and cover letters. As is often the case, most of the resumes we came across had similar and very basic mistakes. For the benefit of those who were not able to attend the career fair, below is a summary of the most common mistakes we observed and some quick tips on how to overcome them...
Information on the salaries paid in Singapore for different industries, jobs and experience levels is always of interest to people. There are a few different sources of getting this information, many of which are pretty comprehensive. Below is a list of some good sources on salary information. A simple search using google will show the relevant webpage/document.
As many of you will already know, LinkedIn can be very useful for making business contacts and also for getting leads during your job search. For those who have created an account recently, you might find it hard to build your contact list quickly. This is especially so if few of your colleagues, friends and family are using LinkedIn.
Singapore is an attractive destination for foreigners to work in and if you are one of these people, then the following questions will probably cross your mind: - How easy is it for foreigners, living outside of Singapore, to get a job here? - How does one go about looking for a job? The short answer is - It is not as easy as it seems for foreigners to get jobs in Singapore and you will need to put in a lot of effort to get a job. Singapore does have/demand a lot of foreign talent but this is for specific skills/industries/levels and there is a good amount of competition from foreigners/locals already living in Singapore.
In the event that your company needs to retrench employees, you might consider providing them with outplacement support. Outplacement providers typically offer various career and job search services to help displaced employees find a new job. Different providers deliver the service in different ways and the prices charged can vary quite a bit. In this article we share the findings of a recent survey (Insala Outplacement Report 2010), which asked corporations who have used outplacement services, why they do so and what is important to them. This should help you picking a provider.
This is probably the best piece of advice I can provide, to help you understand how to deal with recruiters/employment agencies/search firms - Recruiters find people for jobs, not jobs for people. In other words - recruiters are hired by companies, to find people for specific jobs. They are not in business to help you find a job and you are not their client.
Nobody likes a finger being pointed at them and being blamed for something. However, people often tend to blame others in the workplace and more so, when faced with a tough situation (such as recessionary pressures or the fear of losing one's job).
In this article, I wanted to touch upon some important points, which can help your entire performance review process go much smoother. You will be surprised at howmuch better your review goes by implementing these simple guidelines.
Many job advertisements in Singapore ask applicants to provide their previous/current and expected salary. This information could be used to: 1) Quickly weed out candidates who earn/expect well above the salary the employer wants to pay 2) Have a better understanding of your expectations, so that they don't pay you too much more than you expect (sometimes even if they think the job role justifies a higher amount!) While you don't want to upset potential employers by not providing information they explicitly ask for, you don't need to provide exactly what they ask for either.
A client recently asked me - "I see so many unhappy people at work, including myself, and I wonder how/why this happens." That is a very interesting question, which I can answer most effectively with the use of a story.
Thinking about starting a website for yourself or your company? With the tools available today, this can be very very easy. Unless you have very specific requirements, need some custom programming or have a large project in mind, I would recommend the DIY approach as opposed to hiring an expensive web designer. All you need to know is one magical word - "Wordpress".
Having a boss that makes your life painful can be one of the worst situations to be in. Bad bosses come in various flavours and might be unappreciative, give too much work, take credit for themselves, be verbally abusive, expect you to have no life outside work and so on. Given the amount of time we spend at work and also with our boss, this can have a big impact on your mental/emotional health.
I often hear this comment from people - "I've been through many interviews and therefore am am quite good at them". Practice make perfect, right? In this case - not really.
During a job interview, people often have the tendency to provide answers which they think an interviewer wants to hear. This is especially so for questions such as 'What are your career goals' or 'Why do you want to work here', where a typical response is a re-phrased/grander version of what the company might have on their website.
In this article we will look at the work experience section of your resume and provide key tips to make it effective. Keeping these points in mind while writing your resume, will ensure that your resume is more impactful.
Similar to a regular physical or dental check-up, it is good to do a Career check-up as well. Essentially this involves taking stock of various aspects of your career, identifying areas which are not ideal and taking steps to improve those areas. Doing this on a regular basis, maybe every 6-12 months, can help you keep your career on the right track, ensure that your career is 'healthy' and keep you happy, satisfied and productive in the workplace.
It is quite common for people to feel unsatisfied with their jobs. Surveys conducted at various points in time and in various parts of the world, often indicate that up to 50-60 per cent of people are not happy at work. However, very few of these people will actually do something about this situation.
When leaving an employer it is best to make a graceful exit, no matter how much you dislike your supervisor, peers or the company. Doing so is best for your reputation in the long term and you never know who you might cross paths with in the future.
