Job Hunting With A Shotgun

So my speed of posting has slowed, but can you blame me? You can... shut up then! I've been hitting the pavement running trying to find a job, literally in one case last week I nearly hit the pavement face first after almost taking a spill down the stairs at Raffles Place during a rain storm. Seriously, its like Singapore is a country that hates friction, I mean really almost all the apartments come with slick tiled floors, its as if the country was never introduced to carpet... but I digress on another one of my lovable tangents...

I guess that is going to be the topic for today, job hunting in Singapore. Or in my case, running down the street throwing stacks of my resume into the air like confetti.

Recruiting Agencies Vs. Recruiting Departments

As of my current experience I can without a doubt declare that recruiters both in Singapore or abroad and recruiting for jobs in Singapore are some of the worse! Now they are bad all around the world and I highly recommend just avoid them like the plague they are.

Just skip over recruiting agencies and go straight to the company's HR or recruiting specialists.

The reason is simple, the recruiting agency is working on commission and are only interested in filling a position with a body. They ARE going to act like your friend and butter you up just to get you in the door, enticing you with a position when in reality they have no intention of hiring you and are literally throwing you to the wolves to show they are doing their job. If you happen to get the job, then yippy, they get a commission... if not... yippy, they get salary!

Company recruiting departments on the other hand can be picky and stringent in their reviews, they are more likely to tell you even before you get in the door for an interview that you are not a right fit and thank you for applying. At the same time they also work in your line of business, are more likely to ask industry relevant questions and you'll be able to rapidly gauge the competency of the company you're trying to join.

I highly recommend if possible, to avoid recruiting agencies and throw your resume right into the face of the company recruiting specialists.

Late Interviewers

In most cases, your interviewer is not sitting by the phone with bated breath, counting down the seconds until you interview. They instead are trying to shoehorn you into their schedule while balancing a thousand different things. As I've noticed with Singapore, this is ten times worse.

According to at least a dozen of my friends, its common for interviews in Singapore and Asia as a whole to always start much later than they were scheduled and to arrive on time, but expect to have to wait. In fact, do not schedule multiple interviews in one day, if you can't, place at least two-hours between them, in addition to the time you intend to spend traveling there. That way if they run over, you're safe.

Do not take offense if your interviewer is 30-minutes to an hour late, take the time to grab a coffee, get some food, brush up on your notes. I had one female interviewer who was 5-hours late, then I took offense and professionally/respectfully/while biting my tongue, asked for a better time to talk.

Blitzing Hiring Process

Asia in generally has an incredibly accelerated hiring process, to the point where you're going to feel like you're being launched from a catapult! If the interviewers like you, expect to be called back as quickly as possible and for them to start the process of hiring you instantly.

When you go for an interview, go in expecting that you are going to be grilled on everything from the start. Don't think you're just going in for a casual conversation with an interviewer, but you are going to be sitting before the company CEO and expected to sound like a semi-articulate human being who doesn't drool on his own shirt or appears to be missing a chromosome.

It will save your ass in the long run when you don't have to review your notes every other second between interviews, can think on the spot and most of all, don't say "ummm" every other word.

Salary

Before you even begin the process of interviewing, make sure this is pay you want. Singapore, like many Asia countries, calculates salary based on month, not year. It makes your pay sound small but don't choke every time they tell you the pay. Remember that many government taxes in the United States don't exist in Singapore, so you won't be losing huge chunks of it to the massive social security and federal taxes that guzzle up your dollars.

Don't hesitate on the salary when being hired, if you don't like it and can't get it higher, walk away immediately. If they do like you they should and will most likely increase the base pay of the position. If they won't and you can't live with it, say thank you but no thank you and walk to the exit very slowly.

A key thing to remember, is once they make an offer you are expected to take it as quickly as possible. Waiting is considered disrespectful to many companies or that you're weighing your options with one of their competitors. Companies hate to feel like they've been played! They will retract the offer if you are unwilling to accept it almost instantly when its been made!

Employment Pass

Now for any Expat hunting for a job abroad you have to spend a lot of time studying the different visa's that you can apply for. Some countries can vary immensely, from immigrant meccas like Singapore... to backwards, confusing and outright concern immigration laws like in the United States. You have to understand what you are applying for to make sure you are not going to get screwed up in the long run.

In America, all foreign-born individuals seeking employment in the country have to get an H-1B and only then can use it for three-years, which then can be renewed for a total cap of six-years... and then you either have to get your company to sponsor a green-card or leave.

A concern number of US companies are instead letting workers go instead of transitioning them to a green-card due to the cost associated with it when hauling in a new H-1B worker or even an American is cheaper by leaps and bounds. Another rising statistic has been found also, H-1B workers are paid a lower salary than their American counterparts, meaning that some companies have started to use them as a cheap but highly-skilled source of labor. A source of skilled labor we then spurn by not allowing them to seek residence after they've spent 6 years of their lives here and send back overseas, where again a concerning number of them have begun to pop up in competing Asian companies.

Hint: The prestige associated with working at a US company quickly earns brownie points in most interviews for Asian companies. Working in a big city like LA or New York can also gain you a huge boost!

Again, another one of my tangents, but its something that personally grinds my gears.

In Singapore the visa process is incredibly simple, to the point where a simpleton like me can understand it. Through the Ministry of Manpower, a company can apply on behalf of a new employee for the following passes:

• P1 Pass: Make a fixed monthly salary of S$8,000. This includes any legally married spouse and children under 21 and can be extended to parents. 
• P2 Pass: Make a fixed monthly salary of S$4,500. This includes any legally married spouse and children under 21.
• Q1 Pass: New graduates who make a fixed monthly salary of S$3,000. If making over S$4,000, this can includes any legally married spouse and children under 21.

There is even a self-assessment test that can be taken in order to determine if your application for a pass would be approved. See Here.

Sorry to most but your score increases immensely if you have previous job experience and a college degree. With two-years work experience and a bachelors degree I came back with a "Most Likely to be Accepted." When I took this test two years ago when I was just about to graduate college, it was a big, red sign saying "Unlike to be Accepted."

This is in no way saying you will or will not be accepted for a work pass, you need a legitimately recognized Singaporean company to sponsor your pass in order to get it approved... Sorry I know nothing about how that works for the self-employed. 

Well that's all I can offer for those seeking employment in Singapore. If you have any questions or quibbles, you know where to find the Ang Moh... no, not at Denny's... why does everyone think that?