Singapore IT recruiters and jobhunting

[Pflug]

Dear All,

I have recently started job hunting after my employment with my previous company ended after about 8 years in Singapore, Regional IT infrastructure/operations. Any feedback or insights you could give me toward getting a job would be appreciated. I am a PR since 2010 and educated to MSc level.

First question is specifically about recruiters in Singapore. They seem to be quite an unreliable and unprofessional group of folks. The last month has been a big eye-opener as to dealing with them and learning to set my own expectations or essentially taking what they say with a pinch of salt. In short - they set specific timeframes as to when they will revert but never do unless there is a chance of an interview. If the latter is the case, I will have many missed calls in the space of 30 minutes. So my question is why they would they specify x days / a particular day by when they will revert if they have no intention of doing. They could simply leave it open with an 'we will contact you if' scenario? Surely they are souring a potential relationship or placement? I don't really understand why this seems to be the general process.

Secondly, my gut feeling is that it is not a good time to be a westerner (even PR) job hunting in Singapore to the extent that a western name may mean my CV getting scrapped. I've been on a local salary since I arrived here and happy to stay within the 7-10k bracket which is the going rater but I have a hunch that my CV is being dropped when they see the western name. I've integrated as much as possible, married to a local and 1 child, bought the HDB etc. I'd really like to know if this is the case should a recruiter or anyone in the know be reading this (or PM me if needed). Then again, I might be over thinking the whole thing and the market / time of year isn't ideal but I'm pretty sure that I'm at a disadvantage as a westerner. Question is, how do I tackle this? Direct networking seems the only option that might work. The online jobs portals seem to be a blackhole during my own 4-6 weeks of using them.

Lastly some feedback - There was a good posting on this forum about linkedin premium service. Upgrading was beneficial in that I did get some inmail or enquiries but mainly from recruiters.

Thanks all.

[Brah]

We had a thread on this not long ago, something like Fiance IT and some of us were going to get together to discuss that and other related things in detail, but it never happened or I didn't' take the initiative to kick it off. Perhaps we should revisit this.....

But the crux of the consensus was it is way past time to get out of here. Since that thread's last post there have been yet more bloodbaths at more banks.

Anyway IMHO and direct experience headhunters here suck, the job market for what you mentioned already sucks and is only getting worse, and you are unfortunately in very good company so there is lots of competition out there. Plus this is the worst time of year to be looking, and will be for the next 3-4 months.

Your best bet is with a service provider, but anyone can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

[ecureilx]

And adding to Brah, in my case atleast, the agents are finding employers offering much much less than my last drawn, I have made it a point to ask and insist they reveal the budget before even agreeing to let my resume be sent to client

I know agents have quota but pushing my salary down is not right, just to fill the employers requirement...

[Strong Eagle]

Your best bet is with a service provider, but anyone can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

I'd agree. If MNC's aren't shipping their own IT resources elsewhere, including design and build, they are handing them over to service providers who are busy sending them elsewhere.

I judge that running infra operations in Singapore is a dying profession... remote services and "delivery boy" onsite support mean that service operations can be performed from anywhere... and managed there, too.

Edit to answer your first question... recruiters in Singapore aren't worth a bucket of warm shit... which was the original quotation, modified by the newspapers of the time.

[Wd40]

Its always a tough market for job seekers in Singapore. PR on not, westerner or not. Its always tough, expecially in the salary range that you are targetting. The low unemployment rate is misleading and I think its not a true representation of how many desperate people out there looking for jobs. Its slightly easier to find a job here if are already employed, I mean over a period of 1 year you may get 1 or 2 offers but if you out and out looking for a job, its tough. It could take 6 months easily.

[JustSee]

I agree with the general notion that recruiters here usually just waste time and try to lowball you after an initial discussion.
I received over the past year so many offers that are purely a joke, cutting my pay by 60% (and I made myself quite a good name in the field I am in), some didn't even follow up with me after the interview when they said they will, or just fell off the grid - this include also internal company recruiters and not just those from recruitment firms.

Dear TS, you have a PM, I'll try and help out if I can.

No, I am not a recruiter.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Who is TS? and what does TS stand for? The Shill?

[zzm9980]

Topic starter. Same as OP

[JustSee]

Topic starter. Same as OP

^^ that

[Pflug]

Thanks for the replies. In speaking to recruiters, job seekers in my position and a friend working in one of the biggest IT consultants in the region, it seems that infra/support/projects are being outsourced or scaled down for a number of reasons budget, not wanting the hassle of dealing with operational IT or as mentioned the fact that over 95% of things can be done remotely. Even some of the larger MNCs partner with outsourcing companies to provide them with 'Equipment Maintenance Technicians' or EMTs (IT Support). Glassdoor provides a good insight into what this is like. The turn over is v high in addition to having 20-30% of their pay swallowed by their employer.

[Brah]

Well, first it was the traders and salespeople having to find new careers, for the past few years a lot of IT jobs are going that way as well, though for other industry change reasons like what SE and you mentioned.

[Aragorn2000]

We had a thread on this not long ago, something like Fiance IT and some of us were going to get together to discuss that and other related things in detail, but it never happened or I didn't' take the initiative to kick it off. Perhaps we should revisit this.....

But the crux of the consensus was it is way past time to get out of here. Since that thread's last post there have been yet more bloodbaths at more banks.

Anyway IMHO and direct experience headhunters here suck, the job market for what you mentioned already sucks and is only getting worse, and you are unfortunately in very good company so there is lots of competition out there. Plus this is the worst time of year to be looking, and will be for the next 3-4 months.

Your best bet is with a service provider, but anyone can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

Where should we go to?

[Strong Eagle]

We had a thread on this not long ago, something like Fiance IT and some of us were going to get together to discuss that and other related things in detail, but it never happened or I didn't' take the initiative to kick it off. Perhaps we should revisit this.....

But the crux of the consensus was it is way past time to get out of here. Since that thread's last post there have been yet more bloodbaths at more banks.

Anyway IMHO and direct experience headhunters here suck, the job market for what you mentioned already sucks and is only getting worse, and you are unfortunately in very good company so there is lots of competition out there. Plus this is the worst time of year to be looking, and will be for the next 3-4 months.

Your best bet is with a service provider, but anyone can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

Where should we go to?

KL - technology corridor... tons of companies have shifted IT infra operations into the area... so much so that it is driving up salaries and increasing churn at a lot of companies.

This is prompted in part by the Malaysia Super Corridor... http://www.mscmalaysia.my/

Check out some of the companies... lots of big name companies with outsourcing centers.

[Wd40]

I wouldnt mind KL if I could get my SG salary there. You can buy a condo and a car Lets wait a few years until the bullet train b/w SG and KL comes online and lets hope KL salaries reach closer to SG levels.

But at the moment, from what I heard you get the same SGD figure in MYR. I am not going relocating for that. I would rather go back home, if I really need to leave SG.

[Strong Eagle]

I wouldnt mind KL if I could get my SG salary there. You can buy a condo and a car Lets wait a few years until the bullet train b/w SG and KL comes online and lets hope KL salaries reach closer to SG levels.

But at the moment, from what I heard you get the same SGD figure in MYR. I am not going relocating for that. I would rather go back home, if I really need to leave SG.

Expenses are also comparatively cheaper... I like KL but too much of the infrastructure just barely half works... and no one actually gives a shit... I mean... I have a hard time imagining Malaysia running a nuclear reactor.