Jobs in Singapore

[rapapo1]

Thank you for your answer! And sorry for being pushy - I guess I lost hope in August. Would you please be so kind and clarify two more things?

1. I believed that getting a work pass was pretty much about finding a job first and proving one way or another, that I am of a value for Singaporean Economy. I thought it is mostly about getting a job that requires some skills. I have seen the sample list of recognized universities in Poland. And there are only 2 universities and honestly - not the top ones. As far as I understand it is just a sample list.
I graduated from University of Economics in one of the big cities in Poland. In various rankings it is top 5 business/economics school in Poland which means: nobody heard of it anywhere else
I had also a scholarship at one of German universities (mentioned on MOM sample list) as an exchange student. Except for that my experience with Big4 is about 1.5 year. I don't know if that is the case, but in some countries speaking Polish language is enough to prove that you have unique skills (just kind of a trick - it is pretty unique but not necessarily the main reason to hire)
And the question is – am I completely wrong?

2. Do you know anybody who came from abroad and got a job related to business or economics. Anything in that field that is not: accounting, sales force, top management and came from non-English speaking “Western World”

[sundaymorningstaple]

I can't help you, but I can say one thing. I apologize for thinking you were pushy before. I now believe it is because your first language is NOT English, so while your English is grammatically correct, your choice of phrasing leaves a lot to be desired as it does tend to come across as being pushy. Using bold face type also reinforces that feeling of being pushy.

[rapapo1]

I can’t judge about my phrasing but you might be right.

But the bold face type seems to me to be simply useful. If the question is too long - I believe it is good to bold what is the most important. Just for the convenience of a reader (it is pretty common in my working environment). I guess it saves time as well because you know right away what am I asking for.

[x9200]

[quote="rapapo1"]Thank you for your answer! And sorry for being pushy - I guess I lost hope in August. Would you please be so kind and clarify two more things?

1. I believed that getting a work pass was pretty much about finding a job first and proving one way or another, that I am of a value for Singaporean Economy. I thought it is mostly about getting a job that requires some skills. I have seen the sample list of recognized universities in Poland. And there are only 2 universities and honestly - not the top ones. As far as I understand it is just a sample list.
I graduated from University of Economics in one of the big cities in Poland. In various rankings it is top 5 business/economics school in Poland which means: nobody heard of it anywhere else
I had also a scholarship at one of German universities (mentioned on MOM sample list) as an exchange student. Except for that my experience with Big4 is about 1.5 year. I don't know if that is the case, but in some countries speaking Polish language is enough to prove that you have unique skills (just kind of a trick - it is pretty unique but not necessarily the main reason to hire)
And the question is – am I completely wrong?

2. Do you know anybody who came from abroad and got a job related to business or economics. Anything in that field that is not: accounting, sales force, top management and came from non-English speaking “Western World”

[rapapo1]

(...)Still don't be discouraged with what I am saying, just find an employer and go through the process(...)

That is the thing. For now I am trying to figure out a way to search for job opportunities efficiently. I guess job-portals are not the right way to go. At least not in my case. Therefore I’ll be searching for companies first and then their career pages.
We'll see. I'm not very desperate in my searching, so I don't expect immediate results.
After what I've read I'll start with big Singaporean companies.

[x9200]

The local way of handling job enquiries sent by e-mail is to ignore (or perhaps delete) them. Small, big, MNC does not matter. Generally HR in Singapore is pretty unprofessional. You will be better off calling first some of your potential bosses to be and only after this following up via e-mail. Alternatively look for the thread created by offshoreoildude who reported pretty promising experience with the premium services of linkedin. This will cost you something like SGD20-40 a month.

[offshoreoildude]

The local way of handling job enquiries sent by e-mail is to ignore (or perhaps delete) them. Small, big, MNC does not matter. Generally HR in Singapore is pretty unprofessional. You will be better off calling first some of your potential bosses to be and only after this following up via e-mail. Alternatively look for the thread created by offshoreoildude who reported pretty promising experience with the premium services of linkedin. This will cost you something like SGD20-40 a month.

I absolutely agree. Deal with the hiring manager. HR in singapore are very poor at recruitment.

[the lynx]

The local way of handling job enquiries sent by e-mail is to ignore (or perhaps delete) them. Small, big, MNC does not matter. Generally HR in Singapore is pretty unprofessional. You will be better off calling first some of your potential bosses to be and only after this following up via e-mail. Alternatively look for the thread created by offshoreoildude who reported pretty promising experience with the premium services of linkedin. This will cost you something like SGD20-40 a month.

I absolutely agree. Deal with the hiring manager. HR in singapore are very poor at recruitment.

Agreed! From personal experience

[duffyhair]

I have a situation on hand..
when I was offered the job, the company(aka consulting firm) asked me to join within 30 days of rolling out the offer.
So, I resigned in my present firm and I am getting ready to re-locate. Now, the company in Singapore calls up and asks me to stay back for another 4 months in the present company or look out elsewhere.
I am totally devastated and feel like out of options. The recruiter who hired me, gave me the suggestion that once EP is approved ; I can look for other companies and apply for them. Is it true? what other options I have on hand ?

[rapapo1]

That is very interesting subject. Many companies around the world prepares offer for candidate, then expects to quit old job without signing a contract (but with a promise to do so). If the company changes its mind, the candidate is left with nothing.

Is it a rule for Singapore?

It happened to me in India once, that I got confirmed and started to prepare for the travel, when they called me and explained that they need to have one more interview with me to decide. (I got an e-mail confirming before that, that they had choosen me). At the end they did decide and I got the job, but it wasn’t very pleasant experience.

Some other time in Poland, I couldn’t get a contract to sign. Finally we signed a contract about 3 weeks after I started to work there. The contract was good and exactly as I expected it to be. They paid obviously for the 3 weeks and the date on the contract is the date when I actually started the job. So this time they were really fair just didn’t care much if it costs me additional stress.

[x9200]

The recruiter who hired me, gave me the suggestion that once EP is approved ; I can look for other companies and apply for them. Is it true? what other options I have on hand ?

Your EP is only good for the company that applied for it. New company - new EP application, new risk of rejection. Learn your lesson and don't do in future anything as stupid as quitting the job without a new contract signed.

[kpop123]

its actually worse place singapore. i went to singapore on visit.
i didnt find such job as in IT industry mostly singaporean and PR are preferred
my job searching ended up as criminal record.

[Sergei82]

i didnt find such job as in IT industry mostly singaporean and PR are preferred

GOSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

[travellar]

Hello everyone,

Having read all the posts on the forum relating to moving to Singapore, as well as having gathered information from foreign sources ,some doubts remain .
38 years old, i am working in a global manufacturing company in procurement team. Also have experience in this sphere 7 years, for a long time lived in South Korea, well knowing the region of Southeast Asia . Currently position - leading specialist , heading the direction of localization. I would like to get information about possibilities find job into manufactoring or another kind company in the procurement.
I would be grateful if somebody will outline the current situation in matters of relevance to foreign specialists in this field , salary expectations (which can count ) .
Reason : in SG lives little daughter.

[4d3L]

Hi there,

There's stricter laws by MOM on employers to give priority to Singaporeans and those who already have eligibility to work in SG (i.e. Singapore PR, approved work passes holders.)

However, specialised skilled /niche experienced foreigners are certainly still sought after by employers here.

One of the new requirements affecting companies, "New Manpower Ministry rules require companies to list openings for jobs paying less than S$12,000 a month before hiring foreigners"

Link:
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/fi ... s-mom-site

The 'easier' option for you to secure a job here:
(1) Network referral to the right position in line with your experience
(2) Seek internal transfer from your current company, if opportunity is available
(3) Apply for a PEP (Personalised Employment Pass), if eligible. This will save your potential employer to go through the trouble of applying the work pass (EP) for you. And the valid PEP is your "own property", hence in the event if you resigned for your work with a company, you can still work with another company without the hassle for the next company to re-apply a EP for you. EP is only applicable to a specific employer/company, and valid only during employment.
Note: PEP has an expiry date too.

Read more about the passes/visas here:
http://www.mom.gov.sg/foreign-manpower/ ... fault.aspx

"Non-residents must hold a valid work pass before they can work in Singapore. Employers who hire foreigners without valid work passes can be prosecuted under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act."

Good luck!