Finance recruitment firms

[TPHK]

Hi all

I would be interested to hear people's experience with the various finance recruitment firms in Singapore. I am looking to transfer to a private equity or investment banking role from my current role as a tax manager in a big 4 accounting firm in Hong Kong.

Cheers

[BillyB]

Some bad and some very bad. The problem is the majority (note I said the majority and not all) think like robots and have little relevant experience. Good old fashioned headhunting doesn't seem to exist here. If candidates don't show up on their recruitment databases for a job search, they are deemed not to exist and thus they seem to put very little effort in to actively find people. The trend seems to be hiding behind linkedin messages rather than picking up the phone. As for making a market by leveraging on good quality candidates and pitching into some of the smaller, less well-known firms to the recruiters; this is non-existent. They get their retained fee's off one or two of the top and mid-tier guys and sit back and think they have accomplished all their goals in life.

My advice, especially if you are looking for PE positions, would be to go direct. These guys stay under the radar so you wont find many positions advertised and as per the points above, I don't think you'll find many recruiters who handle PE positions.

What exactly are you looking to do in both firms?

[TPHK]

Thanks Billy, helpful to know.

I am interested in a move to an investment / deal role although I would be willing to consider an operations / tax role as a way to get my foot in the door. By the sound of it, the best way in will probably be to try and arrange some introductions through my contacts in HK.

Thanks again for the advice.

[BillyB]

Middle and back office roles are always dime a dozen if you don't mind going down that route to get your foot in the door in SG.

If you are looking for something more client facing like M&A or something in P.E I would definitely suggest leveraging on your HK contacts. Also, have a look at efinancial careers SG site and apply direct. Just beware of some of the 'fake' jobs advertised at the moment. Always look to have a conversation with the recruiter if something interests you rather than simply firing your CV off. If the consultant can't give you specifics then it's likely the position doesn't exist and they just want CV's for their database.

Good luck