Phone Number on Resume

[athard]

I am moving to India from the US in July. Then, I am planning to start job hunting in Singapore and intend to travel there as well.

Using Google Voice, I can get a US number that rings on a phone in India, however that facility is not available in Singapore.

I have been looking for other similar services for Singapore.

My question is about my resume. Should I list my Indian phone number on my resume? Is there a service similar to Google Voice in Singapore? Would it be advantageous to use a service like that and redirect it to my phone in India? Does it even matter?

Any advice would help.

Thanks in advance.

[Mad Scientist]

I seriously doubt SG employer would want to call back to US or India. I may be wrong here. Unless you are some hot shots that the headhunters are looking for then leavin. your India mobile number will not make any diif.

Why don't you leave your e-mail address on the resume?

You can alway check it up thru your mobile phone.anytime , anywhere

[ecureilx]

I seriously doubt SG employer would want to call back to US or India. I may be wrong here. Unless you are some hot shots that the headhunters are looking for then leavin. your India mobile number will not make any diif.

Why don't you leave your e-mail address on the resume?

You can alway check it up thru your mobile phone.anytime , anywhere

Yes MS, If the guys is coming as a CEO, or worth his weight in Gold, the employer may even reach him in Mars .. known a couple of guys, who were called while they were in US ..

But, as you say, majority of the employers would not bother to call overseas ..

However, I wonder what stops anybody from placing a phone # ? In case the CEO job was really open to the candidate ??

[ecureilx]

My question is about my resume. Should I list my Indian phone number on my resume? Is there a service similar to Google Voice in Singapore? Would it be advantageous to use a service like that and redirect it to my phone in India? Does it even matter?

Media Ring had a service to sell Singapore numbers, but .. the number MUST BE registered to a person, you can't buy it off the 'net ..

[richie303]

My company called me when I was in the UK without issue, maybe I'm just worth my weight in gold


Seriously though, do you have any connections over here? if you are really serious, you could always ask a friend to forward a local number to your US number/India Number and pay their bill for any incoming calls?

Just a thought

[sundaymorningstaple]

Use a Skype number. Or don't worry about it. If your credentials are any good, if a company here is interested, they will call the US or India or, as noted, Mars. Just put the easiest number to contact you with. Otherwise, If you are using a forwarding number, any number of things can go wrong with the call. My advice? Always use the KISS method whenever possible.

[BillyB]

I don't get the whole 'use another number thing'. It's starting off on completely the wrong foot. So an employer calls you and asks you in for interview. 'Oh sorry, I can't make it - i'm in India'. But you've put a SG number down - 'Yeah, I wanted to create an illusion'. The employer will surely think, sorry, that's not transparent at all. What other skeletons are hidden and can I be bothered with that hassle further down the line?

Start as you mean to go on and be honest with your situation.

[ecureilx]

I don't get the whole 'use another number thing'. It's starting off on completely the wrong foot. So an employer calls you and asks you in for interview. 'Oh sorry, I can't make it - i'm in India'. But you've put a SG number down - 'Yeah, I wanted to create an illusion'. The employer will surely think, sorry, that's not transparent at all. What other skeletons are hidden and can I be bothered with that hassle further down the line?

Start as you mean to go on and be honest with your situation.

Chief, from my experience, a majority of HR people don't want to call overseas, lest they be asked to write a dozen papers to justify the costs.

And as SMS suggested, a couple of friends did the same: I bought them Singapore #, call forwarded to their own # overseas, and in the resume, the number was mentioned as 'roaming number, currently overseas'

And the HR people were quick to call them .. though it cost a wee bit for the call forwarding to the overseas # - about 1$ plus a minute .. paid by the recipient of the call ..

Same goes for another friend, from Philippines, who assumed that employers will 'text' like they do back home .. and she didn't get her confirmation to start work, and upon calling, the HR of a large organisaiton said "she didn't have a local contact #'

And only after a few false start did she realise that texting is not the norm for official business. It is email or call .. as texting = using own phone. = equates to 'how to claim back the 50 cts for the sms'. Yes, you and me will say 'ah come on, it is just 50 cts' but for majority of Singaporeans, that is not the norm to use personal phone for official purpose, + if questioned, unlike office phone call records and email, no proof can be submitted if the candidate decided to make life hard for the HR ... and trust me, enough of candidates can shower massive firepower on HR, when some minor mistake happens ..

Again, if the candidate is important, like a friend who applied for a govt agency, the employer will call: he was in US, and they called him at Day time Texas - which is midnight Singapore, and conducted the phone interview .. plus a few calls to arrange his visit here..

Not many will do that ..

PS: My experience with the HR is me being always friends with HR, wherever work, and a lunch time chat can really bring out interesting stuff ..

[sundaymorningstaple]

I was headhunted much the same way, except I was almost a done deal without the phone call as my reputation had already preceded me courtesy of good friend in the competitors company (US Office). I had a telephone interview with the Operations Manager and subsequently received the entire contract via telex machine. (Anybody remember those?) 13 days later I was in Singapore on a 12 month contract and tomorrow, the 11th of June, I will have been here 29 years!

As I was in Morgan City, Louisiana, I was in the same time zone as Texas so yeah, they will make the call at any hour if they want you bad enough.

[BillyB]

I was headhunted much the same way, except I was almost a done deal without the phone call as my reputation had already preceded me courtesy of good friend in the competitors company (US Office). I had a telephone interview with the Operations Manager and subsequently received the entire contract via telex machine. (Anybody remember those?) 13 days later I was in Singapore on a 12 month contract and tomorrow, the 11th of June, I will have been here 29 years!

As I was in Morgan City, Louisiana, I was in the same time zone as Texas so yeah, they will make the call at any hour if they want you bad enough.

Good point in your last paragraph. I don't see the need to try and pull the wool over peoples eyes with a fake address or number. If you are good enough they'll call you even if you are on the moon!! Or at least reputable employers are that can see beyond the phone call charges.

Wow, 29 years in SG - you must have seen some major changes!! I'm guessing one is the standard of talent trying to find work has decreased??!!

[ecureilx]

Or at least reputable employers are that can see beyond the phone call charges.

me thinks that you are missing the point ..

Even at reputed employers, the calls are done by poorly paid HR Staff ..

As SMS says, if you are important, they will justify the cost ..

The case of the Filipina I mentioned, she was actually being recruited for a senior post, but ... the HR person in the employer's place couldn't have the guts to call overseas and to fix the dates .. or take the trouble to explain the international call expense ..

[BillyB]

Or at least reputable employers are that can see beyond the phone call charges.

me thinks that you are missing the point ..

Even at reputed employers, the calls are done by poorly paid HR Staff ..

As SMS says, if you are important, they will justify the cost ..

The case of the Filipina I mentioned, she was actually being recruited for a senior post, but ... the HR person in the employer's place couldn't have the guts to call overseas and to fix the dates .. or take the trouble to explain the international call expense ..

But what you just said is contradictory -If you are good enough they will pay the cost? But at reputed employers they have poorly paid HR staff who don't make international calls? Doesn't make sense. Surely the staff don't pay the phone bills and have free reign to phone whoever they want to find good people? What's wrong with skype, VoIP calls etc?

[ecureilx]

But what you just said is contradictory -If you are good enough they will pay the cost? But at reputed employers they have poorly paid HR staff who don't make international calls? Doesn't make sense. Surely the staff don't pay the phone bills and have free reign to phone whoever they want to find good people? What's wrong with skype, VoIP calls etc?

It's not contradictory .. as I said, if the wanted person is important .. even reasonably important, the HR will write up the cost for the call .. and when I said poorly paid, I meant, don't expect them to pay out of their own pockets, even for International SMS (as a lot of FT think they should do instead .. ) ..

There is something called accounting, in large companies, and most large companies, the admin/hr people are always questioned for non-essential expenses, unlike sales people and top heads not being bothered about it ..

What's wrong with Skype / VOIP ? VOIP - shockingly, is still chargeable .. and it comes as a seperate bill .. unlike local calls

Skype ?? Again, shockingly, a lot of companies are not in favor of Skype .. for 101 security reasons and much more ..

The people who get a free reign to call up and mostly consultants from what I have seen.

Well, unlike SMS, I am just over a decade here, and I still maybe wrong ..

[sundaymorningstaple]

BillyB,

An example of the difference can be seen in the skylines here taken during the 1st 6 months here:

17th National Day - Aug 1982 - From the Padang


The Old Fullerton Hotel from Clifford Pier - 1982


Clark Quay from Cavenagh Bridge - 1982


As far as Foreign Talent goes, the biggest difference was that we were more or less self sufficient and a lot more resourceful that what we see today, where most want their hands held every step of the way. However, having said that, I must also admit, we utilized every resource we had as well back then. People skills seemed to be a lot more important back then. It's easier today. There are less risks that need to be taken. But, because of this, people don't have quite the "can do" spirit that was needed back then when you faced more problems head on because you didn't know were it would crop up. But I don't remember asking some of the really stupid questions when the answer were in plain sight like a large proportion of them now seem to do. Maybe we're just dinosaurs! Throwbacks that have somehow managed to survive the obstacles in spite of ourselves!

[BillyB]

@Ecureilx I'm not being antagonistic here, but I have no idea on the point you are trying to make. My original post was intended to suggest that if you are confident in your skills why do you need to put down information that is, in essence, deceptive? You're not in Singapore so why put a SG number down? If I was recruiting for someone and wanted to meet them in person and then found out that wasn't so easy, I'd question everything on their CV and would bin them off and not take things further. It's just wasting peoples time full stop. Although I am old fashioned in my ways and like transparency and openness.

On the other hand, maybe people from certain Countries feel inclined to put local numbers down as they feel prejudiced? But I think that reflects bad on the H.R department of employers trying to recruit and their policies and stereotyping i.e. they can't recognise good candidates regardless of race etc.

If companies are so restrictive on any HR related expenses then, in my opinion, they are setting themselves up for failure. And if they are so narrow minded in their thinking, why on earth would people want to work for them?

@SMS The view from the Fullerton and CQ are almost unrecognisable!! Your ears must have taken a substantial battering over recent times with all the construction!!