Singapore Expats

Advice for Experienced I.T. Business Analyst

Discuss about getting a well paid job or career advancement. Ask about salaries, expat packages, CPF & taxes for expatriate.
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generalsu
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Post by generalsu » Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:27 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:
generalsu wrote:on the safe side, hostels definitely do cater to social visit pass holders.

Enlighten me a little, why would November not be a good time to start job hunting in SG? You are in IT aren't you? The IT industry is actively seeking talents all year round.
Frankly, as an HR Manager of a 200+ staff SME here, I can tell you why November through January are NOT good times to actively start a job search in Singapore. Year end bonuses. Most in Singapore get bonuses of at least one of two types and in a lot of cases both. The first is the 13th month bonus or what is generally called the AWS (Annual Wage Supplement). This is a fixed bonus of a full month's salary (hence 13th month). This is actually a remnant of the days when people were paid every 4 weeks. When they went to once a month payrolls, they lost a month's pay (in theory only). All the employers did was recalculate the salary so that they got paid the same 4 weekly salary on a monthly basis but it was equalized at the end of the year with the 13th month bonus.

Additionally, lots of employers pay performance bonuses, longevity bonuses, etc. They are all usually paid after the end of the year, provided the employee remains employed till the end of the year or until the bonuses are paid (in good years this could be cumulative of 3 or 4 months salary or even more). As you noted, the country is predominately Chinese, so therefore bonuses are usually paid during the week prior to the Chinese New Year. Therefore, most employees are loath to forgo that kind of money to shift to a new position during that time of year.

Ideally, it's better to start your job search in earnest (physically present in Singapore) two weeks after the close of the CYN celebrations when most that are planning on leaving, turn in their notices.

I'm not sure how long you have been here, but you should have realized that fact. Oh, I've spent my time as a headhunter here as well. Still do but only internationally now, not in Singapore, nor will I place Singaporeans overseas unless they've already worked overseas before.
Just because it's not a good time for catching bonuses, doesn't mean the IT people ain't looking for talents. All you talk about bonuses is totally out of line with the conversation. Yeah I know all about the AWS for Christ sake, you don't need to explain that one to me. The point is, Yank wants to live and work in Singapore, therefore I suggest to look for a job regardless of the season. Do you stop eating when November comes? You eat when you are hungry, so if someone needs a job then got get one, sunny!

Now, of course if you want a job in SG, then you gotta be physically present. Yeah B, I know that, too. You missed it. It's the same procedure around the world.

And B, if you are not sure how long I have been here, then all you gotta do is ask!

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:27 pm

generalsu,

Wave bye-bye to the nice folks here....... :wave:

Image

you are now history. We'll probably see you back in short order I suppose but you will be easy to spot because we are used to your type.....
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

generalsu
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Post by generalsu » Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:28 pm

Strong Eagle wrote:Pull the plug, SMS.
Oh SE, I was thinking about visiting your office to thank you for your guidance on my EntrePass application. You've been helpful. I owe you one.

neech7
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Post by neech7 » Mon, 17 Oct 2011 3:42 am

Yank,

There's some similarity in our situations. I am a US citizen looking for work in Singapore, also in I.T.. When I was still in Seattle, I started making contacts with recruiters and employers in Singapore but was totally ignored. I figure most likely due to my US cell phone number they see on my resume. Once I arrived in Singapore, I immediately got a pre-paid local cell number from 7-Eleven and updated my resume. That was less than a week ago. Going to my first interview tomorrow. So my advice to you is to get a local pre-paid cell phone number as soon as you land. Bring your passport with you. It is needed for registering the number. Hit me up if you have any questions.

neech7
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Post by neech7 » Mon, 17 Oct 2011 8:13 am

Yank,

Saw your message. Apparently, I'm too much of a noob in this forum to reply to a private message, so I'm gonna reply here.

Housing is where our similarity ended, apparently. I actually have a place to stay so that's not an issue for me, but I understand what you're facing. I think your best bet is to look around forums like these to see if there's anyone who might have a spare room who could let you stay for free or at least next to nothing. Housing is expensive in Singapore, no kidding.

Another possibility is to find out if there's any kind of American association or club in Singapore who might offer assistance to new comers. Good luck!

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YankStuckinSuiss
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Post by YankStuckinSuiss » Wed, 19 Oct 2011 5:07 pm

Thanks Neech...

I booked a ticket today, will be in Singapore on November 3rd!! It is not the optimal time of year to look for work, but due to my situation here, if I don't go now, I won't be able to go until May! I can't wait that long.
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

-George Bernard Shaw

neech7
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Post by neech7 » Wed, 19 Oct 2011 5:13 pm

Cool. Hopefully you've found a place to stay while you're here. If you wanna get together, give me a text at 8628-3458 when you land. Safe travels.

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YankStuckinSuiss
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Post by YankStuckinSuiss » Wed, 19 Oct 2011 5:46 pm

neech7 wrote:Cool. Hopefully you've found a place to stay while you're here. If you wanna get together, give me a text at 8628-3458 when you land. Safe travels.
Yeah I will look you up...I'm sure I will have plenty of time.
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

-George Bernard Shaw

parvathi
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looking for IT pl/sql Jobs

Post by parvathi » Tue, 25 Oct 2011 7:39 pm

Hi
I m currently residing in Singapore
for Dependent Visa. I have worked for 3 years and 8 months and have very good experience mainly in Oracle and PL/SQL Development with Mutual Fund domain experience.

I am looking for job in Singapore and also will be able to join immediately
if selected.

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JR8
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Re: looking for IT pl/sql Jobs

Post by JR8 » Tue, 25 Oct 2011 7:57 pm

parvathi wrote:Hi
I m currently residing in Singapore
for Dependent Visa. I have worked for 3 years and 8 months and have very good experience mainly in Oracle and PL/SQL Development with Mutual Fund domain experience.

I am looking for job in Singapore and also will be able to join immediately
if selected.
Image

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Tue, 25 Oct 2011 8:14 pm

I love it!
Image
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

richie303
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Re: looking for IT pl/sql Jobs

Post by richie303 » Tue, 25 Oct 2011 9:05 pm

parvathi wrote:Hi
I m currently residing in Singapore
for Dependent Visa. I have worked for 3 years and 8 months and have very good experience mainly in Oracle and PL/SQL Development with Mutual Fund domain experience.

I am looking for job in Singapore and also will be able to join immediately
if selected.
Dare I ask.... Do you have Masters?

Are you able to distinguish the <Enter> key from the <Space> Key?
Richie - East Coast Superbabe...

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ecureilx
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Re: looking for IT pl/sql Jobs

Post by ecureilx » Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:56 pm

richie303 wrote:
parvathi wrote:Hi
I m currently residing in Singapore
for Dependent Visa. I have worked for 3 years and 8 months and have very good experience mainly in Oracle and PL/SQL Development with Mutual Fund domain experience.

I am looking for job in Singapore and also will be able to join immediately
if selected.
Dare I ask.... Do you have Masters?

Are you able to distinguish the <Enter> key from the <Space> Key?
I bet it must be a mastered technique :D :D

BTW, I tried posting from my Samsung phone, and had problems with the paragraphs .. but, on a first post ??? :???: :???:

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YankStuckinSuiss
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Post by YankStuckinSuiss » Mon, 13 Feb 2012 4:58 pm

I am still looking for a job, I stopped looking in Singapore for 2 months or so around Christmas - Chinese New Year...but am back.

I know the EPEC has been discontinued and there are new salary requirements meant to target mid-level professionals in Singapore. How is the overall market though?

As has been mentioned to me recruiters are slow, so I've been trying to apply directly to companies.

I got some feedback from people.

A few people said my qualifications are good, and I should be able to find a job, but that I appear to be "unstable" due to having switched jobs a lot over my career.

In America, for an IT person to work somewhere a few months is not unusual, a lot of people do contact work. The last two places I worked in America were two years each. In Switzerland I worked 3 month contracts at two places. Apparently this is a problem in Singapore. My entire career is about 8 years, but that is too "choppy"?

I am not sure what to do about this other than lie on my resume and hope not to get caught.
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

-George Bernard Shaw

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nakatago
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Post by nakatago » Mon, 13 Feb 2012 5:17 pm

YankStuckinSuiss wrote:I am still looking for a job, I stopped looking in Singapore for 2 months or so around Christmas - Chinese New Year...but am back.

I know the EPEC has been discontinued and there are new salary requirements meant to target mid-level professionals in Singapore. How is the overall market though?

As has been mentioned to me recruiters are slow, so I've been trying to apply directly to companies.

I got some feedback from people.

A few people said my qualifications are good, and I should be able to find a job, but that I appear to be "unstable" due to having switched jobs a lot over my career.

In America, for an IT person to work somewhere a few months is not unusual, a lot of people do contact work. The last two places I worked in America were two years each. In Switzerland I worked 3 month contracts at two places. Apparently this is a problem in Singapore. My entire career is about 8 years, but that is too "choppy"?

I am not sure what to do about this other than lie on my resume and hope not to get caught.
Well, highlight the fact that's contractual work and that the project only lasted for X months?
"A quokka is what would happen if there was an anime about kangaroos."

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