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by beppi » Tue, 25 Sep 2012 7:41 pm
The first time I came to Singapore, I found a job by myself. The second time, I returned from being sent to Indonesia by a Singapore company. Since those don't fulfil your requirements, I will answer about my third (out of five, by now) stint in Singapore, where I was sent to Singapore by a company (from Germany):
> 1. Tell me about one of your overseas assignments, from the time when you first learned about the possibility of going to __________.
I was hired because of my previous Singapore experience, to be sent here after a few months training to man the company's new office in Singapore.
> 1a. Did you prepare this immersion in another cultural environment? If yes, how?
No - after having lived here for 8 years previously, it was like coming home!
> 2. What did you think when you first heard you were going to __________?
Great, I got that job!
> 3. What were the first few days like?
Humid, and good food!
> 4. Were there things that surprised you about the way people thought or worked?
Nothing.
> 5. What was your first big ―aha! about the culture?
Nothing much changed. (I was away three years.)
> 6. How would you sum up your first six months?
I never travelled that much on business before (all of my projects were overseas).
> 7. Did you have someone who could explain the local culture to you and that you could confide in?
I acted as local guide to my (German) co-worker.
> 8. How did people see you?
With their eyes (except the blind).
> 9. Can you describe your relationship with your co-workers?
There was only one co-worker. He was German. We got along well.
> 10. What did you think about your job?
Very exciting, interesting tasks, lots of travel.
> 11. What was the most important thing you learned in those first six months?
I learned a lot about Taiwan and Korea (where most of my projects took place).
> 12. What did your family/spouse think about living in __________?
My (Singaporean) wife stayed back in my country during that time. She complained about being lonely and not having the good food.
> 13. Whom did you mainly socialize with (people from your own culture, third-country expatriates, or host-country nationals)?
All kinds of Asians - I stayed in a shared bungalow.
> 14. How many host-country co-workers did you interact with on an average day?
None (the only co-worker was German).
> 15. How many did you supervise? What was that like?
None.
> 16. Did you feel you changed as a result of working in _______? If so, how?
I don't think so.
> 17. What was it like to come home (if the person has been repatriated)?
I didn't return home after that stint, moved to Taiwan instead.
> 17a. Did you prepare your ―cultural repatriation? If yes, how?
No.
> 18. Do you feel you get to use the skills you acquired abroad in your current job?
Yes, every day!
> 19. What advice would you give to a friend who was on his or her way to a foreign assignment?
Expect the unexpected - or even better, expect nothing!
Now, if after reading the above you still think it is a worthwhile assignment and you should not think out of the box to make more sense out of it, I will never hire you!
Last edited by
beppi on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 8:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
