Thursday, May 13, 2010

Headlines that Matter || JobsDB Singapore | Cycle 3

9:27 AM    


Here's the third installment of our headlines that matter project. How are these headlines affecting your job search or career development? Share with us.

Paper qualifications are no longer enough to get you a job you desire.

With unemployment fairly widespread in many countries, developing job-hunting capabilities has become vital, like how a degree, diploma or professional certification has become a prerequisite for jobs. Increasingly, to be a successful job hunter, you need to improve your resume-writing skills and to enhance your performance at interviews. -- Job hunting: It's a different world, May 10, Today.
This is why we like writing about job hunting so much: there are so many things to write about the topic. Perfecting your resume is one thing; acing your job interviews is another. Given the competition, it is imperative that you present yourself in the best way you can as possible. How can you do that? Browsing through our archives can help you a lot, but for convenience's sake, here's a rundown of our job hunting ideas:

Your resume:
  • Should have a power statement rather than a simple objective.
  • Should put great emphasis on your past achievements.
  • Should include only relevant information.
  • Should have readable font, no smaller than size ten.

Ace job interviews by:
  • Preparing.
  • Dressing to impress.
  • Being on time. Nothing beats punctuality.
  • Being attentive to the interviewer.
  • Sending a thank you note, after.

Some of us have been criticised for being too impatient and always looking for instant rewards. But employers are also looking for almost instant results from the staff. We talk about efficiency and maximising returns, so why blame us for leaving for another job that pays a couple of hundred dollars more? -- Job searchers and drifters, May 8, The Straights Times.

***
More than one third of jobseekers believe the salaries on offer are below market rate.

According to a survey by recruiting experts Hays, 35 per cent believe salaries are below market rate with no room to negotiate. A further 35 per cent of jobseekers believe salaries are low but employers are willing to negotiate. -- Jobseekers in Singapore say salaries too low, May 12, JobsDB.com Singapore.
For career development, employees are eager for job change -- that's what recent surveys have been reporting (SEE Robert Half’s 1Q 2010 Workplace Survey, April - June 2010 edition of the Hays Quarterly Report). This brings us back to a May 5 article on Today which reports the findings of another survey (from Hudson): higher salary offering is the best strategy to retain staff. Suffice to say, employers know what they lack and are willing to do things to fill in those gaps. If you are currently looking for other opportunities now that the job market is improving, we suggest you discuss things with your boss first.

Speaking of these surveys, we have just summarised the important points of their findings in NewsWatch. According to Robert Half, finance and accounting professionals are in demand:
Hays Singapore has listed the following as great career options for job hunters and those looking to change careers this quarter:

Abdul Karim, executive director, Development, Industrial & Services Co-Operative Society, said: "Unlike any other job fair which is open to everyone, we brought in employers who are willing to give ex-offenders second chances and give them jobsin today’s job fair. -- Job fair for ex-offenders gives them a chance to reintegrate into society, May 8, channelnewsasia.com.

We can't help but post this snippet. It makes us feel good that people are helping each other for career success. We hope that there will be more events like this in the country in the future. And speaking of career fairs and career events, we'd like to take this opportunity to thank CE2010's participants, exhibitors and job seekers. We hope you had a wonderful experience with us. See you next year at JobsDB Career Expo 2011!

For more career resources, please proceed to www.jobsdb.com.sg/SG/EN/Resources/JobSeekerIndex. The latest jobs in Singapore can be found here: www.jobsdb.com.sg/SG/EN/Search/NewAdvanceSearch.

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