Career 02 (Apr 10 - Apr 12)

[kennynah]

you should watch this movie to see how people are brainwashed into believing that working for others can really lead to personal success...

at least...plenty of pretty and aspiring actresses..

[winston]

"Think not of yourself as the architect of your career but as the sculptor. Expect to have to do a lot of hard hammering and chiseling and scraping and polishing."

B.C. Forbes

[kennynah]

"Think not of yourself as the architect of your career but as the sculptor. Expect to have to do a lot of hard hammering and chiseling and scraping and polishing."

B.C. Forbes

these words from a capitalist.... i can understand his agenda.... it can be easily paraphrased as

think not of yourself... think for your paymaster who offers you an opportunity to place bread on your table...expect to do a lot of hard hammering and chiseling and scraping for crumbs and polishing my shoes.... this is what you as a worker must do to ensure I continue to profit and allowing you to place bread on your table

[millionairemind]

Published July 21, 2010

Priorities change for talent as economy booms

By CHEN HUIFEN

THE better economic climate appears to have shifted the priorities for talent in their job search.

Opportunity for long- term career progression, and an attractive overall compensation-and-benefits package have moved up the ranks as the top two attributes that would attract them to an organisation, replacing autonomy and recognition of work in a similar study done in 2008.

The findings were the result of research conducted by the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and branding specialist StrategiCom. The research polled 150 MBA students, undergraduates and working professionals, on the most and least important factors that would draw and make them stay in a company. The first survey was done in late 2008, and a second correlation study carried out in March this year, to see if the factors have remained constant.

SNEF and StrategiCom said that the increased importance of a long-term career progression and attractive remuneration package could have been the result of the rising cost of living in Singapore, combined with workers having experienced wage cuts and retrenchments in the last two years. While employees were more willing to take up contract positions then, they now prefer long-term positions in places where they are able to develop their careers.

'This time last year, the labour market was loose in such a way that there were three persons to a job,' added SNEF executive director Koh Juan Kiat. 'Now it's down to one person to one job. The labour market is tightening. With growth projections up to 13-15 per cent, we expect much more intense competition for the kind of people whom companies need to sustain their growth.'

What stood out in the recent research was also the emergence of work-life balance as a key consideration; it was ranked the third most important attribute in attracting talent to a firm, and the fifth most important attribute in talent retention. Back in 2008, work-life balance did not figure among the top five influential factors.

'Today, the workforce in Singapore is very different,' explained StrategiCom CEO Wilson Chew. 'We have a vibrant city, we have a very positive economy going forward. Asia as a whole is seen to be a roaring region. So I think with that, it is only natural that talent in any city as advanced as ours would aspire to want more.

'And 'want more' does not necessarily come in attractive compensation package as a whole. You also look at personal development right at the top. Of course, then that is coupled with the ability to spend more time with personal interests and family.'

Training and development continues to be ranked as the fifth most important factor in attracting talent, after the fourth- ranked attribute of 'opportunity to work in different roles'.

[millionairemind]

Published July 26, 2010

SMEs need to 'sell' more to attract talent

Consultant says there should no secret about their long-term vision

By CHEN HUIFEN

MOST SMEs here probably have some attributes that will attract talent, but what's lacking is a concerted effort to communicate these attributes to the talent they would like to attract.

That's the view of Strategicom chief executive Wilson Chew, whose company recently concluded research on the branding of SMEs as employers with the Singapore National Employers' Federation (SNEF).

The study shows that the top five attributes that today's talent looks for in an employer are: opportunity for long-term career progression, attractive overall compensation and benefit package, work-life balance, opportunity to work in different roles, and training and development.

Dr Chew said that it does not matter if an SME does not have all five attributes. What is more important is to inform others about the attributes the organisation does have, so that talent who deems these attributes important see an alignment of what they desire with what the company can offer.

'There should be no secret about long-term vision,' said Dr Chew. 'Our talents are telling us through this survey that they need to see congruency between their career goals and the goals of the organisation.

'As long as they can see the congruency, they will be attracted. So if you flip that, from the SME's point of view, the thing to do is to communicate that long- term vision and continue to communicate it through every possible platform.'

And this need not be expensive. A well-organised corporate website can be an effective channel to communicate a company's vision and values.

'The second step is to make sure all employees know the long-term vision of the enterprise, because they are also the ones who talk to people outside the organisation,' said Dr Chew. 'But they can't do it if employers don't communicate long-term goals effectively.'

For instance, SMEs that offer 'opportunity for long-term career progression' could showcase studies of individuals who have moved from, say, supervisor to director. While SMEs, in general, may not be able to match multinational firms in terms of basic wages, many SMEs offer attractive incentives, which should also be articulated, said Dr Chew.

'While SMEs may not be able to benchmark or compete with MNCs on dollar-to-dollar basic wage, they can certainly compete on performance incentives - and it can be very attractive,' he said.

The findings were drawn from a survey of 150 MBA students, undergraduates and working professionals in March. The survey follows a similar one in 2008. A comparison of the two studies shows that the job search priorities of talent changes with the economic environment. Findings of both surveys will be discussed at the upcoming SNEF 30th Anniversary CEO and Employers' Summit on July 28-29.

[millionairemind]

Despite the economy rebounding so strongly, I am surprised that only 72% have secured employment at this stage after graduation.

Published July 27, 2010

72% of fresh NTU grads have secured employment

EVEN before convocation, 71.7 per cent of Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) fresh crop of graduates are already employed, up from 67.1 per cent in the same period the year before, according to the university's own preliminary survey.

Speaking at NTU's convocation ceremony, NTU's president Su Guaning said that its graduates can look forward to a job market that's 'inviting and full of opportunities' thanks to Singapore's strong economic recovery this year.

As such, it is likely that the Class of 2010 will surpass last year's count of 97.3 per cent of the cohort who received one or more job offers within four months of graduation.

Dr Su remarked that this is a turnaround from the grim outlook of the year before, where 'we had been warned to expect the worst and to brace ourselves for uncertain economic conditions ahead'.

This year, a record number of 8,526 new graduates joined the ranks of 140,000 NTU alumni.

Among those who graduated were those from pioneer double degree programmes from the School of Biological Sciences and School of Computer Engineering as well as the joint double-degree programme by NTU and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

[kennynah]

nong nong ago...and i mean some 25-30 years ago... being a university graduate is a passport to being hired... companies compete to hire the nation's cream of the crop, which aren't many when there were just 2 universities and a relatively small student population..

today, we have so many universities, i lost track...in addition, we have a global foreign graduate workforce here as well...

having a bachelor's degree today, is almost like having an "A" Level or Diploma certificate 20 years ago... it is no longer any guarantee that only the brightest get to university... any average faring student should get a slot in NUS/NTU/SIM/Open Univ/Close Univ/Neighbourhood Univ/Univ of London/Univ of Paris/Univ of Istanbul/Univ of Toa Payoh/etc....

in short.... a varsity graduate is a dime a dozen these days... no more premium...

[Aspellian]

Now more and more are getting a MBA, CFA, CIA, CPA, PHD, double Masters etc etc to get an edge....

What is an edge?

[kennynah]

A constantly sharpened knife

行行出状元..there can be no further truth to this ancient adage.. even a kopi seller skilled in his craft can make a decent living to feed his family..

A basic education is mostly sufficient. Beyond that all employees become useful only when he is able to contribute positively to his employer.. If that means earning an MBA will enhance his contribution, good and well.. Otherwise, it makes no difference if a cab driver is PhD holder..

[millionairemind]

A basic education is mostly sufficient. Beyond that all employees become useful only when he is able to contribute positively to his employer.. If that means earning an MBA will enhance his contribution, good and well.. Otherwise, it makes no difference if a cab driver is PhD holder..

Totally agree with both hands and feet.

I have friends who have gone thro' the MBA route and are still working as senior engineers... I got other engineering friends who did not take any MBA but constantly added value to their employer and are now directors in their company..

I guess MBA is needed if you want to pursue a career in finance... other than that, its more important to have the practical know how.

I know of many Fortune 500 CEOs that do not have MBAs.

My former boss says it best " I would rather hire an Chemical engineer who had only a decent pass but was the varsity basketball captain than a 1st class honors who did not take part in any activities".