THE KEY TO LANDING THE INTERVIEW

WHY LINKEDIN? HOW TO WRITE THAT AWESOME LINKEDIN PROFILE SUMMARY

LinkedIn’s mission is simple: connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.

 With more than 450 million users in 200 countries and more than two new members joining every second, LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet.

More importantly, LinkedIn has taken the place of the newspaper, your resume or even the first meetup. It is becoming increasingly used as a tool by hiring managers and recruiters to source talent. Not only does LinkedIn provide a dedicated jobs section where employers post vacancies, it is also the perfect environment for “passive job seekers” - people who aren’t currently looking for a new position, but would consider one if the right offer came along. More than 87% of recruiters vet candidacy by visiting your Linkedin profile.

Linkedin Profiles are easily visible and accessible to anyone for free. Your profile summary is the best and ideal place to showcase your potential and why you are the best fit for the job role. But to get the attention of the hiring community to click on your profile for a few seconds’ view, your profile summary has got to be one of a kind. It has to be awesome, a killer.

Successful Resumes Singapore has helped hundreds build an awesome, engaging LinkedIn profile that attracts potential employers and networking opportunities. Yes, we can help you, too. Why wait! Contact us now – info@successfulresumessingapore.com

Resume Writing: Seizing the Next Job Opportunity

Resume Writing: Seizing the next job opportunity

Careers in Anthropology and Ethnography

The emergence of THICK DATA in the Digital Economy has created a whole new set of jobs and these could be the next big thing in the job market.

What is Thick Data? It looks at the rich, qualitative reality of customers’ everyday lives and how these can influence buying behaviour. Thick Data is generated by anthropologists and ethnographers adept at observing human behaviour and its underlying motivation.

If you have not yet mastered the skills required of anthropologists and ethnographers, it’s time you did.

To know more on how you can market your newly-acquired skillsets, log onto successfulresumessingapore.com

Are You Ready For The Tough Job Market Ahead?

ARE YOU READY FOR THE TOUGH JOB MARKET AHEAD?

STRATEGISING YOUR RESUME FOR THE NEW HIRING TREND

The Singapore job market has gotten worse. Job vacancies continue to go south while the number of workers made redundant increases. According to the Ministry of Manpower, the resident jobless rate rose to 3% in 2016. A record of 72% of local residents made redundant was PMETs.

This is a worrying trend as PMETs find it difficult to secure other white-collar, desk-bound jobs with similar pay and perks. They are less flexible to transition to another career path.

Another area of concern is that those out of work take a much longer time to find work. Though the Singapore economy is purported to grow at a slightly higher rate at 2.3% for 2017, it brings a little comfort and cheer to those wondering when they will be able to find gainful employment.

As we face a very uncertain and unpredictable economic environment, salaried men and women need to bear in mind:

·        get your resume, not just right, but to meet ever-changing hiring demands

·        avoid at all cost falling into a “chronic unemployment” pit

·        be ready for the future of work – SkillFuture ready

·        embrace change and re-skilling, earn new skillsets

·        acquire life skills and build resilience

It is also worth the while to take a personality and aptitude test to find out your gifts and what you are made for. Whilst driving Uber and Grab isn’t unfitting nor degrading, it’s hardly a skill-development job nor it is SkillFuture ready for the new frontier. We applauded Assoc Prof Donald Low from the LKY IPS for highlighting these downsides.

For more information on how we can assist you in career management planning, log onto www.successfulresumessingapore.com 

Employment Landscape, Job Prospects and the Future of Work

EMPLOYMENT LANDSCAPE, JOB PROSPECTS AND THE FUTURE OF WORK

Salaried people face challenging and uncertain times. Career advancement and job security are just illusions. Wake up, salaried men and women! Jobs are created in the best interests of companies and NOT the employees. The job that you hold dear may disappear tomorrow.

Futurist Thomas Frey may sound very dystopian but according to him, some two billion jobs would be gone with the wind by 2030. Singapore, too, is experiencing seven-year high layoffs. NTUC, Singapore’s labour movement, has expressed concern over rising in resident unemployment and redundancies in the city-state. We can blame factors like global economic slowdown, the rise of political populism, emergence of next generation technology, globalisation, outsourcing and hosts of other predicaments.

But, do salaried workers and career professionals take aim and blame themselves instead? The onus is entirely on you and only you alone can make that difference whether you can stay employed. Are you seriously gearing up for retraining and reskilling for the work of the future? Some countries like Singapore where the government of the day takes responsibility in partnering manpower and training institutions to offer a large suite of skills future training and financial support to ready its people for jobs of the future. So, what are you waiting for? Go, take advantage of these offerings, lest you feel sorry for yourself.

TOP JOBS IN 2020   

·        ROBOTS AND COMPUTERS WILL DO MUCH OF THE JOBS HUMANS NOW DO.

·        WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM (WEF) REPORT 2016 ESTIMATES 5M JOBS WILL BE LOST TO AUTOMATION.

·        INSTITUTE FOR THE FUTURE CITES THE FOLLOWING JOBS TO BE IN DEMAND IN 2020

§  TECHNOLOGY & COMPUTATIONAL THINKING:

Related jobs: software developers, computer system analysts, market research analysts, marketing specialists

§  CAREGIVING & HEALTH-RELATED:

Related jobs: medical technicians, physical therapists, workplace ergonomics experts, veterinarians, medical secretaries & assistants

§  SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE AND NEW MEDIA LITERACY:

Related jobs: Jobs with heavy reliance on soft skills, emotional intelligence, & cross-cultural competency: marketing specialists, customer services specialists, retail & other sales-related professionals

§  LIFE-LONG LEARNING: World Future Society predicts people will need to keep on learning new things by using technology to find best resources to keep knowledge current.

Related jobs: educators, teachers, trainers, researchers

§  ADAPTABILITY AND BUSINESS ACUMEN: Understanding how businesses work in line with the rapid emergence of the “gig economy”.

Related jobs: entrepreneurs, management analysts, accountants, auditors

TOP SKILLS REQUIRED IN 2020
·         COMPLEX PROBLEM SOLVING	·         CRITICAL THINKING
·         CREATIVITY	·         PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
·         COORDINATING WITH OTHERS	·         EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
·         JUDGEMENT & DECISION MAKING	·         SERVICE ORIENTATION
·         NEGOTIATION	·         COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY

We at Successful Resumes Singapore and Career Management Institute can and will be pleased to assist and profile you as the RESOURCE PERSON of choice for the jobs of the future. Log onto www.successfulresumessingapore.com for more details.

INSPIRE • TRANSFORM • LEAD

RESUME WRITING - THE FUTURE OF WORK

EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES AND ISSUES FOR 2017 IN SINGAPORE

EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES AND ISSUES FOR 2017 IN SINGAPORE

A fresh new year is once again upon us. What is the employment scenario like for Singapore in 2017? What are the employers’ hiring intentions for the year? Will there be better days for those seeking decent paying jobs? Will the economic downturn experienced in 2016 be worse in 2017 and thus causing upheavals in the job market?

2016 Employment Market Overview

Unemployment rate and lay-offs hit a 7-year high. An estimated 68 300 residents – of whom 60 300 are citizens were out of work. Over 12 100 employees were retrenched for the period Jan to Sep 2016. More lay-offs are expected in the last quarter 2016.

Companies in the oil and gas, marine and the financial services sectors, bearing the brunt of the economic downturn, slashed the most number of jobs. HRM Asia cited banks like Standard Chartered, Barclays, Royal bank of Scotland, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank exercised mass layoffs. Marine industry giant, Keppel, revealed it retrenched some 660 employees between June and September. Maersk shed 4000 jobs worldwide. Hospitality and casino operator, Resort World Sentosa, axed 400 jobs in June. Inchcape, Toyota and Suzuki distributors, joined the fray and released 120 staff including its CEO for South Asia.

Other big boys reducing headcounts included Yahoo, Rakuten, Goldman Sachs and the list goes on.

Retrenchment and unemployment figures released by the Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) confirmed the labour market is at its worst since 2009 in the 3^rd quarter of 2016. The seasonally adjusted overall unemployment rate rose from 1.9% in March 2016 to 2.1% in June 2016. The MOM has not released the statistics for the last quarter.

Economic Outlook for 2017

Will Singapore face a gloom and doom front in 2017? Not quite. Judging from the assessment by the IMF (Article 4 assessment), Singapore’s economy will not shrink and is expected to grow by 1.7% in 2017, supported by accommodative fiscal and monetary policies. Low energy prices and the ongoing global recovery can also help. In the near term, however, risks are skewed to the downside. Slower global and regional growth, global financial volatility and growth of political populism are hindrances to growth.

2017 Employment Market Landscape

According to survey polls, recruiting consultants and employers are cautiously optimistic about employee hiring plans in 2017. A survey among 620 employers found that 15% intended to hire and increase headcount, 7% planned to decrease and 71% expected no change. Another survey by a leading recruiting firm found that 36% of Singapore companies were planning to increase headcount in 2017.

The hiring outlook for 2017 is likely to be buoyant, partly, because the Government is proactively investing in three key industries – digital, information technology and healthcare. Hence, employers across these three sectors are likely to continue actively hiring to fill newly-created positions.

It is also noted that though employers are still hiring, they are more precise, discerning and cautious in their hiring practices. They seek out potential employees with specific talent who can add value and contribute aggressively to their bottom line. The focus is hiring the right talent.

Rather than fighting for a small pool of specialised talent in the open market, employers prefer spending money and resources equipping their existing workforce with the necessary tools and skills. Employers have lamented frequently about Singapore’s small talent pool.

On the wage front, recent salary forecast surveys indicate that more than 75% of employers are likely to implement salary increments in the new year, albeit moderately.

Whole New World for Job Seekers and Career Changers

For starters, brace yourself for some tough, challenging times ahead. If you are out of work for some time or fresh out of polytechnic or university, you need to try understand yourself better and what you have to offer to the world of work.

The job market has changed dramatically. Jobs don’t last very long and job security is more of a myth. Full time jobs are getting harder and harder to find. There have been a dramatic increase in the number of part-time, temp or contract jobs

Job hunting has become part of one’s job and is increasingly becoming a repetitive activity for the majority of job seekers.

You have to adapt to an ever evolving job hunting methodology. Job hunting has moved more and more online. Networking and social media have become a fantastic source of career information and job opportunities.

Next, you need to deal with any handicap that you may have. Lack of specific technical skills is one such handicap. The Singapore Government regularly reminds Singaporeans about the importance of   upgrading their skillsets through state-driven initiatives such as the Skills Future Credit Scheme. So, take advantage of such offerings. Another problem with Singaporean job seekers is their prejudice against small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Many are still unwilling to take up jobs in SMEs thinking that these firms offer little career prospects, lower pay and perks.

Finally, survey findings including media releases from MOM about hiring intentions can be dizzying. You may not find comfort though 2017 holds a brighter and more promising future. The real challenge when you are out job hunting is moderating your expectations. The onus is now on you – only you can make that difference.

Successful Resumes Singapore

Career Management Institute

www.successfulresumessingapore.com