Tips on How to Look for Jobs in Singapore

Here are some tips that we gathered from friends who came to Singapore to look for work and found really nice ones.
We hope these tips can help others as well...

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Prior to coming to Singapore...
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1. Apply for EPEC (Employment Pass Elegibility Certificate) to be allowed to stay legally for up to 1 year at a time. Application is done online, and its for free.
Visit http://www.mom.gov.sg/publish/momportal/en/communities/work_pass/other_passes/employment_pass_eligibility.html

2. Look for jobs online. List all important particulars for matched jobs (Company name, address, email, contact person, phone number etc) to facilitate speedier application when already in Singapore.
Most prominent and useful sites:
- www.JobsDB.com.sg
- www.ST701.com.sg
- www.singapore.recruit.net

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When already in Singapore...
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3. Look for jobs in the Classified section of the local newspaper The Straits Times. These job vacancies are updated and complete. The Classified sections come out every Wednesdays (small companies) and Saturdays (major companies). Each one costs SGD 0.80 (Php 27).

4. Call up all listed companies in your field in the local Yellow pages (companies are sorted according to industry) to ask about job vacancies. Usually one can find job vacancies that are not advertised online using this method. The advantage of this is you have virtually no competition for these jobs.

Here are some amusing remarks that we got from some companies we called-up:

Julie: "Good morning, can you please connect me to the HR Department."
Employee: "Eh, sorry, this is a one-line company so this is it...."
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JB: "Hello, good morning sir, can you please connect me to the HR Department?"
Employee: "Ah no no no no no no, this is a one-man show, sorry." (hangs-up)
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Julie: "Hello, good morning sir, can you please connect me to the HR Department?"
Employee: "I am the only person in the office. I'm afraid my boss is not around so I have no idea..."
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JB: "Hello, good morning madam, can you please connect me to the HR Department?"
Employee: "Sino po hanap ninyo?"
JB: "Uh, I'm sorry?"
Employee: "Sino po yung hinahanap ninyo?"
JB: "Pinoy po kayo?!?!"

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JB: "Hello, good morning sir, can you please connect me to the HR Department?"
Employee: "Sorry, we have no HR department in Singapore"
JB: "I see. Could you please provide me with the contact address of your HR Department abroad?"
Employee: "We have no HR Department, we do not hire employees in our company."
JB: "I understand. Thank you for this information."
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JB: "Hello, good morning ma'am, can you please connect me to the HR Department?"
Employee: "Ahahahahaha we have no HR Department, but maybe I can assist you?"
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Moral of the story: Usually only small companies are the ones listed in the Yellow Pages. The big guys like IBM, Canon etc prefer to be unlisted. So searching for jobs in the internet and newspapers are more important if you prefer to work in a MNC.

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CV Related:
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1. Tailor your CV to match the job description and requirements to the letter (this is very very important) for EACH application. Just don't attempt to lie on your CV.
2. Create a very nice and complete cover letter, again for EACH application. HR people will read your cover letter first before deciding to look or not to look at your CV.
3. When addressing your emails/cover letters, avoid using "Dear Recruiter" or some other general label. Addressing the HR people by name helps your application to be noticed among the tons of applications. So make an effort to research the name of the HR Manager/Recruitment officer (using goggle works) prior to sending in your application.
4. Related to #3, try to email directly to the individual email of the Recruitment officer (instead of common company recruitment address eg. jobs@blahblah.com). This can be retrieved by calling the company directly and asking the HR team prior to application. What we do is we send in applications to all available email addresses.

Other notes to follow...

i've done 86 out of 144 stupid things

(x) smoked a cigarette (never again!)
( ) smoked a cigar
( ) done weed (never!)
(x) drank alcohol

SO FAR: 2

Level 2
(x) been in love
(x) been dumped
( ) shoplifted
( ) been fired (forced to resign – same thing right?)
(x) been in a fist fight

SO FAR: 5

Level 3
(x) snuck out of the house
(x) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
(x) been arrested (not my fault!)
( ) made out with a stranger
(x) gone out on a blind date

SO FAR: 9

Level 4
(x) had a crush on an older person
(x) skipped school
(x) slept (not sex) with a co-worker/classmate
(x) seen someone/something die (my fish... sniff sniff)

SO FAR: 13

Level 5
(x) had/have a crush or liked on one of your friends.
(x) been to Paris (how is this stupid? 0_0)
( ) been to Spain (and this?)
(x) been on a plane
(x) thrown up from drinking (never again!)

SO FAR: 17

Level 6
(x) eaten Sushi
( ) been snowboarding
( ) met someone BECAUSE of myspace
(x) been mosh pitting (hehehe scary but fun!)

SO FAR: 19

Level 7
( ) been in an abusive relationship (counted ba ung work relationship?)
(x) taken pain killers
(x) love/loved someone who you can’t have
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
( ) made a snow angel

SO FAR: 22

Level 8
(x) had a tea party
(x) flown a kite
(x) built a sand castle
(x) gone puddle jumping
(x) played dress ups

SO FAR: 27

Level 9
(x) jumped into a pile of leaves (had to rake them all back afterwards)
( ) gone sledging
(x) cheated while playing a game
(x) been lonely
(x) fallen asleep at work/school

SO FAR: 31

Level 10
(x) used a fake/someone else's ID
(x) watched the sun set
(x) felt an earthquake
( ) killed a snake

SO FAR: 34

Level 11
(x) been tickled
(x) been robbed/vandalized (my cool pencil case huhuhu)
( ) robbed someone
(x) been misunderstood
( ) pet a deer

SO FAR: 37

Level 12
(x) won a contest
( ) been suspended from school
( ) had detention
(x) been in a car/motorcycle/4-wheeler accident

SO FAR: 39

Level 13
( ) had/have braces
( ) eaten a whole tub of ice cream in one night
(x) had deja vu
( ) danced in the moonlight

SO FAR: 40

Level 14
(x) hated the way you look
( ) witnessed a crime
( ) pole danced
(x) questioned your heart
( ) been obsessed with post-it notes

SO FAR: 42

Level 15
(x) squished barefoot through the mud
(x) been lost
(x) been to the opposite side of the world
(x) swam in the ocean
(x) felt like you were dying

SO FAR: 47

Level 16
(x) cried yourself to sleep
(x) played cops and robbers
( ) recently colored w/crayons/colored pencils/markers
(x) sang karaoke
(x) paid for a meal with only coins (500 yen coins!)

SO FAR: 51

Level 17
(x) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) made prank phone calls
(x) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) kissed in the rain

SO FAR: 54

Level 18
(x) written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) been kissed under a mistletoe
(x) watched the sun set with someone you care/cared about
(x) blown bubbles
(x) made a bonfire on the beach (Capones!)

SO FAR: 58

Level 19
(x) crashed a party
( ) have traveled more than 5 days with a car full of people
( ) gone rollerskating/blading
(x) had a wish come true

SO FAR: 60

Level 20
( ) worn pearls
( ) jumped off a bridge
( ) screamed "you suck" in class (or “suck it!!!”)
( ) swam with dolphins

SO FAR: 60

Level 22
(x) got your tongue stuck to a freezer/ice cube
( ) kissed a fish
(x) worn the opposite sex’s clothes
(x) sat on a roof top

SO FAR: 63

Level 23
(x) screamed at the top of your lungs
( ) done/attempted a one-handed cartwheel
( ) talked on the phone for more than 5 hours
(x) stayed up all night

SO FAR: 65

Level 24
(x) picked and ate an apple right off the tree
(x) climbed a tree
(x) had been in a tree house
(x) are scared to watch scary movies alone

SO FAR: 69

Level 25
(x) believe in ghosts
( ) have/had more than 30 pairs of shoes throughout your life
( ) gone streaking
( ) gone to jail

SO FAR: 70

Level 26
(x) played chicken
( ) been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
( ) been told you're hot by a complete stranger (counted ba un exotic? ;P)
(x) been easily amused

SO FAR: 72

Level 27
(x) caught a fish then ate it (hahaha sa pond nila ann! yumyum tilapia)
( ) almost drowned in a pool
( ) caught a butterfly
(x) laughed so hard you cried
(x) cried so hard you laughed

SO FAR: 75

Level 28
( ) mooned/flashed someone (never!)
(x) had someone moon/flash you (hahaha ;P)
(x) cheated on a test
(x) forgotten someone's name (hahaha sori roy)
(x) slept naked (0_0)
( ) French braided someone’s hair
( ) gone skinny dipping in a pool
( ) been kicked out of your house

SO FAR: 79

Level 30
(x) rode on a roller coaster
(x) went scuba-diving/snorkeling
(x) had a cavity
( ) Black-mailed someone
( ) been black mailed

SO FAR: 82

Level 31
(x) been used (sniff sniff...)
(x) fell going up the stairs
( ) licked a cat
(x) bitten someone
(x) licked someone

TOTAL: 86

repost this with:

i've done 86 out of 144 stupid things