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Anonymous

16 Jan 2020

Adulting

Any advice for a Part-time degree graduate when it comes to finding a job?

I am graduating from SUSS this year, and i am starting on my job search. I have applied to several firms but i have not received any response. How much should my expected pay be? I have been working for 3 years in a local airline and my pay is less than 2.5k. Any advice for a job seeker?

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Yuantai Liu

16 Jan 2020

Chief Coach at Happy Coach

I think Mark Chan has provided a pretty comprehensive answer, so I will supplement his answer.

Before we dive deep into finding a job, be very sure with your PURPOSE.

What would you like to achieve in the next 3-5 years?

How would being successful feel like?

What are you passionate about?

What relevant skill sets do you have?

You mentioned part-time degree, so I might just mention that while part time degree doesn't offer as much depth as full time degrees, you will make up for it in terms of work experience, assuming that you are working in a related industry while you are studying.

That experience might give you an edge in interviews, and also a less steep learning curve compared to a fresh graduate.

If you need further help, feel free to drop me an email at [email protected].

Wish you a fruitful and abundant 2020!

~Happy Man ^^

Mark Chan

15 Jan 2020

Business Manager at Amobee

Hi Anon!

As with any job search, the key is to differentiate yourself from the rest as the best candidate for the job in order to successfully secure it.

It’s worth tackling this by distilling the job search process down to its different components.

  1. Looking for the role / Receiving invites to interviews

  2. Positioning yourself

  3. Research

  4. Interviewing

Looking for the role / Receiving invites to interviews

At this stage, there are some tips and tricks that you should be aware of. Namely, there are a number of online job portals out there that you can apply on. This includes:

  • LinkedIn

  • Glassdoor

  • Your university’s career portal

  • Careers@Gov (for roles within the SG Government)

  • Jobsbank

  • Etc

You can also consider engaging a recruitment consultant to help you secure a role

Positioning yourself

Make sure you keep an updated LinkedIn career profile

It is also important to review your resume and cover letter when applying. To maximise your chance of getting a callback, try customising your profile so that the person on the other end screening your resume can see your most relevant skills to the role and also that effort has been put into your application.

Research

Research is key at this stage as it not only allows you to adequately address any role or company specific questions thrown at you, but also allow you to understand if the company operations, job responsibilities, work environment, prospective manager and colleagues as well as culture suits what you are looking for.

Conduct a Google search to understand the company’s operations and execution methods. Keep yourself abreast of the latest developments in the industry relating to the firm, and whether the firm has appeared in the news lately. Lastly, reach out to any friends or connections working in the firm to best understand its culture as this is not soemthing that can be evidenced from information presented online.

Interviewing

Dress appropriately and arrive ahead of schedule so that you have time to calm your nerves and also acclimatise yourself to the interview environment. Go prepared with a notebook and pen as it is important to note down any key information shared during the interview process which may not be available in the job description or anywhere else.

Recommended starting pay

Regarding your starting pay, this honestly depends on the level of the position you are interviewing for (senior roles generally get paid more), and the amount of supply vs demand of talent (e.g. scarcity of technical talent has driven up the price of talent in the market).

However, as a rule of thumb, for a fresh business graduate from SUSS, you can expect to command a monthly salary of $3,200. Seedly has compiled this information here for your reference.

All the best for your job hunt!​​​

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