# Looking for IT Job with 10 Years Exp



## selvas14 (Sep 21, 2009)

Dear ExpatForum Members,

Sorry, that i knew there are plenty of same kind of threads in the above subject, but mine is little different, I'm a Site IT Head with 10 years of experience and my Mother-In-law is a PR holder, so planning to move with my family to Singapore. i have applied so many portal and the companies directly, but no response.

I'm looking for a job and I'm travelling there by this month for two weeks. 

Can anyone share some consultants who look for foreign skills, also anyother lights on the same which will be helpful for me.

Its little urgent, Please...
Thanks in advance.
Sen.


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## garytan (Jul 9, 2014)

Hi Sen

Thanks for your post. I'm a Singaporean and I work as a management consultant to the the banking and financial services industry here in Singapore. 

I'd to provide a few recommendations for you, hope they are useful.

*1. Applying to Pure IT roles in Singapore is Getting Tough*
It is now quite difficult to apply for pure IT roles (e.g. J2EE, Java, DBA, infrastructure, network roles) when relocating to Singapore. 

The reason is that the government has set up a "job bank" which companies have to refer to and hire candidates from, before they look to foreigners. 

This in itself makes things already difficult - but there is also the perspective among companies that "foreign talent" in Singapore should be high-value add, i.e. foreign applicants are not having commodity skills (generic IT or PM skills), but bring in high value skills like e.g. quantitative finance, risk analytics.

*2. Create A Job Application Checklist*
That being said, I still think you can get a job in Singapore by following some simple steps. List down what you need to do in an Excel and execute on your job application and hunt every day.

What companies do you want to apply to? Have you submitted an application to them? Do you have a standard email template you use to "get in touch" with the recruitment department? What is the status of each application? Track everything - it helps a lot.

*3. Clean Up Your CV*
One thing I usually tell my juniors looking for jobs is to clean up their CV. Since you're 10 years in IT, you should have gone through many project experiences. Write those down in your CV. Try to angle it from a "business perspective". Employers always like to see more business or functional skill sets, rather than just IT.

Myself, I was an IT application developer before, but I was slotted into insurance and banking projects. Slowly, over time, I "angled" my resume to be more business oriented and started doing more Business Analyst type roles. Today, I know enough about the banking and insurance industries to be considered a domain expert (it's not that hard).

*4. Leverage Your Network*
I'm not sure if you have friends here in Singapore who may be able to point you in the right direction and give you job contacts. That's always better than applying to company portals or headhunters. Someone you know will increase your chances a great deal.

*5. Apply to Headhunting Firms*
There are many firms in Singapore which help foreigners get jobs, particularly in the banking and insurance industries as IT business analysts, developers, architects or project managers. Some names I can think of include Robert Walters, Michael Page, eFinancialCareers, to name a few. There are some smaller firms like Adecco which you can check out too.

*6. Apply To Your Target Companies*
If you have some companies in mind, e.g. Standard Chartered Bank - then look for their website Contact page and apply for the job you want. And don't just hit the website. After you submit the application, contact the website or HR person - if you're lucky, the email is found on the website too. Email them and follow up on the status.

Sometimes I even try emailing the HR person directly and skip the website application altogether.

*7. What Differentiates You?*
I think it is critically important for you to evaluate what makes you different from the 100 other applicants out there for a potential job in Singapore. And not just in terms of "generic skillsets" - I'm talking about having some "special".

Maybe you've worked in the US, Europe and India. You have a global mindset. That's special to me and is a differentiator. Or maybe you know cash management systems very well (even if you only programmed an interface). Make that known on your CV and also talk through it in your interview.

*8. Interview Tips*
If you can, get a face-to-face interview. If you need to do it by phone, make sure you have the correct phone etiquette. That's a whole topic by itself, but in general, it's good to listen to what the interviewer is saying and answer succinctly. Don't blabber and blabber.

*9. Do You Meet The Singapore Entry Requirements?*
You should check with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority in Singapore and check what are the employment requirements. The last thing you want is to have the employer agree to hire you, having gone through a tough interview process, then realize you can't get through immigration.



Best Regards
Gary Tan


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## piyush1132003 (Oct 5, 2013)

Excellent write up , thumbs up bro !!


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## selvas14 (Sep 21, 2009)

garytan said:


> Hi Sen
> 
> Thanks for your post. I'm a Singaporean and I work as a management consultant to the the banking and financial services industry here in Singapore.
> 
> ...


Dear Gary Tan,

Thanks a ton for your valuable time and response for my request, it looks like i still need to clean up more to get a job in Singapore, starting from my Resume changes as you mentioned.

Thanks Again for this much detailed info.
Sen.


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