Landing your dream job in Singapore

We cover some techniques to put you in a better position to land that dream job.

Is it wrong for us to demand more fulfilling jobs in Singapore? Is the government entitled and right to label us as “too demanding” when we decide on jobs? And are we less favorable employees because we have toed rigid government lines for too long? All good questions but unfortunately to be left as an article for another day.

Today we want to focus on more important things such as how to build credibility and discuss some useful techniques to land that dream job that you have always wanted. This article would be particularly useful for those who have been posting numerous graduation photos in the past week. Congratuations and welcome to the working world!

1. Have a dream

People like other people who are passionate and have big ideas.

By having a dream and essentially a goal, you are able to chart out what you want to do and where you want to be. If you have an idea, it associates you with courage, to speak what you think and also highlights your thought process. Of course by highlighting your thought process, people could actually be alerted to how stupid you really are, but let’s assume close friends have already told you whether you’re dumb or smart.

Knowing what your ultimate dream is will help you plan for where you need to start. And because landing a terrible job can take almost as much effort as landing a dream job, it makes sense to know where you want to end up in your career.

2. Socialise & Network

You may not like it, but guess what? It works!

Be it on facebook, linkedIn or in reality, you need to get your name out there. Your name is your personal brand, and the more people that know who you are, the higher the chance of you getting hired.

Social media have come of age in the past 5 years, and platforms like LinkedIn have played big roles in helping people land jobs through building a virtual network, which can be bought if you’re socially awkward. Another social media aspect that came to light in the last 5 years is your employers ability to google you, or search your profile on Facebook, this can either be a deal-breaker or –maker. So consider who is going to potentially see that 9GAG post you’re about to share (regardless of how funny you might think it is).

Networking with people in the industry is a no-brainer. There are bands of people constantly meeting up after work for drinks at specially organised networking sessions. Try to get into these cliques. Put your name out there, share your dreams that you have developed in our first pointer.

3. Have a strong CV

Not the most creative or innovative idea we will ever suggest.

So you’ve networked now and people are sufficiently impressed with your big ideas. You still need to fulfill the prerequisite of submitting a CV. And you need a good one.

Try to be creative but remember if you’ve already done step 1 and 2, this should be a breeze. If not, let’s now try to not get your CV thrown into the bin, or be used as scrap paper for the hiring manager.

Avoid overused words like Dynamic, Goal-oriented, team player and everything else in between, most recruiters have read them all. Lead in with your strengths, experience and goals.

4.  Ace the interview

Of course you are going to have to ace the interview.

Assuming you get the call back, you have to be prepared. And we won’t even ask you to do background research on the company before going in, you don’t deserve to be hired if you’re not going to do this.

Prepare for questions that you’re likely going to be asked, prepare answers for those, obviously. Have a good background knowledge of the environment surrounding the job scope and air your ideas here in a big way. Having something contrarian, that makes sense, is going to impress your employers even if it probably would not work. Nevertheless, it shows that you’re thinking and are brave enough to put yourself in a situation to be judged.

Once you’ve aced the interview, let’s start thinking about negotiating a higher pay.

Conclusion

The power to get a dream job is in your hands. And like most good things in life, it’s a long journey toward getting it and something that you have to fight for. Opportunities turn up at every corner and you won’t know whom you might meet or what big idea of yours might impress upon others. So it’s very important to be yourself, and be the best version of yourself by having ideologies that you are passionate about, adapting to situations, being adequately prepared and educated.

Royalty-free photo from Getty Images. Used with appreciation.

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