Singapore Today
·4 min read

HR replies a Singaporean’s complaints abt Job Hunting

VIRAL YESTERDAY: This post by Jeraldine caught my attention:

5 Annoying Situations I Faced When Job Hunting in Singapore

She lists down her 5

  1. Employers who ask for your A level and O level results

  2. Interviewers who don’t read your resume before the interview

  3. Interviewers who are too boastful

  4. Dubious and unprofessional recruiters and HR managers

  5. Lack of entry level PMET roles

My first thought:

SOE

 

I shall let the politicians answer no. 5 as that is market forces at work. But Points 1 to 4 looks to me like an attack on HR.

To which – borrowing Jeraldine’s meme – I say:

&

 

Showcasing, that first and foremost, an interview is a 2-way street.

1. Employers who ask for your A level and O level results: Has a personality crystal ball been invented? No, that’s right. Not yet.

Whether or not – but especially if you are – a fresh graduate, getting your results is our way of getting raw data from you which can allow us to piece together a jigsaw puzzle of what you will be like as a future colleague. We wish to know if you have book smarts and street smarts, ethics and morals, etc. Because at the end of the day, we have a job to do also, which is to, in the shortest amount of time possible, paint a positive picture of you to the person/people you will directly report to, and these info give us bits to work on. Sure, it is time consuming, and perhaps not the most intelligent way, but until we invent a mind-reader and a personality crystal ball, please come ready with such info, caffeine-boosted personality, and a dazzling smile.

 

2. Interviewers who don’t read your resume before the interview: We have a job ahead of us to do. You have 60mins to play nice. – Sounds like you have a better deal.  

Of course we want to hear from you! The form you filled out will serve as notes, but here’s a stage and we just went to some trouble to put you on it, and we sincerely hope you impress us! Even criminals have a chance to make a written statement AND a trial – it’s a privilege, take advantage of it. And yes, we admit, we don’t read the resume in full before the interview. We skip to the part “are you suffering from any contagious disease” and if you check NO, we invite you in and play “let’s get to know each other” if this is not democratic enough, I don’t know what is.

Besides, some people cannot even pronounce the courses they’ve enrolled in.

Screen Shot 2015-10-28 at 4.20.56 pm
Ris Low: “I stardeeed horse pee tilla li tee”

 

If their job’s a customer-facing role, we’d like to know they can handle live interactions.

 

3. Interviewers who are too boastful: I repeat. An interview is a 2-way street

We want to charm you to come work for us! That’s why we do that. It’s like a date. Us boasting is somewhat proof that we have gone to the gym and brought some flowers. You? Will you bring your manners? You can politely accept our self-praise, and cleverly turn that into some sort of alignment with the company and its staff. Instead of sitting across from us, nodding, rolling your eyeballs, then penning a listicle to teach us a lesson.

4. Dubious and unprofessional recruiters and HR managers: Yes. some black sheep walk among us. 

But guess what, we haven’t stopped interviewing millenials, so don’t shut down all HR departments.

 

Dear Jeraldine,

Here are 5 commandments I think can help in your next job interview / would have added more value to your readers.

See also

Resume

Thou shalt walk through thy resume with interviewer.

Proof of authenticity that you have not manipulated any information in your resume and for you to showcase how articulate you are. Also if they haven’t read through your resume think about how many resumes they scan through during selection process, maybe they just cannot remember because they are overloaded with information? So help your interviewer out, quit whining.
Thou shalt bring thy certificates to interviews.
Your grades may not define your performance as to how you will work, but rather it boosts your opportunity to get the job over someone else and it proves your knowledge credibility. They need to hire someone that is honest and reliable. Makes sense right? Unless you order food without first seeing the menu?
Thou shalt do my homework, and sell myself.  
QuintCareers: “An adage in interviewing says the most qualified applicant is not always the one who is hired — which means the hired candidate is often the job-seeker who does the best job in responding to interview questions and showcasing his or her enthusiasm for the job, and fit with the department, and organisation.”
Thou shalt close the deal.
Conduct good practices like actively asking about the next steps in the process and the timetable the employer expects to use to make a decision about the position. And follow-up.
Thou shalt give thanks.
Thank Interviewer(s) in Person, and by Email even if you didn’t enjoy the interview / don’t think you’re going to get the job. It’s just common courtesy really, and should come as no surprise. When in doubt, inundate interviewer with professionalism and politeness, instead of saying #okaythanksbye #readmyblog

—

My favourite part about reading Jeraldine’s blog post? Some of the great comments she received. Like this one.

Screen Shot 2015-10-28 at 2.55.45 pm

We all have some work to do. Let’s be kinder to each other.

 

This writer wants to be known as Helen Rodriguez, i.e. HR

 

 

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