shareswizard of 10years and still going strong

John said...
thanks skeptic.
I was pleasantly surprised that my comments was highlighted in your blog. My name is John, so I guess you can put a name to anonymous.

I do apologise for the typo and grammer mistakes in my previous blog. I also realize my comments could have offended some people but I have no ill intent.

I have met many Singaporeans who took the plunge abroad but at the end chose family first and decided to return to Singapore. I respect that, especially for those with children. It is not easy. But like I say, working and succeeding overseas require sacrifices. Unless you have a cushy expatriate package (which are rare these days), you need to be separated from your love ones and tough choices need to be made. The point I was trying to make is that if you make a conscious decision to work abroad, then start planning ahead, mentally prepare to make sacrifices, it is possible to find jobs abroad. It is not a bed of roses but the benefits outweigh the shortcomings.

What worked for me may not not work for the rest, but here it goes:
1) decide which country you want to go. sounds obvious, but you will be surprised that most people have no clue what they want. I decided on China because I saw the opportunities to extend my career by easily 15-20 years especially for my industry. I looked at my colleagues in their 40s struggling to do something in a tiny market like Singapore and decided that I need to do something before I hit 40.
2) your next employer are likely to be abroad so it only makes sense to find any opportunities you can find on overseas conferences, job fairs, network and get to know people overseas. Pay for the trips yourself. "The prophet is never acceptable in his own country', basically, local employers in Singapore and headhunter will give you a huge discount when you tell them you want to work abroad. It is almost discrimination. No different from government treating foreigners better than Singaporeans. To give you an example I once wrote to an international headhunting firm based in Singapore and after the interview, I was so demoralized I wanted to give up. I wrote in to HK (same firm) directly, met with their partner, cleared all the interviews and was eventually hired. You need to find a way to present yourself in front of your prospective employer and show them you are hungry and willing to compete on local terms. If you are competent, you will get the job. More importantly, finance and legal sector in HK pays much better than Singapore. I eventually find my way to China, but that is another story. The jobs you are looking for are not on internet or classified ads, especially for senior positions. Attend overseas conferences, trade fairs, and pay for it yourself if you have to and network like crazy. I just don't see many singaporeans hungry enough to do this.
3) I once told a Singaporean to apply for CEIBS (a business school in Shanghai) instead of NUS if he really wants to work in China one day. I was given the usual, cost of living, ROI, value for money analysis. 40% of the participants in CEIBS are foreigners, where most of them eventually found jobs in China. Today, CEIBS is the top 10 business school in FT and NUS is still well..you know. Most Singaporeans, if they can help it, would like to stay in Singapore and use Singapore as a base to travel. It used to work, but I don't think it is feasible anymore. My point is, if you want to work in that country, best to study in that country as well. If all you have is a local degree in NUS/NTU, either you have a lot of overseas assignments to back you up or you have something else to offer.
4) Start the first few years alone and once you build some foundation and cash, bring your family over. The first few years are the toughest, but if you survive, it gets easier. How to survive is probably another topic for another day.
5) be aware of the forces that hold us back. Going overseas is a personal change process, and the comfortable lifestyle here in Singapore, girlfriends, wives, parents desire for children to stay close to them, all could be possible forces that hold us back. If you cannot afford to leave your love ones, then don't go abroad. There are friends of mine who refused overseas posting because they don't want to be apart from family. I respect that and it is a very personal choice. On another note, I am also aware that this friend of mine is struggling to find a meaningful job for 3 years since he was retrenched at 40. His company was moved to China.If he had gone with the posting, he probably still have a job and probably clocked a lot of useful experiences abroad as well.
6) there are people who are still doing very well without leaving Singapore. Your girlfriends and wives will be reminding you this as well. HR professionals, never seem to have problems looking for jobs. You make an assessment of your own industry, where is it heading and if having overseas experience benefits you.

I wish everyone the best and thank you for reading this.

May 1, 2009 3:14 AM