Finding and Keeping
*Warning: this is a loooong post
Career
It gets tiresome when people keep asking why it's taking me so long to find a job. For the umpteen time, I am not looking for a plain vanilla job. I am looking for a career change. That's right...I am a Geography graduate attempting to switch to banking and finance. And it's not easy, what with the deluge of banking, finance, business admin and engineering graduates I have to compete with.
And there's no one to tell what you are doing right or wrong. When interviews don't eventually lead to job offers, there's so many possible reasons for what didnt work out. And potential employers only offer you a handshake and a polite rejection. They dont go into the specifics so it's up to me to figure it out.
There's so many possibilities I dont even know where to start. But I dont slack so I have:
1) signed up for the CMFAS Module 6 which covers product knowledge and analysis of securities. The benefits are two fold - I know what I am dealing with when I am ready to do stock-investing and of course, it adds to my value as a candidate.
Update: I got the study guide two weeks before the exam and I only studied two days out of those. Fuck. I am a dick. Still, I managed a 50-59 score band, which is technically a pass but not enough for an award of the certificate. Damn...if i used four days, I would have gotten 100% already!
2) subscribed to The Edge, watched Money Mind on CNA, read The Business Times and various other literature on investment and wealth management. All these is very ad-hoc so I would need structured education. CFA here I come!
3) applied for short term employment in the banking sector too but it's been disgusting, all those so-called recruitment agencies which promised to help e.g. PeopleSearch. I got a call from them. I indicated my interest and the recruiter took down my email address so she can send me a pre-interview test. Nothing. I reminded her. Nothing. WTF! Well, you aint hearing the last of me. I am going to continue to bombard you suckers. If you want me off your back, u betta help me get a job in banking.
Then on Thursday early morn, Aldrin called to ask if I was interested in the booking manager position at Zouk. I said yes (half-heartedly cos that's not what I am looking for) and the interview was had on Friday with Lincoln, Tracy and Lincoln's wife, Adeline. It's all very interesting cos I get to indulge in my love for the music and be part of a world-class club. And it's a helluva lot of work cos I would be working long hours. Very weird hours too - 4pm to 1am and till the club closes on weekends! I would need to learn to drive too cos basically, I would be at the beck and call of the guest djs.
It went pretty alrite though I was probably overdressed and probably came across as a stiffy. Then Lincoln asked about remuneration which had me stumped. I didnt expect it so soon and it being such a niche job, I dont even know where to research on the pay scale. So I collated the starting salaries for positions I would otherwise take up, namely the civil service ($2,800, incl. for NS), personal banking ($2,300), marketing executive ($2,400) (the job calls for work with Marketing, you see) and so on. I took the median and added a premium of 10% cos of the stupid hours (which would effectively kill off "me time") and inevitably ended up with a figure of $2,700. I am going to put in a range of $2,600 to $2,800 for this. If they cant afford me, too bad. I have to be fair to myself too. After all, I have got the skills they want: editorial expertise, relationship management and love for the music. Except the driving license. Which I would be happy to take up with my own money cos it's a skill for life anyway.
Just in case, I am awaiting advice from Aldrin about the salary range I should put in...
People
Two Saturdays ago was spent with Danny at Zouk. Then she asked if I am going to be at Zouk and that I could look her up cos she was. It took quite a while that we eventually met. Partly because I aint that keen on reviving this whole thing. My (lack of a) career is my priority now.
We met a little around 2:30am. She wore the pretty little dress I bought her before we broke up and with which she was to go bai nian at my place. She was very pretty. And she touched me. We danced a little, our bodies really close. Then she left to join her friends.
Oh, and Satoshi was a royal bore. Except for the magic hour of 2:45 to 3:30am where it got really deep and dark. Mmmmmm...
When everyone was ready to leave the club, it had to pour. I offered to send her home but she didnt take me up on it first time. The rain helped prevent her from leaving and so we eventually went home together in a nice big Skoda cab, which I had to call and thus resulted in a hefty $33 cab fare when it was all over...
It was worth it. We kissed.
But I intend to take this slow.
Monday, the last day of April was totally devoted to Alvin's wedding cos me's one of his bros. That's some expensive wedding for me cos of the cab trips I had to take and the hefty ang bao I gave him, on advice of my mum that he would offer me a relatively good ang bao in return. Well, it didnt turn out as scripted. Cos all I got was an ang bao from the bride's side. Mum and sis were disgusted and I should too but he's my buddy. I cant be pissed with him...
It began well enough. As usual, there was the sabo part at the bride's. There was a pretty face amongst the bridesmaids. But alas, she's married.
Anyhoo...the sabo went on too long. Halfway through it, we got tired and didnt want to play along anymore. The rest of the guys werent very pushy either. We should have given back as much as we took but nope. It was all some very self-deprecating humour inflicted involuntarily on us. Sian...
The rest of the day was OK till evening came by. I helped arrange the guests for the customary photo-taking, checked that the solemnisation room was ready and caught up with some of our ex-colleagues from APMI. Too bad Kelvin wasnt there. So I caught up with Ade, Jacq, Sharon, Andy and Alfred. It was good to see them again. No regrets for leaving that fuck place but I really wish they were treated better. These are good people who deserve better.
And then it ended with Alvin, me, Don and Jeff drinking free beer and chain smoking at the hotel's courtyard...
Friday was spent with RJ, Bryan and Denise at Zouk (mainly for my interview) and a brief peek at what tweaking up the bass on the sound sytem can do to.
Mighty please? I want those bigass soundboxes!
Then we trooped down to Upper Sgoon for some teochew porridge, which was decent enough. The conversation flowed freely after our stomachs were filled and soon we were talking about the weirdest dreams we had. RJ, without fail, came up with the most scary one of joss papers and incense flooding his flat. I recalled mine about being in a bunker where the doors are several metres from the floor and the ladders to these are similarly off the floor.
Till 4am, it was. *Yawn*
Life
I am going reservist rest of the month. Bloody fucking cb sian...
Career
It gets tiresome when people keep asking why it's taking me so long to find a job. For the umpteen time, I am not looking for a plain vanilla job. I am looking for a career change. That's right...I am a Geography graduate attempting to switch to banking and finance. And it's not easy, what with the deluge of banking, finance, business admin and engineering graduates I have to compete with.
And there's no one to tell what you are doing right or wrong. When interviews don't eventually lead to job offers, there's so many possible reasons for what didnt work out. And potential employers only offer you a handshake and a polite rejection. They dont go into the specifics so it's up to me to figure it out.
There's so many possibilities I dont even know where to start. But I dont slack so I have:
1) signed up for the CMFAS Module 6 which covers product knowledge and analysis of securities. The benefits are two fold - I know what I am dealing with when I am ready to do stock-investing and of course, it adds to my value as a candidate.
Update: I got the study guide two weeks before the exam and I only studied two days out of those. Fuck. I am a dick. Still, I managed a 50-59 score band, which is technically a pass but not enough for an award of the certificate. Damn...if i used four days, I would have gotten 100% already!
2) subscribed to The Edge, watched Money Mind on CNA, read The Business Times and various other literature on investment and wealth management. All these is very ad-hoc so I would need structured education. CFA here I come!
3) applied for short term employment in the banking sector too but it's been disgusting, all those so-called recruitment agencies which promised to help e.g. PeopleSearch. I got a call from them. I indicated my interest and the recruiter took down my email address so she can send me a pre-interview test. Nothing. I reminded her. Nothing. WTF! Well, you aint hearing the last of me. I am going to continue to bombard you suckers. If you want me off your back, u betta help me get a job in banking.
Then on Thursday early morn, Aldrin called to ask if I was interested in the booking manager position at Zouk. I said yes (half-heartedly cos that's not what I am looking for) and the interview was had on Friday with Lincoln, Tracy and Lincoln's wife, Adeline. It's all very interesting cos I get to indulge in my love for the music and be part of a world-class club. And it's a helluva lot of work cos I would be working long hours. Very weird hours too - 4pm to 1am and till the club closes on weekends! I would need to learn to drive too cos basically, I would be at the beck and call of the guest djs.
It went pretty alrite though I was probably overdressed and probably came across as a stiffy. Then Lincoln asked about remuneration which had me stumped. I didnt expect it so soon and it being such a niche job, I dont even know where to research on the pay scale. So I collated the starting salaries for positions I would otherwise take up, namely the civil service ($2,800, incl. for NS), personal banking ($2,300), marketing executive ($2,400) (the job calls for work with Marketing, you see) and so on. I took the median and added a premium of 10% cos of the stupid hours (which would effectively kill off "me time") and inevitably ended up with a figure of $2,700. I am going to put in a range of $2,600 to $2,800 for this. If they cant afford me, too bad. I have to be fair to myself too. After all, I have got the skills they want: editorial expertise, relationship management and love for the music. Except the driving license. Which I would be happy to take up with my own money cos it's a skill for life anyway.
Just in case, I am awaiting advice from Aldrin about the salary range I should put in...
People
Two Saturdays ago was spent with Danny at Zouk. Then she asked if I am going to be at Zouk and that I could look her up cos she was. It took quite a while that we eventually met. Partly because I aint that keen on reviving this whole thing. My (lack of a) career is my priority now.
We met a little around 2:30am. She wore the pretty little dress I bought her before we broke up and with which she was to go bai nian at my place. She was very pretty. And she touched me. We danced a little, our bodies really close. Then she left to join her friends.
Oh, and Satoshi was a royal bore. Except for the magic hour of 2:45 to 3:30am where it got really deep and dark. Mmmmmm...
When everyone was ready to leave the club, it had to pour. I offered to send her home but she didnt take me up on it first time. The rain helped prevent her from leaving and so we eventually went home together in a nice big Skoda cab, which I had to call and thus resulted in a hefty $33 cab fare when it was all over...
It was worth it. We kissed.
But I intend to take this slow.
Monday, the last day of April was totally devoted to Alvin's wedding cos me's one of his bros. That's some expensive wedding for me cos of the cab trips I had to take and the hefty ang bao I gave him, on advice of my mum that he would offer me a relatively good ang bao in return. Well, it didnt turn out as scripted. Cos all I got was an ang bao from the bride's side. Mum and sis were disgusted and I should too but he's my buddy. I cant be pissed with him...
It began well enough. As usual, there was the sabo part at the bride's. There was a pretty face amongst the bridesmaids. But alas, she's married.
Anyhoo...the sabo went on too long. Halfway through it, we got tired and didnt want to play along anymore. The rest of the guys werent very pushy either. We should have given back as much as we took but nope. It was all some very self-deprecating humour inflicted involuntarily on us. Sian...
The rest of the day was OK till evening came by. I helped arrange the guests for the customary photo-taking, checked that the solemnisation room was ready and caught up with some of our ex-colleagues from APMI. Too bad Kelvin wasnt there. So I caught up with Ade, Jacq, Sharon, Andy and Alfred. It was good to see them again. No regrets for leaving that fuck place but I really wish they were treated better. These are good people who deserve better.
And then it ended with Alvin, me, Don and Jeff drinking free beer and chain smoking at the hotel's courtyard...
Friday was spent with RJ, Bryan and Denise at Zouk (mainly for my interview) and a brief peek at what tweaking up the bass on the sound sytem can do to.
Mighty please? I want those bigass soundboxes!
Then we trooped down to Upper Sgoon for some teochew porridge, which was decent enough. The conversation flowed freely after our stomachs were filled and soon we were talking about the weirdest dreams we had. RJ, without fail, came up with the most scary one of joss papers and incense flooding his flat. I recalled mine about being in a bunker where the doors are several metres from the floor and the ladders to these are similarly off the floor.
Till 4am, it was. *Yawn*
Life
I am going reservist rest of the month. Bloody fucking cb sian...
posted by Ming at 10:43 PM
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