Whither the personal touch?

Image by publik15 via Flickr

EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES

Now would be a good time to raise levels of professionalism

Letter from Gilbert Goh

I HAVE sought out the services of employment agencies before, but have been disappointed, to say the least. I have since given up relying on employment agencies for a job. Many ask you to lower your salary range to ridiculous levels or ask whether you are willing to do something totally different from your area of expertise. Most offer part-time clerical work at around $5 an hour.

I have found, in general, their service to be terrible. Many simply do not respond to you at all after asking you to send a resume. Even if you attend their interviews, many do not get back to you thereafter.

To me, employment agencies here lack professionalism and the personal touch. They are merely interested in clinching sales, oblivious to the feelings of the jobseeker.

Due to the agencies’ focus on meeting sales targets, many of their staff move on when they are unable to meet sales targets so there is no continuity of service. A client could well be served by a few different consultants over a short period, say three to four months.

The consultants here are mostly in their 20s and can hardly be expected to be able to empathise with a middle-aged jobless person. They do not understand the struggles a middle-aged worker has and can be insensitive when trying to coerce someone to enter a totally new field of work.

Maybe there are too many jobseekers then and too few jobs available for matching; still, it would be nice to be treated as a person, not a statistic or sales target.

Now would be a good time for employment agencies raise their level of professionalism. For starters, a templated response should be provided to every email and enquiry over any job opening. This is simple professional courtesy.

There was one positive experience I had with a woman from a small recruitment company. Not only did she exhibit understanding and provide encouragement, she also took time to go through my resume and suggested some changes so it would appear more professional. Though she did not manage to get me a job, I still remember her many years on as one of the rare few to stand out.

I am not here to run down all employment agencies. I am sure some are well run, professional outfits. Nonetheless, I urge all jobseekers to try all avenues and spread your resources around, so that you can benefit from several job search vehicles.

From TODAY, Voices – Friday, 12-Jun-2009

Related articles by Zemanta

• Channel 4 probes ageism in accounting profession (accountancyage.com)
• Find a job by networking (5min.com)
• 10 Job Listing Sites With Unique Opportunities (jobsearchingblog.com)
• Zumeo.com - Next Generation Resumes (killerstartups.com)
• eHire.com - Finding Jobs Over The Web (killerstartups.com)
• Hundreds swarm job fair (thestar.com)
• Get over losing job to find employment (thestar.com)
• Windsor's job outlook promising (windsorstar.com)
• Free Job Posting Site for Media (seomashup.blogspot.com)
• Jobseekers find personal details abused (micasadenipa.blogspot.com)

Any job should do...

COPING WITH THE RECESSION

Flexibility will impress future employers, Gan tells youth who raise discrimination concerns

ESTHER NG, estherng@mediacorp.com.sg

AS A fresh graduate, do I really have to accept a blue-collar job?

This plaintive question — sent via SMS by a participant in the audience, who worried that it would affect one’s shot at a PMET job after the economy recovers — drew some laughter as it was read aloud.

But Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong was in earnest as he advised this participant, and the other 80 or so youthful participants at the dialogue session with Young NTUC, to be flexible when jobhunting in a downturn. He urged them to “take up any job that is available”, as there would always be “opportunities to upgrade later on”.

Say an employer asks why you’ve not been working for the past one year — do you answer that there were “no jobs available”?

“Employers will not believe because there are always jobs available,” said Mr Gan. “Employers will think ... if in a crisis situation you’re willing to sit at home and do nothing, it means that you’re not flexible.”

For instance, Mr Gan revealed his “dream job” had been to teach, but the closest he got to it was as Minister of State for Education.

“The important thing is not to look for things we like to do, but to like the things that you’re doing”, he stressed, reiterating that many jobs are available in the fields of early childhood education, tourism, science and technology.

The two-hour forum at NTUC Centre yesterday involved mostly young unionists, and the issues they raised centred on the recession and other hurdles for graduates in the job market.

One asked: Are there enough training places for everyone, and should they look to upgrade their skills in an area they like — or train for where there is a market need?

Giving his assurance of sufficient training resources and capacity, Mr Gan advised job-seekers to approach the Employment and Employability Institute or Community Development Councils, where “career consultants” will help match their abilities with “market needs”. Training comes in where there is a mismatch, he said.

Ms Joyce Wong, 21, wondered if local graduates with degrees from private institutions enjoy equal job prospects as graduates from the three local universities.

Ms Mabel Siew, 23, wanted to know why applicants are compelled to disclose whether they are bankrupt and their medical conditions. Should they answer truthfully? “Because if you do, chances are you may not get the job,” she told Today later.

Both were hoping for some form of anti-discrimination legislation, but were not surprised when Mr Gan said the Government would “rather not legislate because the employer can get information through other means”.

He advised job applicants to be “honest” and, if they encounter discrimination, to approach the Tripartite Centre for Fair Employment.

On recognition of degrees, he said: “Even if you put up legislation, when you apply, (employers) can choose not to accept.” Rather, it’s up to private education providers to market themselves — like UniSIM, which has “built up its reputation” and “companies are happy with their graduates”, said Mr Gan.

The question about a CPF cut also cropped up. Mr Gan’s reply: There would not be one “for the time being”.

“Let’s focus on pushing ahead with Spur (Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience) and Jobs Credit.

“I think Jobs Credit has been very effective in helping companies manage their cost of employing local workers... We also have Workfare Income Supplement and so on — we need to get these implemented,” he said.

From TODAY – 20-April-2009