SIM CAREER CONNECT NEWSLETTER Find out what's happening at SIM!
ISSUE 2 Q3 2021
DIRECTOR'S NOTE DR. AARON TAN Director, Learner Advisory and Career Centre Singapore Institute of Management
Welcome to our second issue of our SIM Career Connect Newsletter! I hope you have enjoyed the previous issue. Incidentally, these publications are put together by our very own Talent Development Programme* interns! A lot of exciting events have happened since the last issue – for instance, we organised our first-ever hackathon with our partner GDEXA, and we also successfully launched our Future of Work Series which provides training in real-world skills that lead to opportunities for employment. At Career Connect, we aim to prepare you for, and connect you to employers and thus help you fulfil your career aspirations. As mentioned in my message in the previous issue, we are all living in an unusual time – some jobs that we once knew are not around any more, but in their place new jobs have sprung up and you need to be able to pivot quickly. To thrive in such a challenging economic situation, you need to constantly keep abreast with all the new skills you need and to constantly learn, unlearn and relearn. This is the new normal! May I encourage you to keep connected with us at Career Connect where we have staff who can give you sound advise, and help you explore and navigate to your desired destination. Meanwhile, we have packed loads of interesting stuff for in this issue – enjoy and stay safe! *For more information about our Talent Development Programme, please enquire with tdp@sim.edu.sg
UPCOMING EVENT Polaris- Industry Masterclass Management Consulting (27 September 2021)
Career Jump @ Bloomberg (22 September 2021)
[New] Critical Thinking Workshop (23 September 2021)
IGNITE Career Fair (11-15 October)
Project Protege (End October)
Express Yourself (Early November)
For more details, head over to UNICORN at qrco.de/sim-unicorn
JOB PREPARATION WITH CAREER CONNECT! 1. UNICORN @ qrco.de/sim-unicorn Students can utilize the platform to boost their career prospects. With UNICORN, students can browse the latest events, attend workshops and apply for jobs. 2. Graduate First @ qrco.de/SIMGRADFIRST Students can practice the different types of aptitude tests in preparation for the working world 3. Interviewer. AI With the rise in the virtual hiring process, Interviewer. AI provides video interviews for students to enhance their interview skills. Book a session @ careerconnect@sim.edu.sg 4. SIM Career Guide @ qrco.de/SIMcareerguide2021 Explore career tips and listening to peers' sharing via SIM Career Guide 5. Forage @ qrco.de/theforage Increase your employability and build practical skills sought by employers by joining Virtual Experiential Learning. Pick a Virtual Experiential Learning project of your interest and complete the programme for FREE. Projects are created by world-leading companies: Citi, Accenture, BCG and many more. Certificate will be awarded after completion of programme. Career Connect recently welcomes the Intake 19th interns of the Talent Development Programme in August. Do look out for our next recruitment in November!
JOIN US!!!
SIM X GDEXA HACKATHON BUILD AN INNOVATIVE STARTUP TO BE SINGAPORE'S NEXT E-COMMERCE UNICORN! by Lee Quan En Eugene, UOL Business and Management
From June - July this year, 62 students participated in the SIM X GDEXA Virtual Hackathon - Build an Innovative Start-Up to be Singapore's Next E-Commerce Unicorn!. Over this 6 weeks of intense training, participants gained knowledge in how digitization can disrupt E-Commerce, got to practice the necessary communication skills needed to excel and experienced what it was like running agile projects and building digital products!
Shirt - Checkered
During the training sessions and Masterclasses which took over 2-3 evenings per week, the participants went through 4 stages (Ideation, Planning, Realization and Presentation) to arrive at their final Business Proposal. After 6 weeks of intensive preparation, the teams were given 6 minutes to present their Business ideas to the judges from esteemed companies such as Google, BCG Digital Ventures, Love, Bonito! and SIM etc. Let us now hear from the winning team, Fit Treat, on their experiences!
GDEXA Winning Team - Fit Treat Lawrence Choy, Tung Mei Yuan, Kwek Han Min, Bryan Ho, Tan Wai Kit, Chang Zhi Yi TODAY What motivated the team in joining the Hackathon, despite no prior knowledge/experience in e-commerce? Tung Mei Yuan Due to the nature of our school curriculum in UOL, I have always wanted to participate in hackathons to work on agile projects and develop a sustainable business strategy. I am passionate about the e-commerce and tech industries and I hope to start my own business one day, which led me to sign this up.
What would be your biggest takeaway from joining the Hackathon? Chang Zhi Yi My biggest takeaway is being able to get a sneak peek into how to start my own business, more importantly how difficult it is. There are so many things to consider, from product roadmaps to finances to sales and even the kind of buttons we want to use on our mobile app!
What are some challenges faced and how did the team overcome it?
Kwek Han Min One challenge we faced was that none of us has a background in Finance, and we had no idea how to do up the financials at all, from how much profit margin we want, to how much sales we want to make, and so on. Thankfully the mentors from GDEXA helped advise us, and my team and I also spent a lot of time reading up on resources to make this work.
GDEXA Winning Team - Fit Treat Lawrence Choy, Tung Mei Yuan, Kwek Han Min, Bryan Ho, Tan Wai Kit, Chang Zhi Yi
What did you think the team did differently that led to winning the Hackathon?
Lawrence Choy I think it was largely due to the efficiency of our team. We had a rough idea of what our business idea would be the very first day we met and assigned tasks and stayed within the deadline of the tasks every time we had our meetings. We showed each other our progress in each of our “departments” to ensure everyone is on the same page, and gave constructive feedback on each other’s work. This allowed us to constantly improve and refine our ideas in preparation for the final presentation.
What are your plans for the future now that you have won? Do you have plans to join in the e-commerce industry?
Tan Wai Kit Working largely on the prototype has let me realize that wireframing is pretty interesting and I feel that there is a lot more to learn. Moving forward, I’ll surely look further into how I can incorporate it into other projects or even other hackathons. Given the e-commerce industry’s wide reach and my interest in tech, I would say it’s difficult to stay away from the e-commerce industry in the first place!
Would you recommend students to join future Hackathons and why? What is your advice for them? Bryan Ho Students should definitely join future hackathons because not only is it a really rewarding experience, it also helps to value add to their portfolio regardless of which industry they're looking to get into. My advice would be to take the leap of faith and try your very best to challenge your limits. We will never know what we are capable of until we have tried it.
8 WAYS TO LAND INTO YOUR DREAM JOB (Cynthia, Measom)
by Kimberly Sim, UOL Business and Management
Feeling unengaged in your work and often on a look out for better opportunities? You are not alone! Here are some useful tips to help you lock down your desired job in 2021. 1. RESEARCH JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR YOUR DREAM POSITION - Familiarise needed skills, experiences, traits - Tweak your resume into the perfect one - Customize your unique cover letter to grasp the recruiter's attention 2. CREATE OR UPDATE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE - A popular place for networking and job hunt 3. DON'T LET A LACK OF EXPERIENCE STOP YOU - Consider all your past experience (Work, part-time, internships, volunteer, CCA, and project) - Pandemic demanded skills: Adaptability, Communication, Critical thinking, Problem-Solving, and Time Management 4. INVEST IN EXTRA KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE - Seek for related internships and enroll in courses (Coursera/ LinkedIn ) to boost your employability 5. EXPAND YOUR NETWORK IN THE INTERESTED INDUSTRY - Develop a strong network within the industry! - Ask seniors or friends to introduce you to the people you want to connect with - Reach out to them via LinkedIn with a short customized message introducing yourself and explaining your goals 6. PREPARE FOR VIRTUAL INTERVIEWS - Have a mock interview with family members, friends, or career coaches - Research the company and prepare your elevated pitch 7. WRITE A THANK YOU NOTE
- Appreciation notes after the interview create a better impression to the interviewer 8. FOLLOW UP
- Follow up with employers 2 weeks later
THE FUTURE OF WORK TRAINING SERIES: ONBOARDING WEALTH MANAGEMENT ROLES WITH THE UNITED OVERSEAS BANK (UOB) by Kimberly Sim, UOL Business and Management
On 5 July - 9 July, 45 Students from various backgrounds attended the 'Onboarding Wealth Management Roles with UOB'. Throughout the 5 days training and job placement programme, students learnt the knowledge, attitude and skills required in the Banking and Finance sector. Some modules and topics covered include Banking Revolution, Marketing & Selling and Relationship Building Skills. On the last day, their learning was assessed with a project presentation by pitching to UOB Hiring Managers for recruitment purposes. Hear from Hazel a Banking and Finance graduate from University of London who has managed to clinch an offer with UOB through this programme. 1 THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM THE 5-DAY PROGRAMME The frameworks within the programme were the biggest takeaway for me. It was well-organized around the fundamental workplace cultures of the bank with skills such as visual thinking and business analysis frameworks. I learnt to analyse a UOB branch with both top-down and bottom-up analysis using those frameworks.
2 ANY CHALLENGES FACED DURING PREPARATION FOR THE PRESENTATION IN GROUP WORK? HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES? One of the challenges we faced was our lack of prior knowledge in crafting a marketing plan for a specific UOB branch. We relied heavily on training materials and also seek feedback from trainers. We took into account everyone’s opinion and feedback. With teamwork and support, we eventually managed to finalized a marketing plan for UOB. DO YOU RECOMMEND THIS PROGRAMME TO STUDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED? I would recommend any student who would like to get a taste of personal banking or unsure of their ideal job. This programme will give a head start in career hunt and also equip fundamental skills for job hunt. At the end of the day, even if you discover that you are not made for personal banking, the knowledge and transferrable skills gained from this 5-day programme are worth the time.
3
Hay Thi Lwin (Hazel) B.Sc(Hons) in Banking and Finance University of London (LSE)
SPARKS
SPARKS IVCF 2021
Suu Waddy Soe Year 3 Student
by Yau Kai Ling, UB Business Administration
Bachelor of Science (Business Administration) University of Buffalo (UB) On 30th June 2021, Career Connect hosted the inaugural SPARKS International Virtual Career
I came to learn about SPARKS through Career
Fair for the Malaysian student population, which
Connect. This is unlike the previous career fairs I've
saw
8
reputable
companies
such
as
Shopee,
Alliance Bank, Ninja Van, and Nestle participating in the event.
attended which was geared more towards the locals, as SPARKS is uniquely catered to the international students who are seeking for job or internship opportunities .
Here, the employers had the opportunity to share
Throughout the virtual career fair, I learnt more about
extensively about the career opportunities within
various companies in different industries - their job
their organization. With SPARKS 2021 seeing more
scope , working style , personal working experiences
than 300 student participants attending the event,
shared by the employers, or recent openings they are
active exchanges were made during the Q&A segment, allowing the session to a meaningful one.
offering. I would advise students to keep their minds open and explore as many industries you are interested in to get
Let us hear from Suu on her experience in attending the career fair!
a gauge of what you want as your future aspiration.
WHAT TYPE OF PERSONALITY DO YOU HAVE? by Kimberly Sim, UOL Business and Management
E Extroverts
S
T
J
Sensors
Thinkers
Judgers
- Make their decision primarily on logic and objective analysis of cause
- Prefer a planned and organized approach to life - Feel comfortable obeying
and effect/ pros and cons - Value honesty, fairness and consistency.
most rules - Are focused-driven and systematic in doing tasks
- Realistic people who absorb information via the 5 senses - Focus on facts - Use past experiences and outgoing common sense to seek for - Tend to strive better in practical solutions to team-oriented work settings problems.
- Energized by socializing with people - Seen as enthusiastic and
I
N
F
P
Introverts
Intuitive
Feelers
Perceivers
- Energized by spending their time alone to recharge and reflect - Seen as reserved - Tend to prefer working independently
- Creative people who absorb information from patterns and big pictures - Focus on future possibilities, often seeking for innovative ideas
- Make decisions primarily on personal values and how their actions will impact others - Known to be thoughtful and cooperative.
MBTI MBTI, also known as Myers- Briggs Type Indicator, is an assessment to help identify your career report and occupations that are a good fit for your personality. It indicates your preferences on the working environment and the solutions to challenges posed in any situation. It has been widely used by 1.3 million working adults and over more than 80 years to help people feel satisfied in their careers
- Prefer a flexible and spontaneous approach to life - Like to keep options open - Work well under pressure, can multitask and adapt.
Join us for our monthly Express yourself workshop! All participants of Express Yourself workshop will be entitled for a free MBTI Personality Profilling (usual price approx $80) to know what careers are best suited for your personality.
Register at qrco.de/unicornworkshop
Coming Up
By Yau Kai Ling, UB Business Administration
Chang Zhi Yi Final Year Student Data Science and Business Analytics
The annual IGNITE Virtual Career &
University of London (UOL)
Internship Fair is coming to you on 11 - 15 October!
I came to learn about IGNITE 2020 through my friends! They were debating about the issue on whether there was a cap to the
Over the past few editions, we had the honor of having many participating companies across various sectors. They include Finance, IT, Automotive, and PR / Media.
number of company talks we could attend since there was such a wide range of attractive companies, ranging from SMEs to MNCs. This career fair has provided an avenue for me to discover relevant career opportunities, as well as understanding what employers look out for in candidates who apply for internships or any job opportunities. It was really eye-opening as we get to
Participants had the opportunity to hear first hand from the employers on
experience a first-hand interaction with employers from various industries.
their recruitment process, as well as
One advice I have is to prepare a few questions to ask the
skills and qualities they look out for in
employers because they're extremely approachable and they are
candidates.
always willing to answer any questions or clarify any doubts we may have! Doing some research on the companies before
Let us hear from Chang Zhi Yi on her experience in attending the career fair!
attending the talks is also important, as that will help you to understand the context of the insights that the employers will share.
WORD SEARCH 1. Students can prepare for jobs through Graduate First, Interview.AI, SIM Career Guide, Forage, and __________. 2. One of the learning outcomes for participants in Hackathon is the knowledge gained in how digitalization can disrupt ________. 3. Students participating in Hackathon went through four stages: Ideation, Realization, Planning, and __________. 4. One way to land into your dream job is your willingness to invest in extra __________ and __________. 5. For Hazel, the biggest takeaway from the 5-day UOB event is the __________ within the program. 6. IGNITE is a career fair for all, while SPARKS is specifically catered for the ________ students. 7. This year's IGNITE Virtual Career and Internship Fair is coming in __________. 8. MBTI indicates your __________ on the working environment and the solutions to challenges posed in any situation.
Refer to the details in the article for clues to the answers
9. Students who participate in our Express Yourself Workshop will receive a free MBTI __________ Profiling.
The first 20 winners will stand a chance to win a FREE Grab gift card by completing the crossword puzzle and email the answers to careerconnect@sim.edu.sg
Thank Thank you you for for reading! reading! SIM Career Connect Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 2 Produced and Designed by:
careerconnect@sim.edu.sg
@simcareerconnect @SIM Career Connect
Han Ruizhen, Lee Quan En Eugene, Yau Kai Ling, Kimberly Sim Si Hui (Interns of Talent Development Programme)
@SIM Career Connect