CAREER RESOURCE CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SPOTLIGHT ON JOBS “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”
Job listings will resume in September, in the meantime CRCE members can check the website for all the latest available positions.
RALPH WALDO EMERSON
CRCE WORKSHOPS
Up Close and Personal with Katie Baines, CRCE Member since March 2017 Tell us about yourself… My husband and I are originally from London, but moved to the south coast of England about five years ago. My first love was languages, and I studied French and Spanish at university. I followed this with a master’s degree in journalism, which spurred me on to travel and writing. Along the way, I picked up a camera and started taking photos, incorporating photography into my journalistic work. I’ve lived all over, in Argentina, Cuba, and Québec, Canada, all associated with languages. What made you decide to move to Singapore? We were both at junctures in our careers when we felt we would like to live overseas. My husband is a teacher and he managed to get a job teaching in Phuket for a year. We then decided that Singapore would be a nice place to live, so moved here. How did you find out about AAS/CRCE? When we moved to Singapore, I found that my sense of purpose was a little bit lacking. As a trailing spouse, it’s often difficult to break in because of obtaining work permits, etc., so it was quite a challenge at first to feel like I had a place here. I met a former CRCE member at my husband’s school, who kindly talked me through the possibilities open to me here. He suggested that I volunteer at the American Association of Singapore (AAS), as my skills were a good match, especially for the Singapore American newspaper. When I arrived, the
team was in a flurry of activity, working on the George Washington Ball. A photographer was needed to take pictures for the program. There were also tickets to cut up, envelopes to stuff… as I soon discovered, there’s always something going on. I am more than happy to roll up my sleeves and get on with things, as I think it’s great to get hands-on experience at all levels. That’s how I got involved. What were your experiences as a CRCE member? As a member, I value the potential for career development that CRCE brings. There are focused workshops, which help with resume writing. There’s also a workshop coming up about using social media effectively. This means my career development won’t stop here. I can use the workshops to further my career when I eventually repatriate. Can you share with us some information about your current position at AAS? While I was volunteering at AAS, an administration role became available. This is a great fit for me, as although there is the core of the administrative role, there are lots of opportunities for me to do other things, too, such as writing for the paper, taking photographs for the website, helping with events, etc. What advice can you share with new expatriates looking for a job in Singapore and/or anywhere else in the world? If you get an opportunity to volunteer – do it! You never know what doors it might
Resume Building Workshop: Create an Effective Resume to Help You Get Noticed! Speaker: Suzanna Borst Friday, August 18 10am – 12pm Using Social Media Effectively to Promote Your Brand Speaker: Geetika Agarwal Wednesday, August 23 10am – 12pm
open. For me, this was how I got my job at AAS. Second, be open-minded about what you can do. If you’re too specific, the likelihood is you won’t find an exact match. If you can find something that’s transferrable (or similar to what you’re into) and you can make something with that, then go for it. Photo by Cath Forte
Are you an employer with an opening to fill? Did you know employers can list jobs for free on the CRCE job board? Log onto www.aasingapore.com to find out more.
LOOKING TO REINVENT YOURSELF? AAS OFFERS PERSONALIZED CAREER COUNSELING SERVICES. SIGN UP NOW FOR A PRIVATE APPOINTMENT WITH A PROFESSIONAL CAREER ADVISOR. PLEASE CONTACT CRCE.INFO@AASINGAPORE.COM