10 Hot Jobs For 2007

The below article is taken from the CareerBuilder.com Website.


10 Hot Jobs for 2007 by CareerBuilder.com


As the world continues to advance and change technologically, we are living longer, retiring later and pursuing higher education at a higher rate than generations before us, and the employment market is changing right alongside us.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, technology is just one of the few factors in determining what's going to be the next great gig out there. Demographic shifts, legislative changes, business trends and consumer behavior also factor into what's going to be the next big thing and what's going to be history.

Here are some of today's jobs that are on the cutting edge:


1. Radiation Therapist
What they do: Work with radiation oncologists to administer treatment as prescribed and supervised by the doctor. They also maintain records and check the operations of the radiology equipment.

What you need: An associate or bachelor's degree in radiology and certification under the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. Licensing may also be required.

2. Nurse Paralegal
What they do: Similar to LNCs, they are hired to assist law firms, government agencies and insurance companies with expertise on medical-related cases. Unlike LNCs, nurse paralegals have a stronger focus on the legal relations to medicine.

What you need: A bachelor's or advanced degree in nursing or another health-related field and certification.

3. Genetic Counselor
What they do: Assist families who have members with birth defects and other genetic disorders, and also aid in educational and administrative roles related to genetic counseling and inherited health issues.

What you need: A bachelor's degree concentrating on biology/biosciences, psychology, genetics or nursing and a master's degree in genetic counseling. The American Board of Genetic Counseling and the American Board of Medical Genetics offer certification.


4. Legal Nurse Consultant
What they do: Perform an analysis of medical information as related to law. They conduct legal research, interview expert witnesses and assist with legal paperwork and processes.

What you need: An RN license. Formal training as a legal nurse consultant (LNC) is not required, but helpful.

5. Art Therapist
What they do: Treat physical, mental and emotional disabilities through art expression.

What you need: A master's degree in art therapy with completed curriculum under the American Art Therapy Association's educational standards. To be a registered art therapist, 1,000 hours of direct client contact must be reached after graduation.

6. Computer Forensic Expert
What they do: Use computer investigation and analysis to determine legal evidence. They uncover deleted information and can help the legal system track down people attempting to cover their illegal actions, such as hackers and inside traders.

What you need: A wide range of computer hardware and software experience, as well as an associate or bachelor's degree in computer forensics, computer science or another related field.

7. Medical Illustrator
What they do: Create images that visually communicate bioscientific and medical discoveries. They also act as consultants, advisers, administrators and educators in biological science communications.

What you need: A bachelor's degree with a major in art and a minor in biological sciences or vice versa; a portfolio of artwork demonstrating competence. A majority of medical illustrators have master's degrees in medical illustration.

8. Veterinary Physical Therapist
What they do: Focus on animal treatment and rehabilitation methods, including hydrotherapy, swimming, exercise and massage.

What you need: Certification training is offered to licensed veterinarians, veterinary technicians and physical therapists. Some certification programs require written exams, and follow-up case reports, independent studies and take-home exams are also available.

9. Animal Defense Lawyer
What they do: Handle cases dealing with animals in cases ranging from custody in divorce cases to veterinary malpractice. While laws suggest that animals are regarded as "property," owners who are battling for the custody often regard their pets at a higher standard.

What you need: The educational degrees and requirements for a major in law, a Juris Doctorate, and a concentration and clinical work in animal law.

10. Animal Assisted Therapist
What they do: Study and identify behavioral patterns in animals and apply techniques to improve mental, social and physical issues within humans through animal/human companionship.

What you need: A bachelor's of science degree in psychology, social work, physical therapy, nursing or education. Additional training and certification in Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a big plus. AAT program concentrations can include elderly care, social work, education and other specialties.

Candace Corner is a writer for CareerBuilder.com.


Cheers,
The Singapore Headhunter

View my Ecademy profile; :-)

Leadership: Top 7 Secrets of Highly Successful Managers

This is a good article on leadership entitled:

Leadership: Top 7 Secrets of Highly Successful Managers
By Dennis P. Collins

Why do some managers make managing look easy and enjoy major success while others never seem to figure it out?


Effective management is no accident. The best managers have studied success and have learned the secrets.

See how you match up against these seven:

Ask lots of questions. Listen, and then listen some more.

Great questions open up dialog that you otherwise might have missed. When you listen, really listen. You'll be amazed at what you'll hear and your staff will be thrilled you care.


Practice 360 degree learning.


Learn something from everyone and everything, inside and especially outside your own industry and business. As Tom Peters says, when you wander around you're sure to find out what's really going on.


Be slow to hire, fast to fire.

Having the right staff in place is your most important managerial responsibility.


Accept less of the credit and more of the blame than you deserve.

Enough said.


Focus.

Pay attention only to high impact issues that matter most. Delegate or eliminate everything else.


Lead.

Your staff wants to know where you're taking the business. Most of them will follow in you share your vision and values.



Recognize and reward.

Be lavish, public and prompt with praise and awards for work well done.
BONUS SECRET: Stay humble. You may have the power and the title, but nothing good happens without the dedication, commitment and hard work of your staff.

With over 30 years experience as a senior manager in the media business, Dennis P. Collins has studied the secrets of management success. Through his BizFitLab, he shares those secrets and helps managers in all businesses become the best they can be. For more information, contact Dennis at dpcwiz@bellsouth.net.

Source: http://Top7Business.com/?expert=Dennis-P.-Collins


Cheers,
The Singapore Headhunter

Why Do You Use Headhunters? You get the best by using the experts.

Imagine this. When you want a great company web page, do you do it yourself if you are not a web designer? Logic tells you that it would be more cost-effective and you will get an excellent web-page by using the experts. Prudent companies use the services of external professionals to give them the best results.


Headhunters should be viewed in the same light: as skilled specialists who can identify the best executives to fill an important position on the management team. When you are trying to recruit top talent, one of the best ways is to use a good headhunter who will provide you with the best candidates.

Using the services of a headhunter is ultimately more expedient, efficient and effective then trying to do it yourself. Headhunters provide strict confidentiality, a valuable and extensive network of contacts, objectivity in candidate evaluation, and negotiation experience and expertise.

Headhunters observe strict confidentiality. Organizations with an opening in their executive ranks are vulnerable. Whether for an existing position to be filled, or a position newly created by downsizing or market opportunity, the hiring process must be strictly confidential.


Confidentiality can keep competitors from being tipped off to management shake-ups, new product and market initiatives, and can protect against employee, stockholder, and supplier apprehension. Search consultants value the highly sensitive information they become privy to during the search process. They are acutely aware and respectful of their client's vulnerability.

Headhunters can tap into a global network of contacts. Top notch executive talent is a scarce commodity today. The limited contacts of in-house human resource departments cannot compare with the wide net cast by a headhunter's network. (An international search especially calls for the capabilities of an international executive search firms.)


Usually, the best candidates are gainfully employed; many will deal only with a recruiter. They appreciate the worth of third party representation, confidentiality and professional mediation. Recruiting superior candidates is intricate and best performed by a discreet professional.

Headhunters bring objectivity and feedback to management. Executive search is a time-consuming, sensitive process. Recruiters can help clients evaluate their expectations, review relevant organization structure and reporting, and define a realistic profile and compensation package for the open position. Search consultants provide objective feedback on the candidates and advice to the client. As experts in research and reference checking, search firms can glean significant information from even reluctant reference-givers.

Headhunters are cost effective. The benefit of using a headhunting firm can be weighed against the cost of preparing and executing an advertisement / recruitment campaign, screening and qualifying candidates, operating without a needed employee
for an extended length of time, compared to the relative insurance of getting the right person for the job. The use of headhunters is an investment in improving the quality of managerial might. But even beyond that, the risk to not use executive recruiters is too great. For smaller companies - in which one hiring mistake can have disastrous results - using headhunters is sometimes more important than for corporate giants. Hiring an incompetent employee who makes bad decisions can cost a company millions - or its very existence. More than ever before, executive talent is at a premium and can make or break the fortunes of a business. Headhunters can deliver the best.

Cheers,
The Singapore Headhunter

Senior Auditors For Shanghai (Japanese Speaking)

A great career opportunity exists in Shanghai. This is great if you would like to gain experience working in Shanghai, China.


SENIOR AUDITORS FOR SHANGHAI (JAPANESE SPEAKING)

OUR CLIENT:

Our Client is a global, diversified company that provides vital products and
services to customers in the Fire & Security, Electronics, Healthcare, Engineered Products & Services, and Plastics & Adhesives. Its 2004 revenue is USD$40 billion. It employs approximately 250,000 people worldwide. Our Client is seeking highly motivated and committed individuals to join its team in the Regional Corporate Office in Singapore to join as :

REGIONAL STAFF AND SENIOR AUDITORS:

THE JOB:
Reporting to the Regional Audit Director, you will be responsible for conducting financial audits throughout the region.

REQUIREMENTS:
• University degree in Accounting or Finance
• Between 2-6 years of internal or external audit experience in a Big 4 accounting firm or in a large multinational organization
• Manufacturing and/or contract accounting experience preferred
• Willing to travel extensively
• Proficient English and Asian language skills such as Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Hindi are desired
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Superior problem solving ability
• Project management skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• IT analytical skills including ACL, Microsoft Access

SALARY:
Negotiable.
Successful candidates will be offered competitive salaries and benefits packages.

This posting can also be seen in our website:

KT Solutions' Newsletter...Click here to view

Cheers,
The Singapore Headhunter

Visit my Ecademy profile; ;-)

Sample interview questions on behaviour

Here are some useful questions on behaviour from the HR-Guide in the internet. These are useful to you during the interview.

Good Interview Questions On Behavior


A fellow employee told you what his/her salary is and wants to know yours. How would you react and what would you do? (situational)

Describe a conflict with an employee and how you handled it.

Describe a complex problem you solved.

Describe a work situation in which you were not proud of your performance. What did you learn from this mistake?

Describe an important goal you have set and tell me how you reached it.

Describe how you have been able to apply something you learned from your degree program to a real-life or work-related situation.


Describe a (recent) project in which you failed? What did you learn from this?

Describe a (recent) situation in which you asked for advice?

Describe a (recent) situation in which you asked for help?

Describe a (recent) situation in which it took several tries or approaches before you were able to figure out what was going on.

Describe a (recent) situation in which you had to quickly establish your credibility and gain the confidence of others. What did you do ?

Describe a (recent) situation when you didn't know who you needed to speak with in an organization too get something done. What did you do ?

Describe a (recent) situation when you were able to identify a conflict between two individuals and were instrumental in the solution to that conflict. (skills)

Describe a (recent) situation when you worked in a team environment.

Describe a (recent) situation in which what was really going on with someone else was much more complicated than it might have seemed on the surface.

Describe a (recent) situation on your last job that you did not handle as well as you might have.

Describe a (recent) situation that you just couldn't handle.

Describe a (recent) situation when miscommunication created a problem on the job.

Describe a (recent) situation when you were confronted by a difficult problem and how you solved it.

Describe a time when you had to take on something very new or different and you had little or no guidance and support in doing so. How did you handle it ?


Describe a time when you organized a project where your directions were vague?

Describe a time when you simplified or clarified a situation by putting your finger on the key issue.

Describe a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty.

Describe a time when you accomplished a challenging goal.

Describe a time when you accomplished a difficult goal.

Describe a time where your performance went above and beyond expectations.

Describe how you work under pressure. Do you anticipate problems effectively or just react to them?


Describe how your (office/department/company) is organized.

For more questions, visit the HR-Guide website....Click here.....

We welcome your comments and feedback. If you have any comments, please let us have them. Thanks.



Cheers,
The Singapore Headhunter

Job Candidates: Enhance Your Chances Of Getting The Job!

How can you, a job candidate, enhance your chances of success at an interview. Remember that your objective in attending an interview is to get the job. You have to make sure that the interviewers are convinced that you are the ideal person for the job. You have to show them why you are better than the other candidates. In effect, you are actually going to ‘market’ yourself as the best person for the job.


Here are some points that you may want to consider.

Insist on meeting or talking with the hiring manager first, whenever possible

Whenever possible, try to insist on meeting the hiring manager first. The hiring manager is going to be your immediate superior in the new job. He would know the type of candidate that he is looking for, the experience and skills that he wants. The human resource department will not know as much as the hiring manager. If the hiring manager finds you suitable, you can talk to the human resource later.
Ask yourself this: would a HR person who is not in your area of work be able to understand fully what you are going to explain about your experience, skills and your work?

State your expectations

Try to ask for the agenda for the interview meeting. Even a verbal one over the telephone is better than none. You need to find out who the interviewers are, their designations, how they are related to the position that you are applying for? Is it just going to be the interview or more? If they are not at all related to the position that you are applying for, ask for the purpose of their presence in the interview. Use the reason that you would like to know so as to prepare yourself. It demonstrates your seriousness in the interview and the position.

Expect respect and set your standard

If the interviewers do not greet you, think cautiously before ever accepting another invitation from that company. That should let you have an idea of the employees in that company: lack of courtesy and respect for others. You have to set your standards high and be sure that the company that you are going to join has a high standard too. If not, do not waste your time.

Show respect to the interviewers

It is always a good practice to show respect to others, irrespective of who the other party is. You never know the influence the other party has over the recruitment decision. Or how closely you are going to work with the person (assuming that you get the job)? Finally, how you treat others reflects on you directly. So do set a high standard for yourself.

Do not ask about renumeration or benefits in the first interview.

Many great candidates make the serious mistake of asking about salary and benefits in the first interview. This is a serious mistake as it sends the wrong signal to the potential employer. The first interview is the opportunity for the interviewee to find out more about job, career prospects, the company, the expectation of the hiring manager and to ‘market’ the candidate.

Remember that no offer has been made yet. Asking about salary and benefits at that time is plain silly because you have not been offered the position! On the other hand, it signals to the potential employer that the interviewee is more interested in the money and personal gain, rather than how he can help the company. Asking such questions in the first interview is almost your guarantee not to get the job. Never, never, never do that.

Dress appropriately for the position

How you dress will depend somewhat on the position that you are applying for. At the same time, it makes sense to do some research on the organization. Or you may politely ask the person who calls you for the interview about the preferred dress code.

Some companies are more formal and they would expect at a long-sleeve shirt and a tie. For ladies, probably a skirt, blouse and a business jacket. If you the position is a sales position, where you are expected to meet clients, then it may be appropriate to dress up a little, such as putting on a business jacket. If the position is taking charge of the engineering department, even a long sleeve shirt without tie can be fine. It demonstrates to the interviewers that you are in tune with the position that you are applying for. That can be a good start.

Be prepared

Never attend an interview unprepared. That would be a sure recipe for failure. Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes. Ask yourself: what is the interviewer looking for, what questions would he be likely to ask, what business is the company in, what are they famous for, why are you the best person for the position. Do your research. Check out the company’s website. Try to find out as much as you can about the company: from the web, newspapers, magazines, friends, employees, etc.

Listen

Many candidates make the mistake of ‘over-selling’ themselves such that it sounds rather ‘exaggerated’. True, an interview is where you would want to market yourself, to show why you are the best person for the job. But overdoing the process can be counter-productive. It makes the interviewer wonder if what you have said is true.

You should listen to what the interviewer has to say. Show respect to the interviewer. Understand what the interviewer is looking for and answer to the point. Be tactful and do not ‘hard-sell’ yourself.
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Do not talk bad about your current or previous employers

Whatever your reason for wishing to quit your present position, never talk bad about your current or previous employers. It is very discourteous to talk bad about anyone and reflects on yourself. Be objective. Do not be personal.


What are your opinions about this article? Do let us have your comments. Thanks.

Cheers,
The Singapore Headhunter,

Interviewer’s Role In An The Interview (Part II)

The interviewer should be as knowledgeable as the candidate.
Irrespective of the subject matter or objective of the interview, the interviewer should be as knowledgeable as the candidate. Make sure everyone coming to the interview (on your end) is prepared and knowledgeable. It must be emphasized that the first impression counts a lot.


Everyone interviewing the candidate should be prepared.
All members on your interview panel should be of such a caliber that they could fit into the position they were interviewing for. Interviewers of a lesser caliber would not add value to the interview and might send the wrong signal to the candidate.

Do not have follow-up interviews in mind.
The first impression counts a lot. A HR Assistant who is not an expert in the work of your department should not represent your organisation to the candidate. Like what we had said before, treat your candidate as a customer. Would you send a junior staff to meet a customer? Would you send someone who is not familiar about your company to meet a customer? Likewise, do not send someone from another department to interview your candidate as that is not going to add any value at all. Why let a Finance manager interview a Programmer about his career goals?


Your best team member for the interview.
When the time is suitable, introduce the candidate to his peers. Your goal is to assess the candidate and to establish your credibility. Only the team member who can impress the candidate and can hold his own should be in the introduction meeting. The selected team member should be a motivated employee. Do not put him into the front line if he is not.

You are interviewing to recruit top talent, not to talk.
Many a times, an interviewer mis-manages the interview by talking about himself, his goals, etc, etc. Or, he spends the time interrogating the candidate about the past or the future. All these might be important topics, but not until the key issue is addressed: the work.


Step back and ask yourself this: If the candidate passes your personality and credential tests, would you offer him the job if you found out he could not do the work properly? The answer is obvious. Find out if the candidate can do the work first. The rest can be established later.

It is common that managers sometimes avoid detailed discussion of the work content because they themselves do not really know enough of it to discuss. A head-count is approved so someone has to be recruited, but no one is clear about why. Sounds familiar?


Before the interview, be prepared. Make sure you understand the purpose of the position and the work content in detail. Otherwise do not interview the candidate or that might reflect badly on you and your organization.

A job candidate is an invited guest to be treated like a customer.
Recruiting and interviewing are not an administrative process. This is a highly skillful social art: the art of influence a top talent to join you and your team. You have to do it responsibly. You must constantly focus on the state of the candidate. Is he warming up? How is he reacting? Is he opening up? Does he look enthusiastic? You are responsible for what the candidate thinks; as that depends on how well you have managed the interview.

Do you have any comments on this article? Share your thoughts and comments with us.

Cheers,

The Singapore Headhunter,

Interviewer’s Role In An The Interview (Part I)

The quality of an interview is the interviewer's responsibility

Typically, the interviewer will set the tone of the interview. Though an interviewee may want to influence the tone of the interview, that is quite unlikely as the interviewee would not want to come across as disrespectful or disdainful.

The interviewer’s role is to ensure that there is an air of mutual respect in an interview, or the interview would not be successful or effective. The interviewer should set the tone of the interview and the objective of the interview should be to recruit top talent.

The objective of an interview is to recruit top talent.

The company is trying to attract top talent. Ideally, the first interview should be with the hiring manager. Do not forget that the first impression counts a lot. The interviewee is at the interview to know your company, the department he is going to work in, and the superior that he is going to work for. He is at the interview to discuss his experience and the job scope of this new potential job offer. The first interview should not be for the HR to do the screening, but rather for the hiring manager to have a detail and meaningful discussion about the job scope, career advancement opportunities, the candidate’s experience and aspirations, the fit between the candidate and the department.

The interview should be a meeting of mutual respect: a challenging and useful discussion of professionals.

As the interviewer, your objective should be making the interview a meeting of mutual respect: a challenging and useful discussion of professionals. As you are trying to recruit top talent, the top talent would be assessing the organization and the superior that he is going to work for. He is not going to join if he is uncomfortable with his interview experience.

The interviewee is at the interview with his own objective as well. He is there to assess if your organization is ‘attractive’ to him and what he would be able to ‘gain’ by working for you. It would be wise to treat him like you would treat a prospective customer. Show him why you are different from your competitors, why he should join you instead of your competitors. Show him that you are serious about him. If possible, work out a simple agenda. Tell the interviewee that he is not at the interview for an interrogation session. That will allow you to demonstrate to the interviewee the positive difference between you and your competitors and give the interviewee a certain good feel about your organization.

Do not be presumptuous.


In most interviews, the interviewers hold the upper hand. The usual mistake they make is to start ‘interrogating’ the interviewees too soon. The interviewer should be sincere in wanting to know the interviewee more; like what is he looking for in his next job, why he applies for your position, how he thinks he is going to add value to the position and what makes him choose your organization.
The interviewer should also share with the interviewees his (interviewer’s) goals and objectives, the profile of the person he is looking for, his background, his management style and what he is looking for in a candidate. In this way, the interviewee would be able to decide if he would be likely to fit into the working environment, for a long time to come.

State your business clearly.

The interviewer is the host and should take the lead. Lay your cards on the table. What is your company’s mission? What is its long-term goal? What role does your department play in the organization? What are some of the immediate challenges of the department? Why are you recruiting? Why are you interested in the interviewee?
After that, let the interviewee has his say. An interview has to be a 2-way communication to be effective. You want to ‘market’ your vacancy that is available as well as to learn more about the interviewee. Respect the interviewee. Pay full attention to what he got to say. Learn as much about him during the interview. If you have questions, wait for him to finish and ask him politely. Questions should be pertaining to his experience and how he feels he would be able to fit in successfully. Ask about his concerns, if any, about the vacancy. Everyone likes to work for an understanding, reasonable, caring and polite superior.


In the next part to this topic, we talk about why the interviewer needs to be prepared and be knowledgeable. Do come back soon.

Do you have any comments about this article? We appreciate your comments and feedback, which are crucial for us to improve.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
The Singapore Headhunter

Do Not Make The Same Mistake Or You Will Lose Out!

The other day, I sent a candidate to the client for a Manager position. Everything went on smoothly. The client liked her and the candidate was impressed with the organisation.

A reference check was requested. The reference check turned out great! Things were going great then. The client was keen to make an offer to her. The client was happy and the candidate was exhilarated. She called me to thank you profusely. We had a great conversation. I was delighted for her.

Then, the dreadful thing happened! The client needed some details from the candidate and one of her junior staff telephoned the candidate. Maybe, she was too happy or she was not in her usual frame of mind, she became agitated with that client's junior staff and spoke to her in an unfriendly manner. Instead of co-operating, she started to question that junior staff. Oh dear! Guess what happened?

That junior staff informed her superior (my client) and I received a call from the client to say that the offer was off. They were concerned about the attitude of the candidate. That was the worst thing to happen. Imagine that a potential job offer was lost over a small incident like this! What a dread!

Job seeker should also bear in mind to respect everybody irregardless of the position of the other party. A junior staff's comments could be worse than her bite. Her superior would be more likely to believe what she said. Be polite to all and respect everybody.

Do not make the same mistake or you may lose a job offer.

Cheers,
The Singapore Headhunter

How A Potential Deal Was Lost - Not Because Of Me!

The other day, I sent a candidate for interview with the client. She was a 'prize catch', a great candidate and the hiring manager liked her very much. She possessed a good track record, excellent qualifications and experience, great interpersonal skills and communications skills.


I was quietly confident that this assignment was going to be a darn deal. I called up the prize catch after her interview. She sounded mildly interested, not with the 'wow' feeling. That put me on my guard at that moment.

I called the hiring manager to get his feedback. He was so excited and asked me for the candidate's reaction. He told me to make her an offer. I thought that this was great and quickly called the prize catch and discuss with her.

My prize catch sounded cool and said that she would like to consider about it. I was supposed to call her the next day.


The next day, I called my prize catch and she said no. The prize catch rejected the client's offer!!! What a drag!!! But why? I asked. She explained to me that the distance was too far from her home. To go such a distance on a daily basis was a serious matter, unless the client was going to pay her extra. (Not for this position, my client was adamant.) As I probed further, she hinted that some comments made by the HR interviewers made her feel uncomfortable. For example, they told her that working overtime was a norm and she should not be expecting more increase for the following year as they were offering a great salary. Oh my God! How I hope interviewers can be more tactful and handle interviews more tactfully.

Anyway, there was no use in crying over spilt milk. Life moved on. I told the hiring manager who sounded as disappointed as I was.


Do come back next time. I will talk about the interviewers' role in a recruitment interview. What should interviewers do? What role do they play? How can interviewers help to attract good talent? So, see you around next time.

By the way, do you have any comments on this article? Please let me have your comments.

Cheers,
The Singapore Headhunter

The Joy Of A Headhunter

The work of a Headhunter is challenging, exciting and satisfying. It is challenging to headhunt a top-notch professional, and be able to convince that professional to move into a new role (usually besieged with uncertainties, risks and surprises) from his existing comfortable and happy environment.



It is exciting to work with such professionals and the Headhunter gets to make new friends and learn from such experts in their fields. The Headhunter's network continues to grow and develop.

The satisfaction and joy come when an assignment is successfully concluded. All parties involved are happy. The Client is happy as they get the man or woman they coveted, the Candidate is happy to get a new and great career, coupled with greater
challenges and responsibilities.

The Headhunter is happy and feels a great sense of achievement: mission accomplished! Another happy Client and Candidate; not to mention the associated professional fees for successful closing the deal.

Cheers,

The Singapore Headhunter

How to Evaluate a Job Offer

You have a job offer to consider. When you were working hard on, and worrying about getting the job, you do not think making a decision would be this difficult. This is serious matter as it affects your long-term career. The job that you accept may be yours for a long time to come.



What are some of the more significant factors to consider? Compensation, benefits, convenience, organisation, size of organization, your boss / co-workers, staff turnover or career opportunities? Or could it be the corporate culture or the length of your commute? What about your future superior and team-members - will working with them be pleasant? There are a number of factors to consider and only some are negotiable.

Compensation

The importance of compensation cannot be under-estimated as it gives you a sense of satisfaction. You want to make sure that you are being paid what we are worth. At the same time, you need the money to pay the bills.

Many companies will not talk about pay until they have decided to hire you. It is important to find out what other people are making for the same work in the same industry. You need to have an estimate of what the job should pay, to decide if the offered compensation is reasonable. Ask around: your friends, your headhunters, check out the recruitment advertisements for a ball-park estimate or some salary surveys, if you can get hold of them. You can look at other occupational information as well. If other aspects of the job appeal to you, you can try to negotiate the offer. Consider the benefits as well as these will add to your basic salary.

The organization


The information on an organization can help you to decide whether it is a good place for you to work. This includes the organization’s business or activity, financial condition, age, size, and location. You can generally get an organisation’s background information, especially a large organization, on its website or by reading its annual report (call its investor relations department for a copy or download a copy for the Singapore Stock Exchange website.)
If possible, speak to current or former employees of the company. If you know anyone who has any dealing with the company, such as a consultant, a supplier, a vendor or a customer of the company, ask them for inputs about the company.
Stories about an organization in magazines and newspapers can tell a great deal about its successes, failures, and plans for the future. You can identify articles on a company by looking under its name in periodical or computerized indexes in libraries. However, it probably will not be useful to look back more than 3 years or more.

How will the size of the organization affect you?
The larger organizations offer a greater variety of training programs and career paths, more advancement prospects and better benefits than do small firms. Large employers also may have more advanced technologies. However, many jobs in large firms tend to be highly specialized and focused.
Jobs in small firms may offer broader authority and responsibility, a closer working relationship with top management, and a chance to clearly see your contribution to the success of the organization.

Culture
Webster defined ‘culture’ as "the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes a company or corporation, "culture should be an important factor in your decision whether to accept a job offer. If you value your personal time, a company with a culture that promotes late hours may not be suitable for you. Does this company believe in "winning at all costs?" Does this fit into your personal belief? Is the company in the gambling, tobacco or wine industry? Are you personally for such activities? If not, you may not want to join companies involved in such activities.

Commute Time



You have to take into account the length of your commute. What may have seemed like a decent distance to travel for a job interview will begin to wear you out when you have to make that trip twice a day, five days a week, especially during the peak hour traffic. Do you fancy spending between 2 and 3 hours commuting to and from your work? Definitely not, though there are some people who would not mind. Are you one of them?

Your Boss/Co-Workers


All the employees in a company will undeniably affect the quality of the time you spend at work. A conducive and friendly team will generally make it easier for you to work. You would not want to work with team-members who enjoy shouting at each other, would you? Or team-members who are unco-operative, gossip behind your back or make life difficult for you.

If you have a chance to tour the office, observe if the employees seem friendly and happy. Check with people who may have some insider information about the company.

Staff Turnover
A high turnover can mean dissatisfaction with the nature of the work or something else about the job. Do find out more, if possible. Discuss with the HR Manager. Have a frank talk with the manager. If you detect something is not right, do be cautious.

Career Opportunities



A good job offers you many opportunities to learn new skills, increase your salary, and rise to positions of greater authority and responsibility. Many people quote their reason for leaving a job as: “Lack of career advancement opportunities.” So, you would like to be careful to ensure that your future employers can offer a decent career advancement opportunity.
Do check with the HR Manager or the Hiring Manager about the career advancement opportunities offered.
The employer should give you some idea of promotion possibilities within the organization. What is the next step on the career ladder? If you have to wait for a job to become vacant before you can be promoted, how long does this usually take? When opportunities for advancement do arise, will you compete with applicants from outside the company? Can you apply for jobs for which you qualify elsewhere within the organization, or is mobility within the firm limited?

Accepting or Declining the Offer
Whether you choose to accept or reject a job offer, you must inform the employer who has made that offer. This should be done formally, in writing, and if you wish by telephone as well. If your answer is "yes" it's obvious why you'll want to make a good impression with your future employer. But, why is it important to be polite to someone you do not plan to work for? Well, you do not know where your future will take you. You may at some point wind up with that employer as a superior, a colleague, a client, or even your next door neighbour. You certainly do not want to leave a bad impression, or to burn the bridge, so to speak.

Comments

Do you have any comments or inputs? We welcome your comments and inputs on this article.

Cheers,

The Singapore Headhunter

First 2007 IT Salary Guide Arrives!!!

This is a report from eWeek.com.

eWeek Report



Starting salaries for IT pros are expected to increase an average of 2.8 percent in 2007 over 2006, and more than 4 percent in high-demand areas, according to the 2007 IT Salary Guide from Robert Half Technology, to be released Oct. 24.

Larger increases in base compensation are expected in roles in higher demand such as software and Web development and data warehouse management.

"We see this as part of the Web-ification of the world. There's a whole lot of development work going on there to making the world of computing even more seamless, and to do this, companies need developers," said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology, a provider of IT professional services in Menlo Park, Calif. ...Read more...

Cheers,
The Singapore Headhunter