Commentary

Is a design degree necessary in Singapore's marketplace today?

Contrary to what many designers and aspiring designers believe, some form of higher learning qualification is very important in today’s job market. Employers are looking for designers with good qualifications so the better the qualifications you have the more chance you have of landing your dream job.

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Is a design degree necessary in Singapore's marketplace today?

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5 ways to get Singapore's C-suite members to listen to you

Talking to members of the C-suite and senior management can be stressful, but it can be the difference between a successful career and a go-nowhere job. When face time is limited, how do you make the most of these conversations?

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5 lessons in managing outsourcing or relocating for Singapore SMEs

Busineses, don’t do everything themselves - they outsource or relocate.

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How weak willpower will ruin Singaporeans' decision-making at work

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How Singapore HR should best resolve disputes in workplaces

Dispute resolution should not only be the responsibility of HR. Line managers should be well versed in handling difficult situations or else organisations risk being viewed by their employees as faceless.

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What Singapore bosses must know to make themselves attractive

The well-known saying “Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus” is apt, especially when it comes to defining the most important factors when looking for a new work environment.

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How women in Singapore can get better education benefits

By Ms Tan Gek Khim, PBM, Senior Director of MDIS

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How Singapore businesses can really be responsible

Since the emergence of the modern corporation at the turn of last century, the debate on whether and how business can be responsible has never seem to end. Indeed, there is not even a consensus.

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Why shale gas is Singapore's latest game changer

Singapore, like the rest of the world, faces a new paradigm for energy supply and even more important the energy supply chain – exploration, exploitation/extraction, transport, grid, pollution, carbon dioxide emissions. Shale gas is the game changer, but to a lesser extent than presumed and resulting in changes different from those original expected.

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Why letting employees work from home is a big business gain

There has been more than a storm in a tea cup following Marissa Mayer’s directive for people to show up in the Yahoo offices and cut back on working from home. Her decision needs to be viewed in the context of Yahoo’s stage in their journey as a business and more importantly as a new team that is trying to rally around a new strategy. Trying to generalise the decision will meaninglessly dilute both what Yahoo is attempting and the issue of flexible working conditions. The issue needs to be viewed and assessed in line with each individual business and also within the concerned societal framework.

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Attracting and retaining mature-age workers in Singapore

Many of the mature-age job seekers Randstad speaks with express concern about the difficulty faced when they try to find a new job. Time and time again we hear them say the chances of recruitment are low and they are often expected to take a pay cut.

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Living and breathing service innovation (productivity) in the hotel industry

2012 has been a good year for the Singapore hotel industry. Despite uncertainties in the global economy, visitor arrivals remained strong with an average occupancy rate of a respectable 86 percent.

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Is Singapore ready for the 'Commoditization of Facts?'

Renowned physicist Michio Kaku predicts that by 2030, we will be wearing computing lens. Google is shipping its Glasses later this year. Search engines, combined with the knowledge repository called the Internet, have made knowledge ubiquitous to almost all.

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4 dangers of an office romance

There has been a survey conducted recently that 8 out of 10 Singaporeans are fine with office romances. It is easy to understand why as we literally spend around 22 days in a month, 9 hours in a day in the office environment. As unattached busy working professionals have limited time for social activities, it comes as natural progressions to find someone you have ‘eyes’ for or affection in the workplace.

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What every Singapore firm must learn from food hawkers

How hawkers in Singapore treat their customers will make one either come back or forget them. The few that are polite get my return business. The ones that are friendly and sell decent food get my business and recommendations. They stand out among the many that treat their customers like cattle!

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Common job search strategies that don't work

With over nine years of experience in managing a Singapore-based recruitment and search agency, I had the opportunity to recommend many job search strategies over workshops and seminars that will complement your resume and increase your chances for finding that perfect job.

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Transforming technical people into top-notched sales professionals in Singapore

Raymond is feeling very frustrated. He was once the company's best engineer, and was transferred to become a sales engineer because of his seemingly good people skills.

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