Civil Svc/ Statboard - Typical Timeline for making a Hiring Decision

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Yes, to all the Mins/SBs HR staff who has helped to clarify all our doubts, big THANK YOU for all your advice and words of encouragement...

it really helps with the waiting day in day out...

Don't sweat it. And if anyone would like to take some advice, keep your horizons open. Spread out your options a little more. Too many people get completely dejected after a single rejection from a job they really wanted.

And don't sit in front of your computer or phone waiting for a callback all day. It takes time to process these things. Go exercise, or read a book, or something. You will not be in a good state of mind if we call you for an interview after you spend all the time waiting - you're just going to be a big ball of nerves liable for a panic attack.

Confidence is the key in many interviews and nervousness is just about as far from confident as you can get.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

just want to ask the HR people around here how much i can expect if i am overseas pass degree holder who did well in my studies and CCA type activities but no honours or job experience except internship?

You understand that different jobs have different salaries, right? And isn't this the wrong thread?

Well, I guess, if you're entering a 'standard' sort of Public Sector group like the Ministry of Finance, at the entry level, without any prior work experience, it could be anywhere from 2k to 4k+. A huge range, I know. This is because there's a lot of factors to consider like the standing of your university and where you did your internship and what you did there.

For example, if you interned with Google or the Big 4, that's a huge plus... but I'll also question things like why your performance wasn't good enough for them to take you on after.

With regards to foreign university standing... as a brief example, absolute top universities like Harvard and MIT will be offered 3.5, 3.8k to 4k+ starting, usually.

Fairly high ranking universities, but not the top ones, like King's College London or the University of Tokyo, usually 3.2k to 3.5k.

Then the middle-ranking universities, like Tsinghua or the University of Melbourne, usually 2.5k to 3k.

Finally, unproven universities like Griffith University or University of Malaya are offered less than 2.5k.

CCAs don't affect your pay. They only affect your job candidacy.

I'm so glad to receive a conditional offer Can't wait to embark on new career.

HR said that they will conduct background check and prepare me for the medical check.
So what is the background check about?
Only character check with my referee and HR of the previous company?

just wonder if I don't get a good word from ex-HR,will it cause me to fail the background check?

I had contacted my referee(ex-colleague).She had warned me about our ex-HR who is a big follower of my ex-boss，they get offened when employees resign...-.-"

what is the chance of hiring freeze after all the interviews are conducted?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I'm so glad to receive a conditional offer Can't wait to embark on new career.

HR said that they will conduct background check and prepare me for the medical check.
So what is the background check about?
Only character check with my referee and HR of the previous company?

just wonder if I don't get a good word from ex-HR,will it cause me to fail the background check?

I had contacted my referee(ex-colleague).She had warned me about our ex-HR who is a big follower of my ex-boss，they get offened when employees resign...-.-"

Congratulations. All the best on your new endeavour.

Background checks are different depending on the security level clearance required. The highest are the MHA, MFA, and CPIB; they will check your references, educational background, family background, criminal records (if any), political agenda (if possible), etc.

Most will simply call your reference and maybe conduct a rudimentary background check.

There are some HR officers like that, not going to lie. In such a case, do not list them as the reference and have an answer ready for "Why did you quit your previous line of work?"

Originally Posted by Unregistered

what is the chance of hiring freeze after all the interviews are conducted?

In the Public Service? Zero. We always recruit new staff every quarter to offset the potential retirees of that specific period of time, and possibly grow the company if that is what is mandated. Only when companies are closing down or being downsized is a hiring freeze a possibility.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Congratulations. All the best on your new endeavour.

Background checks are different depending on the security level clearance required. The highest are the MHA, MFA, and CPIB; they will check your references, educational background, family background, criminal records (if any), political agenda (if possible), etc.

Most will simply call your reference and maybe conduct a rudimentary background check.

There are some HR officers like that, not going to lie. In such a case, do not list them as the reference and have an answer ready for "Why did you quit your previous line of work?"



In the Public Service? Zero. We always recruit new staff every quarter to offset the potential retirees of that specific period of time, and possibly grow the company if that is what is mandated. Only when companies are closing down or being downsized is a hiring freeze a possibility.

Yes. After all interviews, then heard from credible source that the hiring might freeze... wondering what the possibility is cos logically they should ensure there is an opening before they asked for interviews..

Adding on to my previous response, let me also put out some simple advice seeing as many people on these forums really deserve some clarification (and I think these clarifications should have been made clear to everyone before they even started picking their studies, but alas).

Yes, the Civil/Public Service and their associated SBs will all gauge you on your academics. Much more so compared to the Private Sector. Yes, coming in with just a pass degree and no honours, or 3rd class honours, or just a diploma, will result in you being offered lower salaries. No, you should not feel slighted by it.

Think of it as risk management. We offer higher salaries to well-performing graduates from prestigious universities because we know those universities have extremely tough curriculums. This means the product of those universities, if they scored well, have a low risk of being poor performers. When we hire you on we take a risk that you'll be a good performer, and if you're not a good performer, labour laws compel us to let you go but at cost to ourselves - a cost based off your wage.

Hence, we will always look for the lowest risk option. So, if you are a medium to high risk asset, having graduated from a university of middling standing with middling grades, we don't know that you're going to perform well. If we need to let you go, if we gave you a high wage, we'd incur a big loss for little gain (in terms of your work done). Therefore, we offer lesser salaries so the risk is mitigated. This is universal SOP for HR.

Now many people come in with the mindset of "Ah, I'm seen as lower-class, so I will do lower-class work in exchange for my lower-class salary". Many of these people do not talk to me (in HR) to address concerns, never give me a chance to help them, and eventually quit after accruing experience or their performance goes down drastically and we are forced to let them go. HR does not want to do this you; we aren't your enemy. YOU are doing this to yourself, and you are your own worst enemy in this scenario. These people even make it worse for future generations, stacking on to the subpar reputation of not-as-prestigious universities and graduates.

Then, you have people who come in and defy the convention.

I'll give you a real life example. A 3rd class graduate from SIM comes in, with a starting salary of 1.8k (low even for those academic qualifications, but he joined at a rough year) and proceeds to work his ass off. He was humble, hardworking, on the ball, and didn't let his salary bother him. In fact, he outpaced many of the NUS graduates who came in with him at the same position but higher salaries. He confided me in several times in the beginning, voicing his unease about whether he was wasting his time. To this, I went to the supervisor, and told him of the guy's great performance, and recommended he was groomed and kept in our company, only for the supervisor to dismiss me - saying he already planned on that within the first 6 months of seeing the man perform.

Fast forward 5 years later, he is now a Manager, on track to Senior Manager, in a place where even NUS graduates of the highest calibre have quit or fallen behind him. He still has those same qualifications that people once mocked him for, but hangs the plaque proudly up on his office wall.

So, yes. Your academics will be factored in, in the beginning. You will feel undermined. But if you shake off those shackles and march forward, and fight your way out, you will be rewarded. Academics stop mattering as soon as you're in your first real job, it's only a stepping stone. Let yourself be chained down by it your whole life, and you have only yourself to blame.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I'm so glad to receive a conditional offer Can't wait to embark on new career.

Congrats~! Hopefully I will get mine soon.

Hi greatly appreciate your valuable inputs.

Check with you to what extent would our Annual Appraisals be shared when reference checks are conducted for people moving between SBs and/or Ministries (any diff in treatment between public and civil?) Ie. would comments be shared, or the actual grades or what nots.

Also, when they conduct reference checks, how far back would they check? I.e. i started at a Ministry but wasnt confirmed and went on to a stat board. When I leave this stat board for a Ministry in future, how will this play out?

Thanks!

Hi guys, anyone can share what is the interview process/type of interview questions like for LTA ?

Hi all, anyone went for interview at Singapore Customs before (for non uniformed post)? How is the interview process like at SC and working culture good?