Fresh Grad Needs Career Advice

[kelvinchua]

Dear all, I am new to this forum and would appreciate some help in my first career, everything said here is 100% true.

Status: Fresh Grad (from an Aussie Uni - not top tiered)
Employment/Internship Background: 70% HR / 30% Sales (not interested in sales/insurance industry anymore)
Notable Attributes: Holding leadership positions in associations/clubs in Secondary, Poly and Uni

JOB INFORMATION
I went for a HR Exec/Manager role in a small consulting firm which specializes in business growth consulting and management training and has helped several companies to "turn around" and achieve business excellence/brand awards. [so it seems pretty credible that their methodologies are working]

Interview was with the boss of the firm but not for the HR position. Apparently he is looking for a candidate to learn the ropes of the business and to take over certain core functions so as to alleviate his workload, and to be groomed into a GM or equivalent role in future. This person will then transfer methodologies/SOPs to coach other consultants/employees of the company. [he seems to imply that want a long-term guy to learn everything and take over the reigns]

Cut to the chase, the boss is impressed with me and subtlely "offers" me the job by asking me down on Friday to discuss the full remuneration package.

JOB PROS

• Lots of learning opportunity [company in fact invests a lot in training its's employees, like sending them to WDA courses]
• Boss is well-recognised in the industry
• Attached to boss directly [something like management trainee]
• Seems like a very good advancement if looking at long term 3-5 years [get to learn everything about the business, from consulting to HR to management of the business]
• Near MRT, 45mins public transport from home
• Systematic learning approach, employees are to keep a learning log and jot down their trainings and supervisors supposed to sign off

JOB CONS

• Long Working Hours [8AM to 8PM]
• If employees attend training during weekdays, may have to spend time during weekend to catch up on their work.
• Extremely poor basic salary [Starts at S$1,000 but Boss promises that it will be on an incremental and progressive 3-year scale and he is willing to increase it even further along the way if there's good performance - however I do not have the full figure until this Friday]
• Sacrificing lots of personal time considering most end work at "normal" times[Family/GF/Friends]
• Super steep learning curve and stressful environment

CONCLUSION
I am truly excited about the job advancement and really eager to learn new things but things like the really low salary and long working hours doesn't seem very appealing in a way. A part of me wants to give this a shot and "bia" for the next 2-3 years but opportunity cost tells me that there is definitely better offers out there for fresh grads (at least S$2,500).

I would like to seek the opinions of the forumers here.

Thank you guys in advance

1k salary? forget it. your can earn more by driving a cab part-time and starting your own consulting business full time.

ever thought being an entrepreneur? why not do an internship at a hawker stall then open up your own stall? $1k is a waste of time.

Your boss sounds like he just wants to squeeze talent out of you for cheap money. He wants work done you get paid. Promises mean nothing.

any commission? 1k basic is a joke if no/low commission, an admin assistance with A'lvl and lesser working hours can earn more than that.

all the career prospect and progressive scale are jus empty promises and may not materialize.

Why not you get more info on the salary package this Friday and then you post again? With the 1k basic you have mentioned, 100% of the forumers will advise you do not waste time etc.

Out of the 5 cons you mentioned, 4 is expected for any job that is fast tracked or have good prospect. All MA and MT burn their weekend and personal time regularly. Stress and steep learning curve is expected. If the job is easy anyone can do it. However the main difference is that they are generally well compensated for their time. Unless the contract you sign has specific milestone for salary increase, I'm guessing it's all smoke and mirrors.

Top talents are attracted by top dollars. If he is indeed grooming a GM replacement, why is he starting at a 1k pay? That's borderline intern pay. There's no guarantee that whatever he say will materialize, and he definitely would not put it in a contract as such stuff are dependent on performance. Most job description often sounds nice but you'll be in for a surprise when you actually work there and realize it doesn't match at all. Sounds to me that the boss wants to hire a PA for cheap rather than grooming a future GM.

[warning]

Even my company interns are paid more than you.

Considering that you'll have to spend more on clothes, food and transportation when you work... financially it makes more sense to bum around at home than to take up this job.

What course were you from and do you have any internship/work experience?

Your uni degree and class of honours must suck deep deep for you to be even considering such stupid offers.

[warning]

here's a HR job which you can probably try and would easily pay more than twice of this job -

Human Resource (HR) Graduate Development Program - Singapore at Rolls-Royce in Singapore - Singapore - Job | LinkedIn