Civil/Public Sector - Ministry/Stat Boards employees knowledge needed!
 

Which are the good or bad Ministries or SB to work in? (management, job scopes, prospects, people, environ... etc)
Feel free to comment anything about it esp if you're working/worked there before ;) Wanna try applying some public sector jobs once I graduate but donno which to choose..

Perhaps it will be more useful if you can provide some more information about yourself (i.e. which uni, what major, what's the predicted final GPA etc.). Else we can talk till the cows come home and you will still have no inkling on what is possible for you.

Even within the same Ministry or Stat board there can be good and bad departments.

The famous work life balance that private sector people think is standard fare is hardly the case in some jobs within the public sector. So yes, more information from you is required.

I'll be graduating with a business dip from a local poly, if nothing goes wrong my gpa should be about 3.3. My interest lies in PR/ corp comms but guess I'm fine doing admin or HR roles as well.. I want to take a communications degree but I don't think my gpa allows me to get a place in local uni... so thought I could work a few years first to gain some work experience b4 relooking at my options.

Ah I see. Now that put things into context. With a diploma, you will be going into Public Sector as a Div 2 officer. Since you're from biz background, the most obvious choice would be HR.

In general, life of a Div 2 officer in public sector tend to be better than Div 1 (graduates) - more work life balance. Good for those who are thinking of pursuing part time degrees. Pay wise should be around the same as private, with annual increments. Salary package definitely not as good as Div 1 officers (graduates), and career development wise will also stagnant in time to come.

Bear in mind that those who are ambitious should go to the private for a better chance to shine. Public sector will limit your career progression should you have no degree. Private may also not consider your experience in public sector to be relevant, should you want to jump out in the future. In terms of experience, I would say you could learn more from the private. But if you have the heart to serve people, do join the public then.

As a communications graduate, my advice is to really think about whether you'd enjoy a comms career before jumping into a comms degree.

On top of that, you don't need a comms degree to do comms. Just a pretty face, good language ability and an outgoing personality.

I disagree. Many comms positions do require at least 2-3 yrs of experience, in addition to having a degree. Thus it's alot more difficult to go into comms if you are just a business diploma holder. And I believe actions speak louder than words, in the sense that being competent in communications work triumphs an outgoing personality anytime.

Some people (my manager) think that just because they are outgoing and relate to people well, they can be qualified to do corp comms. Can't be further away from the truth if a corp comms manager fails to realise that he has to come up with a internal and external communications plan. Better still, the work that solely belongs to corp comms ended up being taken away from us and be given to other department because manager wants to maintain harmony :mad:

Well whatever he is doing seems to be working since he is your manager.

This is a very good post TS should listen.

Just to add for most dipolma grads I highly recommend join public sector if possible. Work life and pay in general is much better. Sure, there will be the rare make it big diploma grad, but generally i look at the poly people I know at my age, those that join government have a much better life and stability.

Eh no, he is corp comms manager only because the chinese directors like him, he curries favour with the new chinese CEO, and there are no senior singaporeans in the company to lead the newly formed corp comms dept after the company went through major restructuring...He wouldn't have what it takes to be a corp comms manager if he were to be in a MNC or civil service. Spewing rainbows and unicorns can get you to the top, but you won't stay long cos people can see through the lack of substance/inability. It applies to not just comms/PR alone but also to all the jobs out there. Always make sure you have the substance to prove your talk otherwise people will not respect you just like how I do not respect my manager.

you need some cheese to go with all your whine?

Thanks for the sarcasm. At least I am giving TS concrete career advice and insights in the field of PR/comms, a midst of all the "whine". I'm sure that is alot more useful than the generic career advice you gave previously. *smirk*

Hey thanks for the heads up! So div 2 is for dip holders in public sector, are there ranges within it? May I know the avg payscale for fresh grads and what to expect with average work performance?

Haha that's not good for me, I'm not exactly very pretty, just an average plain jane but I do enjoy meeting new people. Are u from a local uni? Are there many dip holders in there?

Hey thanks for the advice! Perhaps I can pursue a part time comms degree in the future to upgrade myself. Are you currently working in public sector comms? What is an average day like?

youthgone
 

Im working in a SB now. Seriously regretted my decision to work here 2 years ago. Advise: Don't join, go private intstead you will have better prospects there.

I'm currently working in private sector comms. Which part of comms are you interested in? And what is your English grade for O levels?

I'm interested in PR, what is it like working in comms? My English grade is B4. Does it affect my chances?

I know quite few fresh dip holder working in the same statboard as me. From what i gather, most are paid between 1.8k to 1.9k( without ns) . The stat board i worked in is pretty ordinary. I heard those elite stat board will pay a little better

Are you looking a PR in the advertising/PR way? In Min/SB their PR and Corp Comms depts do mainly media relations and some events or roadshows. At most places, Div 2 officers are support officers. They don't do any comms plan or events planning, just the support work like preparing news clippings, help to write a bit for their publications, prepare catering for events, etc. If these are what you don't mind doing for about a year or two, I think it is not a bad start if you really want to do comms. The salary range is about $2,053 - $3,260, it takes between 3-6 years for a promotion. Increment for me is 4% yearly and a promotion is less than 9%.

I joined my current company as they had an op's team for events and international relations. Then a re-org happened, I got absorbed into comms. I graduated with a tourism diploma. To me, as long as the company is willing to give you the opportunity, I don't see any harm in trying to see if it fits you. A year later, if you decided to further your studies, they might even offer you a scholarship (local 4 yrs bond, overseas 6 yrs bond). As long as you do your work well and have a good attitude, I can't see why you can't progress from there. Caveat: I don't suck balls.

how many months is the all in total package for a Div I officer in stat board? Assuming average performer and average year...

I know a few real life examples who managed to luck into corp comms as a result of re-org. I was one of them, but that's because I was already working as a marketing communications executive, and was already proven excellent in communications work. The ones I know of that was absorbed into corp comms (not the same company) are relegated to the events planning part of comms, probably because of the lack of competency in writing or managing actual comms work.

You can't expect to go into a company as a position unrelated to corp comms, and hoping that somehow the company has a restructuring and re-assign you to your desired position . Life does not work this way, and honestly speaking, it's an unrealistic strategy. Yes, you can use it as a stepping stone, but I don't think you should pin your hopes on it cos it really depends on your luck. One also need to consider that govt stat boards may not necessary have entry level corp comms position for diploma holders.

PR/Comms usually involves drafting of press release, update and maintain corporate website, news media coverage, oversee relations of both internal and external stakeholders, run events, copy-writing, etc.

You need to write well to save your life. To answer your question, English grade is everything (why do you think mass comm requires a distinction in English??!), and even if they can disregard your O level English grade, they will most likely administer a written test of sorts. Your English is at best average only; thus even with a comms degree you may realise that you do not have the aptitude to write well, which is quintessential in Communications. You'll be shocked to know that some private companies use English O level grades to shortlist candidates to the next round. You can expect public sectors to be alot more stringent.

People think it's easy to get into comms, but it couldn't be further away from the naked truth. PR/Comms can be very demanding. Many are called to go into comms but only a few are chosen. If meeting new people is the only reason why you are interested in PR/Comms, then I think you should seriously consider doing events or HR instead. You get to meet new people all the time and the work is less demanding, as compared to Comms.

Comms in SB
 

Does anyone know what does the corp comms in SB does? Esp those position higher than entry level?

Hi, I need suggestion as to which ministry should I be looking into if I:

- am a local diploma holder (engineering/infocomm)
- am aged 28
- have work in sales for the past 6 years
- have basic and comm averages to about 2k per month
- do not have intention of joining uniformed group
- have slight deficient in Maths and English

I was told that being able to write well is one of the main important criteria to get into corp comms in SB. So expect lots of writing components as part of your job scope.

The job scope should be sth very similar to private organisations, esp when it comes to the dissemination of govt news, and cultivating & maintaining of media relations with relevant stakeholders. For example, draft press release & internal newsletter, monitor & analyse media news related to the SB, etc.

Anyone can share what's the career progression of ops executive in GLCs? Thanks

I want to apply for a diploma level job in public sector, but actually I have a private degree. Would it be better to list my degree in or leave it out during job application? Any advise on this from people working there?

You have deficiencies in 2 of the more important skills. Your experience in sales would unlikely be appreciated at all since civil service doesn't do sales lol. Maybe you should look into engineering jobs, though they will most likely offer you fresh diploma entry positions if you're lucky. Best option for you is to sign on for uniformed service, you lack skills that are deemed valuable to the civil service, not that you aren't valuable, just that there probably isn't a job that matches your experience.

If you really do want to apply for a diploma level job, then you can leave out the fact that you have a degree. Why would you want a dip level job? You know that they won't promote you to a degree level position down the road right? Because they are looking for someone to work in that dip position, if they do hire you, they probably expect you to work in that position at least in the next 3-5 years.

That's hard to say. Now even diploma holders already hold executive positions in civil sector. If they work long enough, they may be promoted to senior executive. I think no more executive asst for diploma holders for some stat boards, thus it's easier to promote from Exec - Senior Exec, instead of Exec asst - Exec. I could be wrong though. But some diploma holders job do welcome degree holders.

Public sector don't seem to recognise private degree, and I'm worried they might not want to pay more for a degree person in diploma position thus affecting my chances of getting an interview.

It really depends on where you work. At my place, lets say they have a position for a diploma job, it is usually for a certain department that is made up of mainly diploma holders. Because the work that this specific dept does do not require a degree. And yes, they do get promoted, but never out of that dept. They can get promoted to head that particular dept, and it is only then that the person within that dept is identified, and sent to get a degree and take over.

Then what's the point? You wanna trick them and then at the interview say 'surprise, I got a degree!'? If they dont recognise pte degree, then why work there? You should head for private sector, gain exp, then come back with exp so they will consider it a mid-career switch. Instead, if you start at diploma position, it is not a confirmed thing that they will promote you JUST because you have a degree leh. If they really want to promote someone from the diploma pool to a degree position, they will pick the best and send him to take a degree. They wont pick you just because you have a degree already.

so this happened..
 

Had my first ever interview this week and it lasted for a mere 15 minutes... are public sector interviews that short?! Well, the hiring managers were running behind schedule but still, it didn't feel right.. :/ oh wells

Are they very few vacancies in Govt sector for Diploma holders or is it just really really competitive? I have a local diploma with slightly better than average GPA but found it hard to get selected for interviews, let alone secure a perm job there.

Depends on which organisation it is and what type of interview it is. Went for an interview at a ministry and it only lasted for 15 mins too. got called for the second round of interview after that.

Don't lose hope

Most of my interviews with ministries/sb lasted for atleast half an hour... The shortest was 30 minutes which happened today. But I guess that was because they learnt about my verbal offer from another org and realized that they cannot match the salary at all.

grades arent everything. sometimes people with better IQs have lower EQs. Nowadays most sectors prefer to hire undergrads so dip holder jobs would get lesser as the years go by. try keeping your options wide open and aim for pte sector jobs too.

Lol but the poster is trying to get govt jobs, and grades are everything in public service. Or so I heard.