Fuelled by her love for Business Management, Charlotte shares how her work at SPRING helps to develop local enterprises.

By Lim Yan Wen

Clad in a fitting black jacket complete with heels that exude confidence, Charlotte Lin is in her element when she enthuses about her work in SPRING Singapore. “I've always wanted to work in businesses, or anything related to business and marketing,” Charlotte says.

The 25-year-old, who has worked with SPRING for close to three years, is now a Manager who holds concurrent appointments in Retail and the International Partnership Office (Europe) (IPO). Armed with a degree in Business Management from the Singapore Management University (SMU), Charlotte has a double major in Marketing and Corporate Communications.

This academic combination has prepared her well for her work with SPRING today. Besides accumulating classroom knowledge, Charlotte gained invaluable networking skills and knowledge through overseas exchange and immersion stints in Sweden's Lund University and Switzerland’s St Gallen University, as well as a business study mission trip to Silicon Valley in the United States.

From its home base in Singapore, SingTel has, through its strategic investments, transformed into Asia’s leading communications company. With more than 249 million regional mobile customers, it is also the largest multi-market mobile operator outside of China. Today, it is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange as the largest company by market capitalisation. On the global front, it is aiming to be the top info-communications technology (ICT) solutions provider in the industry.

For SingTel to lead and shape the markets it competes and operates in, it has to continually invest in both its infrastructure as well as capabilities. This includes building its human capital with a strong commitment to talent management and development.

A key feature of SingTel’s corporate strategy is thus to be an Employer of Choice.

Time management is a practice preached by throngs of professionals who struggle against daily deadlines, and is a prerequisite for excelling at your job. When put into place, this skill enables you to be more productive than ever before.

By Nabilah Husna A. Rahman

The emails keep coming in and your workload is piling right before your bewildered and glassy eyes. In the corner of the room, you can see a tic going off in your manager’s cheek – it’s the umpteenth time you’ve missed an urgent deadline.

When you notice that your work area is papered with Post-its, to-do lists and notices of personal deadlines that you never seem to meet, it’s time to acknowledge the problem – your time management skills aren’t the best they can be.

Stretching your time is quite unlike stretching a dollar. The former is a resource you simply can’t save and utilise on another day. Instead, you have an average of eight (or for some, perhaps ten) hours in your office to do as much as possible. Your power lies in having superiority over the unyielding clock hands, rather than letting time drag you by the navel in your hastening attempts at completing your work.

If you’re someone who immediately answers “no” when asked if you have any questions, it’s time you break the habit. Being a little more curious can help you land that dream job.

By Nabilah Husna A. Rahman

Three days before the actual job interview, you’ve already researched the company in detail, rehearsed your astute response to the basic opening question (“So, tell me more about yourself.”) and chosen The Outfit. Now, leave it up to fate – or rather, the hiring managers – and maybe utter a prayer or two.

Over-preparation for a big interview is a distinguishing trait of most novice jobseekers. Most hasten to anticipate possible questions and expect the far too unexpected. Some candidates are articulate when it comes to overtly marketing themselves. But when posed with two simple words – ‘Any questions?’ – they stare, flummoxed.

It’s time to evict the assumption that there is nothing wrong with being completely bereft of doubts and queries during the interview. The truth is, there are some things that no amount of homework can help you find out. Asking questions indicates your level of interest in the company and the position you’re applying for, or lack thereof.

Here are 10 pertinent questions you can ask at a job interview, to show that finding a good fit is as important to you as it is to your recruiters.

At STB, work goes beyond the realms of mere marketing and into the hub of creating excitement.

By Nabilah Husna A. Rahman

The local tourism industry is set to boom, with pivotal developments led by the world’s only FORMULA ONE night race; the opening of the integrated resorts, Marina Bay SandsTM and Resorts World at Sentosa; landmark events like the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games; new attractions such as Gardens by the Bay and River Safari; and new retail establishments such as ION Orchard and 313@Somerset gracing the newly rejuvenated Orchard Road.

These promising enhancements to the landscape are what drove Li Hongyi to dive headfirst into the industry with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as her first choice.

“My graduation coincided with a lot of the excitement lined up in the tourism industry,” says the National University of Singapore (NUS) alumnus. “So I thought that if I wanted to be in the centre of all the excitement, where else can I be, besides STB? That reaffirmed my choice and I gave the management trainee programme a shot.”

Course trainer and entrepreneur Marcus Lau shares how SLA can help fresh graduates forge a great career path in the logistics industry through professionalism and excellence.

By Nabilah Husna A. Rahman

Marcus Lau is sagacious when it comes to dispensing advice. The 42 years old course trainer at the Singapore Logistics Association (SLA) has a prudent outlook of the logistics industry after having served in it for many years.

“I graduated in 1991 and during that time, there wasn’t really a logistics industry,” says the former Biochemistry student in the National University of Singapore. He fell into the industry “by chance”, when he was introduced by a friend to a freight-forwarding company.

Upon joining the company, Marcus developed a thirst for logistics that couldn’t be quenched by a mere part-time position. “Four months after the part-time arrangement, I decided to take it on a full-time basis,” he says. “There’s something attractive about the industry that made me stay on and give up the Biochemistry major I had.”

The notion of flight has enticed mankind for centuries. One SIA pilot reveals how his profession complements his interest for travel and aviation.

By Nabilah Husna A. Rahman

What is usually every young boy’s first fantasy is very much a reality for Captain Tay Lim Tiang, a pilot with Singapore Airlines (SIA). Having long harboured an interest in flight technology, Lim Tiang now has control over the “metal birds” and travels to different cities all over the globe for a living.

He chose to study Electronics and Communication Engineering at Singapore Polytechnic (SP) in order to chase his dream of flying to success, literally. “I was very intrigued with the job of a pilot during my youth. I was fascinated by the machines that are able to take flight in the sky,” the SIA pilot reveals.

With regard to his engineering background, Lim Tiang explains, “Modern aircraft incorporates many applications of technology, and as such, pursuing an engineering diploma is a logical extension of my interest in aviation.”

There are no guarantees that life will turn out the way you want. When two young creatives discovered that their plans no longer served them, they decided to redesign their lives by furthering their education at Raffles Design Institute.

By Everlyn Lee

Just like how a fashion designer produces a garment from a hand-sketch, and how a multimedia designer creates an application from a storyboard, Michael Loo and Louis Koh took their first steps into the burgeoning creative industry through an education at Raffles Design Institute.

Established in 1990, the school develops creative professionals and entrepreneurs in the areas of Fashion Design, Interior Design, Interactive Media Design (Multimedia Design, Animation, and Games Design), 3D Design (Product, Furniture, and Jewellery Design), Graphic Design, and Fashion Marketing (Fashion Marketing & Management, Retail Management, and Fashion Communication & Journalism). The education provider also spans major cities in China, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand.

Find out how a career in the public sector can open doors to new opportunities.

By Simon Phua

Meet Quah Chee Seng, a public officer working in China, one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Driven by a passion to make a positive difference in whatever he does, Chee Seng joined the Singapore Public Service after graduating from university and has not looked back since.

“I think the Public Service offers an extremely varied range of opportunities to contribute towards making the lives of Singaporeans better. You can choose where you wish to make a difference,” says Chee Seng.

Chee Seng has been carving out his career in the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and was recently appointed the Area Director for Greater China at Contact Singapore, an alliance between MOM and the Economic Development Board. Contact Singapore seeks to attract global talent to work, invest and live in Singapore.

At MTU Asia, work is nothing short of enjoyable. Three employees with different backgrounds are proud testaments to this truth.

By Nabilah Husna A. Rahman

A wide range of opportunities are available to staff at MTU Asia, a leading and global manufacturer of diesel engines and complete drive systems. As the Asian arm of MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, the brand boasts strength in both people and power, as well as a service-oriented culture.

Grooming leaders
Despite its focus on engineering, MTU Asia is continually on the lookout for qualified staff from various disciplines – a need which is met by the company’s graduate trainee programme.

Fresh graduates from Engineering, Business and Information Technology courses can apply for the programme, which caters to a wide variety of sectors within the company.

For Mechanical Engineering graduate Chong Chao Wei, a trainee in the Engineering Sales & Application Engineering-Marine Department, the 18-month-long programme’s attraction lies in its streamlined structure and prospects for growth.