LINKS 2008: A World of Opportunities

By all accounts, LINKS 2008 was a rousing success. Held on 11 January 2008 at the Grand Hyatt Singapore, the annual career symposium and networking event attracted close to 400 participants this year. Students and job-seekers came to listen to speakers and interact with representatives from 22 organizations.

Launched in 2007, this annual event was initially conceptualised to bring Singaporean students studying at universities in Australia together with Singapore-based employers. After a successful first year, LINKS 2008 expanded its outreach to include international students studying in Singapore and from around the region.

Guest of Honour, Mr. Gan Kim Yong, Minister of State for Education and Manpower opened the much anticipated event with a keynote address. The minister highlighted the fact that Singapore sits at the heart of a strong Asian economy, and that is making the most of its close ties with economic powerhouses China and India as well as Southeast Asia. He noted that an important requirement for being successful in China and India—or anywhere in today’s globalised economy, is an understanding of how to operate in a cross-cultural environment. Individuals who have studied overseas thus have already gained international exposure and have a competitive advantage in this respect.

Discussing Singapore’s appeal both to foreigners seeking employment and to investors, Mr. Gan touched upon three key factors. First, Singapore is pro-growth, with long-term policies and infrastructure in place to encourage sustainable economic expansion for the next 30–40 years and beyond. Second, Singapore is pro-business, with an open and flexible environment that welcomes all businesses that contribute to the economy and enhance society to the benefit of all Singaporeans. Third, Singapore is pro-talent, with a meritocracy in place that values skills and achievements among locals and foreigners alike, and that encourages training to support the ongoing development of talent.

Breakout Sessions

The keynote address was followed by three breakout sessions: one on technology, another on financial services, and a third on healthcare and biomedical research. Each session featured 3–4 speakers from prominent industry players and organizations who shared with each audience insights about their respective industries, with an emphasis on employment trends. View speakers's profiles here.

Technology Breakout Session

Guest speakers for the Technology session. L-R: Mr Ulf Schneider, Ms Christine Loh (Deputy Director, Contact Singapore), Mr Russell Watson and Mr Raymond Wong.

In the Technology Breakout Session, speakers touched upon the strong job market for engineers and those with other technology-related backgrounds. Mr. Ulf Schneider, Vice President of Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific, commented that “skilled engineers are crucial for exciting innovation to happen, thus they are in high demand here in Singapore.” Mr. Russell Watson, Managing Director of Merck Sharpe & Dohme (Singapore), added that technology-related jobs abound in many industries that are innovation driven, even if their primary focus is not related to technology, so job seekers should keep an open mind when considering where to look for work. Highlighting the diversity of opportunities, Mr. Raymond Wong, General Manager of Koei Entertainment Singapore, said, “There are many opportunities for both left brain and right brain individuals in the gaming industry—from highly technical roles to creative roles—and it is very exciting to see them work together.” When asked what employers are looking for in potential hires aside from academic qualifications, all three speakers mentioned similar requirements: strong communication skills, effectiveness working in a team, creativity and passion for the work being done.

Finance Breakout Session

Guest speakers for the Finance session. L-R : Dr Ernest Kan Yaw Kiong, Mr Stephen Tjoa, Mr Raymond Tan (Assistant Director, Contact Singapore), Mr Aaron Yip, Mr Mark Lim

Representatives from the finance and insurance industries played host to an eager crowd of participants in the Finance Breakout Session. With financial services growing by leaps and bounds globally, and Singapore building a strong role for itself within the industry, it’s no wonder the interest was high. The panellists provided an outlook for the industry in Singapore and outlined the employment landscape within it. It was pointed out that skill sets learned in Singapore’s finance industry environment are highly portable and can lead to regional placement and roles. The session was notable for the number of students present from non-finance areas of study, who were eager to find out about getting a foot in the door and the opportunities for on-the-job training.

Mr. Mark Lim from the General Insurance Association of Singapore and Mr. Aaron Yip from Federal Insurance both pointed out that the insurance industry does a lot of on-the-job training, and added that insurance companies require domain knowledge for the various forms of insurance they provide, so experts from other sectors can be valuable assets for them. Mr. Stephen Tjoa of KPMG also mentioned that for the Big 4 accounting companies, their biggest selling point to new recruits is their training programs, so opportunities exist for those without an accounting or finance education background if the person is the right fit in other ways.

Healthcare and Biomedical Research Breakout Session

Guest speakers for the Healthcare & Biomedical Research session. L to R: Dr Andre Wan, Ms Olivia Tay, Dr Ooi Choon Jin, Mr Anil Das, Ms Evelyn Khoo (Director, Contact Singapore).

In the Healthcare and Biomedical Research Breakout Session, Mr. Anil Das provided a clear picture of the strong growth path that Singapore’s healthcare industry is following. Highlighting that the national health budget is set to increase by 50% to S$3 billion within three years, he also noted that new facilities are coming on-line and that research is shifting from a basic to more complex translational level. Also of note, healthcare in Singapore is evolving into a highly integrated industry, where the medical, research and professional segments are collaborating closely to create new synergies.

With a strong outlook and growing reputation, it’s no wonder that local and foreign medical professionals are increasingly making Singapore their destination of choice—in fact, the exceedingly good turnout at this session was evidence that this trend is likely to continue. Dr. Ooi Choon Jin provided details on Singapore’s carefully laid-out professional development programs and the opportunities to be “trained by the best to be the best.” Foreign participants in the session were happy to hear that for candidates with recognised degrees, SingHealth will help them to complete the required paperwork and certification.

Networking at LINKS 2008

With the keynote address and breakout sessions completed, the attendees returned to the main ballroom to get down to business: visiting booths, meeting company and association representatives face-to-face, and asking all of their burning questions about jobs, employment prospects, etc.

Many students and graduates came prepared with copies of their CV to distribute, and several company and association reps mentioned that they were impressed by the quality of the job seekers and interest that they expressed. With new connections made and opportunities explored, there is no doubt that LINKS 2008 fulfilled its role as a catalyst for international and overseas students and graduates hoping to embark upon fruitful careers in Singapore.

Here’s a glimpse of what some participants had to say about LINKS 2008

Lo Bang Yong, Malaysian Business Administration and Sociology Graduate, Vanguard University, California, US		“I studied in the US, but it was difficult to get a work pass there so I came back to Asia. I came to Singapore because the economy is happening here, and I want to experience big city living.”
Sivamaran Pillay, Singaporean Accounting student, University of Brisbane, Australia		“For me, LINKS 2008 is a chance to explore the opportunities with financial services and accounting companies like KPMG, Ernst & Young, and the General Insurance Association of Singapore.”
Wale Ogunbode, Nigerian Masters of International Business Management, University of Nottingham, Malaysia campus		“I came here to find out more about the opportunities in Singapore. The speakers have given me a lot of valuable information on what is possible and how to go about finding work here.”
Vanessa Lai, Singaporean Bachelor of Science Graduate, University of Western Australia, Australia		“I just graduated, so now I’m looking for work in the biomedical industry. I’m considering all of my options, including Singapore, Australia, the US, Japan, etc.”
Vindhya Reddy, Indian Masters by Research in Life Sciences, NUS, Singapore		“This was a good opportunity learn more about the future direction of various industries. I was also able to meet employers and find out what they expect from me.”
Amit Gupta, Indian Postgraduate studies, NUS, Singapore		“Today’s event is useful as it allows me to have personal contact with potential employers. I’ve posted my CV on all of the job sites, but the personal touch you get from meeting someone one-on-one is important to help you stand out.”
Louis Goh, Singaporean Epidemiology and Biostatistics Graduate, Curtin University of Technology, Australia		“It has been useful. They did mention a bit on the research side and I was able to ask questions about future directions, so I now have a better picture of where I should be moving and what kind of skills they are looking for at the moment.”
Rick Goh, Human Resource Director, Rotary Engineering		“The event is a good platform for networking and employment branding—we are able to broadcast what Rotary offers to prospective employees, so they will think of us once they graduate.”
Amit Jain, Assistant Manager, HR, i-flex solutions		“The responses we get from job ads sometimes include profiles [CVs] from people who are not really interested. Here at least people are coming up and clarifying their doubts and understanding what the requirements are that we have. A lot of the people who are really interested are coming up, so the first level of screening has been done. So this means we can save a lot of time and get away with the first level of screening. And we are finding people who are really interested to work with us.”
Russ Watson, Managing Director, MSD Singapore Manufacturing Operations, Merck, Sharp & Dohme		“LINKS 2008 is a great two-way feedback mechanism. We get to meet prospective employees and learn about what they want in terms of a career, while at the same time we can educate them about what’s available in the industry and with MSD. We’re able to show them how their skills and knowledge can be applied in the industry.”
Dr. Lim Liang, Medical Officer, Clinical Manpower, Human Resource, National Healthcare Group		“This was a good platform to reach out to graduates and highlight the opportunities available in Singapore. We managed to meet a lot of people here today.”
Ang Hock Kheng, Director, Human Resources, Ernst & Young		“This is the first time we are participating in this event and we were very pleasantly surprised with the outcome. First, we were not expecting to collect any resumes, but we collected quite a sizable number of resumes. We were also not expecting people who would be able to do internships with us, but through this event I think we have found a few possible interns.”
Cheryl Teo, Schering-Plough		“A very good event. We were able to meet many motivated candidates who are interested to learn more about working with Schering-Plough.”

LINKS 2008 Podcast