The Singapore Forum

Hi there,
I have just moved to Singapore & I have had 2 interviews to date (I am an IT professional). I am just wondering if anyone can tell me what the standard turnaround time for interviews is please? Obviously this will be different form company to company but is 2 - 3 weeks standard or too long?

I have been waiting for almost 2 weeks now & chased once in this time. Is chasing considered rude?

I've also 'heard' that when they say they don't have feedback yet this can mean it's a no as Singaporeans don't like to say no straight out? Is there any truth in this?

I come from UK - where constructive feedback is the norm & I'd prefer to get a no & reason why as opposed to a 'we'll get back to you' & then never get back to me.

Any clarity would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :O)

I replied to this under an inspirational nom de plume on the other board.

In summary though

1) Do not expect to be told if you have been rejected (either by the co. or by a recruiter)
2) Don't expect any feedback
3) 2 weeks is too long. Unless they have given you a believable excuse, they don't want you I'm afraid

Welcome to the fun world of trying to get a job in Singapore

I disagree with BoD, though he probably has more experience.

Our organisation does give feedback if the candidate hasn't been successful. It can take a few weeks to get the nod but normally we'd tell the candidate that we are keen but just going through the internal hoop jumping.

Often going through an agency helps with the feedback. The agents will normally know if one of their candidates are successful or not and let you know.

To be fair the bigger organisations are better with bothering to tell you that you have been rejected

Also agree that it is better to go via a recruitment agency (or direct to the hiring manager) wherever possible. Applications direct to HR often never get to the hiring manager and are filtered by people who don't really understand the job requirements. A recruiter has a financial incentive to get your CV onto the desk of the hiring manager and to follow up

Thanks for your different thoughts - all.
I don't mind getting a 'No' I'd just rather know where I stand & what I can do to either improve.


Oh the fun.....

for my current role i've had up to 4 weeks of waiting in a process that all in all took 6 months...

From job advert to interview: upto 4 weeks for junior positions, I was 4 months (but maybe because they hadn't actually set up in Singapore when I applied).

From interview to offer/rejection (we ALWAYS send out rejection letters) will be upto 6 weeks, depending on the position and number of interviewees. We try to get in touch with all candidates within 2 weeks, but we just seem to be very slow at confirming offers. Rejectees will normally be told after the successful candidate has confirmed. Some of that time is down to our mixed HR arrangements (we report to China but have a local HR group...there's madness involved.)

Oficial contract: I would hope it could be done in 1 week, but again, it can take 2-3 weeks. I personally think our HR could do better, but...

So all-in-all, even for junior positions, it can take upto 3 months to get it all sorted. No kidding. Soemtimes things can work in tandem or a bit quicker.

Oh, and then there's the candidate's notice period - pain in the arse indeed.

Generally, people don't get feedback. In fact, for SME, I think asking for feedback would come as a surprise to the HR dept!

It is not rude to chase (or follow-up ) on your application. In fact, I would recommend that otherwise your cv will not go anywhere as Bod pointed out.

Would also recommend headhunters but as with HR, you have to try to meet up with them and make an impression on them or you will also be lost amongst their many applicants. Form a relationship with headhunters, not just when you need them.

Waiting time differs - no standard.

4-6 months - yikes!
Still I could just about manage that so long as I knew I was getting somewhere.
It's the not knowing if I'm doing well in interviews or not doing so well that worries me.

Anyway again thanks all - I will certainly chase.

Well, ladymacbeth, were the answers here any better or worse than the answers you got on Singapreexpats?

Better, without a doubt.

Silly question.

Indeed. We are an incandescent beacon of truth and reasonableness in the treacherous and stormy seas of virtual life

BoD wrote:Indeed. We are an incandescent beacon of truth and reasonableness in the treacherous and stormy seas of virtual life

sniffing glue is generally advised against, you know...

haha hi everyone - yes I posted same message on here, http://forum.singaporeexpats.com and http://www.expatsingapore.com/forum.
Pretty much the same answer all around. Singapore can be slow & inefficient (there are a number exceptions to this of course) so I need to
a) be patient - things take more time here
b) I need to do the chasing

Just for update I contacted one company who actually said my feedback was 'good' but to call them in another 10 days time!! Weird but hey I guess it's not necessarily bad news.

Thanks all - good luck to you all unless you are applying for same job as me - just kidding ;o)

one thing I've noticed when you're the one looking for employment - it's all a priority and it's a focus on your mind all the time.

from the company side, things can be completely all over the show - you've got managers with competing priorities or belief in what a job should be (irrespective of job description being written weeks or months ago, someone might have changed in the process and now has a different opinion) or you might have managers that are simply incapable of making a decision, or someone who needs to sign off has taken leave with out informing anyone in much advance but they're so senior you can't tell them off. HR people that shouldn't be allowed anything to do with people LOL.