www.biipmi.com MICA (P) 116 / 05 / 2012 Apr 13 / May 13 Issue #9
A Publication on Employability for PMEs by PMEs
biipmi
@ Career & Education 2013 (My Learning
Adventure at Career & Education 2013)
Beyond Staying Relevant
– Be Valuable
The importance of poise & confidence
(by Resident Trainer of Carrie Academy International)
About biipmi
(branding individualised interactive portfolios through marketing innovations)
Beyond Staying Relevant – Be Valuable Recently I had a discussion with some human resource experts and the boss of a training company. We were sharing opinions of how PMEs (Professionals, Managers and Executives) could face the challenges that are knocking at their doors. Throughout the discussion, three aspects of what we term as the ‘PME phenomenon’ surfaced. These are: skills upgrading (or lifelong learning), staying relevant, and under-employment.
Skills Upgrading The need for continual skills upgrading is something that all PMEs can attest to. As business and product lifecycles shorten, the shelf-life of knowledge, and even skills, also shorten correspondingly. I still remember very vividly that during the turn of the 21st century, Singapore’s infocomm scene was welcoming the introduction of WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), which was publicised as the next generation mobile technology. Our polytechnics rolled out diploma programmes and many bright students applied to enter those courses. However, when the diploma graduates who majored in WAP technology tried to enter the job market in 2004, WAP was warped! It was time to welcome 2G, then 3G, and now 4G (LTE) – a whole new generation of communication technology every four years! I believe it must have been a rude shock to those graduates then, when they realised that the knowledge they spent several years acquiring had found no market and value. So if knowledge and skills cycles have only half-decade lifespans, then the role of skills upgrading has to be critically assessed. What are the next skill-sets that a PME has to develop? We all can agree that time, resources, as well as personal and corporate productivity have to be sacrificed whenever one goes for skills upgrading. So what if after all the skills upgrading, and one is still lagging behind the business curve? Wouldn’t all the effort go to waste? This was when the next important concept of ‘staying relevant’ was discussed among the group.
Staying Relevant While skills upgrading commonly carries the notion of one improving on his skills and knowledge, staying relevant is actually more apt in describing how one should ride the ebbs and flows of the turbulent economic cycles. Staying relevant means that one is able to understand the socio-economic trends and equip oneself with the relevant and necessary skills to remain employable. Staying relevant therefore is an important attribute of being employable. Hence, a PME who has a post-graduate degree in a sunset industry might want to consider embarking on a diploma programme in a sunrise industry, for example. While this might seem like ‘qualification-downgrading’ (synonymous to skills-downgrading), it actually allows the PME to stay relevant if the PME could remain employable in a sunrise industry.
Under-employment At this juncture, our discussions became more intense, and I managed to toss yet another spanner into the gearbox: could skills-upgrading (which tend to lead to higher expectations in career remunerations) and the need to stay relevant (which sometimes have to be at the expense of qualifications) potentially lead to under-employment? Under-employment refers to the situation whereby a person’s job requirements and the skills or knowledge required to fulfill the job are sub-ordinate to the qualifications or skills and knowledge that the employee possesses and desires to exhibit. Oftentimes, job satisfaction fairs badly in under-employment situations, and the employee tends to be unhappy in the job, and he is unlikely to remain in the job for long. At this point, the boss of a training firm started to relate a hiring experience that he had. He mentioned that he wanted to hire a training manager to manage his company. During the interview phase, all went well; until the potential candidate, a mature PME, revealed that he used to be the regional general manager of an MNC. At that instant, the boss said that he had doubts whether the potential candidate would be willing to remain in the training manager position for long, since this new role and remuneration was only able to match a fraction of his previous GM position. At the end, the boss decided to give the candidate a miss. During the last global recession in the 2008/09 period, we witnessed many PMEs being caught in under-employment situations when they were employed as security officers or taxi-drivers. While under-employment has no impact on a country’s (un)employment statistics, anecdotal evidences point to the negative impacts that under-employment has on affected PMEs’ esteem, and their future employability, especially if the under-employment period is perpetuated. In more aggravated situations, the badly-bruised PME might even disassociate himself from the employment scene, and a state of chronic unemployment might set in. Under such a scenario, the chronically unemployed PME might not be able to, or not willing to, hold on to a job for longer than several months. In the worst scenario, the chronically unemployed might degenerate together into an unemployable individual. Our discussions hit a road-block at this stage. It suddenly became very evident to the group that under-employment might be the challenge of the future for PMEs, especially if the birth of quality jobs cannot match the growth in skills and knowledge of the enlarging PME population. We did not progress further, as we had to part our ways. However my mind was already stirred by this issue…
Employability Valuation How can a PME overcome under-employment? Can any PME even avoid under-employment as quality jobs become scarcer? I spent some time to reflect on this phenomenon, and I came to the opinion that PMEs need to look beyond relentless skills upgrading to stay relevant; PMEs need to appreciate the simple yet important concept of employability valuation instead. PMEs should see themselves as assets that are subjected to valuation forces, just like any piece of property or investment instrument. A person’s employment value is never static, and never linearly appreciating. Rather, due to the forces of business cycles, the employment value should also mirror the cycles. Not only do PMEs’ skills and knowledge have to be relevant, their mindset and expectations also have to be congruent with business expectations. PMEs also have to acknowledge that hiring decisions are essentially valuation exercises, and valuation processes always take into account a plethora of factors, not just the traditional options of qualifications, work experience, personality, or other personal attributes. Increasingly employers look for PMEs with versatility and ability to accomplish ‘speed-to-market’ expectations so that the enterprise as a whole can stay ahead of business cycles. Also, being able to detect market trends and be there at the right time, with the right aptitude and attitude packaging, will result in higher valuation for the PMEs. Hence, PMEs should think and behave like entrepreneurs, being prepared to subject to market valuation, and acknowledge that fitting their expectations to the peaks and troughs of business cycles can only lead to higher employability without the under-employment side effects, as every employment is an opportunity for higher employability. Furthermore, it would be useful for PMEs to understand that there are two aspects of valuations: one is valuation of the PMEs’ personal resources, eg. their time, skills, and/or knowledge. The second aspect is the valuation of the whole person and the role he plays in the business cycle of the whole organisation. Hence, a company might pay a PME a certain salary because he is able to handle certain projects due to his skills or knowledge. However, this valuation will increase if the PME is able to help the company see the value he can create in the lifecycle of the company’s business. It is therefore not just about trading his personal resources for a remuneration or salary; it’s about being a part of, and partaking the necessary risks with, the company. Which company would not want such an employee, and which employer would not value such an employee?
Anderson Tan is the Director of biipmi pte ltd. He has a distinction in MA in Lifelong Learning from Institute of Education, as well M. Eng and 1st Class Hon. Degree from NUS. He is a career coach, an adult educator, and an entrepreneur. He can be contacted at anderson@biipmi.com.
The importance of poise & conďŹ dence
Poise in a woman is a beautiful thing. It is one of the signatures of a beautiful and elegant woman. About a few generations ago, every well-bred young girl was given posture lessons. Today we send our young daughters for dance lessons, enter them into beauty pageants, in the hope that they will grow up to be graceful young women rather than prima ballerinas. Have you ever wondered why there are only a few women who are poised today? Maybe it's because we do not place values on posture, manners and behaviour as much as before. Good posture contributes to an elegant poise. Years ago, women invested in posture lessons and learned how to walk properly. It was as important as learning how to put on make-up. Have you ever felt exhausted at the end of the day and wondered why some others still can go for an evening jog at the end of the day? It is because your posture affects your energy levels. As a trainer conducting 8 to 10 hour trainings on a daily basis, I require constant energy to be able to keep the class at high energy too. Whether you are sitting or standing, keep your back straight and that will keep you alert always. In the long run, you will enjoy the benefits of not having back pains from bad posture. A perfect stance has also been referred to as a 'proper form' or 'stance'. It is important to have a proper form no matter what you do! A proper form means 'the best position for your body' to be in where it is most efficient. That means the least amount of strain on supporting muscles and ligaments during movement. To learn good posture, you have to first assess your own posture. Look at old pictures you have taken at a recent event sitting down and standing up then observe your posture again in front of a mirror and compare to see if there is any difference. This is the first step to having a great posture and it will change how you present yourself to your colleagues, employers and peers in a more confident and positive manner. To learn more about poise and deportment, do send us an enquiry at info@carrieacademy.com
Article contributed by Madaline D. from Carrie Academy International If you would like to find out more about professional grooming courses offered by Carrie Academy, simply consult our experts at Carrie Academy International. Please refer to the centre spread for details.
For more information on colour theory, please enquire on the ‘Maintain Professional Image + Apply Colour Theory’ course. (Courses are funded for Singaporeans and PRs) at w w w . c a r r i e a c a d e m y . c o m
@ Career & Education 2013
Winner of ipad mini biipmi.com user
My Learning Adventure at Career & Education 2013 My name is Lee Min Han and I am a student currently waiting for my tertiary education this year. I was given the opportunity to participate in Career & Education 2013 under biipmi Pte Ltd from 1st to 3rd March 2013 and I would like to take this opportunity to express what I had learnt from this event. When I was asked to supervise and manage part of the company’s booth in this fair, needless to say, I was taken aback. I put time aside to consider this and I realised that it was not long before I would have completed my education and be put into the working world. As a student, my thoughts have primarily been about studies and entertainment; nothing specific about my future plans. So since it was a CAREER FAIR, why not take this opportunity to try it out and expose myself to whatever I can learn regarding work in future?
To begin with, I will briefly explain about biipmi Pte Ltd and my role there. biipmi (which stands for Branding Individualised Interactive Portfolios through Marketing Innovations) is an online employability enhancement platform. Its aim is to address issues faced by individuals regarding employment, namely in gaining, retaining, retraining and regaining employment via their online platform. Users would be able to document their resumes and portfolios on this platform to concretise their experiences that will help in their job hunting. This was quite a mouthful for me to take in, but clearly a good place for me to get started since, in essence, it is about the job searching process. My role during the fair was to introduce people to this system and to manage our crew, which sounded simple enough of a task.
Anderson Tan Director biip
mi Pte Ltd
biipmi
.com u
ser
nal D Anfernee Tan Operatio
During the three days event, I met and interacted with a wide spectrum of people and felt this was the biggest takeaway for me. As I explained to each person about our system, I learnt from some about their different backgrounds. There were people of different ages, from as young as still being in secondary school to as old as in their fifties; and also a range of nationalities – Singaporeans, Indonesians, Chinese and so on. I could have been talking to somebody of my age or younger but of different nationality and I could see a big difference in attitude; with him being eager to take on a job while I was more eager to continue with my studies. This got me thinking: perhaps I am taking my situation for granted as I have definitely never put any thought into taking up a full-time career at the moment, delaying it by saying ‘after my studies’. Yet, there I was meeting somebody who has had the same amount of time but was already geared up and ready to start.
irector biipmi Pte Ltd
There was another way to categorise the audience too: those who were currently jobless and those with a job. The first group was enthusiastic, looking around the entire fair (I had to walk around as one of my tasks) and taking up every opportunity they could if they felt it would help them land a job. These were people who were more willing to try out biipmi, taking the chance to have another option available especially since biipmi is catered towards helping them brand themselves to stand out in this tough competition. Again, the difference in how eager and determined one is to find a job was clear. Yet it was the latter group that was of greater interest to me. Why would you want to come to a fair about careers if you already have a job? After interacting with them, I discovered that their reasons were actually in line with biipmi’s mission, “Inspiring people to care about their lifelong employability”. biipmi makes a distinction between employMENT and employABILITY, two words which look similar but hold different meanings.
ke over session
Photo shoot after ma
biipmi’s crew
Photo shoot after make over session
biipmi’s crew
biipmi’s crew
Lee Min Han article con tributor and biipmi int ern
Employment is what this group currently had; their present job. Employability however, is for continuum, a relative term where it is a measure of how likely somebody is able to get a job against his competitors both now and in future. Their reasons for attending the fair included possible fears of unemployment, looking around the market for options in a career path change and looking around at their competitors, most of which have this idea of being forward-looking in their careers. Apparently, the notion of “One job until retirement” which I had heard of when young was not as relevant as I had thought it would be.. Gathering my crew at the end of the day, I managed to hear about their experiences as well. There were those who were unmotivated to improve themselves to get a job, such as picking up technological skills. In addition, some were in line with my train of thought, that “I already have a job so I am not interested”. With the government continuously advocating
“Staying relevant”, perhaps these were the ones who would be faced with difficulties should the economy shift against their favour. However I was glad to hear that my crew was able to convince some of these people to open up to different views when explaining about our biipmi platform. In this short span of three days, I already have to question whatever rough ideas I had of my career path; on the feasibility of sticking to one employer for life; the ease with which I would be able to land my job given the competition; and lastly that it was something to think about in the “far” future. This complacent attitude and tendency to procrastinate would greatly hamper my employability, which unfortunately for me is extremely relevant really soon. As such, I am glad that I was given this chance to experience and learn more about employability and careers via biipmi Pte Ltd while it is still early before I eventually enter the workforce.
“Your communication and the image you present create the first impression – often the lasting impression.”
PAY ONLY
10%
OF THE COURSE FEE!
- Join our retail WSQ programs. WSQ Maintain Professional Image and Apply Colour Theory - Maintain Personal Grooming - Maintain Personal Hygiene - Apply Professional Etiquette - Apply Concepts of Colour Theory - Advise on Application of Colours - Colour Matching of Products Duration : 16 hours Course Fee : $43.00 after subsidy
WSQ Provide Advice on Skincare Products
- Describe Skincare Products Range - Advise on Selection of Skin Care Products - Advise on Handling, Storing and Care of Skincare Products Duration : 16 hours Course Fee : $32.00 after subsidy
WSQ Design and Apply Make-up
- Establish Customer’s Needs for Make-up Services - Prepare Customer for Make-up Service - Analyse Customer’s Face for Design of Make-up Plan - Formulate Make-up Plan to Meet Customer’s Needs - Apply Advanced Make-up Techniques to Achieve Desired Looks - Apply Hairstyling Techniques - Recommend and Advise Use on Make-up Products Duration : 24 hours Course Fee : $65.00 after subsidy
For more information on our courses Call us: 6836 6961 Email us: info@carrieacademy.com 119 Devonshire Road Singapore 239881
Jasmine Tan Design and Marketing (biipmi Pte Ltd) 100 Points
99+
www.biipmi.com
Gain, Retain, Regain your career Sign In
Mini 3 easy steps to win iPad 13! 20 on ati uc Ed & r at Caree
LOGIN Liew Soon Long Vincent Student (Singapore Polytechnic) 100 Points
Personal details
Email Address Employability Plans Career(s)
Anderson CK.
Learning Plans Courses
on your user profile Name that will appear
Display name:*
? Username (URL):* Display title: Employment availability:*
?
Birthdate: Gender:
Services
Nationality: Country of residence: Residency status: State / Province: City: Street name:
Boss (Example: Student) Title on your user profile availability Select your employment 21/09/1975 Do Not Review abc abc Citizen abc abc 123
Apartment no: Unit no: Postal code:
Register and complete your profile in biipmi.com
abc abc
Complete biipmi quest and leave your legacy
Winner to collect prize at Career & Education 2013
*Terms & Conditions leted accurately, mation have to be comp All biipmi.com profile infor 1) re. pictu le profi a ding inclu biipmi.com 2-3 hours , you will have to log into & Education 2013 To win the iPad Minis 2) be present at Career and , time draw the before prize if selected. to personally collect the ing time: out at each of the follow given be will Mini One iPad 3) 01/03/13 2.00pm and 7.00pm on 02/03/13 2.00pm and 7.00pm on 4)
Participants must be at
Remember Me
Forget Password?
biipmi.com
Tan
Last name:*
Profile Picture
Search
?
First name:*
PROFILE Personal Details
Password
Step 3:
Step 2:
Step 1:
Email Address
e.
least 15 years old and abov
tin Subscribe biipmi bulle
to customise: Create Individual Account to find you - Profiles for employers ngs ing plans for latest offeri - Career, freelance & learn ies oint job & course opportunit - Specific filters to pin-p s ation lios for job applic - Specific resumes & portfo yability emplo l socia for orks netw - Specific professional
to build: Create Corporate Account to seek you - Profiles for individual users dates pull in most suitable candi - Job & course listings to ants applic job - Interactions with ns scree ' users nt to releva - Marketing pitches to push gement - Clients and alumni mana
er Employability Newslett
on Blog Employability Informati
biipmi Channel (biipmi.net)
biipmi Newsletter
About biipmi (branding individualised interactive portfolios through marketing innovations) biipmi bridges the gap between employers’ expectations and employees’ aspirations by focusing on personal professional branding. How it all started? In 2011, a small group of individuals who are passionate about employability set out to build the distinctive online employability enhancement tool. Collectively, we have seen how the (in)ability to gain, retain, or regain one’s employment has affected many new job applicants, professionals, managers, and executives alike. We have researched extensively into this complex concept of employability, and we have developed our distinctive approach towards lifelong employability. For those who care about, and willing to invest in, their employability, we believe we have the products and services for you. For everyone else, we urge you to start making time to understand the true meaning of employability. And reflect on its impact and implications on your future.
“Take the first step to this lifelong journey of a thousand challenges”
The move towards Employability In this modern era, potential employers don’t just look at resumes and interviews; they look deeper into everything - your social cliques, your ability to organize, reflect and showcase your lifelong learning outcomes, your possible contributions to the organization, and just about anything that shows how you portray yourself to the world. Employees need to shift their focus from maintaining employment to enhancing employability. This means they need relevant and highly usable knowledge and skills to move self-sufficiently within the labour market. Please email to ask@biipmi.com for more information Facebook: facebook.com/biipmi Twitter: twitter.com/biipmi Google+: gplus.to/biipmi
Resume, Portfolio, Networking, Market
biipmi provides users with a cloud-based
structured and innovative way of documenting their lifelong learning outcomes and work experiences from learning institutions through retirement. This is to facilitate formal, informal and non-formal learning, thereafter empowering users with the tools to brand themselves through marketing innovations. biipmi.com allows individuals to customize: • Profiles for employers to find you • Career, freelance and learning plans for latest offerings • Specific filters to pin-point job & course opportunities • Specific resumes and portfolios for career progression and advancement • Specific professional networks for social employability
PROFILE
RESUME
PORTFOLIO
SCREEN
NETWORK
ACCOUNTS
LISTING
COURSES
STATUS
TRANSACTIONS
FAVOURITES
beep me...
Talent Capital Enhancement System (TaCES) A resume summarizes all your work experience, education, and related facts and activities since the word resume comes from the French for "summary". More importantly, a resume's job is to make it really easy for a reviewer to read and understand that information. So your job is to do all the work for the reviewer. That is critical! By doing this, your resume becomes a marketing document. Its job is to position you to get your "right fit" employment. So is your resume working for you? Do you look at your resume as a form of investment towards your overall employability value or do you only use it when you need to find a job? How can you bring out the best in yourself and present yourself to the world? If you are good at what you do, do invest your resume with us at biipmi.com because the top employers are looking for super achievers like yourself every day. Investing with biipmi.com is effortless. All you need to do is to key in your achievements and experiences or even upload your resume. We will lead you through our Talent Capital Enhancement System (TaCES) and you will see substantial return on your investment!
So is your resume working for you?
Invest your resume with biipmi. We enhance your employability value through our Talent Capital Enhancement System, giving you substantial return on investment. YOUR INVESTMENT
YOU
RESUME
TaCES I • Image enhancement master class • Employability: the art of being employable • Skills Alignment Profiling • Professional Make Over • Resume Enhancement (Includes resume consultancy) • Portfolio Enhancement (If applicable) • Video Resume • biipmi.com Subscription (Power User Package) TaCES 2 • Professional Branding (Online) TaCES 3 • Market Visibility BRANDED YOU
ENHANCED EMPLOYABILITY: YOUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT 05