That awkward foreign-local paradigm...

Since returning to Singapore, I have been applying for jobs, and I have tried to hold my hypothesis about what is working for me and not.

I have filled in countless applications, stating 'Singaporean' as part of my work rights. That is easy. I thought I have breezed through the first round of filters.

Then I read the news about foreign PMETs, and that is quite a bummer. According to what is reported, the foreign PMETs demand relatively lesser money than their local counterparts for the same role. That immediately squared off my advantage.

Most Singaporeans are under the impression that there is a foreign quota in the number of employees a company can employ. Most Singaporeans also do not comprehend that there is no set quota if the foreign employee is earning above 3k (with a recognised qualification) and is on a Employment Pass. These are your foreign PMETs. EP holders can also bring their family over to Singapore on a long term visit or dependent pass. Should they work in Singapore, they are also not included in the quota.

I was starting to feel less and less Singaporean.

I am no foreign talent even though I spent more of my working life in Australia than in Singapore. It is still a culture shock when I walk into an interview and there are 'aunties' trying to suss out everything from your current and potential future marital status, to wanting to put you through endless rounds of interviews like a large Chinese 'meet the parents, brothers, grandparents' session. There were recruiters who spent 80% of the time trying to gauge if I have been previously fired versus talking through the many years of previous working experience.

Instead of finding out what I could have positively contributed, some were already calculating my potential liability.

I understand, Singaporeans employers are a careful lot. I am not complaining, but I can certainly feel a difference with the 'kiasee' motivation.

I found myself leaning towards applying to the australian companies and other MNCs. I missed the multicultural feeling. I had the best interviews in roles that I did not eventually get, but the mature discussion of the job fit was mind blowing. I actually do not think employers in Singapore viewed my australian work experience favourably, though I feel that the australian workplace has taught me a lot about the importance of good communication skills, stakeholders management and the importance of 'fitting in'. I played down a lot of the soft skills, highlighting the technical ones instead.

It is therefore of no surprise that my resume appealed a lot more to the 'ang mohs'. Today I just received a phone call from an foreign recruiter in Singapore. I recognised the familiar aussie accent. The phone screen felt smoother than the ones that goes 'So why did you come back to Singapore', Are you PR in Australia? type questions. There wasn't an awkward pause after I said the ubiquitous "How are you?".

I did thought to myself, do I really feel very local at the end of the day? I certainly did 'think' very local initially, but find myself veering into a very 'un-local' mindset. Yet I am certain that I will have no issues wearing my sleeveless dress walking with a group of colleagues to the char kuey teow stall when I start work.

I call that my awkward foreign-local paradigm.