Hoping to land a banking and finance job in Singapore? The good news is, if you have the skillsets employers are looking for, you should stand a good chance of getting the job.
ManpowerGroup’s Q2 Employment Outlook Survey found that employers in Singapore’s Financials and Real Estate sector reported the strongest hiring intentions (+45%). Furthermore, 88% of employers in the sector reported difficulty finding the skilled talent they need.
To fill this skills gap, our recruiters found that employers are increasingly looking to hire non-traditional applicants such as mature workers, mid-career switchers, and people who are returning from a career break.
If you’re currently looking to get a banking and finance job, here are some tips from our recruiters.
Don’t neglect the soft skills
Our recruiters note that soft skills are as crucial as technical skills. Apart from looking at your college degree or relevant experience, employers are also emphasizing skills such as teamwork.
In fact, ManpowerGroup’s 2024 Talent Shortage survey found that collaboration and teamwork are the top soft skills employers in Singapore seek.
When it comes to improving your soft skills, a tip from our recruiters is to start with asking for feedback and self-reflection. From there, figure out which soft skills you want to strengthen. Then, look for ways to refine that skill which can be as simple as observing others or attending courses and seminars.
Tech skills are not only for tech-related jobs
As for technical skills, IT and data skills are the most sought after.
As companies in Singapore’s banking and finance sector leverage on technology for business growth, the ability to leverage on tech tools and analyze data is an asset.
Our recruiters observe that jobs have not gone away. Instead, they have changed to include the use of technology.
For instance, a relationship manager at the bank may now have to learn how to use machine learning and analytics software to predict customer needs and analyze credit risk.
To ensure you stay relevant for tomorrow’s job market, our recruiters recommend keeping your eyes on the ground for upcoming tech trends and constantly upgrade and upskill yourself by taking courses.
Keep an open mind to contract jobs
Many of us worry that having a record of contract jobs will hinder our ability to secure a permanent role in the future. However, in today’s world, it’s less about permanent jobs and more about lifetime employability.
In fact, our recruiters have observed that one reason why companies hire contract workers could be to test the candidate while securing the headcount to convert them to a permanent employee.
Hence, if you are offered a contract role that is aligned with your career direction, take the opportunity to gain experience and get a foot in the door.
In the event the hiring manager asks about your history of contract roles, a tip from our recruiter is simply to answer, “while applying for jobs, the contract job offer came and since it’s aligned with my overall career direction, I took the opportunity.”
Understand which areas you need to improve on
If you’ve been applying for jobs for a while and don’t seem to be getting anything, try to identify what you need to work on. For example, if your conversion from sending your resume out is low, work on your resume; and if you’ve been to many interviews but aren’t getting an offer, work on your interview skills.
If you need a helping hand, you can always try talking to a recruiter who can arm you with everything you need to get that dream job and succeed in it - from advice on career direction, resume writing and interview skills, to identifying your best fit and sharing information on companies and opportunities aligned with your career goals.
The tips above are part of the insights gained during ManpowerGroup’s sharing session at a networking event organized by The Institute of Banking & Finance Singapore.
