Celeste Elle, Author at MoneyDigest.sg

Internships & Jobs: NTU, UOB Kay Hian, and Ezbuy are hiring

How’s your job search coming along? If you need help brushing up your resume, read our recent article on the art of writing a resume as advised by experts. Meanwhile, check out these new job and internship opportunities with NTU, UOB Kay Hian, and Ezbuy.

#1: Nanyang Technological University – Trainee, Research Assistant in Parent-Infant Neural Connectivity

Image Credits: NTU

Allowance / Remuneration: S$1,800 – 2,500 monthly

NTU’s School of Social Sciences has nearly 100 faculty members and more than 1,700 undergraduates who major in the four-degree programmes the school offers: Economics, Psychology, Public Policy and Global Affairs, and Sociology. There are more than 180 graduate students in their PhD and MA programmes (by research), and MSc programmes in Applied Economics and Gerontology.

The Baby-LINC Lab in the Division of Psychology is headed by Asst Prof Victoria Leong. The lab conducts world-leading research on interpersonal neural connectivity between parents and infants, using a technique called “dual-EEG”. During early life, social interactions between infants and caregivers “gate” learning processes in the infant’s brain.

In this project, the candidate will learn to analyse dyadic-EEG data concurrently collected from infants and their parents during naturalistic learning scenarios. The aim will be to examine how the parent-infant neural network is modulated by social cues such as eye contact and infant-directed speech in order to facilitate early learning. This project can be completed through 100% virtual coaching since a large amount of data has already been collected and is ready for analysis. However, should circumstances permit, hands-on training in EEG data acquisition may also be provided to enhance the trainee’s learning experience.

Job Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in relevant field
Basic proficiency in Matlab (preferred) or other programming languages
Good knowledge of statistics and statistical software packages such as R and Statistica (preferred)
Interest in neuroscience and/or psychology
Good attention to detail
Effective communication and report writing skills

Key Responsibilities

Assisting with pre-processing of EEG datasets (e.g. checking for errors, removing artefacts)
Video coding of infant and maternal behaviour
Statistical analysis of behavioural data
Recruitment and screening of participants
Coordinating day-to-day (online) research activities (e.g. recruitment and scheduling of participants)
Performing other related duties assigned in support of the research projects

How to apply?

Apply via this link.

View the job post in full here.

#2: UOB Kay Hian Pte Ltd – Operations Temp

Image Credits: MoneyDuck

Allowance / Remuneration: S$1,000 – 1,500 monthly

UOB Kay Hian Pte Ltd claims to be the largest stockbroking house in Singapore with a strong presence in key financial centres in the region, UK and US. They provide a wide range of services to a diversified client base that includes corporations, institutions, and local investors. Clients can rely on the brand’s knowledge of key Asian financial markets to improve their investment decisions and portfolios.

Job Qualifications

Must be able to commit for at least 3 months, Mondays to Fridays
OT is required for this role
At least a Diploma holder
Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel
No experience required, fresh graduates are welcomed

Key Responsibilities

This position will report to the Contracts Department, with the following duties:

Perform trade processing for Equities and Unit Trust
Checking of reports, data entry, and processing contra
Handle administrative tasks such as photocopying, faxing etc.

How to apply?

Submit your application to Angel Wong via this link.

View the job post in full here.

#3: Ezbuy – Human Resource Intern

Image Credits: Ezbuy

Allowance / Remuneration: S$800 monthly

Formerly known as 65Daigou, owned by EZbuy Holdings Limited, Ezbuy is a provider of online global shopping services. Founded in 2010 by a group of aspiring entrepreneurs, Ezbuy quickly rose to become one of the largest global shopping platforms.

According to the company, they currently provide global shopping services from China, USA, and Taiwan to more than 1,000,000 customers across Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Job Qualifications

Poly students or university students are welcomed to apply
Possesses basic knowledge of HR procedure
Active, pleasant personality, and cheerful
Good team player and able to work under minimal supervision
Proficient in MS Office, especially in MS Excel
Excellent English and Chinese speaking and writing skills are advantageous (in order to liaise with the Chinese speaking associates)

Key Responsibilities

Monitor staff’s time attendance
Basic recruitment
Staff communication & correspondence
Employee welfare, benefits & compensation
Creating quarterly newsletter
Basic administration work
Communicating with vendor or supplier
Assist to fixed asset management
Ability to manage and organize data and information for HR and finance
Assist document filing and receiving, basic paperwork
Additional duties assigned by the Management from time to time

How to apply?

Submit your application to Emma via this link.

View the job post in full here.

#4: Ezbuy – Marketing Intern (Beauty Marketplace)

Image Credits: The Low Down

Allowance / Remuneration: S$800 monthly

According to the company, they currently provide global shopping services from China, USA, and Taiwan to more than 1,000,000 customers across Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Job Qualifications

Ability to speak both English and Chinese – in order to liaise with Chinese speaking associates
Good skills in using office software including excel, ppt, etc.
Having photoshop skill will be advantageous.
Actively looking out for the latest trends.
Have good written and speaking skills.
Good understanding of beauty products.
Being fast and accurate.
Having analytical skills.
Being detail-oriented.
Able to adapt to different working environments.

Key Responsibilities

Communicate with beauty marketplace sellers to plan for campaigns and execute them with the guidance of the marketing team (in both English and Chinese)
Managing the beauty marketplace.
Creating new ideas to promote for sellers.
Managing and updating the website on the latest trends.
Analyzing sales, prices, and preparing recommendations.
Conducting research on the market competitiveness.
Critical thinking and able to work independently.
Assist in local marketplace operations.
Maintaining onsite assets such as campaign landing pages.

How to apply?

Submit your application to Tee Hao Wen via this link.

View the job post in full here.

Renovating your BTO flat: Interior designers share some tips on budgeting, styles, and more

After getting over the excitement of purchasing your build-to-order (BTO) flat, it’s time to think about renovations. If you know not where to start, take it from the interior designers themselves as they share with you tips on budgeting, styles to go for, and more.

Set a budget

Image Credits: 99.co

As with most things, setting a budget will get you started on the right track. According to a spokesman for Qanvast, the data collected shows that homeowners of new apartments spend between S$30,000 and S$60,000 on renovations while renovation costs for resale units start at S$65,000.

However, he advises homeowners to budget for an excess of 10 to 20 per cent more. “It’s common for homeowners to spend more than their budget – upgrading to better tiles, adding carpentry work, or dealing with unexpected hiccups.”

Also, while you might be attracted to some low-cost packages, it’s good to do a background check before signing any contract. Mr Morris Teo, managing director of HomeRenoGuru, a renovation website, says: “Homeowners should be mindful when signing packages that appear very affordable. Reputable interior designers would usually include the entire renovation works in the initial contract.”

Also, make sure you are getting good quality materials for the price paid. As Ms Amy Picanco, a director at Aym Design and a council member of the Interior Design Confederation Singapore, rightly points out: “While it can be difficult, try to think long term – do you want a renovation that lasts for five or 10 years? This will affect the quality of the materials you use and may push prices up. However, it could save you a lot of time and money in the long run as it will be a lasting investment.”

The styles to go for

Image Credits: Houzz

Interior designer and founder of Wee Studio, Mr Yeo See Wee, comments, “If you have 10,000 pictures of every style, that makes it very difficult for you and your interior designer to decide what style to go with.” A lookbook with a few images representing the concept you like will do.

Architecturally trained interior designer Vanessa Ong suggests homeowners limit the colour and texture tones to up to five options. “Take time to observe spaces, objects, textures that inspire you or places you’ve visited. Your home should tell a story of who you are,” she adds.

Seek approval before hacking

Image Credits: blogspot.com

“Homeowners should think about how long they’ll be staying in the flat and what their plans for the future are so that the flat can provide for their future needs. Erecting a wall in the future will be an unnecessary, time-consuming, and costly endeavour,” said the spokesman for Qanvast.

However, if you’re sure about knocking down walls to create an open-concept living space, be sure to seek approval from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) first. You can read all about demolition and erection of walls here.

Maximizing the space you have

Image Credits: Qanvast

HomeRenoGuru’s Mr Teo says that new homeowners often misjudge the storage space they need. Planning with the future in mind is important. With that said, Ms Gwen Tan of Formwerkz Architects recommends homeowners to plan for more storage for future possessions.

Interior designers propose having built-in storage. For example, floor-to-ceiling shelves will help to maximize wall space and beds with storage beneath them will allow you extra space to store your stuff. Having illuminated bathroom mirror will save space as you can do away with an additional lamp.

Award-winning business coach reveals 3 money management tips to fuel business growth

Are you an entrepreneur, business owner, or individual planning to launch your own brand in the near future? Are these questions on your radar:

How healthy is our cash flow?
Are we taking on too much debt?
How long can we cover our expenses if business slows down?
Do we have enough capital to invest in growth?

If you find it tough to understand how money flows in and out or are currently stuck trying to stay afloat instead of increasing revenue, you will probably need to start making a few changes. For example, change your mindset and start taking control of managing your money the right way.

According to Peter Boolkah, an award-winning business coach, here are three steps to create a growth-focused approach to money management.

#1: Change your mindset

Image Credits: Kaplan Genesis

What thoughts do you have when it comes to money? Which of these ideas or feelings are holding you back? Can you reconsider and change them?

Those who identify money with fear may find themselves paying attention to getting out of debt or in a more extreme case – avoid looking at the company’s finances altogether. If that is you, see if you can change that mindset. Instead of fear, embrace your finances with an open attitude and you may probably find more opportunities for learning, wealth building, and growth.

Mr Boolkah believes that our business will grow to meet our level of desire and need. If you’re constantly in a rat race trying to get by, your business is going to reflect that mindset. While thinking about your business and personal goals, you should be able to answer these questions clearly:

Why do you want to succeed?
What kind of life do you want to create?
What greater purpose motivates you?

It’s also essential to dream big and surround yourself with people who share the same mindset. If you can’t find them in your immediate network, search for other entrepreneurs you admire and learn from them. If it helps, invite them to connect on LinkedIn.

#2: Make a plan

Image Credits: Call Centre Helper

Many business owners do not detail budgets and monitor the financial health of their businesses. To know how much money you have now and make accurate predictions about the future, you will need a plan and be disciplined with your money.

Some questions to ponder over:

Does your business have a budget? If so, how closely do you stick to it?
What are your short-term and long-term priorities and goals?
Where should you be spending? Where should you be saving?
When you get off track or circumstances change, where should you take corrective action?

If you’re not so savvy when it comes to financial planning, consider hiring the right person to aid you in this segment. Bringing in an accountant can help your company in creating a budget, managing expenses, and making well-informed financial decisions.

#3: Add more value

Image Credits: JBarrows

If there’s one thing you need to take away from this section, it’s to make your business indispensable to your customers. Instead of demanding more money from your customers for the same amount of work, give some thought about how you can add more value to them.

Questions to think about include:

How can you increase your skills or services to deliver better results?
How can you solve a problem and make their lives easier?

When your service becomes absolutely necessary, that’s when you can charge what you deserve.

Experts advise on the art of writing a resume to increase your chances of getting that interview

The job market is tough out there. But we’re glad to hear that more jobs and traineeships in the healthcare sector will be made available for fresh graduates and mid-career job seekers.

In fact, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said on Wednesday (Aug 26) that the government will implement new programmes to bring in business investments, support local entrepreneurship, and create “good jobs” for Singaporeans.

But job vacancies mean nothing if you aren’t able to land yourself an interview because of a poorly written resume. Hear from the experts on the art of crafting a resume if you want to increase your chances of getting that interview and eventually signing that job contract.

#1: Go beyond copying and pasting of your roles and duties

Image Credits: Soda PDF

“Resumes should clearly express your value proposition and achievements, and not merely a copy-and-paste of your roles and duties,” said Lim Kai Ning, the head of social impact at CareerSocius, a social enterprise that helps job seekers in Singapore ramp up their personal branding.

Harry Suresh, the founder and CEO of ResumeWriter Asia, a recruiter licensed by the Ministry Of Manpower suggests job seekers highlight their achievements.

“In their work descriptions, candidates list only their day-to-day responsibilities, which simply shows that they can do their job. Achievements, on the other hand, show they excel at it,” he said.

#2: Watch that length, style, and structure

Image Credits: ProViso Consulting

Length

While it’s advisable for you to list your achievements, don’t overdo it. Remember, you’re not writing an academic essay. “Some people submit really lengthy resumes with too many descriptors. The best resumes pack a punch and are succinct,” said Lim.

A maximum resume length of two to three pages is generally acceptable for a mid- to senior-level job seeker, said Suresh. “As a rule of thumb, the more concise a resume, the better.” For fresh graduates or those with lesser than five years’ experience, keep your resume within two pages, he recommended.

Style

“It is better to spell out certain abbreviations in full and not assume that all employers widely recognise them,” Lim said.

As for fonts, Suresh recommends using serif fonts such as Garamond, Cambria, or Georgia for longer documents or paragraphs of text as they look formal, professional, and easy on the eyes. A font size between 11 and 12 points for the body text is appropriate.

He also added that san serif fonts such as Lato or Helvetica are suitable. “These are less common than Arial or Calibri, and more likely to catch recruiters’ attention,” he said.

“You can also have titles or headers with bigger font sizes than your main content to guide the reader in differentiating between each section of your resume,” she advised.

Structure

“Key skills should be listed near the top of the resume; this is essential to communicate core skill sets to recruiters at a glance,” said Suresh.

#3: Prioritize the right information

Prioritize the right information in your resume

Image Credits: G2 Learning Hub

With so much to include, how do you prioritize the right information to include in your resume? Suresh directs job seekers to focus on their most recent roles as they are more likely to be relevant to one’s current career goals.

“For roles that are five positions or over 10 years back, jobseekers can often limit it to the job title, company, and dates.”

Lim said, “Ask yourself these two questions: ‘What value did I bring to my previous role?’ and ‘If someone had the exact same job scope as me, how were my contributions different from his?’. The crux is to tease out what makes you unique, and hence, a notch above the other candidates.”

“For someone who has held multiple positions over a period of time, highlight different skills and expertise across the various positions instead of repeating them.”

#4: What to leave out in your resume – salaries, photos, and school activities

Image Credits: AMCAT.com

Omit your expected and last-drawn salaries, unless it’s necessary as stated in the job post. “It might be better to negotiate it directly when the job offer is being extended to the individual or to disclose an expectation during the interview stage,” said Lim.

She also informs us not to include our photo if it’s not a compulsory action. This is to prevent any unconscious biases during the selection process. “They are typically required only for frontline jobs (for example, sales), or when specifically required by the employer during the application stage.”

Suresh stated that those with over three years’ experience can omit CCAs, school projects, and other school activities. But for those without much experience, listing them down “may help demonstrate transferable and essential skill sets, such as leadership and interpersonal skills, which can’t otherwise be conveyed”.

#5: Choose the right tone for your cover letter

Image Credits: SweetCV

Lim advises job seekers to do their research on the company’s culture and style to determine the tone – whether casual or professional. “Cover letters are slightly more emotive and you can use the opportunity to showcase your purpose, passions, and strengths in a strategic manner.”

“Avoid using vague, passive words like ‘assisted’ or ‘supported’ that do not indicate much about your scope of contribution.” Instead, use action words like “initiated” or “revamped” to show your active role while working in the company.

As with all things, don’t overdo it. Exaggerating excessively may come across as inauthentic.

To add on to what Lim said, Suresh recommends using straight-to-the-point sentences and cutting out buzzwords – even articles (“a”, “an”, “and”, “the”) and pronouns (“I”, “me”, “who”) – for the best impact.

Take a look at these two sentences:

Directed team of 12, managing annual sales pipeline of S$12m
Sales ninja, responsible for growing the brand’s synergy

Which do you think is the better written one out of the two? If you guessed the first, you’re correct. According to Suresh, using action words and substantiating your claims with metrics will appear more credible and confident.

Giant Weekly Deals: Save more with discounted items from now till 2 September 2020

Earlier today, we wrote about some buy one get one free promotion at FairPrice. Hop over to read if you’re planning a trip down to FairPrice or shopping online soon. But do so before 2 September because that’s when the deals end.

Meanwhile, let’s take a look at the discounted items to buy from Giant this week.

#1: CHINA Hami Melon

Usual Price: S$6.95

Sale Price: S$3.95

Discount: 43% off

Are you aware of the benefits of sweet melon? Otherwise known as cantaloupe, this fruit contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The fibre, potassium, vitamin C, and choline in cantaloupe support heart health.

#2: CADBURY Dairy Milk Chocolate With Oreo

Usual Price: S$5.20

Sale Price: S$3

Discount: 42% off

Cadbury chocolates are going on a 42% sale at Giant this week. There are tons of flavours available – caramilk, black forest, hazelnuts, and more.

#3: BREEZE Liquid Detergent Colour Care 3.8kg

Usual Price: S$12.40

Sale Price: S$7.95

Discount: 35% off

It’s time to pay attention to the colours of your clothes. If you’re noticing dullness on the colours after a few washes, maybe it’s good to switch to a colour care liquid detergent. This 3.8kg bottle of detergent will definitely last you for a few months!

#4: HOMEGROWN Lemon Honey Ginger 1L

Usual Price: S$6.45

Sale Price: S$4.50

Discount: 30% off

Are you paying more attention to your health these days? Drop the can of soda for a cup of chilled healthy juice after lunch. Homegrown has several interesting flavours including Raw Energy Beetroot and Raw Fruit And Vege Juice With Turmeric & Ginger.

#5: JIN HUANG Thai Fragrant Rice 5kg

Usual Price: S$13.60

Sale Price: S$10.80

Discount: 20% off

Nothing beats a warm bowl of fragrant rice with homemade dishes after a long day at work. Jin Huang’s Thai fragrant rice is going on a 20% sale this week.

#6: SKOL Beer Can 6sX320ml

Usual Price: S$9.95

Sale Price: S$8.50

Discount: 14% off

A can of beer for S$1.42 sounds like a good deal. For people who are not too particular about brands, this could be an affordable option.

#7: Strawberry Australia

Usual Price: S$4.50

Sale Price: S$3.95

Discount: 12% off

Fancy making your own strawberry jam right from home? The process is fairly easy. All you need is strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice (optional)! Oh yes, and some effort in stirring to prevent burning it.

#8: NESCAFE 3in1 Brown Sugar 30x17g

Usual Price: S$6.15

Sale Price: 2 for S$10.95

A pack that usually sells for S$6.15 is going for S$5.48 if you buy two packs. Other than the brown sugar variety, it also comes in original, 25% less sugar, and zero sugar.

#9: SUNSHINE Yellow Clam Meat Sunshine 300g

Usual Price: S$5.90

Sale Price: 2 for S$5

Isn’t this an honestly crazy deal? It’s even better than buying one and getting one free! A pack of 300g clam meat only costs S$2.50 if you buy two packets. Other options like white clam meat and fillet are available.

#10: WIN WIN Potato Crackers Sweet Potato Flavour 8sX20g

Usual Price: S$2.20

Sale Price: 2 for S$2.40

If there’s one snack you must get for this weekend, it would be this. The original price for a box of eight is at S$2.20. With this deal, it’s only S$1.20 per box! Assorted flavours are available.

To view more discounted items, click here.