Boost Your Global Employability With These 3 Major Skills

Increasing your employability by honing your skills is always a good idea, if you are trying to earn more. Having the following skills could improve your chances in the international market…

PROGRAMMING (CODING AND SCRIPTING)

Whether you refer to it as programming or coding, this skill plays an important part in our modern lives. This skill is in demand worldwide with a foreseeable rise of 5% each year. Equipping yourself with this digital age skill will give you an opportunity to branch out in any sector such as finance, healthcare, and entertainment (e.g., music recording company).

Our government noticed the clamor for this skills, which is why they integrated Information and Communications Technology (ICT) program in the Singapore Budget 2016. This initiative helps people adapt to the evolving job demands.

MARKETING (NEGOTIATING AND INFLUENCING)

Skills that fall under marketing incorporates in-depth human interactions. Marketing requires cultural sensitivity and social perceptiveness when establishing a working relationship with the clients. Furthermore, it includes negotiating and convincing skills in its umbrella.

As Singaporeans are perpetually glued to their devices, you can see how digital marketing influences the target audience. Observe how Facebook or Instagram ads get noticed globally. It can be measured by the amount of “likes”.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Despite these contemporary tactics, I believe that no amount of artificial intelligence can replace a skilled individual when resolving complaints and closing deals.

COMMUNICATING (ORAL AND WRITTEN)

One of the major skills that employers are looking for is the ability to communicate orally and in writing, to different kinds of people. It is not enough to include that you are a good communicator in your C.V. You must provide evidence by starting a blog, heading clubs, or writing on a publication.

Improve your communicating ability by watching this empowering TED Talk by Business Sound Expert Julian Treasure:

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

Read More...

Energizing Breakfast Meals For Busy Singaporeans

When it comes to preparing breakfast meals, the options are endless. Adding pressure in time and health in the mix can narrow things down. So stay alert and sharp with these four meals:

FOR A COVETED JOB INTERVIEW

To ace a job interview, it is crucial to leave a lasting impression. Exude enthusiasm while answering the interviewer’s questions by eating a protein-packed breakfast. Egg has about five grams of protein along with other vitamins and minerals. It also contains choline, which may delay your fatigue.

If you are feeling a bit fancy, you may add some smoked salmon in your omelet. The Omega-3 in salmon will help you sharpen your concentration. Save some time by purchasing the marinated salmon at the nearby grocery.

FOR AN EARLY MEETING

Put a healthy spin on the classic peanut butter toast by adding chopped bananas and a dash of chia seeds. The fusion of banana and peanut butter spread will make your stomach feel easily satisfied. Furthermore, chia seeds are rich in dietary fiber and protein! Your body needs all these to keep your mind pumping as you start an early meeting with the board members.

Worry not about the accessibility of organic chia seed as you can get a S$19-bag at FairPrice.

FOR BEATING A STRESSFUL DEADLINE

In Singapore, it is common to encounter a co-worker or a friend who juggles a full-time and a part-time job. Having overlapping deadlines can be stressful for these people. The keep to keeping your mind calm under stress is consuming folate. Folate and vitamin K are present in avocado.

Prepare a quick meal by mashing an avocado and spreading it across a whole grain bread. Add two “sunny-side up” eggs for a well-rounded breakfast. Then, finish it off by sprinkling some salt and pepper.

FOR YOUR PROPOSAL JITTERS

Congratulations! Your boss finally entrusted you with presenting a proposal to your important clients. Speaking in front of a “demanding” panel can make your stomach growl with extreme nervousness. What must you do?

Make a cup of plain yogurt your morning staple. Yogurt helps in boosting your energy and digestion. Look for a brand with no added sugar or flavors to avoid stomach irritation. You may add fresh fruits if you want.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

One serving can cost you about S$4 or less!

Sources: 1 & 2

Read More...

The perfect way to trade the smaller time frame in the market

The forex market extremely volatile market and in order to make a profit in the financial industry you need to execute your orders with an extreme level of precision. Most of the novice traders in the forex market jumps into the online trading world without knowing the market basics and ultimately loses money in real life trading. If you look at the professional traders in the Singapore trading community then you will notice that most of the traders are trading the live assets with the professional brokers like Saxo after developing solid trading knowledge in the financial industry.

Due to recent technical advancement, the traders can execute high lot size trade in the market during the extreme level of market volatility by using the robust trading platform like SaxoTraderGo. Most of the time the market exhibit a high level of volatility during the high impact news release. But trading the high impact news release requires precise knowledge about smaller time frame trading. In this article, we will discuss how to trade the smaller time frame in the options trading industry like the expert traders.

Find the key support and resistance level

Most of the time the market tends to reverse its direction after hitting the key support and resistance level in the market. If you truly want to master the art of smaller time frame trading then you need to have a solid understanding about the support and resistance level in the market. The professional traders draw the key support and resistance level in the high time frame and switch back to the smaller time frame. They simply try to find confluence between higher time frame support and resistance level with the smaller time frame. Once they find the perfect confluence they execute their trades in the options trading industry with perfect risk management factors.

Price action trading strategy

There are many different types of trading strategy in the world. If you look at the experts in the trading industry then you will notice that every single one of them is using the price action confirmation signal in the market. It’s true that if you trade the higher time frame then you will be able to execute high-quality trades by using the price action confirmation signal. But in options trading, you need to use some advanced technique to trade the smaller time frame by using the price action signal.

Most of the professional traders draw the key support and resistance level in the market prior to the high impact news release and once they news is published they try to find possible price action signal in the 5-minute time frame in favor of the long-term trend in the market. It’s true that you will face little bit difficulty in trading the high volatile market conditions but if you trade with solid risk management factors you can easily make lots of money in the high volatile market conditions.

Do the fundamental analysis

Fundamental analysis is one of the key ingredients to execute high-quality trades in the market. Most of the novice traders in the forex market trade the live assets without knowing the perfect way to do the fundamental analysis in the market. It’s true that mastering the art of fundamental analysis is a little bit difficult but if you trade with an extreme level of devotion then within a very short period of time you will see that there is no other alternative other than fundamental analysis to trade the smaller time frame in the market. The fundamental factors in the forex market are so powerful that event the long term prevailing trend in the market often gets changed due to this high impact data.

Trading the smaller time frame is a little bit risky and requires pin perfect execution of the trading plan. If you truly want to master the art of smaller time frame trading then make sure that you follow the above-mentioned tips very precisely.

Read More...

Advantages & Disadvantages Of Sharing Your Salary Information

Conversations about money in our deeply rooted Asian culture needs to be handled delicately. You must discuss your earnings in a strategic manner. It does not matter if you are sharing your salary information to your closest friends or trusted parents!

Do take note of these advantages and disadvantages:

PROS

1. IT MAY AIDS IN EMPLOYEE RETENTION.

Whether you want to believe it or not, salary transparency is a valuable tool to have in the workplace dynamics. Employers are highly encouraged to open up about how the compensation and benefits are determined. This will make the employees feel that they are being paid fairly. Moreover, it boosts job satisfaction and aids in employee retention.

Salary is the most common reason why individuals leave their positions. However, you may feel underpaid when you are actually not! Employers can avoid this scenario by increasing the transparency when it comes to compensation practices.

2. IT MAY IGNITE USEFUL ADVICE.

Sharing your salary information to the people whom you trust the most (e.g., your spouse or parents) may be beneficial to your finances. More often than not, the conversation does not stop at sharing your monthly salary. Your family members or friends may grill you about your savings, negotiating skills, and the organization’s salary transparency. Thus, you must carefully select the people whom you will disclose these information to.

Your trusted confidant may point out the loopholes in your contract or the company’s wrongful practices. You can learn so much from the people who are genuinely concerned about your wellbeing. Make the necessary improvements afterwards.

CONS

1. IT MAY RESULT TO RESENTMENT.

When it comes to disclosing your salary information, you need to be wary about your co-workers. Imagine how uncomfortable your co-worker (i.e., who holds the same position) will feel if you make more than them! You may come across as boastful and arrogant. Remember that anything you say may be used against you.

2. IT MAY RESULT TO UNRELIABLE COMPARISONS.

The main reason why some Human Resource professionals suggest to keep your salary confidential is because of the inevitable diversity in the marketplace despite possessing similar descriptions. That is the reality! The varying salaries depend on the individuals’ set of skills and experiences.

You might be a teacher earning an average salary, but my salary could be different from yours due to a cluster of reasons.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Just because you shared how much you earn does not mean that the other person will do the same! Although being open about your salary information may be beneficial at times, it is a personal choice that you have to carefully consider.

Sources: 1, 2 & 3

Read More...

Is It Alright For Parents To Financially Support One Child?

Parents who support their children are less apparent in the Western setting where independence is practiced. In Singapore, it is more acceptable as we live within a predominately Asian culture.

Financial favoritism is an issue that strikes a chord in my heart as I have witnessed it happen numerous times in my family. Some of my distant relatives have relied immensely on their parents’ support throughout their lifetime. In most of these cases, there was one sibling (i.e., “the financial favorite”) who needed the money more than the others. It is pretty much an unspoken rule to lend a hand to a son or daughter in need.

Basing on ownership, your parents’ wealth is theirs to spend. They are free to give it away during appropriate circumstances. However, relationships can be significantly affected if the immediate family discovers that the parents were favoring one child financially. Parents must uncover the following questions to ensure that they are thinking all the possible issues thru.

WHEN SHOULD YOU LET THE SECRET OUT?

There are two types of financial support: minor and major. Minor support is generally an isolated case, which is temporary and sensitive. The sensitive nature of the situation is the main reason why you should keep the issue to yourselves. Now, let us focus on the latter. Major support can impact the entire family’s future. Disclosing the issue is necessary if you anticipate that the other siblings will have to chip in once you are no longer able to support the financial favorite.

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?

I can only imagine how much pain you are in once you see your child suffering from a financial crisis. Wanting to fix things for him or her is natural. It may be tempting to favor one over the other at times.

Explaining the situation to your family is an opportunity to clear the air. But, explaining your side may not guarantee that your other children would agree to your rationale. You must prepare for their diverse reactions after learning about the financial support for a specific sibling. If they consider the financial favorite as an irresponsible sibling, they may not be willing to help.

HOW WILL YOU ENSURE THAT MATTERS WILL BE FAIR?

Say the parents of Wendy thought that she needs extra help in the future because she is currently unmarried with a low-earning profession. They left more money in her inheritance than with the other siblings. After several years, Wendy became a successful lawyer and out-earned the rest.

Circumstances change. No one knows exactly what the future holds. So, consider being equitable when you plan your Last Will.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Whatever your reason may be, strategically contemplate on how your actions will affect your relationship with your children as well as the relationship between them. Supporting one child financially is acceptable – to a certain extent.

Sources:  1 & 2

Read More...