Nov 7, 2008

It's Quite Easy To Be On The Front Page & Not Notice It

Apparently, the TODAY newspaper quoted me on its front page, a few days ago. I only saw it myself today - a little bird told me.

And before anyone asks, no, the man with the headgear is not a refugee banker, he's actually Archbishop Nicholas Chia.

They are refugee bankers
Professionals seek to swap Wall Street for Shenton Way
Monday • November 3, 2008
Lin Yanqin

LOST your job at Lehman Brothers? Turfed out in London’s financial crisis? You could always try for a job in Singapore.

And, recruitment firms and headhunters report, this is just what an increasing number of one-time high-flyers from Wall Street and the City of London are thinking.

They say they are seeing a huge rise in the numbers of banking and finance professionals from the United States, Europe and Australia sending in their details — in the hope of getting work here or elsewhere in Asia.

Mr Tim Hird, managing director of Robert Half Singapore, which specialises in recruitment for the finance sector, said that over the last six months, the firm has seen a 300-per-cent increase in resumes. The numbers shot up after the firm launched a website last month dedicated to facilitating recruitment from overseas.

“The Wall Street crisis has definitely attracted more financial professionals from the US to Singapore and Asia,” he said. “In fact, the current economic crisis presents an opportunity for both recruiters and job seekers.”

Companies here are taking this opportunity to recruit financial talent that has been laid off, while candidates are more willing to accept job opportunities that open up to them, he said.

One example is given by blogger Mr Wang, who claims to work in the banking sector. He wrote on his website last month about interviewing a lawyer who worked at the now-collapsed Lehman Brothers investment bank.

“The candidate has seven years of working experience more than me. That makes him very senior. His stated expected salary, however, was quite low (lower than mine). I sensed a little desperation. He’s very eager to grab his wife and kids and get out of London (now populated with unemployed ex-bank employees) and come out to Asia as soon as possible,” Mr Wang wrote.


Ms Andrea Ross, director of recruitment firm Robert Walters Singapore, said that resumes have been flowing in from the UK over the last few months — from candidates who have already been retrenched and from people who fear that they might be.

“We are not seeing as many CVs coming from the US, possibly due to them having to pay taxes both in the US and Singapore. Hence, it does not necessarily work out to be that cost-effective for them as it is for someone coming out from the UK,” she added.

For the rest of the article, click here.

10 comments:

Sing Republic said...

LOL. Perhaps it was an experiment by the mass media to test whether these bloody bloggers still read their newspapers or not.

Unknown said...

Gasp.... traditional media quoting info from an online commentary (unrealiable, baseless and cannot be relied on) to support their point!?

Oh no.. I am now a confused peasant... liddat how would I know if the internet is reliable or not?

Is it "4 legs good 2 legs bad" or "4 legs good 2 legs better"?

hojiber said...

Eh Wang, did they ask your permission to quote or not? Not only as a manner of asking permission first (respect), but also commonplace courtesy.

What happened to both respect and courtesy from these people who always try to tout certain solid solid morales?

Sing Republic said...

Hojiber,

Good question. I wonder if blog posts are protected by copyright laws?

Daniel Ling said...

Hmm... Congrats to Mr Wang for being quoted once again.

But I wonder whether Mr Wang himself feels it's a good or a bad thing? =D

Anyway i'm surely gonna link this. In future if anyone says, Internet, Bloggers, etc often provide wrong info, unreliable info as compared to MSM, then i can wave this in tat person's face.

I mean if even Newspaper quote Bloggers that means Bloggers also can provide Right Info.

But of coz once again, this is a good reason to read Mr Wang's blog. =D

joe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
joe said...

Why are they using bloggers' posts as sources for their MSM news features? Aren't they afraid that the blog content may be anecdotal?

With this, I would like to retrieve some "wise" words from a former ST editor, Mr Lesile Fong:

No! Emphatically not! Whether in writing news stories or features, properly trained journalists check and double-check their facts, set these in context, work in relevant background information, insist on objectivity and balance, organise their material so their account flows smoothly and logically, and use temperate language unless there is a powerful reason to resort to strong words. Even in offering views, they ensure that the opinions expressed are based on fact, failing which, as any libel lawyer would tell you, what they write cannot be defended as fair comment.

Bloggers, on the other hand, just sound off as they please. They are not bound by professional standards and ethics, and are responsible to no one but themselves. So you read them at your own risk, or peril. Newspaper editors who give bloggers space, or even prominence, in their pages, in the hope that this will attract younger readers, are doing damage to their calling.


link

Mr Wang, you wrote about his statement some time back.

hojiber said...

sr, good question on copyright laws.

Wang, if bloggers can be sued (unless you spot a mole and has an MP father who doesn't know how to apologise) based on their blog posts, then shouldn't their intellectual properties (blog posts) also be protected as seriously as they will be taken into consideration for persecution?

kilroy said...

There's an old term which applies to such cases..FILTH...it stands for Failed In London Try Hongkong...

hojiber said...

Kilroy, you must update. The new one hor, FILTHS.

Failed In London, Trying Hongkong, Singapore!

And pls lah, they talent? Talent in their country does not mean can be talent in my country ok! My country talent measured in MILLIONS in salaries one, their talent only one hundred thousand a year!