Q MY WIFE is 45 and has a bachelor's degree in business administration earned through a distance learning programme.
She has worked in purchasing for more than 10 years, and for the past four years, has headed the purchasing department at a factory run by a multinational company in Singapore. This is her second job and she gets $3,000 a month without overtime.
Her colleagues bully her and her boss said he wanted to dismiss her because of her age.
Her health and lifestyle and our relationship are all suffering as a result, so she has finally agreed to resign.
She wants to apply for other jobs, but I have been out of the corporate world for a long time and can't help her to put together a good cover letter and resume. She speaks and writes well in Chinese, and is well-versed in Chinese history and literature.
A FIRST, I must congratulate your wife for making a tough but potentially beneficial decision. With such a boss and colleagues, who needs enemies!
The fact of the matter is, life can be tough, and the corporate world can be harsh and unkind. At the end of the day, your wife should try to remember that it is just a job.
With her qualifications, experience, language skills and successful track record, she should be able to secure another job. To begin her journey towards this new career, she needs to craft a well-written resume and cover letter.
The resume should not be more than two pages long. Besides listing her work experience and qualifications, she should put in an executive summary and include her major career accomplishments.
The summary should consist of two to three paragraphs that describe her professional background, the industries she has worked in and the functions she has held. It should also describe her key leadership skills.
Only accomplishments that were really 'major' - over and above what was expected of her - should be included.
As she has worked in two companies, she should be able to mention two or three such accomplishments. Ideally, she should choose those that resulted in a direct or tangible benefit for her employer.
An effective cover letter should not be more than a page long. She should start with a general introduction that describes her employment profile and any relevant working experience, and she should make it clear how her background and experience meet the specifications of the job she is applying for.
The next paragraph should highlight what the prospective employer is looking for and what relevant skills or qualifications she has. Downplay those that she does not have, for example, an MBA.
Your wife also needs to learn about job search techniques and interviewing. Experience has proved time and again that effective networking works. She should allocate a large proportion of her time to this, in addition to responding to job advertisements and working with search consultants.
When responding to interviewers' questions, she should focus on 'employer' benefits (versus 'employee' benefits). A simple example will drive home the point.
Question: 'Why are you applying for this job?'
Response 1: 'Because I do not have a job/I need a job.'
Response 2: 'Because I have the relevant experience, training and qualifications to be successful at this job, and I can add value to your team.'
Any employer would be more impressed by the second response.
Your wife should be prepared to offer a reason for resigning before securing another job. It would be wise not to speak negatively of her ex-boss, colleagues or company.
In terms of job opportunities, she could consider roles that are either China- based or that require interaction with mainland colleagues and contacts, given her strong Chinese-language competencies. This is definitely a strength she can exploit.
Do encourage your wife to close that chapter of her life and move on; help her to look at it as one of life's many temporary setbacks.
At the end of the day, her health and family relationships are more important.
Paul Heng
NeXT Career Consulting Group, Asia
Advice provided in this column is not meant as a substitute for comprehensive professional advice. E-mail questions to a1admin@sph.com.sg.
