Why Singapore Hiring Process Is So Different from Jakarta

I moved from Jakarta to Singapore two years ago. My husband got transferred and I was looking for finance roles here. Back home I was a Senior Accountant at a manufacturing company, so I thought it would be quite straightforward to find something similar. It was not straightforward at all.

The application volume

In Jakarta, I would apply to maybe 5 companies and usually get 2 or 3 interviews. Here, I applied to 40 companies in the first month. I got 3 replies. Three. My CV was fine — I had it checked. My qualifications are recognised. I have ACCA. But the competition in Singapore is just on a different level. Everyone has qualifications. Everyone speaks English. Everyone has regional experience.

The recruiter culture

The biggest difference is how much recruiters control the market here. In Indonesia, you apply directly. Maybe you know someone. Here, so many positions go through agencies. Robert Half, Michael Page, Hays, Randstad. If they don't know you, you basically don't exist for those roles. I didn't understand this at the beginning. I was just applying on JobStreet and LinkedIn and wondering why nothing was happening.

What finally worked

A friend from church — also Indonesian — told me to register with agencies directly. She said go meet them in person if you can. So I did. I registered with four agencies in one week. Went to their offices, had coffee, did the assessments. Within two weeks I was getting calls about roles that weren't even posted publicly. That was the turning point. I'm now at a logistics company in Tuas doing management accounting. It's not exactly what I was doing before, but it's a good role and the team is nice.

Things I wish someone told me

The EP process takes longer than you think. My approval took 8 weeks. During that time I couldn't start work and was just sitting at home refreshing the MOM portal. Also, Singapore employers really care about local experience. Even one local internship or contract role makes a huge difference on your CV. I didn't have that, so I think it took longer for me. One more thing — salary expectations. What feels like a good salary in Jakarta doesn't go very far here. Rent alone is probably going to be SGD 2,500 to 3,500 for a reasonable place. Make sure you do the maths before you accept.

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