I get a lot of DMs from people who want to move abroad, but don’t find success when applying to jobs online.
If applying from your home country doesn’t work, going to Singapore on a tourist visa may be your best bet if you are able to do this. This is if you have the monetary resources, the time, and the strategy. All of this is a privilege to be able to do this, and it’s not always guaranteed.
What I’d Do Here
- Book a time frame of when I’ll be in Singapore and strategically plan every day as much as possible.
- Ask everyone in my network to connect me to someone they know in the country, whether it’s for social, networking, or career contacts, I’d get connected to as many people as I could. Singapore in general is small—people have connections everywhere and you’re bound to get connected to someone who can help.
- I would join groups that are based in Singapore, that align with my interests or my career. For example, if I was a product manager, I’d join all the PM communities in Singapore and start connecting with folks on LinkedIn. This may take form in cold emailing; I’d also try to schedule coffee chats with them while I’m visiting.
There are different meetups groups, networks, and organizations you can tap into before heading there. I would even try cold e-mailing folks on LinkedIn to start penetrating the professional circles of Singapore. There are groups on meetup.com, Singapore Global Network, and tech groups you can join to see who is hiring.
I’d also recommend you follow @optionAsia on instagram, where I will share how to work and live in Asia. Not all of it is Singapore, but some other countries may pique your interest.
If you’d like, you can also schedule a strategy call with me here.
I’ve advised a couple other folks who are aiming to work in Singapore this year: https://superpeer.com/emilyfang
