Life After Graduation: SIM GE Alumni Share Advice At Career Forums

By Karen Tang, Manager, Career Development


Our panel members of the Young Graduate Forum with Mr Daniel Tan, SIM GE Lecturer (third from right in front row) who was the Panel moderator.

The Career Forum is dedicated to having both SIM GE's alumni and students to make meaningful connections and exchange helpful ideas and views on job searches and what it takes to thrive as a young professional.

In the months of September and October, SIM GE's Career Development Department organised two forums- The Young Graduate Forum and The International Student Career Forum- with the support of willing graduates who were keen on giving back to the student community.

The Young Graduate Forum held on 29 September 2018 comprised a panel of 10 dynamic and youthful graduates who currently work across various sectors and firms such as BTS Consulting, CEVA Logistics, Cognizant, HP, KPMG, Nomura, OCBC, Oasis Asia, Societe Generale and Stroke Support System.


Our students and panel members ending the evening in high spirits at the Young Graduate Forum.


The International Student Career Forum drew many students as they came hoping to gain an edge in their employability.

At the inaugural International Student Career Forum on 13 October 2018, our graduates who were once international students themselves took the opportunity to network with current international students. These 24 graduates are currently well-settled and thriving in their jobs in Singapore, with companies such as Alldebit, Bureau Van Dijk, Deloitte, HSBC, LinkedIn, Popular, Quincannon, Redmart, Singapore Airlines, UOB and Uniqlo.

During both forums, our students posted many questions to the panel via the ‘Pigeonhole' platform. They gained wisdom and new perspectives from the answers articulated by their seniors. From maximising academic and extra-curricular time as an undergraduate to gaining practical work experience as an intern, students were encouraged to find clarity and align their actions with long-term career goals.

The speakers emphasised the importance of starting their career planning early. They urged students to start pursuing their interest and passion by participating in interest clubs, external competitions and doing community work. This is to enable them to gain an edge in entering an industry of their choice in the face of fierce competition these days. Students also learnt to reframe their thinking, from 'how do I increase my employability?' to 'how do I increase my ability to get hired?'

The panel discussions were followed by networking over lunch which gave the graduates and students more opportunities to interact. Each graduate was assigned to sit as specific tables while the students moved around to broaden their network and deepen their understanding of different sectors and find out specifics of each role that our graduates worked in. This provided students a better understanding of the challenges and perks of their unique fields of interest.

Posted online, 22 Nov 2018