Saw this post on omy’s forum by a person called 我的天 who claimed that local job search portal, JobsDB added a “reservist” option in their selection fields under “Personal Details => National Service”.
Please see screen captures as below:
This is a very touchy issue as it concerns all Singapore male CITIZENS who have served National Service. Does the additional field implies it may be used as a screening criteria for potential employers?
I have heard rumours that some companies have discriminatory hiring practices with regards to males with reservist liabilities, but chose to dismiss them as unfounded. I hope this is not happening as it will be extremely unfair to Singapore born males like me who have this extra burden saddled upon us.
Anybody have such experiences to share? Do voice your concerns or opinions in the comment box below.
Technorati Tags: singapore, citizen, discriminatory hr practices, saf, reservist, job search portal, jobsdb, jobsdb.com, singapore army, hr practises, national service
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I don’t think it should have any impact on employment issues… or that employers are using it to screen potential employees. If that’s the case, they can then wipe out hiring any male under 35 years of age, since most would still have reservist liabilities.
Beg to differ… they can hire foreigners, females as well as males who are of PES C and below status. There are many people who downgrade themselves after completing their mandatory two years. Is there anywhere we can get statistics of the percentage of Singapore males who downgrade and are exempted from reservist?
In any case, the ‘reservist’ field would also seem quite redundant if what you mention is true – why do you need to include a field that won’t be used at all? Isn’t the other fields – completed, exempted and full time suffice?
Glad that someone noticed that.
I believe it is largely due to the fact that in recent years, a number of Government Agencies do use Jobdb’s services and such inforamation are required by them.
On the flip side, employers can access the reliability of the Singaporean male candidate when all hell breaks loose, when shit happens, whether they will chao-keng, siam training or go super siao on, etc.
I think employers actually want to see how far you push yourself and how far you went in the worst of predictaments (i.e. National Service).
Think of it as an additional edge in your resume.
I mean, why you want to employ someone with a history that suggests he chao-keng? What if he chao-keng at his job in your company?
Shu Yen: hi dude, how are you doing? 🙂
Thanks for pointing out an alternative angle to this, it makes sense too actually. But then hor, like that is also discriminatory – this time, against those with NO RESERVIST. hahaha
Hmm… is “NS” a mandatory field in employment application forms? If it is, then it probably explains why it’s there. Until we have someone is still a reservist but declared “Completed” and joined a company, it’d be anyone’s guess on whether there’s any bias. Then again, the company could fire the guy on grounds of making false declarations.
Some trivia : Your NS can be counted as work experience when applying for jobs abroad or for a Green Card.
celluloidrealitys: Thanks for sharing! that’s an interesting point. It is a shame that it is not recognised much locally though…
how is this REVERSE discrimination?
fuck singapore already. i’m 19 and i hate where i’m going and i can’t do anything about it.
really my ideal way of growing up. shit hole.
Max,
You are an overprivileged whiner and you cannot see beyond your own nose. Generations of Singaporean men have been through NS. Take it like a man. Fuck Singapore? Fine, leave. Get out of my country, whiner. Lets see you survive elsewhere with that attitude of yours. You’ll die face down in a ditch within 2 hrs of clearing immigration, with tears on your face, a hard-on for all the hot Singapore JC girls who laughed off your pathetic attempts at courtship, and an image of Sunny Island Singapura as your last memory in your pathetic, worthless excuse of a 19 yr old life. You are everything thats wrong with Singapore today.
But before all that happens, my guess is that you will be conscripted. You will become the most hated person in your BMT section for your incessant whining. Your buddy will disown your ass. You will get a blanket party for sabo-ing the platoon with your foot-dragging and general incompetence. You will be the first recruit that the BMT Welfare Officer loses his temper at. You will be posted as an assistant clerk to a support unit, where you can do little harm, far away from the far more important posts of storeman and CMPB admin footsoldier. You will spend the remainder of your unit days whining and being despised by the drinks stall auntie at your unit canteen, who goes home and warns her son never to become like “that useless boy in the loose-fitting no.4 with no future and no plans and who hangs around the canteen all day hating the army”.
Its not too late to change your attitude, boy.
Doubt they will discriminate people with reservist liabilities- there are just too many of them.
Max,
The army is a fact of life for Singaporeans. It is a shitty, backward system. Military justice? You can count on that George Orwell quote- “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” Can’t do too much about it. It’s part of the brain numbing practice of the government. Some good thinkful people end up seeing the actual value behind the SAF 7 core values, the rest just hate everything it stands for, but don’t bother too much with it. The whole system is incompetent for effective operating in issues regarding national security… but it does its purpose efficiently- deterence (aka show off), mind numbing (for an obedient electorate).
You’ll enter a system where such statements hold true- “when reasons fail, force prevails”; “Military justice is to justice what miltary music is to music”. The loudest, most powerful voice prevails. Gone is the post American order of a world governed by rules. Democracy is non-existent and officers threaten to “play with rounds (ammo)” of the men to criminally intimidate them into submission, threaten with charge of insubordination, extra duties till you crumble. If you come from a diverse arts background, be prepared for a world of culture shock. 99.3 fm is the most loved radio station, channel 8 is the most watched tv station, and the army decides what’s good taste. You’ll be immersed into a world where office politics is rampant, where people get thrown into the detention barracks at the first possible chance they get because some regular is on a march to get speedier promotion. You’ll learn the values of a dog eat dog world, you’ll learn to take shite from the authorities, carry balls of your superiors…
You’ll be a man, my son….
Guess I’ll end my advice with the line of wisdom that originates from China, since singapore has ‘asian’ values… “he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day…” simply… run, run far, and run away.
Hi Alvin, I’m doing fine, just that my ears are ringing from The Rakes’ gig at Zouk Last night.
As for NO RESERVIST, to be “politically correct”, I would say it’s more of a 50-50 chance if the person would chao-keng at the job or not, because never put “the baptism of NS fire”. Haha!
As for wizened old man and free country’s comments to Max, I can’t help but remember Pianist Melvyn Tan who ran away to England and defaulting NS, and costing his parents lots of money. Come back at 50 years old as a wussy famous pianist and pay a pathetic amount for a fine.
Anyone remember the revised punishment?
Now apply the same logic to our Foreign Talents. Aka Cheap labour…
Just wondering anyone from Infantry regiment?
By having the status of ‘reservist’ on online applications / resume, it would give the potential employer/interviewer some negative implications/assumptions on how this person will contribute to the company when hired.
The biased employer/interviewer will be under the impression that this person will be away from reservist for 14 – 30 days a year and will disrupt the operations of the business.
This feeling of inconvenience is not understood from the reservist officer’s direct manager, who might be a ‘foreign talent’ from india or china, as most male sg employees go through this till a certain age.
I am sure there are incidents where a person’s reservist liabilities have played negatively toward’s the work performance, whether it is a question of disrupting projects or reinforcing a bias attitude towards male singaporeans who go for such stints.
Max,
Don’t think so much. Like what they say, just serve and fuck off (SAF)
Afterall It’s not that bad after you have gone through it.. unless you are a wuss..
But one thing is for sure:
If you go in with a bad negative attitude, life inside NS will surely be harder for you …so take it easy…
good luck
Just found out recently that my reservists period is counted as MC by my boss in his excel spreadsheet on utlisation of employee. So I having to go reservist looks bad on me and I feel discrimated.