Issue 42 l June 2017
DREAM TO START TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR MONEY! 5 WAYS TO FIND A JOB
www.alumni.rp.edu.sg 1
ISSUE 42 JUNE 2017
CALLING ALL
CONNECT WITH US Follow our NEW Facebook page!
Like Us! rpsoh
Tweet like a SOHian
Follow Us! @rp_hospitality
2
EDITOR’S NOTE
6
GET TO KNOW YOUR GRADUATE CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVES
4
GRADUATES’ NIGHT 2017
6
MOMENTUM 2017
8
GRADUATION 2017
10
MONEY SENSE – DREAM TO START TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR MONEY
11
ALUMNI FAMILY TREE
14
5 WAYS TO FIND A JOB
15
STAY CONNECT! ALUMNI@RP EMAIL 5 WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED
16
CALENDAR OF EVENTS QUIZ TIME & dREam WINNER
Want to be an instagrammer?
Follow Us! @rp_hospitality
DREAM. AN RP ALUMNI MAGAZINE. EVERYTHING STARTS FROM A DREAM. dREam is a quarterly publication to keep graduates informed about the happenings in RP, continued education, career opportunities, networking sessions and more, in the hope of achieving their aspirations. No part of the publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed or implied in dREam are those of the authors or contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited. Copyright © Republic Polytechnic
PUBLISHER
Office of Student and Graduate Affairs Republic Polytechnic 9 Woodlands Avenue 9, Singapore 738964
EDITORIAL
Editor Nurhadi Khan B H K Designer PurpleCircle Design Pte Ltd
PROOF READER
Grammar Goondu Pte Ltd
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
Email dream@rp.edu.sg Enquiries www.alumni.rp.edu.sg Facebook www.fb.com/alumniRP
2
1
EDITOR’S NOTE
Time flies when we’re busy. We’re now well into 2017. A lot of exciting things have been happening here at RP. We’d like to congratulate the new cohort of graduates who graduated in May 2017. Before they walked on stage to collect their diplomas, they first partied it up during Grad Night 2017 held in March. Catch all the highlights on page 7! Also in this issue, we give you top tips on ways to find a job (including those that might go unadvertised...shhh) and manage your money as you embark on working life. We introduce your graduate chapter representatives and list ways in which you can stay connected to RP. We also offer an in-depth look at our resplendent Alumni Family Tree taking root at The Mound. There will be a number of events coming up in the third quarter of 2017 to watch out for. These include a financial planning session and a School of Engineering (SEG) get-together, both happening in September. We also urge you to upgrade your skills by taking up the earn-and-learn programmes being advertised in this issue. After all, learning never stops!
GET TO KNOW YOUR GRADUATE CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVES Graduate Chapter Representatives is a team of dedicated staff who represent each School on alumni matters and graduating cohorts. The representatives work hand in hand with the Office of Student and Graduate Affairs, Alumni Services team to: • enhance the student experience by establishing connections with alumni, • strengthen RP’s alumni affiliation, and • develop a vibrant alumni community
WHO ARE THE GRADUATE CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVES? SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION • Dr Michelle Siow michelle_siow@rp.edu.sg • Mr Hazlami Rachmat hazlami_rachmat@rp.edu.sg SCHOOL OF APPLIED SCIENCE • Ms Malini Thyagesan malini_thyagesan@rp.edu.sg • Mr Ye Min Htut ye_min_htut@rp.edu.sg SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING • Ms Ping Peishi ping_peishi@rp.edu.sg • Ms Lee Yuen Sin lee_yuen_sin@rp.edu.sg SCHOOL OF SPORTS, HEALTH AND LEISURE • Mr Amos Hoe amos_hoe@rp.edu.sg • Mr Raymond Cheong raymond_cheong@rp.edu.sg SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY • Ms Claudia Leung claudia_leung@rp.edu.sg • Mr Desmond Chua desmond_chua@rp.edu.sg SCHOOL OF INFOCOMM • Ms Lorivic Fragata lorivic_fragata@rp.edu.sg • Mr Ng Licheng ng_licheng@rp.edu.sg
KEEP YOUR PROFILE CURRENT! Just drop us an email at help-graduate@rp.edu.sg with your NRIC/FIN, and most up-to-date personal particulars; we promise not to send you Nigerian bank transfer requests, lame forwarded jokes or chain letters.
2
DO YOUR PREFER TO RECEIVE YOUR DREAM IN HARDCOPY? Simply login to Graduates’ Portal at www.alumni.rp.edu.sg to indicate your preference under your personal profile now! (applicable for local addresses only)
SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY FOR THE ARTS • Ms Libby Ang libby_ang@rp.edu.sg • Ms Mush Ridzwan mush_ridzwan@rp.edu.sg • Ms Phyllis Ling phyllis_ling@rp.edu.sg
PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT YOUR RESPECTIVE GRADUATE CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVE(S) SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES. 3
R P
G R A D U A T E S ’
N I G H T
2 0 1 7
RP Graduates’ Night 2017—FASCINANTE was successfully held on 3 March 2017 at South Agora. Organised by the Office of Student and Graduate Affairs (Alumni Services), the event aimed to celebrate the achievements and upcoming graduation of Year 3 students. Students who came for the event were encouraged to dress in their best masquerade attire as there were exciting prizes up for grabs, such as in the ‘Best Decorated Masks’ category as well as in the ‘Graduates’ Night 2017 King and Queen’ category. It was definitely a night to remember as the attendees were treated to entertaining live performances by CREATE interest groups (IGs), specially concocted ‘lograr’ graduation drink by the School of Hospitality (SOH) Club, ice cream sponsored by Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Red Bull drinks, discount vouchers and attractive lucky draw prizes worth more than $3,000. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the event sponsors— FRANKbyOCBC, SPH FastJobs, SUSS, Pond’s and Red Bull; partners— Club Republic, SPH (The Straits Times), Swensen’s, A Better Florist and Angel Florist; and supporters—14th Student Council, SOH Club, CREATE Club, Electronic Music Production (EMP) IG and Photo IG. For more event photos, visit #rpgradnight.
4
5
Momentum 2017
Photo credit: Kelda Chua
6
7
GRADUATION 2017
8
9
MONEY SENSE
Alumni Family Tree
Dream To Start Taking Control of Your Money! It is never too late to start taking control of your money matters. Get started by thinking about how you manage your money every day and what goals you have for the future that will cost money, e.g. further education, a wedding, your retirement and so on and so forth. In this issue of dREam, let’s talk about how to manage your money! STARTING WORK As you transition from student life into the workforce, most of you will become financially self-reliant for the first time. These are exciting times—who wouldn’t feel a sense of elation when we see our first salary being credited into our bank accounts? But few of us can afford to spend our money without care. Some of us may already have responsibilities— you may have dependants counting on you financially, perhaps elderly parents or younger siblings who do not have any income of their own. There may also be student loans to clear off quickly too. Even if you land your dream job, or secure your dream income, you can still land yourself in trouble if you are not sufficiently armed with knowledge of how to manage your finances. Money management skills are a must-have.
• CONTROL YOUR SPENDING AND CREDIT USAGE ∞
It is quite natural to want to reward yourself for your hard work but do keep this in perspective. If the latest must-have designer bag or IT gadget takes up a generous chunk of your monthly income, maybe you should rethink the concept of reward, especially since these items are not investments and lose their value almost immediately. Little self-control and a strong urge to splurge can only spell trouble in the longer run.
As the old adage goes, always spend within your means (but this doesn’t mean it’s ok to spend everything you earn). Think hard before you borrow. Getting a loan or credit line should only be a last resort because of the costs you will incur and the complications involved if you cannot keep up with your debt commitments.
∞
• MANAGING YOUR INCOME
Identify your disposable income (i.e. how much of your salary is left after paying taxes and CPF, rent or contribution for your share of household expenses to your parents, etc.) and make sure your monthly expenditure does not exceed what is left of your income. Having trouble keeping track of your spending? Fret not and read on.
Welcome to the Alumni Family 2017 Graduates!
THE TREE
THE TRUNK
THE PLAQUE
To honour and celebrate the contributions of our Alumni, RP has constructed the Alumni Family Tree, an installation art piece to be displayed at the Mound. The Mound’s peak represents our alumni’s aspirations to reach for even greater heights. It will be in a prominent position at the entrance of the polytechnic and will be easily seen from all levels within Republic Polytechnic Centre, serving as a reminder that all students should strive to achieve the best during their polytechnic days for them to flourish as alumni in future.
The “REPUBLIC” and “Tree Trunk” are constructed out of concrete/cement. The Trunk symbolises Republic Polytechnic’s flourishing alumni community and maturity as an institution. The roots represent the students being imbued with the Republic Polytechnic code of honour, and the crown of the tree represents the alumni being held up by the strong values inculcated in them by Republic Polytechnic.
The leaves are made of bronze metal finishing, complete with laser engraved leaf veins. Each year, before the graduation ceremony, a new plaque will be installed for the graduating year.
• LEARN TO MAKE A BUDGET
A practical way of managing your disposable income and monitoring your expenditure is to draw up a budget. A simple one can be planned in just three steps: 1.
List all your daily living expenses (transport, meals and rent, contribution to household expenses, etc.).
2. Decide how much of your salary you intend to spend on each item and stick to it strictly. 3.
Set aside the rest of your pay and save it. Start with realistic amounts first (maybe $200 per month) and aim to work towards saving at least 10% of your pay. Save more if you can.
Do remember to review your budget every now and then. You may find that your intended expense limits are unrealistic—they may be lower or higher than they really are. If you need assistance, use an online budget calculator. Don’t be too discouraged if you have not been able to follow your budget closely. Motivate yourself to try harder next month by keeping your financial goals in mind: it’s never too early to save for your retirement, for your parents’ expenses when they retire if they are counting on you, your dream flat or a dream holiday.
10
The Alumni Family Tree was officially launched by the Republic Polytechnic Board of Governors on 4 May 2015. It symbolises Republic Polytechnic’s growing alumni family—a family firmly rooted in the values of Republic Polytechnic, resplendently branching outwards to new challenges and aspirations. Every leaf represents a cohort of graduates embodying the moral values and strong affiliations forged during their time of learning, friendship, and life in Republic Polytechnic.
The information above was prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Social and Family Development, Monetary Authority of Singapore and the dREam Editorial team.
The Chairman of the Republic Polytechnic Board of Governors and our Principal and CEO of Republic Polytechnic will present the Graduation Leaf to the President of the graduating cohort’s Student Council during the Graduation Ceremony.
11
...and how to track down hidden jobs In the current economic climate, an increasing number of jobs are never actually advertised, so it is vital to be proactive in your job search! Here are some of the most effective ways of finding those hidden jobs.
NETWORKING
Five Ways to Find a Job Make sure you don’t miss the employers who are actively recruiting— but be aware too that plenty of available jobs are also not advertised.
1. ON-CAMPUS
STEP 1: Find yourself a career advisor at your career services, and speak to them about your passion and aspirations! STEP 2: Visit their dedicated websites, job boards, and information centres for local information and advice. Don’t forget useful publications and corporate pamphlets as well! STEP 3: Find out about scheduled company presentations that are happening on campus.
Many graduates find opportunities through contacts they have made themselves, such as friends, relatives, tutors, lecturers, past students, or people they have met through their leisure interests, voluntary work, casual part-time jobs, or work placements. Developing an industry network list is also important: talk to people working in your chosen career area. They will be able to advise you on the best ways to get into the profession.
SPECULATIVE APPLICATIONS
A speculative application involves writing in/ contacting prospective employers to inquire about job openings, even if they don’t seem to be advertising any.
You will need to identify companies you are interested in, research their business thoroughly, and make direct contact with them, highlighting your suitability and interest in working for them. By making contact before you send in your letter and CV, you can tailor them to the employer’s needs.
WORK EXPERIENCE
As well as improving your CV, work experience placements can turn into graduate job offers. Having observed the quality of your work, an employer can hire you with confidence. This is a particularly good strategy for areas of work such as media, the arts, and the not-for-profit sector that don’t usually advertise graduate jobs.
Other Strategies 2. ONLINE
3. IN PRINT
STEP 2: Got a specific company you want to work for? Check their websites, recruitment pages, Facebook, and Twitter!
STEP 2: Look into locally-published trade magazines too. Featured companies and employers might be hiring.
STEP 1: Register with a few online job portals (make sure they’re reputable), and look through their database of listings!
STEP 1: Try the newspaper! You might just be surprised at the gems that you can find, especially local employers.
STEP 3: Visit specialised “rate & review” sites where current employees can anonymously “review” or “rate” their employers (e.g. LinkedIn).
The information above is prepared in collaboration with gradsingapore.com and the dREam Editorial team. Visit www.gradsingapore.com, the leading graduate employers and careers advice portal.
12
4. RECRUITMENT CONSULTANTS
STEP 1: If you’re interested in a particular company, sector, or role, check if they use the services of recruitment consultants. If they do, consider engaging these consultants as they can advise you on your career prospects and match you to a position. (Fees are charged to the employers using the consultant’s services, not you!) STEP 2: Meet up with the consultant to discuss your career goals, and be specific! Find out also what they will do on your behalf if you engage them. STEP 3: Make use of their industry knowledge to help you prepare for your future interviews and assessments!
5. CAREER FAIRS
• Find a mentor: Develop a relationship with someone who can give you advice and support on your job search.
STEP 1: Find out about the various career fairs that are available to you—university-specific career fairs held on-campus, as well as public career fairs—and note them into your planner (usually in the first semester of the academic year)!
• Voluntary work: this can help your chances of breaking into your chosen career. For example, graduates wanting to work in the pet-care industry can start by volunteering at the local SPCA, or other animal welfare associations.
STEP 2: Take note of who is coming and research the ones you’re interested in so that you’ll be able to ask them intelligent questions on the day.
• A “foot in the door”: take a temporary job in the sector that interests you, for example, a media graduate who starts as an administrative assistant at a radio station.
STEP 3: Come in smart casual attire and network! Speak to recruiters, and don’t forget to get their name and position! Make sure to pinpoint specific details about your discussions too because… STEP 4: You’ll need to follow up with the recruiter. Send them an email to thank them for their time, and jog their memory by mentioning a point unique to your prior conversation. Include another résumé and restate your interest in the company.
• Join professional bodies and organisations: attending appropriate events will help you meet people in your chosen field. • Meet alumni: alumni working in sectors you want to join will be able to give you advice, and point you towards more help and support. • Use social networks: find out who you should write to in the companies you’re interested in. LinkedIn is the best for promoting a professional image. • Word of mouth: the oldest method in the book! Tell everyone that you’re looking for work—the more people that are looking on your behalf, the better.
13
It’s and it’ll last you a lifetime! – brought to you by Alumni Services, Republic Polytechnic
alumni@rp email—your complimentary, lifelong email account that immediately identifies you as a member of the Republic Polytechnic community! Evoke your sense of pride and belonging to Republic Polytechnic by using an alumni@rp email account! accountalumni@rp uses the email address format userid@alumni.myrp.edu.sg and helps you stay connected with your friends long after you have graduated. It is your gateway to maintaining strong bonds with other alumni and also serves as a lifelong connection between you and your alma mater. • Large storage size for email (10GB for Outlook Live) • Password-protected 25GB online storage through Windows Live SkyDrive • Office Live Workspace—room for more than 1000 files You need only 1 EASY STEP to start using your alumni@rp email account! Simply email us at help-graduate@rp.edu.sg and we will provide you with the link and userID to log in with.
5 WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR ALMA MATER!
GIVE A SHOUT-OUT TO YOUR ALMA MATER
Stay connected with your alma mater through the official RP alumni Facebook fanpage at www.facebook.com/alumniRP
LET YOUR ALMA MATER ORGANISE YOUR GATHERING
Have your professional, social and personal needs met through our diverse range of alumni programmes.
USE YOUR CLUB REPUBLIC CARD TO GET BIRTHDAY GIFTS FOR YOUR LOVED ONES
This card identifies you as an alumnus and offers you exclusive benefits and discounts. Apply for your Club Republic Card at www.rp.edu.sg/grad
READ DREAM MAGAZINE
Be updated on campus activities through this complimentary quarterly publication. Also available online at www.rp.edu.sg/grad
MAKE A DONATION— BANK IN YOUR KARMA CREDIT
Your gift will make a difference to the well-being of students struggling financially. It frees them from financial worries and allows them to concentrate on pursuing academic excellence at RP. Log on to www.alumni.rp.edu.sg to make your donation.
15
CALENDAR OF
Get Rewarded for reading WINNERS GET
CASH VOUCHERS! QUIZ FOR JULY ISSUE
How many Grad Chapter respresentatives do we have? To participate, simply email your answer to dREam@RP.edu.sg with your name, NRIC, and Club Republic membership number. Closing date for the contest is 31 Aug 2017. All winners will be notified by email.
dREam May Contest Winner S Danesh Kumar S892XXXXB
16
* Dates subject to changes
DATE
EVENT
VENUE
13 July 2017
RPAC Meeting
Republic Polytechnic
14 July 2017
DSES Alumni Get-Together 2017
Republic Polytechnic
4 August 2017
Glitz 2017 – Sports Excellence Awards
Republic Polytechnic
7 August 2017
National Day Observance Ceremony
Republic Polytechnic
9 August 2017
Public Holiday: National Day
10 August 2017
RPAC Meeting
Republic Polytechnic
12 August 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: Basic Chocolate Production Technique Workshop
Republic Polytechnic
12 August 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: Basic Barista and Coffee Appreciation
Republic Polytechnic
15 August 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: The Art of Landscape Photography
Republic Polytechnic
19 August 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: Basic Enriched Bread Making
Republic Polytechnic
24 August 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: Art of Faciliation
Republic Polytechnic
26 August 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: Basic Shortcrust Pastry
Republic Polytechnic
1 September 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: • Deadling with Difficult Customers (Part 1) • Deadling with Difficult Customers (Part 2) • Better Well Being Through Dispute Resolution
Republic Polytechnic
1 September 2017
Public Holiday: Hari Raya Haji
2 September 2017
SafeYouth@Work Congress 2017
Sands Expo and Convention Centre
6 September 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: Better Well Being Through Dispute Resolution
Republic Polytechnic
6 September 2017
SCS Flag Day 2017
8 September 2017
“Understanding Loans and Credit” Talk
Republic Polytechnic
13 September 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: • Avid Pro Tools 101: Fundamentals I • Portrait Drawing
Republic Polytechnic
ALUMNI GATHERING SEG Alumni Gathering is organized for SEG Alumni to come back and interact with your ex-classmates as well as your facilitators in SEG. It has been some time since you graduated, and your lecturers have missed your presence in RP. We would like to find out about the latest news of your career and development. Come attend the event, and we will catch up on old times. You can also see what are the latest happenings in RP. You can enjoy a buffet dinner while you catch up with your old friends and also network with new friends.
RPAC Meeting 14 September 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: iOS App Development Fundamentals
Republic Polytechnic
15 September 2017
SEG Alumni Gathering
Republic Polytechnic
18 September 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: Avid Pro Tools 101: Fundamentals II
Republic Polytechnic
20 September 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: Fundamentals of Sound System Operation
Republic Polytechnic
22 September 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: • Basic UAV Videography Workshop • New Media and You • Cyber Security for Everyone”
Republic Polytechnic
27 September 2017
*ACE@RP Programme: Short Story Appreciation
Republic Polytechnic
August
POL-ITE Games Season 1
September
• Supermarket Run • International Service-Learning Projects
15 September 2017 • 5.30pm – 9.00pm Republic Polytechnic E33A Exhibition Hall (Building E3, Level 3)
Cost: FREE! Log in to www.alumni.rp.edu.sg to register
17
ALUMNI FINANCIAL TALK ON
“UNDERSTANDING LOANS AND CREDIT” Register via Alumni Portal at www.alumni.rp.edu.sg. Limited seats available, based on first come first serve basis.
This talk aims to enable you to find out if you are borrowing too much, understand the types of loans and their associated costs. You will be able to assess if you are borrowing too much and learn how to resolve debt issues.
8 September 2017 (Friday) 7.30pm to 8.30pm (Registration and light dinner will be provided from 6.30pm onwards)
The Republic Cultural Centre, Conference Room (Level 1)