9/20/2013

Talent is an abused term in employment

The term talent has been shooting off everyone’s mouth like referring to gold or diamond. And often this term is prefixed with another word, foreign, and conveniently attached together as foreign talent. What does this mean to the users of these terms, the ordinary people, the employers, job seekers and the govt?

Very often we also heard people quipped that there is not enough or no Singaporean talents to fill a vacancy. And many do not pause to ponder what is this vacancy that needs talent and why are the talents not found locally. Take an example of a HR Manager. What kind of talent that is so rarefied that no Singaporeans are found to have them that this position must be filled by a foreigner? In the same vein, an Admin Manager, a Finance Manager, a Sales or Purchasing Manager, a Banking/Finance Manager, an IT Manager and so on, even politicians.

On more technical skills like Engineering, IT, Medical or Science, why are the local graduates not good enough as talents and foreign graduates are the right and suitable talents? Did their universities teach them different stuff that is useful to the industries and ours don’t? If that is the case, either we revamp what is being taught in our universities or we close them down and send our students to those universities that are teaching the right stuff.

In the more generic jobs as mentioned above, what talent is one talking about? A HR or Finance professional will have acquired the same basic training and knowledge to do the job reasonably well. All that makes the difference is the attitude and drive in the person, unless the applicant is a moron. And if one is to know the extent Singaporean students drove themselves to acquire good grades, that is telling in itself, that they have the drive, stamina and determination to do well. These graduates who worked so hard to get good grades cannot be the same employees that switched off when employed and paid to do a good job. They strove for good grades without being paid, and now refused to work when they are paid well?

Even those that do not have the good grades but rose to higher management, this fact is enough to show that they are able and capable of doing the job at that level. The knowledge and experience on the job are more valuable than the qualifications of a fresh graduate.

Now, what kind of talents that the foreigners have that the local talents did not have? The foreigners have two brains, three mouths and trained differently and acquired unusual skills from their universities and countries that made them better than the local PMETs?

For the very technical and highly skilled jobs that needed post graduate training, the expertise would set them apart. But many skills can easily be trained, be transferred with on the job or in house training that would not take more than a year to do so. What is so difficult about that?

The truth is that many jobs even at senior management level do not require this thing called talent or exceptional talent that cannot be found in local PMETs. The word talent is an abused word, a red herring that means nothing really.
Anyone who uses this term to justify his special needs as an employer, make him explain why it is a talent in the first place. Talents are needed in very special positions, in special appointments, in highly skilled fields that demanded gruelling years in academic discipline. Another type of talent is how to cheat which is inborn, how to get paid excessively without having to do the work or not knowing how to do the work but getting others to do it and claim the credit. This is unusual talent.

Actually one of the highest level of talent is to be able to con your way to success without acquiring any useful skills but by capitalising on connections, wealth, associations, politicking and conspiracy.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Actually one of the highest level of talent is to be able to con your way to success without acquiring any useful skills but by capitalising on connections, wealth, associations, politicking and conspiracy."

Hello Singaporeans!
My name is Lee Con You.
I'm here to help you.
I'm on your side.

Don't you find this to be a very funny joke?

Anonymous said...

Redbean,
you don't understand the definition of talent in PAP's dictionary ?

A talent is one that is:
- talented in becoming cheap labour
- talented in voting for PAP

Now remember the above .

Anonymous said...

also a talent is one that capable of replacing the sinkies regardless of competency, aptitude and skill.

Anonymous said...

"Talent" has become a buzzword in HR circles. It is simply an excuse to employ somebody foreign, justification for foreign managers to bring in their own kind from their homeland. To the HR guys, this term opens up a wonderful range of job openings for their own guys. Many companies now have "Talent management" divisions, and a specialized "Compensation & Benefits" division to manage the extraflious benefits that these so called foreign talents enjoy. The ordinary Sinkie can only watch and drool......

Anonymous said...

Talent diminishes with over control - by freaks.

Anonymous said...


We also have "world class talent" in businessman Mr Dan Tan Seet Eng.....

He and his associates were alleged to have influenced over 150 football matches in EUROPEAN leagues....

I was shocked when I first heard the news.....

Indeed they are super "world class talents"........

You think so ???

Anonymous said...

Why PAP fear sinkies ?

Because sinkies are awakening and know too much of PAP's past, exploitation and wayang, which will endanger the power of PAP through ballot box, so they need to be replaced by foreigners who have no interest in the history of alien land, only interest in making a living. So come all this smoke screen of Foreign talent as a excuse to mass import them to dilute the voice of sinkies.

If foreigners are so talented, how the hell the productivity drop significantly over the years ?

there is only one explanation. They are needed to help the ruling party to stay in power.

Veritas said...

Right now is the employers' market. When there is a headcount, the boss could it open for months, and not filling it up.

Anonymous said...

Talent is foreign to Singaporeans, it was drummed into our talentless heads time and time again. Can't even be trusted to read the right thing. Useless bunch.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

One must never neglect The Golden Rule:

He Who Has The Gold, Makes The Rules.

i.e. it is ultimately the employer who calls the shots. Usually he looks for the "best bang for his buck" -- taking many factors into consideration: natural talent, acquired skill sets, presentation, ability to work in a unit, self-discipline, attitude, and of course CHARACTER.

The employers have a lot of choice at the moment. They can afford to be discerning, even annoyingly fussy if they so choose.

Singaporeans who really want to work, need to wake up their ideas and compete toe-to-toe. The market is tough. Life is tough. Don't make it tougher by doing stupid things by acts of self-sabotaging behaviour.

Anonymous said...

Our government is double talk. In one hand government boasts of top ranking for Singapore university and on the other tell citizens that we lack talents. You sons and daughters are not good enough even though they score straight As from A-Level and Honous from local Uni. So what are they talking? Are we or are we not churning out good quality students? If not why is our Education Minister still holding on to his job and earns millions?

Anonymous said...

He who laughs last didn't hear the boss's joke.
Go mop up some more urine from the toilet floor, then pick up the dirty dishes, sell some more tissues after you have scavenged for cardboard boxes. Wait for ang pow.
The life of the talentless Singaporean.

Anonymous said...

I just would like to share the following...

I came across with Singaporeans who have been living overseas for years, and surprisingly to note that they were key appointment holders in big Singapore-based organisations, and some were scholars. Majority of them have school ongoing children...In addition, they are getting their parents aged 60s to 70s to join them...

It is a 'lost' to Singapore, and more professionals in their 40s are coming over to join them.

Something must have gone terribly wrong in Singapore...

Anonymous said...

And yet some out of touch elite class honcho were PUBLICLY BLAMING Singaporeans for being unwilling to work overseas. Bah humbug or is that ba ba black sheeple.

Anonymous said...

Is there an evil plan to get rid of Sinkies and replace by foreigners?

b said...

When someone lives in a big house but tells the people that they do not need to live in big houses, small flats will do. Is that truth?

When someone drives a big car but tells the people that they do not need a care, crowded public transport will do. Is that truth?

When someone sends his kids to university but tells the people that their kids do not need a degree. Is that truth?

When someone gets in cheap and fake foreigners to replace locals but tell the people that they are lazy and unwilling and uncreative (aka stupid). Is that truth?

They are more examples of such bullshits being told all the time to the sheepie people. But sheepie people prefer bullshit than to face the truth. The utimate problem lies with the mentality of the sheepie people who unfortunately made up the majority of the voters.

Anonymous said...

"Is there an evil plan to get rid of Sinkies and replace by foreigners?"

If you are still asking this question then you deserve to be replaced by foreigners. If you can't trust your own sentiment then who can you trust ?

Anonymous said...

'Actually one of the highest level of talent is to be able to con your way to success'

- the highest talent is to find the correct pussy to be born. meritocracy is a term for the ordinary people not elites.

Anonymous said...

Talent, what's the define of the word?, if the company employs talent but the company goes down during recession, is that talent, if a company is doing well and a talent is employed, will he have the credits.

During the recession, all fingers was pointed to the lemon bros ( sorry, like that cannot sue me ), every highly paid mp's also, so there were no distinction between talent and non talent, tio bo, for all you know red bean could be pm and the situation would still be the same!!!

So, again i ask, what is talent?.

Kaki

Anonymous said...

Solly leh, still can soo, a lemon by implication is still a lemon, Bluder or not.

Anonymous said...

Wa sai, tis can soo, tat can soo, no woder all kip quiet, alamak, my bro jus tod mi, quiet aso can soo. Die liao.

Anonymous said...

Ya loh wait police can catch. Last time catch long hair, now catch draw cartoon.

Anonymous said...

How to work overseas when there is nobody in Singapore to look after your 80 years old parents?

Fucking PAP gahmen won't look after our parents.

SgMachiavelli said...

Power is the truth!

Anonymous said...

Someone should go into Qiu Qiu blog and tell her to take a flying leap, this is the talent that singapore is looking for?,

My father of 89 years old died, 1 1/2 year ago, now i can go oversea, but when i look into the mirror, i'm looking at a 54 year old grey haired man, no one wants to hire such shit nowadays except for maybe the mcdonalds, burger king, or kfc's, and (most of them has pinoys as manager who keeps telling 60 year olds to speak english), now my son of 17 years old will have to wait for me to die before he can go oversea,

Anonymous said...

90 years old already.
The end is near.
Won't have to wait much longer.

Anonymous said...

@ September 20, 2013 11:52 pm
You have two choices.

One way.
Send your boy overseas asap.
And follow him overseas asap.

2nd way.
Vote Opposition in GE 2016.
And convert 60% of your friends and family who voted PAP into Opposition voters.

Anonymous said...

@ 1.09 am

Your this type of snake-oil sales skill would only put off and scare off potential opposition voters. Very low standard, outdated, primitive, old school, repulsive, no different from the tone of old man and his hideous gang of wimpy ministars. Tones that really make people hate them to the core. Wishing every moment heaven make them suffer jialat jialat before they kick the bucket, best crippled on bed a couple of years with immeasurable immense suffering. Even if they die a thousand times over, it cannot atone for the sufferings they had caused in many others

Anonymous said...

@ September 21, 2013 7:13 am

Yes. I love you too!
XXXOOO

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for Oct 5th, 2013 @HLP. We need to improve our talent to stand up against this oppression without fear. Too many have fallen to the ground in despair

patriot said...

So long as the Alternative Parties' talents are SELFISH AND FRACTIOUS, NONE WILL BE GOOD TO REPLACE THE INCUMBENT.
Anyway, many are happy to be co-drivers, spare drivers, relief drivers, standby drivers.
So, be it 2015 GE OR THOSE FOLLOWING, the People Action Party is likely to 'pau chiak'(win hands down).

patriot

Anonymous said...

Japan has an ageing problem.
And our stupid Millionaire Minister is going there to learn from the Japanese?
Stupid or not?
You tell me lah!