Enhancing Your Employability (Employees)

As a mature employee, find out how you can remain competitive in the workforce.

What You Must Know

According to the Retirement and Re-Employment Act (RRA), your employer cannot ask you to retire before the age of 63 if you:

Are a Singapore citizen or Singaporean permanent resident
Joined the organisation before you turned 55

You should refer to NTUC’s Understanding Re-employment Guide (PDF) for more information. This guide helps unions, companies and employees to understand the new re-employment guidelines. Particularly useful are the summaries on the RRA, and the frequently asked questions which address common queries and misconceptions on re-employment.

How to Enhance Your Employability

If you are looking for a job or preparing for re-employment, here are some ways you can remain competitive in the workforce.

Upskill Yourself

Take some time to review the experience, knowledge and skills you have gathered over the years, as well as any areas you would like to improve on. There might be gaps between the skills you have and what your employer seeks.

Fill those gaps with meaningful training programmes. For example, taking a course on technology can greatly enhance your employability in this digital age. Refer to our useful links for jobseekers and employees to access upskilling resources.

If you are preparing for a job interview, emphasise the relevance of your new skills on your resume. Refer to e2i’s Employability Coach for more guidance on how to craft a good resume.

Manage Your Job Expectations

Be flexible and open to changes to your work scope, position and pay, especially if you are transitioning to a new role, career or industry. Make this flexibility known to potential employers. Remember that not all your skills and experience may be relevant to the position, and some adjustments may be necessary.

Jobseekers: Prepare for Your Interview

It is important that you walk into any interview well-prepared, as this indicates commitment and initiative, and helps to build confidence. Once you receive an interview request, take the time to research on the company, and have a good understanding of what they do. Such information can be found on the company’s website, or social channels such as LinkedIn.

During the interview, you should focus on key skills and traits that qualify you for the job you are applying for (e.g. problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills). You should also include examples of how you demonstrated those skills. Refer to e2i’s Employability Coach for more guidance on how to conduct yourself in an interview.

Current Employees: Prepare for Your Re-Employment Discussion

Your employer may begin engaging you 6 months before retirement regarding re-employment opportunities in the organisation.

During this discussion, you should:

Indicate your job preferences early on in the consultation process.
Be flexible towards changes to your employment terms or job arrangement.

During the negotiation process, be open about your re-employment plans to find the best option for your needs. The contract offered by your employer need not be for the same job or on the same terms.

You may be concerned that your new contract may impact your responsibilities and take-home pay. However, adjustments to any terms and conditions should be based on reasonable factors such as productivity, duties and responsibilities. Be realistic about what you can or cannot take on. Consider different types of flexible work arrangements to help you manage your commitments in and out of work.

Consider Flexible Work Arrangements

Discuss with your employer how they can support you through different types of flexible work arrangements and see which optimises both your work and personal goals. For example, do you have to end work early to fetch your grandchild from school? Are you participating in a community programme? Compare these needs against what the organisation can offer. Some organisations only adopt FWAs that align with their organisational goals and business operations.

Learn How to Work in a Multi-Generational Workforce

As you enter or re-enter today’s workforce, you may find yourself working alongside a fresh graduate on the same project, or being mentored by someone younger than you.

Here are some ways you can adjust and adapt to this changing work landscape:

Be open-minded and get to know your younger colleagues better.
Leverage on your younger colleagues’ strengths and capabilities (e.g. tech savviness).
Share your knowledge with your younger colleagues (e.g. operations and processes).
Seek advice from friends or colleagues on how to work with a younger boss.
Be empathetic towards your younger boss (e.g. he or she may feel uncomfortable managing you because of your level of experience).

Stay Physically Active

Maintain your health through regular exercise and a well-balanced diet. The Health Promotion Board offers a variety of physical activities that are held island wide. You can also refer to the latest dietary guidelines or My Healthy Plate guidelines for a list of healthy eating habits.