Randstad's 2023 top 20 employers for Singapore released

Randstad Singapore has announced the top 20 most attractive employers in Singapore* ahead of its 12th annual Employer Brand Awards.

The top 20 most attractive employers for Singapore in 2023, in alphabetical order are:

Bytedance

CapitaLand

Changi Airport Group

Danaher Corporation (New in 2023)

DBS

Dyson

Edwards Lifesciences

Emerson Asia Pacific (New in 2023)

ExxonMobile (New in 2023)

IBM

InterContinental Hotels Group (New in 2023)

JP MorganChase (New in 2023)

Marina Bay Sands

Medtronic

Pratt and Whitney

Procter & Gamble

Resorts World Sentosa

SHELL

Singapore Airlines

UBS

Jaya Dass, MD, Permanent Recruitment at Randstad Asia Pacific said: “The world of work has changed significantly since 2020, and so have talent expectations. The pandemic, social movements and technological advancements as well as environmental challenges have altered the way people think about their careers, well-being and values. To attract and retain the best talent in this new social contract, employers have to evolve and adapt to their changing needs and aspirations.

"At Randstad, we are committed to being your trusted partner in finding the skilled and talented people you need to drive your business forward. At the same time, we stand with job seekers in Singapore throughout their working lives to help them find meaningful work that feels good.”

The winners of Randstad Singapore’s 2023 Employer Brand Awards will be announced in July 2023. The last awards were held in 2019. Between 2020 and 2022, Randstad Singapore took a hiatus from announcing the results of the Employer Brand Awards due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine War.

*The annual Randstad Employer Brand Research is an independent study commissioned by Randstad and conducted by Kantar TNS. This year, 2,753 locally-based employees and job seekers were surveyed in Singapore in January.

The study measures brand awareness and brand attractiveness of commercial companies, and respondents are required to rate the organisations on 10 employee value proposition drivers such as ‘attractive salary and benefits’, ‘work-life balance’ and ‘career progression opportunities’.

Avanade named a top employer in Malaysia, Singapore

Avanade, the Microsoft solutions provider, has been recognised as a 2023 Top Employer in Malaysia and Singapore by the Top Employers Institute.

Source: Avanade. Kapoor.

The Top Employers Institute Programme certifies organisations based on the participation and results of their Human Resources (HR) Best Practices Survey. The survey saw Avanade recognised for its outstanding standards in every assessment category, including: People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Wellbeing and more.

The programme has certified and recognised 2,052 Top Employers in 121 countries/regions across five continents. 

Bhavya Kapoor, Avanade’s Southeast Asia MD said: “At Avanade, everything we do is driven by our purpose to make a genuine human impact. We believe in doing what matters for our people and the ecosystem – and I’m thrilled that we’re recognised as a Top Employer 2023 in Malaysia and Singapore. As we continue to expand and become the destination for top talent in Southeast Asia, we remain committed towards creating a people-centric culture and environment that provide distinctive experiences, limitless learning opportunities, foster human connections and fuel bold ambitions.”

Top Employers Institute CEO David Plink noted: “Exceptional times bring out the best in people and organisations. And we have witnessed this in our Top Employers Certification Programme this year: exceptional performance from the certified Top Employers 2023. These employers have always shown that they care for the development and wellbeing of their people. By doing so, they collectively enrich the world of work.”

TrustYou lists the best hotels in SEA

TrustYou, the guest feedback platform, has published its research* on the best hotels in Southeast Asia. 

Leading the pack out of 11 properties in Singapore is Naumi Hotel Singapore, followed by Oasia Hotel Novena by Far East Hospitality, Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore, The Ritz - Carlton Millenia Singapore and Conrad Centennial Singapore.

The March 2018 list of best-rated luxury hotels from TrustYou, covering Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines, lists The Westin Langkawi in Malaysia as the top hotel among the countries surveyed, followed in No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 place by Thai hotels: the JW Marriott Phuket, the Hansar Bangkok, and the Renaissance Phuket. The New World Manila, Philippines, is in No. 5 place, followed by sixth-ranked Grand Hyatt Jakarta. The Naumi Singapore, the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, the Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort in Thailand, and the Oasia Hotel Novena Singapore round out the top 10.

The three best-rated hotels in Vietnam are:

• Hotel de l'Opera Hanoi
• Paloma Cruise - this is a boat which offers overnight stays
• InterContinental Saigon

For Cambodia, they are:

• Anantara Angkor Resort
• Hotel Shinta Mani Siem Reap
• Heritage Suites Hotel

There is one entry for Laos, the Luang Say Residence. For the Philippines, Solaire Resort & Casino is ranked No. 2, and the Monaco Suites de Boracay is ranked 3rd. In Indonesia, the Mulia Villas in Bali is ranked No. 2, while the JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta is No. 3. In Malaysia, the JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur is in third place. 

These aggregated results are drawn from TrustYou’s keyword analysis of travel reviews associated with hotels, destinations and travel websites scattered across the vast and fragmented market. The company draws its data from over 230,000 travel reviews a month from various sources and transforms this content into actionable insights and visualisations for over half a million hotels.

*A hotel is defined as luxury hotel if it gets a certain amount of keywords such as "luxury" and "luxurious" in their reviews that TrustYou analyses. The company looks at reviews, popularity within the same city, and popularity globally.

New book combines services management and marketing best practices with the latest research

Source: NUS. Cover, Winning in Service Markets.

Tried and tested services management strategies backed by cutting-edge academic research are now available in Winning in Service Markets, a book by Professor Jochen Wirtz, National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School’s Vice Dean (Graduate Studies) and Professor of Marketing.

Professor Wirtz  has adapted his globally leading textbook – Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy (8th edition) for industry practitioners. Targeted towards service organisations, the new publication provides comprehensive coverage of the latest academic research and its implications for best-practice service management and marketing across multiple services sector industries.

The secret to winning in service markets is summarised into a five-part framework for readers. With the whole service-profit chain in mind, organisations can cultivate a shared service climate, culture and leadership by:

1. Understanding the power of design and packages of “intangible” benefits and products for employees;

2. Investing in high quality service operations and customer information management processes;

3. Grooming a pool of motivated and competent frontline employees;

4. Building and maintaining a loyal and profitable customer base; and

5. Developing and implementing a coherent service strategy to transform assets into improved business performance.

“Consumers today are more knowledgeable and sophisticated than ever before. Service organisations need to keep up by creating memorable customer service experiences in order to build brand loyalty,” says Professor Wirtz. “Through this book, I hope to help transform the service sector into one that creates value for both customers and employees whilst balancing profitability and growth.”

Jan Swartz, President, Princess Cruises, called the publication a “highly practical book” that is recommended for everyone working in a service organisation. She said, “I love the comprehensive coverage of services marketing and rigour. Also, it is easy to read and full of interesting, best practice examples.”

Professor Wirtz is recognised globally for his excellence in teaching and research with over 40 awards. He holds a Ph.D. in services marketing from the London Business School and his research has been published in some 100 academic journal articles and 130 conference presentations. He has published over 10 books and is an active management consultant in the areas of strategy, business development and customer feedback systems. 

Interested?

Winning in Service Markets is published by World Scientific Publishing and is available for purchase on Amazon and leading book stores. The Kindle version costs US$23.49. Key chapters are also available as standalone publications in e-book and paperback form. Read the abstract

NetApp is in top ten Best Companies to Work For list in Singapore

Source: NetApp. NetApp employees with Minister for Manpower, Lim Swee Say, at the Great Place to Work® awards ceremony.

NetApp has been ranked  No. 10 on the Best Companies to Work For list in Singapore by Great Place to Work. This is the second consecutive year the company has made the top 10  list for best workplaces and employers of choice.

Lim Loo Yee, Country Manager for NetApp Singapore said, “What has made NetApp a good company to work for is the strength of our team. Our people are the pioneers behind the creative solutions we provide customers and are the life source of a productive, collaborative and trust-filled culture that we are very proud of.”

NetApp’s culture is fuelled by its core values of teamwork, integrity and leadership, which help the company operate in an industry that is subject to dynamic changes and demands for high levels of innovation.

  

Lim added, “An intellectually and mentally strong workforce is the reason why organisations like ours remain resilient and adaptable as business needs change.”

Beyond the tangible benefits and rewards, NetApp leaders inspire their teams to further develop their skills and develop the next generation of IT talent. NetApp Singapore is committed to offering employees avenues to upgrade their technical and leadership skills through global exchange programmes, mentorship from managers and its own educational platform, NetApp University.

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog posts about Salesforce Singapore and Dell EMC, which have also been recognised by Great Place to Work.

Dell EMC is one of Singapore's Best Companies to Work For in 2016

Dell EMC Singapore is ranked No. 8 on the Singapore 2016 Best Companies to Work For, a list derived from one of the world’s most comprehensive studies of workplace culture conducted by the Great Place to Work Institute Singapore.

The study measures the behaviours and the environment that forms the underpinning of world’s most desirable workplaces and successful businesses through 58 specific metrics embedded in an employee survey, as well as in an audit of company culture and people practices. Companies cannot be included in the list unless a clear majority of their employees considers their organisation to be a great workplace.

Earlier this year, Dell EMC was ranked No. 4 multinational best workplace in Asia Pacific and Japan, KSA and the UAE as part of the Best Workplaces in Asia 2016 list by Great Place To Work, making the organisation part of an elite list of 60 companies from 900 that were evaluated in nine countries across Asia.

“Dell EMC is a company with a diverse team of people working towards a common vision – a confluence of talent, values and inspiration. This is an organisation where the voices of the team define the work experience,” said Great Place to Work Institute Singapore. “The 'You Define' campaign is a ground-driven initiative that seeks to create a sense of connection and purpose for team members, celebrating each individual’s contribution to the business. It also creates opportunities for team members to participate in projects important to them, such as CSR and sustainability efforts.

“Authenticity, vibrancy, openness and the employee – these are the values that bind the Dell EMC team together. Dell EMC has the winning formula to be a Best Company to Work For!”

Eric Goh, MD, Dell EMC Singapore – Enterprise Business said, “At Dell EMC we believe that building a positive, inclusive and productive workplace is a continuous journey, in which our employees play a critical role. I’d like to thank all of our employees for their trust and continued contribution to the business.”

Globally, EMC was ranked No. 4 in the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces category, moving up two places from its position of No. 6 in 2015. The World's Best Multinational Workplaces are chosen from a pool of 1,000 multinational subsidiaries that have appeared on at least five national Best Workplaces lists.

Interested?

Browse the global list of the 25 World's Best Multinational Workplaces
 

posted from Bloggeroid

Salesforce is Singapore's No. 1 Best Place to Work

Source: Salesforce. The Salesforce Singapore team.

Salesforce Singapore was named Singapore’s Best Place To Work, clinching No. 1 spot in Great Place to Work’s Best Companies to Work for 2016 list.

The Best Workplaces in Asia list recognises organisations in Asia that are dedicated to sustaining a high-trust work culture and celebrates companies that are committed to providing strong, caring and innovative cultures that are distinguished by their extraordinary levels of trust, pride and camaraderie.

Accepting the award on behalf of Salesforce Singapore at the Best Companies to Work for ceremony on 7 November, Cecily Ng, Area VP, Enterprise Business Unit, Asia, Salesforce said: “We are proud and humbled that Salesforce has been voted the No. 1 Best Company to Work For in Singapore for the second year in a row. This award is a true testament to the talented and diverse people we have working in our Singapore team.”

The Salesforce culture is rooted in the spirit of 'ohana' , which means ‘family’ in Hawaiian. Ohana represents the idea that families – related or chosen – are bound together, with its members feeling a sense of responsibility for one another. The #SalesforceOhana is the close-knit ecosystem of Salesforce employees, customers, partners and communities. Salesforce employees are personally committed to live the company values - trust, customer success, innovation, giving back, equality, wellness, transparency and fun – and to uphold the culture.

Salesforce was named No. 1 Best Company To Work For at the inaugural award in 2015, as well as No. 1 Best Place To Work in Asia Pacific and Middle East (SME Category) in 2015. It was also voted No. 1 Best Place to Work in Australia for 2016.

Aon Hewitt announces Aon Best Employers list for Singapore in 2016

• DBS Bank, OCBC Bank, and Far East Hospitality make the Aon Best Employers - Singapore list for the first time.
• National Kidney Foundation recognised in the newly-introduced special recognition category, Best Employer for Voluntary Welfare Organisation.
• Best Employers in Singapore led the way with a 27-point higher engagement score and with 2.1 times more highly engaged employees than market average.
• Best Employers in Singapore achieved 18% higher revenue and 11% higher profit than market average.

Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon, has named seven organisations as Aon Best Employers - Singapore 2016.

Source: Aon Hewitt. From left: Na Boon Chong, Senior Client Partner, 
South East Asia, Aon Hewitt with Aon Best Employers Singapore 2016.

In this year's challenging business environment, CEOs continue to identify rising salaries and a critical skills shortage as their top people risks in the market. This year, poor availability and selection of talent also arose as a top-three people risk.

Best Employers achieve 27 points higher engagement scores than the market average by standing out in three areas:

Career opportunities
Employees at Best Employers are 1.3 times more likely to feel their organisations offer excellent career opportunities compared to other strong performers in the market and industry.

Senior leadership
Employees at Best Employers are 1.2 times more likely to feel that senior leadership treats them as the organisation's most valuable asset.

Rewards and recognition
Employees at Best Employers are 1.3 times more likely to feel well-recognised and rewarded (beyond pay and benefits) for their efforts.

According to Aon Hewitt, Best Employers have four qualities:

High employee engagement

• Best Employers achieve engagement scores of 80% (market average, 63%).
• Eight in 10 (78%) of Gen Y employees at Best Employers feel confident of their future career opportunities in their organisation (market average, 55%).

Effective leadership

• Best Employers develop engaging leaders, with 100% of Best Employer organisations providing effective feedback on how leadership styles influence the team (market average, 68%)
• More than eight in 10 (86%) Best Employers have formal mentoring programmes to develop an effective leadership pipeline (market average, 54%).

Compelling employer brand

• Eight in 10 employees at Best Employers believe their organisation delivers on its promises (market average, 61%).
• Best Employers have great ambassadors, with 84% of employees saying they would recommend the organisation to someone looking for a job (market average, 65%)

High performance culture

• More than eight in 10 (86%) Best Employers integrate promotion-linked goals into performance management (market average, 54%).
• Seven in 10 (71%) Best Employers hold their managers accountable for their team' engagement levels by linking managers' performance ratings with employee engagement levels.

 The Aon Best Employers - Singapore 2016 are:

Organisation	Category
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore	Best of the Best Employers
American Express Singapore	Best Employer - Singapore
DBS Bank	Best Employer - Singapore
DHL Express Singapore	Best Employer - Singapore
Far East Hospitality	Best Employer - Singapore
Mundipharma	Best Employer - Singapore
OCBC Bank	Best Employer - Singapore

Marriott International - Singapore is also named an Aon Best Employer - Singapore 2016 through the Global programme. In addition, American Express, DBS Bank, FedEx Express Asia Pacific, and The Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific are recognised as Aon Regional Best Employers in Asia Pacific 2016.

Four special recognitions were also given out:

Organisation	Category
FedEx Express Singapore	Best Employer for Commitment to  Engagement
American Express Singapore	Best Employer for Generation Y
Berries World of Learning School (TCC)	Best Employer for Small Medium Enterprise
National Kidney Foundation	Best Employer for Voluntary Welfare  Organisation

Jeremy Andrulis, CEO Southeast Asia, Aon Hewitt, said: "Critical skills shortage and poor availability of talent are the top people issues faced by CEOs in Singapore today. Best Employers focus on enabling talent strategies to drive business results across the entire employee life cycle, from pre-recruitment to exit. This includes agile and rapid delivery of HR services via cloud-based solutions as well as using technology for continuous listening - or gathering feedback and taking action regularly."

Gitansh Malik, Regional Leader - Aon Best Employers Asia Programme, Aon Hewitt, said: "The average person spends 2.5 hours on mobile devices daily, and expects the same consumer-grade experience from their interactions with their employers as they do with their social networks. Through digital HR transformation, Best Employers are well-positioned to deliver an exceptional employee experience and drive engagement."

Aon Hewitt names Aon Best Employers -- Thailand 2016

• Best Employers in Thailand lead the way with 24 points higher engagement score than market average
• Gen Y (those born from 1979 to 1990) engagement scores are 22 points higher for Best Employers, compared to market average
• Almost nine in 10 (89%) of employees at Best Employers would recommend their company to someone seeking work, compared to the 68% market average
• Advanced Info Services named Best of the Best Employers

Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon, has named seven organisations as Aon Best Employers - Thailand 2016. Despite a challenging business environment, where 54% of CEOs identify people issues (which includes rising salaries, an inadequate leadership pipeline, and poor availability and selection of talent in the external labour market) as a critical business challenge, Best Employers in Thailand have proven to be leaders in driving employee engagement to accelerate business results. Best Employers achieve 51% higher profit than market average.

The Aon Best Employers in Thailand for 2016 are:

Advanced Info Services
Best of the Best Employers

Advanced Contact Center Company
Best Employer - Thailand

American Express (Thai) Company
Best Employer - Thailand

McThai Company
Best Employer - Thailand

Mitr Phol Sugar Factory
Best Employer - Thailand

Phyathai 3 Hospital Company
Best Employer - Thailand

Swensen's (Thai)
Best Employer - Thailand

Toyota Motor Thailand Company
Best Employer - Thailand

In addition, Mitr Phol Bio Fuel Company received special recognition as the Best Employer for Generation Y. Marriott International, Thailand was also named Aon Best Employers through the Global programme.

Dr Adisak Chandprapalert, Managing Director, Aon Hewitt Thailand, said: "CEOs consistently rank people issues as a top challenge in their ability to create business value. Through the Aon Best Employers programme, HR and business leaders can create real impact by focusing on talent outcomes throughout the employee life cycle."

Panuwat Benrohman, Partner, APACMEA Talent, Rewards & Performance, Aon Hewitt, added: "A significant part of driving employee engagement is delivering an exceptional employee experience all around. With users spending an average of 2.5 hours on their mobile devices daily, employees expect a consumer-grade experience from their interactions with their employers. Digital transformation in HR is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity - and Best Employers in Thailand are well-positioned to do that."

Associate Professor of Organization Behaviour Dr Siriyupa Roongrerngsuke, Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University, said: "Over Sasin's 15-year partnership with Aon Hewitt, there has been a quiet revolution in the market - with an increasing number of Thai organisations participating and being recognised as Aon Best Employers. Once again, this year, all Aon Best Employers in Thailand have truly proven to be leaders in driving employee engagement."

posted from Bloggeroid

Hilton Worldwide is the best company to work for in Greater China for 2015

Hilton Worldwide has been named the top company in the 2015's Best Companies to Work For in Greater China list by Great Place to Work Institute, the global research firm that identifies and classifies the world's best workplaces. Hilton received this recognition based on the results of the 2015 Great Place to Work survey which polled 200,000 employees.

In total, 112 companies from Hong Kong, Mainland China and Taiwan completed the evaluation process, which examined the companies' workplace environment by asking employees about their workplace experience as well as how they feel about their company's policies and management process. While employees answered the 58-statement Trust Index survey, the HR and senior management teams of participating companies were also asked to submit a Culture Audit questionnaire, outlining their HR policies and practices.

"We strive to be an employer of choice and this is deeply rooted in our human resource strategy which places our team members at the heart of everything we do at Hilton. Loyal and happy employees are the foundation of our company and are critical to our success. We are continuously exploring new opportunities to engage, develop and reward our team members so that they remain fulfilled and appreciated as part of the Hilton family," said Martin Rinck, President, Asia Pacific, Hilton Worldwide.

Interested?

View the 2015 Best Companies To Work For In Greater China

Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2016 will be announced in Bangkok

Source: Asia's 50 Best
Restaurants. 

The fourth annual awards ceremony to celebrate Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants will be held for the first time in Bangkok, Thailand, on 29 February 2016.

As evidence of Thailand’s growing influence on the region’s culinary scene, Bangkok restaurants have claimed the No.1 spot on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list for the last two years. David Thompson’s Nahm took top honours in 2014 while Gaggan Anand’s eponymous restaurant secured the No.1 spot in 2015. Along with Gaggan and Nahm, the 2015 list also featured the Bangkok-based restaurants Eat Me (No. 25), Bo.lan (No. 37) and Issaya Siamese Club (No. 39). 

HE Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, says: “The support of this event is consistent with the national agenda to promote Thainess, Thai culture, and, in particular, Thai cuisine to the world. It will also strengthen the country’s strong brand image and differentiate us from other countries. Moreover, it will prominently feature and position Thailand as a multi- faceted fine dining destination where visitors are treated to an unimaginable array of cuisine options prepared by renowned chefs and backed by our warm Thai hospitality.”

William Drew, Group Editor of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants says: “Thailand has long been recognised for its rich culinary history and traditional street food culture. In recent years, the country’s vibrant restaurant scene has matured, welcoming world-class establishments serving a variety of international cuisines. Thailand is fast establishing itself as one of Asia’s key gastronomic hubs, making it the ideal country to host the 2016 edition of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.”

Source: Asia's 50 Best Restaurants. Winning chefs at Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2015.

Since launching in 2013, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants has become a trusted guide to the best places to eat around the region. In 2015, changes to the voting process were introduced to reflect the opinions of over 300 voters spread throughout Asia and better showcase the diversity of Asia’s culinary scene. The 2015 list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants featured eight new entries, including first-time entries from the Philippines (Antonio’s, No. 48) and Cambodia (Cuisine Wat Damnak, No. 50).

Interested?

Follow the announcements live via Twitter at @Asias50Best on 29 February, 2016. Following the ceremony, the results of the awards will be published at www.theworlds50best.com/asia.

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post on Asia's 50 Best 2014 winners

Follow TheWorlds50Best on Instagram

Hashtag: #Asias50Best

*Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is created by The Diners Club Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over 300 leaders in the restaurant industry across Asia, each selected for their expert opinion of Asia’s restaurant scene. The Academy is divided into six voting regions: India & Subcontinent; South-East Asia – South; South-East Asia – North; Hong Kong, Taiwan & Macau; mainland China & Korea; and Japan. The divisions are designed to represent the Asian restaurant scene as fairly as possible at the current time and are agreed with the Academy Chairs. Each region has its own panel of 53 members including a chairperson to head it up. The panel is made up of food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded 'foodies'. Each panellist has seven votes. Of the seven votes, at least three must be used to recognise restaurants outside of the voter’s home country. For the 2016 edition, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is working with professional services consultancy Deloitte as its official independent adjudication partner. The adjudication by Deloitte will ensure that the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants are protected. 

Max Brenner's website picks up New Media Award Web Award

Source: Max Brenner website.

The Max Brenner website is a 'best in industry' winner for the food and beverage category in the 2014 New Media Awards, organised by the New Media Institute, a research and fact-finding organisation whose mission is to improve public understanding of issues surrounding the Internet and other forms new media communications.

The website for the restaurant, which has outlets in Australia, Japan and Singapore, is described as 'dynamic' and creating "a sense of immersion" through photography that "feels real, even messy".

"It's absolutely amazing to see so much creativity come from such varied industries and from different parts of the world. We are extremely proud to recognize their achievements," stated Barbara Eber-Schmid, EVP at the New Media Institute. "Entries were judged based on innovation, content, design, user-friendliness, how dynamic they are, and most importantly -- how well they serve their audience's needs."

View the winners of the 2014 New Media Awards here.

The worst words to include in your resume: CareerBuilder

Nearly seven in ten (68%) of hiring managers spend under 2 minutes reviewing resumes, according to a CareerBuilder survey, making word choice crucial for job candidates. 

"Hiring managers prefer strong action words that define specific experience, skills and accomplishments," said Rosemary Haefner, VP of human resources at CareerBuilder. 

"Subjective terms and cliches are seen as negative because they don't convey real information. For instance, don't say you are 'results-driven'; show the employer your actual results." 


The Best Resume Terms

1. Achieved: 52% 
2. Improved: 48% 
3. Trained/Mentored: 47% 
4. Managed: 44% 
5. Created: 43% 
6. Resolved: 40% 
7. Volunteered: 35% 
8. Influenced: 29% 
9. Increased/Decreased: 28% 
10. Ideas: 27%

 The Worst Resume Terms

1. Best of breed: 38% 
2. Go-getter: 27% 
3. Think outside of the box: 26% 
4. Synergy: 22% 
5. Go-to person: 22% 
6. Thought leadership: 16% 
7. Value add: 16% 
8. Results-driven: 16% 
9. Team player: 15% 
10. Bottom-line: 14%

CareerBuilder helps companies target and attract talent, and operates in the US, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia.

*The survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from November 6 to December 2, 2013, and included a representative sample of 2,201 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes in the US.

Asia's 50 Best Restaurants reveals the best food is in China, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand

If you need to entertain at the best, you can't go wrong with the top 10 restaurants in Asia, as listed by Asia's Best 50 restaurants for 2014. 

The catch? You have a better chance of trying the food if you are in Thailand, Japan, China or Singapore. The top 10 list includes two from Bangkok, two from Tokyo, three from Hong Kong, and two from Singapore:

1. Nahm, Bangkok, Thailand, recommended for guinea fowl curry with shampoo ginger and holy basil. It was ranked no. 3 in 2013.

2. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan, where you should try the "inori". Narisawa was no. 1 in 2013.

3. Indian food at Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand, to try the papdi chaat 2050. Gaggan was all the way in no. 10 last year.

4. Hong Kong's Amber restaurant at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and be sure to order the Hokkaido sea urchin in lobster jelly, with cauliflower, caviar and crispy seaweed waffle. Amber was also no. 4 in 2013.

5. Nihonryori Ryugin in Tokyo, Japan, ranked no. 2 last year. The must-try is the sea perch grilled over charcoal and topped with roasted rice and a black vinegar glaze. Chef Seiji Yamamoto was the winner of last year’s Chefs’ Choice award.

6. Multiple award winner Restaurant Andre in Singapore, where the dish "Memory", warm foie gras jelly with black truffle coulis, is highly recommended. It was no. 5 last year.

7. Waku Ghin at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands, another multiple award winner, where chef Tetsuya Wakuda’s marinated botan shrimps with sea urchin and Oscietre caviar is to be sampled. It was previously at no. 11.

8. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet in Shanghai, China, where the chocolate foie gras tartines are said to be sublime. Its rank is unchanged from last year. Pairet is also behind no. 11, Mr And Mrs Bund, also in Shanghai (2013: 7th).

9. Cantonese restaurant Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong, recommended for master chef Chan Yan Tak's sautéed lobster with vegetables in fermented bean sauce. Lung King Heen was no. 13 before.

10. Italian restaurant 8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong, for the ‘Fassone’ veal tenderloin, fresh porcini mushroom, and barley. In 2013, the restaurant was 6th.

Look through the list from 11 to 20, and restaurants in the same cities have won again, other than no. 19, Jungsik in Seoul, Korea. 

The same cities continue to dominate in ranks 21 to 30, though three of the winners are from Delhi, India, and no. 24 is a French restaurant from Taichung in Taiwan, Le Moût Restaurant, rather than cuisine from Taipei, the more well-known Taiwan destination.

Restaurants ranked 31 to 40 show a little more variation, featuring 28 Hubin Road in Hangzhou, China at no. 33, Japanese restaurant Wasabi in Mumbai, India, at no. 36, and Robuchon Au Dôme at the Grand Lisboa Hotel at Macau, China at no. 39. 

Hajime at no. 42 is the only representative from Osaka, Japan, while Nihonbashi in Sri Lanka (no. 44) is the only restaurant in the list from the country. At no. 47 is Sarong from Bali, Indonesia, and no. 49 is Karavalli from Bangalore, India.

The Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list is published by William Reed Business Media, a family-owned business with offices in the UK, US, France and Singapore. 

*Images all from Asia's 50 Best Restaurants website

Glassdoor's best employers for 2014 include many with Asian offices

Glassdoor, a community where people share salaries and inside information about their employers, released the results for its sixth annual Employees’ Choice Awards, honouring the 50 Best Places to Work, and new for 2014, the 50 Best Medium-Sized Companies to Work For.

Most of the companies and employees which use Glassdoor are based in the US, so feedback may not be quite the same in our region. Some of the companies which have won awards may not have a presence in Asia either, but many do. 

Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge

 Of the top ten employers with 1,000 or more employees, Bain was listed no. 1 with a 4.6 star rating out of a maximum of 5 stars. A Glassdoor user is quoted saying "Drive real changes to solve big problems, while learning a ton and having a clear career path." The company has 14 offices in the Asia Pacific region, Bangkok, Mumbai, Singapore and Tokyo among them.

In second place, Twitter. The company lists Singapore, Sydney, Seoul, and Tokyo among its international office locations, and Glassdoor gives it a 4.6-star rating as well.

LinkedIn is in third place, also with 4.6 stars. LinkedIn opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore in 2011. In Asia Pacific, LinkedIn has a presence in nine cities, Bangalore, Hong Kong and Melbourne among them. 

Google, which seems to be on every job-seeker's wishlist, is rated no. 8 on the list, with 4.3 stars, and Apple is ranked 35th with 3.8 stars. Both have Asian offices as well. Google is in 16 cities in Asia and the Pacific, from Australia to China, India, Malaysia and Thailand (and of course Singapore). Apple lists 547 jobs in 13 countries and territories in Asia Pacific at the time of writing, China, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore and Japan among them. 

While the tech industry dominates in the top 10, there are companies from other industries as well. Travel conglomerate Orbitz Worldwide and Nestle Purina Petcare were ranked 9th and 10th respectively. 

Orbitz mentions a Sydney office on its website, and current job openings include vacancies in Bangalore, Sydney, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Nestle Purina Petcare's Asia, Oceania and Africa headquarters are in Sydney, Australia, while the Nestle group is present in 17 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, including China, Korea, Singapore and Vietnam.