Balik Bayan Success Story: Kurt

Kurt Laxamana is an Engineer who has been working overseas in Singapore for over two years at an IT services company. Unfortunately, he was retrenched from his company as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

While Kurt’s initial thoughts were to continue exploring jobs in Singapore, he later decided to return home to the Philippines due to the stricter employment measures implemented abroad.

Undaunted by the setback, Kurt dreams to be part of a company that not only offers continuous career growth but also an aggressive professional and personal development pathway in the field of fintech. However, finding a suitable job back home was a challenge for him since relevant opportunities were limited.

“I have received various career offers and opportunities in the Philippines but none of them could fully address my concerns, with most offering a relatively lower compensation,” explains Kurt.

As he was then actively searching for available jobs in the Philippines on LinkedIn, Kurt was identified and approached by Shane Garcellano, International Candidate Manager, and Grace Lucero, Senior Consultant - Technology and Transformation at Robert Walters Philippines, to discuss about the firm’s Balik Bayan (Return Home) overseas recruitment programme.

Kurt states, “Shane and Grace understood my situation very well – they know there are differences between markets in the Philippines and overseas, so they did their best to help me find a company that not only provides a good career progression but also a competitive remuneration package.”

After several weeks of working with Robert Walters on his job search, Kurt was successfully placed in a fintech company in the Philippines. Kurt is happy that the whole recruitment process went smoothly despite him being based overseas then.

“The communication and transition during the entire process was very outstanding. I did not have a single issue at all. Now, I feel confident and secure to stay in the Philippines, without having to go overseas again.” 

For more information about our Balik Bayan campaign at Robert Walters Philippines, contact Grace Sampan at grace.sampan@robertwalters.com today, or visit our website.