SINGAPORE: A 46-year-old Singaporean with a decade of experience in project management shared online that he has not received a single job offer despite actively applying for the past year.
In a post on the r/singaporejobs forum, he explained that things have been difficult ever since he left his job a year ago to handle family matters. He thought he would be able to step back into the workforce once things settled down, but that has not happened.
Over the past year, he said he has tried just about everything. He applied for roles similar to those he previously held and even explored consultant positions.
He reached out to former contacts, connected with people on LinkedIn, looked into roles that were not publicly advertised, and personally contacted employers to explain why he would be a strong fit.
Despite his efforts, he said none of the companies offered him a position, often citing that there were “more suitable candidates.”
On some occasions, he was also told that he “didn’t have relevant experience,” which he found puzzling given his decade-long background in the field.
“That was particularly difficult to hear, because project management has always been central to what I do, and I genuinely believed those capabilities would translate,” he wrote.
“I have 10 years across four different companies, primarily managing the development and opening of hotels. I’ve led and delivered projects across Asia Pacific and believed I had built solid, relevant experience.”
The man also admitted that these repeated rejections have severely affected his confidence.
“I didn’t expect the repeated rejection to affect me this much, but it has. It feels like a blow to my confidence. I find myself increasingly negative and questioning things I used to feel certain about,” he said.
“Sometimes I wonder if it’s just bad luck or market timing. Other times, I question whether I’ve misjudged my own experience and competitiveness or overestimated where I stand in the market. At this point, I honestly don’t know which it is.”
“Radio silence for months.”
In the discussion thread, one Redditor commented that the weak job market could be a factor and suggested that age might also be playing a role in the lack of responses.
Another user shared their own experience, saying, “Not in development, but I am an architect, and it has also been radio silence for months on the job front.”
Meanwhile, a third user asked whether returning to his previous role might be an option.
The post author responded that the company had already filled several positions since he left, and he was no longer interested in going back.
“[I have] no desire to go back—I did think about it for a while but eventually decided not to.”
In other news, a man has come under fire online after admitting in a Reddit post that he feels embarrassed by his parents, whom he said have “low SES lifestyle habits.”
Posting on the r/asksg forum on Wednesday (Feb 25), he shared that his parents are in their late 50s and grew up in a financially struggling household with little formal education.
Read more: Online criticism mounts after son shares he’s embarrassed by parents’ ‘low-SES lifestyle’
