SINGAPORE: A Singaporean data analyst who previously worked in the United States said he returned home thinking the job search would be fairly easy expecting a smooth job search. After all, he had experience working at a Fortune 10 company and assumed that kind of background would help him land interviews and open doors in Singapore’s competitive job market.
But things did not turn out the way he expected.
More than a year has passed since he started looking for work, and the 36-year-old is still unemployed.
On Thursday (Mar 5), he shared his experience on the r/singaporejobs forum, saying the interview process in Singapore has been much tougher than he anticipated and has been a humbling reality check.
“The interview process [here] humbled me,” he said. “So I worked hard. I practiced constantly and even paid people to interview me for practice. I improved my LinkedIn, wrote connection notes, and tried to network. But nothing has worked so far.”
After months of trying without success, the man confessed, “My hope and willpower have diminished, and it feels like things couldn’t get any lower. My mind keeps spiraling with thoughts about doing something stupid.”
Being unemployed for so long has also affected how he interacts with people close to him.
He said he feels ashamed to face his family and friends because of his situation. “I can’t maintain eye contact with my friends or family, and I can’t fake a smile. I just can’t do it.”
“At this point, I no longer know what I’m good at or what I can do anymore. Friends and younger brothers are married and have kids. From being career-driven to now having nothing in life but bothering my old parents. I hate what has become of me,” he added.
“Hang in there and hope you get a role soon.”
In the comments, several users shared that they are facing similar challenges in the brutal job market.
One person said they have been unemployed for 18 months and have submitted more than 500 applications.“I only have an average of 2 serious interviews per quarter,” they wrote. “It’s all positive feedback, weeks and weeks of courtesy responses in the follow-up, but I still end up with nothing.”
Another commenter wrote he is going through the same thing. “Bro, this is me right now,” they said. “I started this quarter strong with two interviews, one of which progressed to 3 out of 5 stages. The stress and anxiety are annoying as hell. I think we just have to hang in there and ride this through.”
A third person chimed in, “Me too. I have not even joined the workforce properly after graduating from computer science. I’ve been trying for 2 years for basically any IT job just for experience in the industry I studied, even intern jobs. But I keep getting ghosted or only getting no more than 1 interview.”
Meanwhile, others urged the post author not to stop trying, even if the road ahead feels exhausting and uncertain.
One said, “Don’t give up. The job market is extremely tough right now. If you came back a bit earlier, just after Covid opened up, there were quite a number of good jobs around. Now is just not the time. Just keep looking out.”
Another added, “Hang in there and hope you get a role soon.”
In other news, a Gen-Z marketing employee shared online that she has been feeling brushed aside at work, and she believes her age plays a big part in it.
Posting on the r/singaporejobs subreddit, she reflected on her first year at the company and admitted that she often feels like she is not “taken seriously in meetings.” This is despite the fact that she is “technically leading the department” and is expected to make key decisions.
Read more: ‘I’m technically leading, but not taken seriously,’ says Gen Z worker
