SINGAPORE: “Distraught, mentally tired, lacking confidence, and disappointed.” That’s how one jobseeker summed up his feelings after being unemployed for the past six months.
Posting on the r/singaporefi subreddit on Thursday (Oct 30), the jobseeker wrote that for the past few months, he had gone for several interviews but never received an offer, applied for roles outside his field of interest out of desperation, and was even ghosted by potential employers.
He added that openings in his industry have become increasingly scarce, and for the few relevant positions he did apply for, none had responded.
Feeling stuck and unsure of what else to do, he admitted that he’s starting to think about pausing his job search altogether. “I am really distraught and mentally tired about how to move forward,” he said. “I think the earliest I will get a job will be next year or even later. It makes me feel helpless thinking about when I will eventually get a job.”
Looking for some comfort and advice, he turned to the Reddit community for help. “What should I do so I can regain my confidence and face the disappointment of not getting the job after an interview? For those with the same unemployment problem, how do you all overcome and help yourself? I’m just really frustrated by how bad the job market is. ”
“Market conditions shift all the time.”
The post struck a chord with many Redditors, who shared that they were going through similar struggles in the current job market.
One wrote, “Seems it’s generally bad globally. I’m in tech, and it’s the first time ever that I felt I’m not in demand. I abandoned my job search and decided to stay in my current job for now because of how bad it is.”
Another shared, “I’m doing part-time, freelance jobs on the side to survive/keep busy, but I’m in the same boat as well (month 7).”
A third said, “For real, it’s been difficult., I recently got a verbal offer, and I’m still worried that they will rescind the offer. Honestly, if they do so, I’d be cooked. I’m so tired of the endless loop of interviewing 1-2 rounds and then getting dropped in the end.”
Meanwhile, a fourth tried to offer some words of comfort, saying, “Don’t be too disheartened. The market is just generally really, really bad right now. But that doesn’t mean no one is hiring.”
“Market conditions shift all the time. Roles are definitely getting leaner, and companies are searching for unicorns more than specialists. Review your skill sets and see what tangent skills you can pick up.”
In other news, a commuter took to social media to express her frustration after witnessing a young woman sitting on the MRT priority seat, taking selfies and filming TikTok videos while an elderly auntie stood right in front of her throughout the ride.
In a post titled “Give up your priority seats” on the r/SMRTrabak forum, the commuter said the incident happened during the morning rush hour before the train entered the Central Business District, when the carriages were already packed and no other seats were available.
Read more: Commuter slams young woman for taking selfies on MRT priority seat while elderly auntie stands
