SINGAPORE: After sending out a staggering 663 job applications in just three months, one Singaporean jobseeker has finally secured a role.
In a post on Reddit’s r/singaporejobs forum, the jobseeker broke down the numbers behind the effort. He said he submitted 613 direct applications and reached out through 50 recruiters or referrals, bringing the total to 663. From these, only 37 led to initial HR calls. Of those, 27 progressed to second-round interviews, and five required him to complete case studies. In the end, he passed 10 interview processes and received just two job offers.
“Finally… I can see the light at the end of the tunnel…it’s over,” he said. “Got 2 offers and finally accepted one of them. Took me close to 3 months. Still managed to get a 30% bump in total compensation and I consider myself super, super lucky.”
He added, “I’m considered a recent fresh grad in tech with 1.5 years of experience and went to quit without a backup because the environment was just too toxic.”
Hoping for other jobseekers to secure a role as well, he shared some of the lessons he learned along the way.
Tap into referrals
The jobseeker said that perhaps one of the things that immensely helped him in securing a role was getting a referral from his acquaintances.
“In this terrible market, referrals are golden tickets to accelerate the process,” he said. “Reach out and let your friends, network, or whoever you are open to be referred to. Most people wouldn’t mind referring but they wouldn’t normally take the initiative to refer you if you don’t ask.”
Priorities good companies
Given how time-consuming case studies and hiring assessments can be, he advised jobseekers to focus their energy on good companies that align with their salary expectations and career goals.
“I honestly don’t think companies are looking to get free work done, but I have heard stories of it so please do be discerning.”
Based on his experience, he also added that there are some companies out there that are really just “interviewing jobseekers for fun” and HR professionals who are just “using the candidates to hit their KPIs.”
“They make you go through multiple rounds of interviews only to say they found someone better… Just ignore these companies.”
“I’ve met multiple HR that ghost me as well and it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. If you are not proceeding, at least have the courtesy to tell the candidate. How you treat your candidate is a glimpse of how you treat your employees.”
Ask for feedback
After dozens of near misses, he reframed how he sees rejection. “I realised most rejections are a matter of ‘not yet’ and not a matter of being rejected forever,” he said.
“Stay in touch with recruiters and talk to them still even after you get a role,” he urged others. “Who knows… It might be a next step in the future! Also, always ask for feedback after interviews. It will help in terms of finding out how to improve.”
Take care of your well-being
Beyond the job hunt itself, he stressed the importance of maintaining one’s well-being.
He wrote, “Chin up, exercise, and do things outside of applying and interviewing as well. It will definitely help in your mental health. Don’t tie your self-worth to a job; you are more than that! To all the people that are still looking, you can do this! Your time will come!”
“3 months and a 30% bump is a dream compared to the general people…”
Reactions to the jobseeker’s post were mixed.
While some users were genuinely happy that he finally secured a role and wrote, ‘Congratulations!’ under the post, there were others who criticised him.
One said, “You do realise the reason why most companies don’t hire fresh grads anymore is because grads like you will never stay long at all, right? Just because HR doesn’t reply to you doesn’t mean the company is terrible too? You sound pretty entitled. Good luck to the company and the manager that hired you.”
Another commented, “Suddenly become a job hunting expert after going through what he perceives as an ordeal lol, thinking he’s one of a kind. So many people face the same thing and don’t say a word.”
A third added, “3 months and a 30% bump is a dream compared to the general people going 6 months and not even seeing an increase at all. It is so much worse than you think out there.”
To these criticisms, the jobseeker replied that it was not his intention to come across as ‘preachy and pompous’; he was merely sharing his journey and hoping it helps someone out there.
In other news, a man has ignited a firestorm online after boldly claiming that the job market was much harsher in his day and questioning if today’s younger generation could even handle the challenges of that era.
On Thursday (Feb 26), he posted on the r/singaporejobs forum, saying, “Nowadays, I keep hearing from people that jobs are rare these days? Is it really that bad? But if so, why do HDB prices keep climbing, which does not reflect the reality on the ground? How many people can really last a period of 6-7 years doing temp or contract jobs and then sleep at home when the job offer ends nowadays?”
