Local says he’s ‘drowning’ after nearly 5 months of unsuccessful job hunting

SINGAPORE: A local took to social media to share that he feels like he’s “drowning” as his job search continues to go nowhere.

Posting on the r/askSingapore subreddit on Wednesday (July 30), he said he believes he has already applied to every available job opening in the advertising and creative field he could find. Yet, despite his efforts, he has not received any positive responses or seen any progress in his job hunt.

He added that it has now been nearly five months since he began searching for a new role. “It is tough trying to stand on my own, seeking a job, going through months of interviews and facing random people’s judgment,” he wrote.

“[It’s] really suffocating with this loop, and things change fast. I feel like I’m just letting time pass, and in return, I get nothing,” he added.

He also shared that he previously worked in a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) for two to three years. Unfortunately, due to what he described as “unfair” circumstances, he ended up taking “many steps back” in his career.

Feeling increasingly hopeless about the situation, he asked others for advice: “Should I just change career path and work just for the money?”

“It takes time.”

Sympathising with the local’s unfortunate experience, one user advised him to take up part-time jobs in the meantime to keep his mind occupied.

“Having a part-time [job] helped me quite a bit. More so mentally than monetarily. I only worked around 3 days a week,” they wrote.

“It helped keep my mind off the job hunt, especially since it’s not like there are new openings every day, and even if there is, it’s usually a bump of an old ghost job. Monetarily, it helped reduce my cash burn. So it helped reduce the stress on that end, better too,” they added.

Another echoed this sentiment, writing, “Do part-time at a restaurant. You can earn at least S$1.8k for a 5-6 day week night shift while job hunting and improving your skillset during the day. Exercise every day. It will help you out mentally.”

Meanwhile, a third user shared their own experience in hopes of encouraging the local and helping him stay positive.

“I graduated in the top 5% at NTU, did a PhD, and dropped out. I was jobless for six months as employers questioned my mental toughness. I know how it feels. That was seven years ago. Now I’m in another industry,” they said. “It takes time. You just need to hit gold once, and once you are inside, try to stay as long. Also, it will help if you have referees who can vouch for you.”

In other news, an employer was shocked after discovering through CCTV footage that her domestic helper had thrown household items out of a window.

She shared the incident in the MDW in Singapore Facebook group on Sunday (July 27), explaining that she had been trying to locate several items that had mysteriously gone missing from her home.

Read more: Employer discovers maid threw household items out the window, asks if incident can be reported to police