After 300 applications and multiple interviews, job seeker wonders why offers aren’t coming

SINGAPORE: In today’s job market, being ghosted after submitting applications is already frustrating, but going through multiple interviews only to end up with no offers can feel even worse. 

One Singaporean job seeker recently shared on Reddit that he is facing exactly this situation, having sent out around 300 job applications over the past month without securing a single offer.

Posting on the r/singaporejobs subreddit, he shared that he has been applying to a mix of local and overseas companies, focusing on technical positions that fit his background and experience.

The good news? Recruiters seem interested enough to talk to him.

The bad news? Those conversations are not leading anywhere.

According to the job seeker, his hundreds of applications have resulted in around 14 interviews so far. While that might sound like progress, he admitted that none of them has translated into an actual job offer.

“I know there have already been many posts about how bad the job market is right now, but I wanted to hear from others and understand whether this is normal,” he continued.

“For context, I’m in tech, but not applying mainly for SWE roles. I’m targeting more technical roles outside of pure software engineering.”

Looking for answers, he asked fellow Singaporeans, particularly those who are also job hunting in the tech industry: “ Is this application-to-interview rate normal right now? Is getting interviews but no offers common in the current market? How long did it take you to land an offer? What helped you improve your interview-to-offer conversion? Are referrals making a big difference compared to cold applications?” 

He added. “I’m not trying to complain—just trying to understand if my experience is normal or if I should change my strategy. Appreciate any advice or experiences.”

“Build a strong network.”

In the comments, many Singaporean Redditors told the job seeker that his application-to-interview ratio is actually pretty normal in today’s job market.

One Redditor shared, “Normal everywhere, bro. Not just tech. I am serious when I say a resume (full of grammar mistakes) I had when I was 16 got me a higher job application/interviews/offers ratio than my polished resume as an adult.”

Another commenter noted that securing 14 interviews from 300 applications is actually a solid conversion rate given the current hiring climate.

Others, however, offered more direct feedback on where things might be going wrong.

One Redditor explained, “Getting 14 interviews with zero offers usually points to one of a few things, either your answers aren’t landing the way you think they are, you’re struggling to communicate your value clearly under pressure, or you’re not asking enough questions that show you’ve done your homework on the company.”

They added, “Practice answering questions out loud, record yourself, get feedback from someone who will actually be critical rather than kind, and really tailor your answers to each role.”

Another Redditor said salary expectations could also be a factor.

“It’s got to do with your asking as well. If you are asking for S$100k a year for a job that pays between S$60k and S$100k, your failure rate is high.”

A third user added that relying solely on online job applications may not be enough these days.

Based on their experience, building and tapping into a professional network tends to work much better.

They shared, “I constantly speak to people in my industry (tech) and meet up with them 1-2 times a year. Most of the hiring managers I’ve talked to and kept in contact with reach out to me to offer me a job; I get these offers 3-4 times a year. All the companies I’ve worked with previously would reach out to me and ask me to recommend someone for a position. It’s very common now; people trust referrals more. So definitely build a strong network.”

In other news, a 22-year-old Singaporean woman says she feels used and emotionally drained after allegedly being made to pay for most of her relationship expenses while her boyfriend claimed he was “saving for their future.”

In a post shared on a local forum on Thursday (May 21), the woman said she has been dating her boyfriend since 2023.

Read more: SG woman says boyfriend earning S$5K–S$6K still expected her to cover most expenses