SINGAPORE: After sending out more than 1,000 job applications over the course of seven months without landing a new role, a Singaporean says he’s had to turn to GrabFood deliveries just to keep up with his bills.
The man, who has more than two years of marketing experience, shared that he left his job in late 2024 due to “family reasons.”
He had hoped to return to the workforce fairly quickly, but months of applying, interviewing and facing rejection have instead left him physically and emotionally drained.
Wanting to vent, he took to Reddit’s r/singaporejobs forum on Tuesday (Jul 21), where he opened up about how exhausting the job search has become.
According to him, he has been applying through multiple career platforms, with around 40% of his applications submitted via Easy Apply and the remaining 60% through Workday and other company career portals. Despite all that effort, only 11 companies reached out to arrange interviews.
“I only landed interviews with 11 companies. Average about 1 to 2 interviews a month,” he said. “Most companies have multiple rounds, and every interview requires hours of research, preparing answers, and learning about the business. Some even give assignments that take several hours to complete.”
“I’m honestly feeling really discouraged. I used to look forward to interviews, but now I almost dread them because I know how much effort goes into each one with no guarantee of an offer. And my energy shows during the interview no matter how much I subconsciously cue myself to look enthusiastic.”
With no steady income coming in, the man said he eventually started doing GrabFood deliveries to make ends meet. While grateful to have a way to earn money, he admitted the work is physically demanding and has only added to his fatigue.
“The longer this goes on, the more burnt out I become, and the more I forget what I have done in my previous job since it has been so long.”
“I’m also starting to wonder if companies are simply choosing cheaper candidates. I’m only asking for S$4,000, which I honestly don’t think is unreasonable given that I have over 2 years of experience and a degree.”
Ending his post, he said he simply wants to get back into a corporate role. “I really want to get back into the corporate groove. Felt like I missed out so much. I won’t be keen on internships given my work experience. I am also tired of MLM organisations messaging me. So much false hope. All I want is a proper job.”
“Easy Apply is crap”
Many commenters sympathised with the man’s situation and shared suggestions they believed could improve his chances.
Some encouraged him to reach out to recruitment agencies or attend networking events, while others recommended taking on contract roles until a permanent opportunity comes along.
Several also advised him to stop relying on Easy Apply.
One commenter wrote, “Easy Apply is crap. Honestly, you either apply through the company job portal itself or through a recruiter. I think applications through like JobStreet have a higher call-back rate than Easy Apply.”
Others, meanwhile, offered words of support, saying they understood exactly how he felt because they had been through similar experiences themselves.
One wrote, “I have been unemployed since 2024 as well. It’s hard and difficult, and every week I have been getting rejections after interviews. All the feedback is that my profile is good, but they found a better candidate. I’m so tired.”
Another commented, “I feel you. I was unemployed for 1.5 years and thought of those dark thoughts also. Try to find something you enjoy doing while you are searching. Do therapy and find small joy. You can do this!”
In other news, a woman has claimed on social media that a Grab driver kept her waiting for nearly an hour before cancelling the ride and falsely claiming to Grab that she was travelling with children.
In a post on the r/askSingapore forum, she said she booked a Grab Premium from HarbourFront at 11:49 p.m., with an initial ETA of eight minutes.
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