SINGAPORE: A jobless Singaporean in their early 30s took to Reddit to ask for help, seeking recommendations for how to get a job after they’ve been unemployed for one and a half years.
In a post on r/askSingapore on Wednesday (May 7), u/draftlanes wrote that even getting any opportunities to get interviewed has been a struggle, adding, “at this point it’s just been very demoralising and I feel like I’d take any role.”
They wrote that they have experience with coding mobile apps, have worked as a legal assistant, and “touched on stuff like QA and project management.”
They’re aware that the job market for positions involving software is already saturated, and this, along with their personal preferences, they would like to try their hand at project management roles or even a complete career change.
“I’m really into roles that involve problem solving, and I’m good with documentation, plus I pick things up really quickly,” they added, asking fellow Reddit users for recommendations for open positions or possible routes they can get into.
They’ve recently been applying for desk jobs and administrative roles so that they can continue to earn money while they consider their next career steps.
“Kinda at my wits’ end now, would really appreciate any constructive feedback and suggestions!” the post author added.
Many commenters were empathetic toward the post author’s situation and offered suggestions for moving forward in their job search.
One asked u/draftlanes to consider part-time work in order to prevent depleting their savings.
“Perhaps you can do some freelance or voluntary app coding, which can help to show you’re being productive while job hunting. Try looking for sales admin/sales ops roles. When I started applying for these roles, I got more interviews than I studied for,” they wrote.
Another shared their transition to a completely different field. “I can only say what I did as an ex-UXer. When I noticed the industry going [downhill] in 2023, I started preparing to jump ship. It so happened that I have a high interest in social services, so when the time came in late 2024, I left my transitional job (post layoff) and managed to hop over to the social service industry instead.”
“I hope things pick up for you soon,” wrote another, adding, “Have you tried applying for startups? They are not really picky as long as the job gets done within a decent budget. Perhaps a part-time gig to build an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) first. I think what you need is to get the momentum going first, build the confidence, then try for bigger companies.”
A number of commenters advised the post author to zero in on what they really want to do in the next phase of their career, as this would help them get matched with their future employer. /TISG