SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user who said they have been job searching for months crowdsourced for advice on the platform, asking more seasoned commenters for suggestions for their next career steps.
Fortunately, many stepped in to oblige r/tryinbutdying, who put up their post on r/askSingapore on Wednesday (May 28).
The post author explained that they graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) last year with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours with Distinction) in Global Studies. Although they are currently employed, their contract runs out on June 30.
“I have been trying to find a new job and have been searching for months. I cannot find a job despite searching for quite a while already,” the post author added.
They also wrote that they have one year of work experience as a Teaching Assistant at NUS, but they are not keen to consider full-time teaching at the Education Ministry because of the bond, and they don’t think teaching is suitable for them.
So far, they’ve been seeking research, admin, and HR roles, but noticed that even entry-level candidates for admin and HR positions require prior experience, which they don’t have.
“What do you all suggest?” they asked.
A commenter who applauded the post author for having graduated with distinction suggested that they apply to different ministries or government agencies, including Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, the Internal Security Department, the Security and Intelligence Division, and the Defence Ministry.
Another asked, “What jobs are your peers with the same degree doing? Perhaps those are the industries you can focus on.”
One suggested applying at the Singapore Economic Development Board or the Singapore Tourism Board, “or other gov’t agencies that would appreciate strong writing skills?… Or how about the international relations department of stat boards, ministries, or even private companies like SQ?”
They added, however, that the post author’s best bet would still be reaching out to connections who could help them land a job.
A commenter who noted that “general social science/humanities degree is hard mode in the employment game,” suggested that the post author could “expand your search beyond research, admin and HR, eg, corporate communications and public relations roles.”
One weighed in with this: “I think the HR and admin fields are quite saturated. Aside from the civil service, look into comms, copywriting, marketing, PR, and even gov’t affairs. There is a degree of relevance to what you studied. The top tiers of some PR pay very well. At that level, you handle comms and strategy for boardroom battles, hostile takeovers, and the like.”
Others urged the post author to look at the stage in their job application that could use improvement, such as resume writing or interviews, and to make tweaks where necessary. /TISG
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