‘Help! I have a master’s degree from London and still can’t find a job in Singapore,’ Redditor seeks guidance on job search

SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user who returned to Singapore after completing their master’s degree in London expressed frustration about struggling to find a job back home. In a post on r/askSingapore on Monday (March 17), user u/greentrisarahtops crowdsourced advice and received help from fellow Redditors.

The post author wrote that she moved back last January after her studies, in large part due to living costs in London being “way too high.” However, the fact that she has yet to find a job in Singapore is “genuinely so frustrating”, given that she has invested so much in her studies and has pivoted from a career in marketing to sustainability and the ESG (environmental, social, and governance) model of investing.

“I genuinely am at a loss of what to do. Opportunities here for the sustainability scene are more scarce. I have applied for every related job available, but I am barely getting any interviews here compared to London. Does anyone have any advice?” she wrote.

Since she put up her post, she has received “so many” direct messages from users on the platform who have sent her referrals, job postings, offers to vet her CV, and words of encouragement.

“Turns out venting on Reddit can sometimes do you some good,” she wrote, adding well-wishes to those in similar situations. In turn, she offered to help those who are interested in taking a leap of faith to pursue their passions overseas.

“To the rest of the cynical commenters, please learn to be kind. We are all on the same team against this ruthless employer’s market,” she added.

Other commenters on her post wrote that sustainability and ESG do not seem to be a high priority in Singapore’s corporate setting, with one adding, “Companies are lowballing because they know it’s an employers market.”

A Reddit user who returned to Singapore from the US wrote that it took them a while to get a job due to job market conditions.

“Swallowed my pride and took up a lowballed offer although I have a strong portfolio. Took a massive pay cut,” they wrote.

Another chimed in to say that they took on a contract position without CPF. They are still looking for a better job but have decided to make do for the moment.

The featured image above is from Freepik and is for illustration purposes only. /TISG

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