‘I feel lost and embarrassed’: Singaporean fresh grad opens up after failing probation

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean fresh graduate shared on Reddit that she feels “dejected” after failing her probation at her first full-time job, an outcome she never saw coming because she believed things had been going well.

In an anonymous post on the r/askSingapore forum, the woman shared, “I was let go from my first job after not passing my 3-month probation. To be honest, it came as quite a shock.” 

“They didn’t really give a detailed reason, and I genuinely thought things were going okay. In the end, I was just told that I wasn’t the right fit for the role. This was my first full-time job as a sales role at an MNC.”

The fresh graduate also noted that the company had a relatively “high staff turnover rate,” although she was unsure whether that had anything to do with her dismissal. Regardless of the reason, she admitted that the experience has been difficult to process.

“This has hit me pretty hard, and I can’t help but feel like I’ve failed. It has been a month, and I’m still feeling a little lost, embarrassed, and unsure of what to do next.”

With her confidence shaken, she turned to the Reddit community in hopes of hearing stories from others who had managed to recover after failing probation.

“I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through something similar. How did you move forward? Did things work out in the end? Also, would you include a 3-month role like this on your resume or leave it off? Will HR know? Esp if for gov jobs?”

“Be kind to yourself”

Her post resonated with many Singaporean Redditors, who reassured her that failing probation early in a career is more common than many people realise and does not mean someone is incapable.

One user shared, “I too failed my probation in my first job. It was my dream job. Felt devastated, worthless, and depressed. I didn’t feel like seeing anyone and was embarrassed at myself. Anyway, I managed to find another job and found out that I liked it even more than my previous role. And what’s more, the paycheck is bigger.”

“Point is, as long as you keep focused on finding out what went wrong and continue looking for another job, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Another told her, “It’s understandable to feel dejected or see this as a setback. From my experience in the corporate world, this is more common than you think, so don’t let it define you. I can tell you that those people you worked with will probably not remember you in 6 months.”

A third added, “Yes, it all works out at the end…Stay positive and move on; maybe it wasn’t something you did. Maybe they just didn’t have the budget for it. Be kind to yourself. Can’t take things happening in corporate personally.”

As for whether she should include the short stint on her résumé, opinions were mixed, although several users felt it would be perfectly acceptable to leave it out.

One said, “Just omit it lol. It is a small matter. Gaps after graduation are perfectly normal. Just say you went to travel the world lor after graduation, and now you’re ready to start working.”

Another wrote, “Don’t dwell too long about it. Just start applying for the next job, and you can leave this job off your resume.”

In other news, a Singaporean man was allegedly rejected after a woman he met on a dating app decided he was too short, earned too little, and had not studied at the “right” university.

His friend shared the story on Reddit’s r/askSingapore forum on Tuesday (Jul 28), saying the experience made him wonder how common these kinds of dating dealbreakers really are.

Read more: ‘My future partner must earn 5 digits’: Man allegedly rejected over salary, height, and uni