‘I filled 100 job applications from July to November’ — Singaporean fresh grad laments he got ‘only very few responses’ until now

SINGAPORE: If job hunting were an Olympic sport, one Singaporean jobseeker would already have a gold medal—and possibly a mild existential crisis.

In a heartfelt post on the r/singaporejobs subreddit, the fresh graduate revealed his tireless journey after returning from the UK in July with a degree in a “creative field” from a public university. “I must’ve filled close to 100 job applications with only very few responses,” he lamented, highlighting a job market that seems as receptive as a brick wall.

His situation isn’t entirely unique, but the frustration is palpable. Despite acknowledging his privilege—a Singapore citizen with an overseas degree—he admitted that landing a “stable design job” remains a pipe dream. “My parents keep pushing for me to land a stable design job, but it’s just not that easy… I don’t think they fully grasp how different the job-seeking process is right now compared to when they were looking for work,” he added.

And while he’s not entirely unemployed, his gig situation is what many would call unstable. “I do have a gig, but it’s sporadic and my boss is extremely unreliable,” he said.

The Reddit community, ever a mix of reality checks and rallying cries, weighed in with support and sobering truths: “Fresh grad is very common to take very long to find jobs cause not tested in the field… don’t need to panic,” one advised.

That said, not all hope was lost. Suggestions poured in—from pivoting to internships and contract roles in UX/UI or graphic design, to setting sights overseas. One commenter, also a returnee from an incomplete master’s programme, offered this glimmer of hope: “I just forced myself to apply for 10 jobs minimum every day, rinse, repeat… don’t give up.”

And perhaps the best advice came from someone who couldn’t help but point out the irony: “You’re in a creative field but from July till Nov, you’re looking in the most ordinary way instead of, you know, being creative?”

So sometimes, you need to design your own door when no one’s opening theirs, just like how one Singaporean, Uzen Tan, a former FAANG marketer—that’s short for Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google—went viral after launching a full-throttle social media campaign on TikTok @uzentan to find employment.

His rather creative strategy was to turn his Grab car into a moving résumé, complete with scannable links to his LinkedIn and CV behind the passenger seat, and all of this because of one tiny, powerful motivator: His 17-month-old daughter.

However, he revealed that “Some people have called me a ‘shameless loser,’” brushing off the online shade with the grace of someone who’s been through the worst. “[But] they’re not feeding my family, so why should I care?” he exclaimed.

Read related: Jobless Singaporean ex-FAANG marketer gets insulted as “shameless loser” for becoming a Grab driver to “feed 17-month-old daughter”