SINGAPORE: A Singaporean retrenched earlier this year took to Reddit’s r/askSingapore to share job-hunting tips and seek advice from others in the same boat.
He kicked off the thread by outlining what hasn’t been working for him: mass applying through job portals. With the overwhelming number of applicants for each listing, he found himself getting little to no response and believes this approach no longer gives job seekers a fair shot. “I think just applying via the job portals and hoping for the best is not viable anymore. This goes the same for any roles posted on LinkedIn,” he wrote.
He then suggested a more refined strategy: to start with, going directly to the company career pages. While this method may be more time-consuming, he noted that it allows candidates to bypass the noise of crowded job portals and uncover opportunities that are less visible to the general public. He also encouraged job seekers to explore beyond the usual big-name firms, suggesting that smaller or lesser-known employers may attract fewer applicants and therefore offer a better chance of gaining visibility.
Another important point he raised was the need to tailor each application. He shared, “Every resume and cover letter of mine is tailored to the role and JD specifically. Resume must be ATS-friendly without a doubt.”
Finally, he shared what’s been most effective so far: tapping into personal networks. In his experience, referrals from friends or former colleagues have led to more opportunities than sending out cold applications. Reaching out to hiring managers or team members on LinkedIn has also resulted in more productive and engaging responses.
Hoping to get insights from others, he posed several thoughtful questions to hiring managers, recruiters, recent hires, and fellow job seekers towards the end of his post:
“To hiring managers/recruiters/HRBPs of Reddit — any advice on what a candidate could do to stand out to you or get you to vouch for them? If they reached out to you on LinkedIn, what is something they should definitely say that will get you to consider them seriously? Any other ways to game referral/ATS systems?
“To recent employees — congrats, and any tips you felt were most helpful for you to get you through the door?
To other job seekers — anything you found particularly helpful? Have you considered looking at other countries instead? I’m considering going to career fairs to actually meet humans and have a chance to speak to them.”
“Just keep applying and don’t wait until the market turns good…”
In the comments, one Singaporean Redditor said, “Best advice is to ensure you are still in contact with people in the industry. You will be surprised how many of them are willing to help you. It is easier to get a job via internal referral.”
Another shared a practical resume tip: “The top section of your resume should summarize your experience, skills, and strengths. This section should be able to tell recruiters who you are, including the busy or lazy recruiters who only spend about 15 seconds on each resume.
Also, I only apply to roles for which I meet at least 80% of the requirements. In an employer’s market now, there’s no point applying if you only meet half the requirements; there will be someone else more fitting who also applied, and the company will choose that person.”
A third advised job seekers to stay calm and confident during interviews, saying, “Treat interviews like a conversation between you and your friend. Do not be too nervous or desperate during the interview; the interviewer can tell and either skip you or try to lowball you. I have interviewed candidates before, and yes, I can tell who is desperate for a job and who is chill.”
A fourth added, “Tip from me – in my 20 years of working, I only heard once where sentiment is that the market is good. That was slightly after COVID, and it’s only for a short while. So, the job market is always bad. Just keep applying and don’t wait until the market turns good.”
In other news, a 25-year-old accountant is thinking about leaving her job after just one year due to ongoing issues with her supervisor.
Posting on r/askSingapore, she shared that although the job itself isn’t terrible and comes with generous benefits like 20 days of annual leave, the daily interactions with her only direct supervisor have taken a toll on her mental well-being.
“My only and direct supervisor has been really hard to work with,” she wrote. “An example being how she loves to accuse that it MUST be me messing up the printer settings when I don’t receive it in my mail.”
Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only)