Job seeker says even ‘entry-level’ roles need 3 to 4 years of experience, calls job market ‘cooked’ and ‘crazy’

SINGAPORE: A man who recently attended a career fair shared on social media that the experience left him convinced the job market is becoming increasingly “crazy” and unrealistic for fresh graduates.

Posting his experience on the r/singaporejobs forum on Saturday (Feb 14), he said that many of the roles advertised at the event were labelled as entry-level or suitable for fresh graduates. However, when he asked the recruiters about the positions, he was told that candidates were expected to have three to four years of working experience.

“They require you to have 3-4 years of working experience; they are basically looking for a plug-and-play employee,” he said.

When he also approached some of them to apply for a business analytics-related position, he was rejected and told that “his BA degree is not relevant… computer science is more relevant.”

“I told them I am familiar with the jargon used in computer science because in my BA degree, they taught us, especially in the final year.”

“They then said a CS degree has more relevance because they understand the tech, but I told them I used the same tech.”

“They responded, ‘But they have internships.’ I had friends who had internships and told me the jobs they applied for said internships weren’t relevant because they are usually not as hands-on or involved in the process as a full-time.”

After several similar interactions, he said he left the event feeling frustrated and uncertain about what employers are truly looking for.

“I’m just feeling like the job market is cooked and we’ve been tricked into taking a degree, and that employers from now on will keep moving the goalposts. I’m just sharing my experience and hopefully gaining some insights because even when you can show the projects that you did, it’s also irrelevant because they’re not real-world projects.”

“A career fair is not indicative of the market.”

In the comments section, many readers said they could relate to the man’s frustration. 

One wrote, “I just came from the career fair. Yes, the original poster is right. The labour market is cooked. It is practically a waste of time.”

Another said, “The value of the degree has dropped. It used to be that 1 out of 10 Singaporeans was a degree holder; now 8 out of 10 Singaporeans are degree holders. There are jobs, but will you be willing to do a S$2,000 salary job with a degree?” 

“You sure don’t want to, because you spent 3-4 years and took on a student debt to attain a degree in hopes of a higher-paying career. This is one of the reasons why, after ORD, I chose to work and pursue university at the same time.”

A third shared, “Employers are really scammy right now. It’s disgusting. Paying peanuts and expecting plug and play. I’m at mid-career level and have gone for a few interviews where the role is 2-3 people’s jobs in different departments, mind you, yet paying only the median salary for one person.”

However, not everyone shared the same pessimistic outlook. One commenter offered a different perspective, saying, “I went for the fair, and it certainly isn’t how you mentioned. Employers ARE hiring. They aren’t for show. I found it super useful to talk to the hiring manager or even directors of the companies, and it’s a form of networking that gets your foot in the door…”

Another told him, “A career fair is not indicative of the market. People who exhibit at these fairs are looking for a very specific match. That is why they are there. You are still young, but this kind of defeatist attitude will work against you.”

In other news, a young Singaporean has sparked discussion online after sharing that his mother has been insisting he hand over 60% of his part-time earnings, leaving him struggling to save or enjoy the money he earns.

In a post on Reddit’s r/SGexams, the student explained that he initially went along with the arrangement while he was still in secondary school, as he did not have many expenses at the time. However, things became increasingly difficult after he completed his O-Levels and began taking up part-time jobs in the banquet and F&B sectors.

Read more: Teen claims mum takes 60% of his part-time earnings: ‘She always preaches about how much money she and my dad spent on my education’