Man asks if he should accept a job with “15% pay cut for not having experience of more than 5 years”

SINGAPORE: A man took to social media to seek the opinions of his fellow Singaporeans, disclosing that he had lately received job offers, but there was a catch.

“So I’ve been job hunting for 5 days, and the 4 companies I applied to told me they are looking for more experienced people, like 5 years or more. If not I have to take a pay cut of 15 percent from the market rate. Should I take up the offer or go hunting for more? Sector is IT,” the man wrote on r/SingaporeRaw on Tuesday (Feb 20).

Several Singaporean Redditors promptly shared their thoughts on the man’s situation. 

One of the Redditors said that the answer depends on his current financial situation, adding, “Never undersell yourself willingly. If you think you are worth this much, don’t settle for anything less. Your next job will depend on the salary of your next job, so a 15% cut will take a while to claw back.”

A different Redditor also mentioned that he has noticed a trend among fresh grads lately, observing that most of them are now asking for high salaries comparable to those demanded by the more experienced, older generation during job interviews.

He went on to say, “For the same salary? Of course, hire the one with experience la.”

Meanwhile, another Redditor took the most notice of how he came to get a job offer so quickly, saying, “Job hunt for 5 days and already get an offer? Trade 5 years experience for 15% pay cut? Dunno if you are joking or not, but anyone would take that deal.”

Over the past few months, several Singaporeans have shared their job-hunting experiences online. Unfortunately, most admitted they had yet to strike gold and secure a suitable job.

Read related: Man applied for jobs 517 times in Singapore but only got 3 interviews

Although job hunting can last for a few weeks or even months and can be mentally and emotionally challenging, the key, according to experts, is to never lose motivation. 

While job searching, one can improve his or her resume by learning or including a few skills currently in demand on the market.

Here are the top 5 skills that Singaporeans believe will be the most crucial for their roles over the next five years, according to an ADP study:

Read more: Future-proof your career: Top 5 must-have job skills for Singaporeans in the next 5 years