Retrenched man with 10 years of experience says employers want him to pick up 5 more skills, each requiring a diploma

SINGAPORE: A man who was recently retrenched after a decade in a specialised industry shared on Reddit that employers now expect him to acquire five new skills, each requiring a diploma, before even considering his application.

Writing on Reddit’s r/singapore forum on Saturday (Sept 20), he said, “I went for a few interviews, and they mostly asked me to be able to do many other things as well. [I was] asked to upskill 5 more skills, which all require a diploma each.”

“Then, I went to do a short course for one of the skills and scored a distinction for the exam. However, because I don’t have any professional experience for it, it doesn’t hold any merit. So what now? Are we just doomed?”

He later added in the comments that during his most recent interview, the boss hadn’t even looked at his résumé beforehand.

When the boss finally learned that his expertise was in sound design and video editing, he seemed more surprised by what the man couldn’t do than by the skills he actually had.

According to the man, the boss then launched into a rant about how, in today’s world, everyone needs to “wear multiple hats.” To top it off, the boss started bragging about all the different things he himself could do and how that supposedly made his company “number one in Singapore.”

“They prefer young people with up-to-date and relevant knowledge.”

Under his post, one user responded, “It is just the business giving excuses not to hire. Most jobs can really be learned with training, unless they require licensing. Many Singapore employers dislike providing training because employees often leave for a new job to bump their pay after finishing it.”

Another advised, “If you are getting interviews but not closing, it means you need to work on performing better at interviews. They already know you don’t have X and Y certifications, but there’s a reason they called you to the table. Figure out what the company NEEDS and how you can value-add to push yourself from CV consideration into the next interview stage.”

Some users also speculated that the employers may be using these requirements and certifications as an excuse not to hire him because of his age. One said, “They will not hire you because you are considered overaged. They prefer young people with up-to-date and relevant knowledge.”

A few others, meanwhile, suggested that if he still could not secure a job, he might have to consider switching to another industry.

One user commented, “Can always try sales. Generally, a low barrier of entry for the low-pay commission-based jobs. After you get some sales experience, you can start jumping to client management roles, which pay better and are less reliant on commissions.”

In other news, a 32-year-old man shared on social media that the wife he once believed was liberal and supportive of equality left him to bear all the financial responsibilities “during his bout of unemployment.”

In his post on the r/sgdatingscene forum, he revealed that he has already taken on about S$22,000 in personal loans from family and friends. On top of that, he has been working part-time jobs just to cover his family’s living expenses and keep things afloat.

Read more: ‘Nothing is truly equal’: Husband with S$22k personal loan says wife left him to shoulder all household expenses