SINGAPORE: A Singaporean in the software engineering industry recently took to social media to share their job-hunting woes. After writing a lengthy post about a recent experience of being rejected yet again, the online user asked others, “How do you cope with the pain of unemployment and rejection?”
“I am genuinely unsure if I will ever find a software engineer job,” the writer shared, posting their story in an online forum on Thursday (Feb 1). “I have slightly over one year of experience in software engineering. I have been unemployed for four months now and I don’t know how much longer I will be unemployed in this terrible job market.”
Revealing they left their previous job due to a “really toxic boss,” the Singapore resident said they have since applied to hundreds of jobs but had less than 10 companies getting back to them with an interview.
Putting in the work
The writer shared that one of these callbacks was an invitation to join a hackathon.
“I worked (really hard) to prepare for the hackathon so I could possibly get a position because there were no other offers,” they wrote.
The Singapore worker said, “It was honestly my only hope. I prepped extensively before it and coded entire test projects in different languages so I could cater to my other teammates and learn libraries from scratch so I help the team speed up the development process due to the lack of time.
“During the hackathon, I made the most commits, I really strive to be a team player, I often try to help others debug at my own expense. I did not eat lunch so I could finish up the portions that other couldn’t. During the one-on-one interviews, I answered all the technical questions whilst offering different viewpoints. The interviewer clearly nodded his or her head in response to my answers. I honestly believe(d) that I could receive a job offer.”
However, despite all their hard work, the writer said that they received a rejection letter when other teammates who “barely made” any effort received offer.
The disappointed writer also shared that they are quite puzzled by how the company evaluates their candidates. “Or if they even check the quality of the code or even the number of commits.”
They added, “Not going to lie, it was one of the most depressing things I have received to date. It was not the fact that I did not get the job offer (it was a small part of it) but it was the fact that (being) hardworking and clear competence is pointless.
“This isn’t my first failure, I have failed countless interviews and things before but this was by far the dumbest one.’
Read related: Singaporean asks: “Why do SG men earn more on average than women when women have a headstart of two years?”
Singaporeans empathise
The post ended with the writer sharing that writing about the experience helps them “cope with the pain.”
“I am really tired of applying for jobs in this environment,” they said. “It seems that with time, it gets more and more depressing.” They also turned to other online users for insights.
Many responded to the post with their two cents. While some pointed out where they think the writer could do better, others empathised with the struggle.
“I totally get you,” said one. “It took me almost six months to land a job, and it was the toughest time of my life. The frustration, and self-doubt—it made me consider giving up my old job. But I’m really grateful for the people around me who kept telling me not to give up. I just want to tell you, don’t give up. Stay patient, stay prepared, stay sincere. Believe me, your moment is on the way.”
“Times are bad for tech people,” said another. “I would say don’t give up. It is tough for me too. There is no point in thinking about a failed interview but to look ahead for other opportunities. ”
Read related: Employee asks if he should quit because boss says: “You’re not grasping the concept of your tasks, even after 10 months”