6 Reflections: I Went From Giving Job Assistance to Needing It

It was just six months ago. Singapore was in the throes of battling the spike in COVID-19 cases. I was nestled in a stable government job, my role was to support the systems and services to help Singaporeans find jobs. As I said, it was a stable job.

Six months later. Unemployment hit when I graduated from a full-time course in UX design. I found myself competing with the likes of thousands of other Singaporeans, clamouring for whatever jobs we could find amidst a competitive, COVID-19 affected market. The journey was uncertain, anxiety-inducing, but working in career services has given me a more all-rounded perspective. Here’s sharing 6 reflections from it, I hope it encourages you in your search for a job!

#1 Send more applications, send them early

I know of serious jobseekers who in the spirit of passion and love for a company, send out fewer than 5 applications a week. Here’s the thing that many don’t realise — the job application ratio averages of 1 vacancy to hundreds of applicants. You could be a capable candidate, but there are plenty of considerations (and biases) companies have that you wouldn’t know of. What more, companies tend to leave their job vacancies open on job portals, even after it’s been filled up. We can grumble about that, but the reality is that companies have little incentive to update their applications’ statuses.

In my current job, I applied for the job on the 2nd day after it was posted, went for three interviews on the 3rd day, 5th day and 6th day. Signed the employment contract on the 7th day. The job status was left opened on LinkedIn. Point being, you can never be too sure if the job you are applying for is going through the last stage of interviews, or has already been filled.

Send more applications, send them early!

#2 If things are not working, change things up

On the flip side, I too know of people who have sent hundreds of resumes in a few weeks, but with no result. The sense of dejection and self-doubt can be quite overwhelming. This could be a sign to change things up.

After all, they say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. In a way, I too fell victim to that, in spite of witnessing countless of job-seekers make the same mistake. My first few resumes received almost no callbacks, yet, I was stubborn to make changes. “What difference would it make?” I thought to myself. And this was possibly the most insidious thought one could have when applying for jobs.

It took some kind advice from ex-colleagues to snap me out of my self-pity and dedicate more effort into my applications. To make job-search less dreadful, I started experimenting with my resumes in some warped form of A/B testing — sometimes I added my photo, sometimes I took it out. Some resumes in black and white, some in colour. I played around with different keywords and experiences in my applications, and eventually, I landed with a resume that got me more callbacks.

These seemingly minor changes, do make a difference.

#3 It’s the role of the interviewer to play devil’s advocate

“You’re strong in research and UX, but do you have any experience in UI design?”

“The pace of work in a start-up is a lot faster than the government, can you handle it?”

“You have no computer science background, would you be able to talk to engineers?”

Hearing such comments from interviewers and recruiters was an initial shock and stab to my chest. After all, I expected that the course in UX design would lead to a full career switch, only to discover that I lacked the full range of skills. And every other employer I met was sure to point that out. It was always either the lack of visual design skills (for UX roles), the lack of engineering knowledge (for product roles) or the sheer scepticism towards an ex-public servant.

But working with both employers and job-seekers alike has taught me not to take these comments personally. The interviewer’s job is to look out for the best person for the role. Given the overwhelming number of applications they receive, part of their role is to play devil’s advocate. Instead of taking these hard questions as a rejection of my skills, I’ve learnt to use the opportunity to counter the stereotype they had of me.

#4 Own your past actions & experience

The narrative of my unemployment started when I quit my job in July to pursue a full-time course in UX. I liked my old job but felt a sense of deep restless to further my work interests. As I talked about these decisions in my interviews, I figured I could come across in one of two ways: Impulsive and Unthinking, or a Self-Confident Go-Getter.

To say the truth, I was definitely a bit of both. I wanted to level up my skills and be more effective in my work, but the youngish carefree spirit in me didn’t want to entertain the possibility of becoming unemployed for a long time.

Regardless of the jobs or education you undertook in the past, the decisions you have made, own each and every one of them. The seemingly irrelevant experiences in life can form a rich narrative of how you ended up in this career path today. Interviewers continued to challenge me, but claiming these decisions (like quitting my job during COVID-19, choosing a job in the public sector) made me unique and helped me to stand out from other candidates.

#5 Skill-up, and set daily goals

But there were some things I couldn’t claim. I still lacked UI and visual design training, and these were essential skills for UX designers in small companies. When asked by interviewers if I had those skill sets, I would stammer out a feeble reply along the lines of “I have some experience but I’m still learning”. The phone call will then disconnect shortly after, leaving me to feel helpless and inadequate.

I decided I was tired of hearing all of that. I wanted to show what I could do, and this couldn’t be well-explained in a phone call. I took up the daily UI challenge which pushed me to brush up on my visual design skills. It wasn’t perfect but I published these works on my portfolio anyway. It helped me to be more confident when speaking to interviewers, and even whilst performing on the job. (Eventually, I stopped the daily UI challenge because I was getting flooded by interview assignments)

If you are not getting hired, seek to understand the skillset you lack and look for ways to fill up those gaps. Apart from sending in applications, spend a couple of hours a day to grow a new skill. Transform your job searching exercise from an administrative burden to an exciting journey of learning. And before you know it, you are now more employable than when you first started.

#6 Hustle your way into a job

Right before I graduated from my course, I asked a career coach: What is the one attribute that makes job-seekers successful? He gave me a word: Hustle.

And hustle I did. I built a portfolio website of my own works. Sent out over 50 applications in a few weeks. Delivered design challenges for three companies in a short span of two weeks. Made it a point to be more visible on LinkedIn. When I landed a job, I was ready to give myself a pat on the back for all the hard work I put in.

Then I met my colleagues and realised that my actions barely scratched the surface of a hustle. Among the fascinating stories, one friend in a bid to get himself into a local university, created a website and started a viral petition on social media. The other didn’t do well in his regular job applications, so he sent a straight-up, attention-grabbing and highly quirky email to the hiring manager, leading him to snap up his current role.

If you want something really badly, don’t be afraid to hustle. We as Singaporeans are often afraid to stand out from the crowd in fear of embarrassment. But if you say you want a job badly, how far are you willing to go?

My Story: From Public Sector to Tech Startup

And now for my job hunting story. I started the application process with an error — I sent in the wrong resume! That mistake left me frantically trying to recall my application for the next 10 minutes but to no avail. (Later on, I realised that error had perplexed my interviewers as well). But by some sheer fortune, the interviewers opened up my portfolio, liked what they saw and decided to give me a shot. It was a risk they took (interestingly, my first employer said that about me too) and I’m most grateful for that chance.

Here’s my final reflection: I realised I didn’t need 50 companies to like me. I didn’t even need five. I just needed that one company, the one I really wanted, to be willing to take that chance with me. If you are still in search of a job, that’s okay. Hold out and persevere, and in time, you’ll find that one.