‘Tiring and mentally draining’: Fresh grad with first class honours says he still can’t find a job after applying to over 100 roles

SINGAPORE: There was once a time when graduating with first-class honours significantly boosted a person’s chances of securing a job, or at the very least, landing an interview, but with today’s increasingly competitive job market, many are wondering if that still holds true.

Recently, a Singaporean fresh graduate with first-class honours in an IT degree shared on Reddit’s r/askSingapore forum that he still hasn’t been able to secure full-time employment.

According to the 26-year-old’s post, he has applied for more than 100 jobs but has only landed three to four interviews.

“I’m finding a job is pretty tiring and mentally draining,” he said. “I have no concrete offers. I even tried applying for internships, hoping to convert to full-time.”

Disheartened by his job search, he shared, “I feel like it’s going downhill and it’s mentally very painful to just stay at home and doing nothing (I’ve been working part-time). When I see other people going to work, and I’m at home doing nothing and not earning, it just sucks.”

To cope with the stress, the graduate said he has also been trying to get into the dating scene so he could have someone to talk to about what he’s been going through. Unfortunately, he hasn’t managed to establish a meaningful connection with anyone so far.

“Sometimes it just goes to a dead end when I’m interested, and the other person isn’t. I know it’s probably not the right time to find a relationship as I wanted to stabilise my career first, but the lonely feeling sucks, and I can’t get out of it. I’ve been too used to updating someone and telling someone about my life.”

Seeking advice, he asked at the end of his post: “How do I get out of this and what to do to my job hunting? I’ve lowered my expectations very much.”

“It’s a numbers game; keep going”

Many other struggling fresh graduates in Singapore quickly chimed in, sharing that they were facing similar challenges in today’s job market.

One individual wrote, “Same boat, man; degree means nothing now. Tailor resume for each role, use a simple one page, put numbers on achievements, stalk hiring managers on LinkedIn and message them direct, even then, it’s still crazy hard to find anything now.”

Another commented, “Yeah, it’s tough and super draining. I applied for 100 roles when I graduated, got interviewed by eight and took the first (and, eventually, second) offer that came. Looking for your first full-time job is a full-time job in itself.”

Several others urged him not to lose hope and encouraged him to keep applying.

One person told him, “It’s a numbers game; keep going. You’ll get something eventually. If you’re from one of the big 3 unis, you can try applying to some sort of research or teaching assistant position. Your first class honours should help.”

Another wrote, “It’s a tough job market. Don’t give up; you’ll get something soon.”

As for the loneliness he spoke about, one Redditor advised, “Try reading more self-help books or listening to self-help podcasts. You are young and lacking in life experience. If you expand your horizons, you will find new perspectives that can help you manage the stress and loneliness better.”

In other news, a 22-year-old woman has turned to Reddit for advice after growing increasingly frustrated with her boyfriend’s big-picture dreams that currently lack any financial roadmap.

In her post, she explained that her boyfriend, whom she’s known for ten years and dated for two, hopes to eventually own a “house, a car, and pets” in the future, but has yet to work out how any of it would realistically be funded.

Read more: ‘We’re both broke’: Woman says boyfriend wants the Singapore dream but has no roadmap to get there