Getting A Job In Singapore is difficult???

Finding a job in Malaysia back in 2016 wasn’t easy.

When I graduated in 2015, fresh graduate roles were everywhere. I had several offers lined up. But looking back, I made a naive choice—I turned them all down to pursue a master’s degree. It made my family proud, but not me. I never understood what they were so happy about. I wasn’t aiming to be a lecturer, and I was becoming overqualified for entry-level jobs.

After three months, I didn’t feel the consequences until I quit my research assistant job. That’s when reality hit. Browsing through Jobstreet, I saw hundreds of people applying for the same roles. It was overwhelming. Retrenchments in Malaysian companies and a constant wave of new graduates flooded the market. My heart sank.

That’s when I decided to look beyond Malaysia and try my luck in Singapore.

At first, I set my salary expectations higher and applied only to jobs that matched my interests. After weeks with no response, I lowered my salary range and stopped being picky. If it looked decent, I clicked "apply." I submitted over a hundred applications—still no reply.

I started with Jobstreet because it once worked for me. But it failed me this time. So I expanded to other platforms like Monster and JobsDB. Among them, I preferred JobsDB. It gave live updates on the application status—"Received," "Viewed," or the dreaded "Not Suitable."

Oddly, those updates became my source of hope. "Viewed" meant someone out there saw me. Even “Not Suitable” helped—it gave me closure and the signal to move on. But sometimes, statuses changed. “Not Suitable” might become “Viewed,” and I’d get excited—only to see it switch back to “Not Suitable” days later. It was an emotional rollercoaster.

As a Life Sciences graduate with average grades, no dean’s list, no scholarships, and no exchange programs, I quickly realized this journey demanded more than just qualifications. It needed patience, Determination, and, yes, a little luck.

There were days I doubted myself—wondering if I had chosen the wrong field or if I just wasn’t good enough. But somehow, I made it through. Offers from MNCs eventually came in—completely unexpected, and better than anything I had dared to hope for.

That’s when I learned: When we never give up on something, we achieve that something. Sometimes the best things happen when you least expect them. Miracles do happen.

Looking back, I’m grateful for the people who stood by me during those tough months—those who encouraged, supported, protected, and loved me through it all. You know who you are. May you always be blessed.