PERSPECTIVE: Many fresh graduates have sent out tens of resumes but only received a handful of responses, while others have taken up part-time jobs in the meantime.

How are fresh graduates, who are entering the workforce amidst a technical recession, coping and adjusting to these challenges?

Five recent graduates share with Mothership their job-hunting experience and what they have learnt from this process.

Covid-19 is taking a toll on the economy with Singapore entering into a technical recession.

Resident unemployment rate has also risen from 3.3 per cent in March to 3.9 per cent in June, although Deputy Prime Minister noted that this is still below the peak levels seen during the SARS outbreak in 2003 and global financial crisis over a decade ago.

Fresh graduates face a harsh reality

For university seniors are looking to enter the workforce against such a backdrop, things don't look as promising compared to the relatively-favourable prospects that previous batches faced.

In June, former Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung had addressed in a Mothership interview how fresh graduates will be facing a harsh reality.

"The job market is down," he said.

Previous economic crises had been limited to particular regions (as in the case of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997), or particular sectors (as in the case of the dot com burst in 2001), he explained.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic, being global, and affecting almost all sectors, is the worst of both worlds, "I'm afraid to say this, but this will be the worst (recession we will go through)."

Few responses to job applications

Several fresh graduates whom Mothership spoke to shared the common experience of having only a few companies respond to their job applications.

24-year-old Lee Rui Xue, who graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in July 2020 with a Life Sciences degree, said that she had sent out about 50 job applications since January.

She only received a call for an interview for three applications.

This experience was echoed by Chui Si En, a 23-year-old Nanyang Technological University (NTU) graduate with a degree in English, and Denise (not her real name), another NUS 2020 graduate with a degree in English Literature.

Both sent out a similar amount of applications, with only a handful calling them up for an interview.

Disappointment a natural reaction to rejection

Almost all the fresh graduates we spoke to said they felt "discouraged" by the job search.

Lee Rui Xue said that she also began to worry that she might be jobless as she had not received any offers, two to three months after she started applying in January.

As for Denise, she started feeling discouraged after being rejected for two positions she was keen on, especially since she had gone through "pretty lengthy processes" involving multiple rounds of interviews and assessments.

Some, including those who have been offered full-time positions after their internships, are lucky to secure a job long before the pandemic started taking its toll, Lee Zhi Yan said.

"I felt happy for them but at the same time I can’t help but worry about my future," she said.

Pimnara also voiced her regret at not immediately searching for a job after her graduation in November last year.

At that time, she had a couple of freelance jobs and thought that she could always find a job later once she finished those projects.

Expectations for jobs changed

The dismal environment has prompted many to cast their net wider, and apply for a larger range of jobs outside what they are interested in.

Lee Zhi Yan, a 23-year-old who majored in NTU accountancy and graduated in July 2020, first sent out her applications with the hopes of landing a job in the accounting or tax fields.

However, unable to land a finance job, she eventually expanded her job search beyond accountancy, looking towards other positions such as marketing and business development.

Only three companies eventually got back to her, out of all the resumes she had sent out since mid-December 2019.

Another fresh graduate, 22-year-old Natasha Wee who recently graduated from NTU, also found herself in an unexpected path after landing a job as an funeral director assistant.

In this current climate, some fresh graduates also adjusted their salary expectations, citing the need to be more realistic.

Denise said she was originally aiming for a salary of S$3,500, thinking it would be achievable.

However, she says that she had "pretty idealistic" expectations for what she wanted out of a job, and eventually adjusted her salary expectations.

"As I got rejected for some companies I was really interested in, I just decided to go for the next best and so on. The overall package definitely wasn't as attractive upfront, but I had no way to justify being selective."

24-year-old November 2019 graduate of PSB Academy, Pimnara Suksomjai, who does freelance projects, said she was hoping to continue to earn at least close to the same amount when she started working.

But as the the number and scale of freelance projects decreased with the Covid situation, she has also adjusted her expectations.

Doing part-time jobs while waiting for full-time positions

Some of the respondents we spoke to managed to find a full-time position in both private and public sectors. Others have taken up traineeships or part-time jobs in the meantime.

Lee Rui Xue, for instance, told us that she took up part-time jobs while waiting for her full-time job to start. Both her parents had lost their jobs during the Circuit Breaker (CB) period, so the income was more than welcome.

She did a part-time stint as a veterinary technician in an emergency vet clinic for several weeks, and also gave private tuition.

Another fresh graduate that Mothership spoke to in July also decided to take up a part-time job at a supermarket while waiting for a full-time opportunity elsewhere.

"I'm only beginning to start a career and have my first job, so I think it's okay. I'm not too worried, honestly", she told us.

Job-hunting process during Covid-19 has been quite a learning experience

Some fresh graduates explained how looking for a job in such times have put things in perspective for them.

Pimnara, who has landed a marketing role for a F&B brand, said that the job-hunting process makes her appreciate what she has now, and has in fact fuelled her to work harder.

She added, "I believe that many people are going through the same thing as me, and I feel very grateful for getting this job."

Reflecting on the past year, Denise said she could have planned for her future better.

"I wish I did more serious thinking about my desired career trajectory and contingencies. I applied for the job I wanted most last year (around) October and nothing else, being myopic and not anticipating that I would get rejected. Hence when I got rejected in late January/Febuary, I panicked and started mass applying."

However, she called the entire process "stressful but necessary".

"With hard work and some luck we'll get through it," she said.

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Top image from NUS Facebook and Unsplash