Finding a job has always been tough.

Last year though took that difficulty to a whole other level.

Covid-19 is unique in how specific sectors were overwhelmingly decimated, while others remained relatively untouched.

While one in five employers are expected to hire more people this year, those looking for a job have had quite the rough ride.

Tough times

We spoke to three working adults who at one point during the pandemic had tried to secure a job.

Spoiler alert, all three eventually managed to find jobs, but the process was quite daunting.

Chan, 24, took 11 months to find a job.

She had actually begun searching for a job since pre-Covid days, in January 2020. That was also at the start of her final semester.

But as the months went along and, even as a new normal began to take hold, she still did not manage to secure a job.

In fact it would be 10 months later, in November, that she found a job as a content creator in the media industry.

The difficulty in securing a job wasn't just limited to fresh grads either.

Ng, 25, who had already been working for about two years in an administrative role, found it difficult to find another job.

It took her about six to seven months to secure a new job.

In fact, the time taken to find a job nearly dissuaded her from a career shift.

“After a while, you just start lowering your expectations, in case you get disappointed again. Almost gave up on switching to a career in writing/copywriting.”

Fong, 29, started looking for a job around October and only just managed to find one in January, 2021.

They weren’t in sectors, or looking to go into sectors, that were terribly damaged by Covid-19 as well.

However, the virus situation did influence one of them, Chan, to steer away from more tourism-related sectors.

Their current placement on the job ladder were also vastly different.

One was a fresh grad, another had entered the job market a few years ago, while the third had been in the same line for over five years, and was looking for a change in setting.

While the time taken might have varied slightly, their processes were almost identical.

They had applied to a host of jobs, in total they had sent out over 300 job applications.

Which meant a lot of time spent on online job portals.

Accuracy

A common gripe by some in the job hunting process, is the broad range of jobs given to them. Whether it be jobs they are wildly under-qualified for, or even jobs that fall outside their skill scope entirely.

That's why finding a competent jobs portal, like MyCareersFuture (MCF), helps to filter out these types of jobs through more precise search terms.

For example, Fong who was previously in the media sector, could try and look for a job that is similar to the rank and pay she was on before.

Similar job options are also presented for a broader scope of jobs the seeker could try to apply for.

And there’s even a search function for government support for a myriad of job seekers. Fong for example could see what support there was for mid-careeer switchers.

Range of jobs

The range of jobs they applied for was quite impressive as well, with none of them stubbornly sticking to a narrow idea of what jobs they wanted to take.

But even then, with little to no success shown, it started to take a toll on them.

Chan talked about how she had to drastically rethink her expectations for what she wanted in a job.

“I was still quite hopeful at the start of the year until covid hit the economy hard. I heard people were losing their jobs or fearing that they might lose their jobs. Then, I realised I had to basically restart my job hunt and change my strategy...”

Lower expectations on pay, applying for smaller companies as well rather than just focusing on bigger brands, and most importantly steering away from the travel industry.

She even considered becoming a swabber, but eventually decided against it as she lived with older family members.

Self doubt was also a constant theme for the other two.

Ng felt discouraged, even considering whether to change the field she was trying out for.

Chan too wondered if her resume was indeed that utterly terrible, and if that was why her job hunt had been going so badly.

A sentiment shared by Fong:

“I felt very helpless and also incompetent, like was my resume really that bad?”

Which is a common refrain for many job seekers. MCF itself has become much more than just a jobs bank, it also provides helpful tips and lessons for job seekers.

There’s also the very helpful “check resume” feature that, as the name suggests, recommends edits to your resume before you apply for your dream job.

There's even access to career coaches who dish out handy tips for anyone who is looking for a job.

Finding a job is rarely a cake walk, especially with the general uncertainty permeating most sectors in Singapore.

So do your research, don't lose faith in yourself, and don't hesitate to get some help whenever possible.

You can try out the MCF portal here.

This is a sponsored article by MyCareersFuture.