43 y/o Singaporean with 20+ years in tech lands just 1 interview after 1,000 job applications: ‘Do not quit without a new role’

SINGAPORE: Despite having more than 20 years of experience in the tech industry, a 43-year-old Singaporean said he has managed to secure just one interview after sending out 1,000 job applications over the past 18 months.

After seeing first-hand just how difficult the job market can be, he took to social media to share some advice for younger workers and mid-career professionals who may be thinking about leaving their jobs.

His first piece of advice was simple: do not quit your current job unless you already have another role lined up.

While taking a break from work might sound appealing, he warned that finding a new job could take far longer than expected in the current market.

He also urged jobseekers not to underestimate how much connections can matter. “The job market is really, really bad right now if you do not have any connections,” he said.

For those considering taking a sabbatical, he advised against simply assuming that plenty of opportunities would be waiting when they returned. “Do not YOLO and go on a sabbatical right now, thinking there are jobs available when you return,” he cautioned.

Perhaps the hardest lesson he said he had learnt was that working hard on its own does not necessarily lead to new opportunities. “Do not just work hard and think that people will notice your good work,” he said, encouraging workers to be more willing to put themselves forward and talk about their achievements.

“Go out there and self-promote more,” he added. “This is one tough lesson I have learnt. Results do not equal opportunities. Connection to the right people does.”

‘My qualifications’

In his post, he also shared his professional background, writing: “I have an unimpressive multimedia degree from Australia, project management and AI certifications from Google, IBM, and Microsoft, several other certifications in soft skills such as people management, etc., and intermediate skills in video and photo editing with Canva certification.

On top of this, he said he has around 10 positive recommendations on his LinkedIn profile from former colleagues and bosses, although he was unsure whether these should count as a qualification.

Job search journey

As for his job search journey, he said he left his job 24 months ago to take a break after being hospitalised for high blood pressure, which he attributed to work-related stress.

After taking around six months off, he began applying for jobs and has since submitted more than 1,000 applications over the past 18 months, mainly through job portals such as MyCareersFuture, JobStreet, and LinkedIn. So far, he has managed to secure just one interview.

“I only applied for jobs that fit my skills and experiences, but not necessarily from the tech industry (education, government, finance, startups, etc.).”

To make sure he remained competitive in the job market, he had his resume reviewed several times by trainers at the Lifelong Learning Institute, as well as friends and family. He also ran it through several AI programmes, all of which gave him positive feedback.

“I did not just apply for high-level roles; I also applied for assistant roles (assistant marketing manager, assistant project manager, etc.) with around a S$5k-7k monthly salary.

“I am not using my old contacts, as I am looking to enter different industries with the aim of using my past experience and current training certifications. The tech industry is not doing so well either.”

‘How I’m surviving’

Despite not having a regular income, the 43-year-old said he has managed to get by with the support of his family. He has also taken on freelance projects for small retail businesses, helping them improve their online presence, manage their social media pages and create content to promote their existing and new products.

On top of that, he said investments he made during his working years have given him a source of passive income, allowing him to remain financially comfortable while continuing his job search.

“Keep fighting the good fight”

His post prompted other Singaporean Redditors to share their own experiences of struggling to find work.

One person said they had also been searching for more than a year. “Thank you for sharing this, I too am in this situation, been searching for over a year now. Applying to customer service and admin roles too. All the best with your job hunt. You're lucky you have a supportive family; I'm kind of on my own.”

Another Redditor, who said they were a couple of years older, shared that they had been laid off twice over 14 months and had been unemployed since March 2026.

They added, “I am currently exploring different ways of making side incomes but haven't quite gotten down to execution. Will push myself to do so. Keep fighting the good fight. This experience will build the mental toughness in you.”

Others, meanwhile, tried to figure out what could be behind his extremely low interview rate. While some believed ageism could be a factor, others felt there might be issues with how he was presenting himself through his applications.

One told him, “If your success rate is just 1 interview opportunity from over 1,000 applications (0.1% success rate), I would hazard a guess that there is probably something wrong with your applications.”

Another said, “1000 applications and only 1 interview suggest that there might be other bigger issues. Suggest you get a CV review on a relevant subreddit rather than those trainers or AI programs; they’ll be blunt but at least real with you.”/TISG

Read also: ‘Some money is better than nothing’: Poly graduate takes S$2.2k bubble tea job after four months of unsuccessful job hunting