Jobseekers’ Diaries: After tears and months of preparation, my job search finally paid off
The writer (left) with her son. She retraces her five-month job search, during which her husband and son were pillars of support.
As jobs are a top concern for Singaporeans in the Covid-19 crisis, TODAY’s Voices section is publishing first-hand accounts from jobseekers in which they reflect on their experiences and what keeps them going.
In this instalment of Jobseekers’ Diaries, Ms Patricia Mah retraces her arduous five-month job search, during which her husband and son were pillars of support.
I excelled in my previous job as a senior recruiter at a travel-marketing multinational corporation (MNC).
There were plans to open new Asia-Pacific offices, exciting projects coming along, and a development plan for me in 2020.
Then came Covid-19.
Our advertisers — airlines, and hospitality and attraction clients — began pulling out their advertising budgets and freezing marketing activities. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the closure of borders, grounding air travel.
My heart sank because I knew a storm was coming.
Asia-Pacific vice-presidents whom I was close to began dropping hints that we were heading for massive layoffs.
I lost my job in April, along with 200 others. I was not particularly upset as I was mentally prepared. I had been in this situation twice.
I was sure I would find my next opportunity soon.
April, May and June came and went.
Countless resumes were sent, interviews trickled in, but there were rejection emails aplenty.
I knew then that it was going to be a rough ride, since I had never been jobless for so long.
My husband and son became my pillars of support.
My hubby was my rock, ensuring that the family was financially stable, giving excellent pointers on my shortcomings and drawing up solutions to roadblocks I encountered.
He assured me that things were going to be fine.
He and my son made me laugh despite the difficulties.
I told them that I could not have gone through each day without them.
Reminding myself that I had to be mentally strong, I set out a strategy to boost my job-search efforts.
For every interview that I failed, I took note of what I was lacking.
I also did more and more research on how to improve, visiting online learning channels and attending free courses.
In the end, my notes were about 80 pages long.
This was akin to preparing for an exam, but I knew that by overcoming these shortfalls, there was no reason I could not ace an interview.
In August, I was in final interview rounds with two MNCs.
One of them had me do an intense case study before sending me to the final round. I felt confident as the feedback was positive.
But, alas, I was not selected.
My world came crashing down, for the efforts I made had come to naught.
It was so unbearable I broke down, scaring my son who had never seen me cry.
My hubby and son gave me the most comforting hug anyone could ask for, and encouraged me to pick myself up.
Finally, in September, after a five-month search, I landed a role in healthcare.
I chanced on the opening at Parkway Pantai, which was looking to hire a deputy manager for talent acquisition.
Since Parkway is in the business of healthcare, I reckoned this would be a good opportunity to move into a meaningful industry as front-line healthcare workers battle Covid-19.
This time, I shed tears of joy.
My hard work had borne fruit.
ABOUT THE WRITER:
Ms Patricia Mah, in her 40s, is a deputy manager of talent acquisition at Parkway Pantai, a private healthcare company. She has been in recruitment and talent acquisition for more than eight years.
If you are a jobseeker with a compelling story or know someone who wishes to contribute to this series, write to voices [at] mediacorp.com.sg with your full name, address and phone number.
