(TL;DR No moral of the story here, searching for a job sucked)
My 2025 can only be described as life knocking on my door one morning, handing me a truckload of stress and saying “Surprise!! And good luck!”
Earlier this year, I made the intentional decision to move from India to Singapore, a country I had never visited before. Along with that move came another deliberate choice to leave a job I genuinely enjoyed. I packed up three decades of my life and started over. Since I have been here, I have thoroughly loved this place, but, in the last 6 months, there has just been one single thing consistently pumping stress and anxiety into my daily life - Job Search.
When I said I had certain expectations, boy oh boy, was I humbled. This year across the globe, it hasn’t been great for Tech Jobs, and we all have been impacted by it directly or indirectly. Even so, I was optimistic about finding the right role for myself in 3 months’ time. (Too short, I know. You can also call this, self induced pressure)
The universe sure gifted me a perfect amalgamation of stressors - self induced timeline pressure, global job market, tech layoffs, tariff uncertainties, and finally, biggest of them all, work visa sponsorship. I moved to Singapore and started researching for available jobs and applied. I knew it was going to be challenging, just not this challenging.
Initially, it started with a few days of dead silence. Then came the first rejection email with an impersonal and generic reason, no feedback, no explanation, nothing. I told myself “Okay, that’s just the first one. Rejection is part of the process.” Then came another, and another, and I struggled to understand why. I know I have strong experience, a good body of work, and a decent resume, but no feedback loop, no recruiter conversations, and no clarity. Days turned into weeks and then it hit a 2 month count in the blink of an eye.
Then the pressure intensified, anxiety refused to leave and stress made itself a nice cozy home in my head. 2 months turned into 4 and I found myself exhausted and close to burnout. Waking up to a rejection email turned into a routine. Automated emails made it hard to follow up on rejections. Eventually, even an email notification became anxiety inducing.
I did what I could control. I studied the job market, tech needs, processes, ATS systems, and modified my resume structure hoping to ensure my profile reaches someone. I quickly learnt that referrals are the key to an effective job search in Singapore. But as a newcomer, it was a challenge. It was isolating. The only thing I was sure of all through this painful time was that I did not want to give up. Just, not yet. Luckily, I’ve always been a bit stubborn about the things that I want from my life and work. I kept going. “The only way out is through” became a daily reminder.
Then one day a mentor connected me with someone who took a chance and offered an opportunity to interview. I poured all my energy into it. (Okay, let me give you a bit more context. I am terrible at interviews. I know my strengths and areas of improvement, but I still sweat buckets when it comes to interviews. My brain decides to do an unskippable software update or just decides to shut down completely after a question is asked). I did my best, cleared 3 rounds, and then, radio silence. I was invested in that role and it was heartbreaking not to hear back. They were great, but it just didn’t go anywhere after that. That’s just life.
That first opportunity gave me hope that more opportunities are to come and it kept me going. I eventually got more calls. I have always had a checklist of things I want from my work, the non-negotiables and my flexible areas. Through the process, I got to know myself more, my values became clearer and my stubbornness to not give up became a friend.
I am an introvert at heart, and this year, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone - to go out and meet new people (it was daunting!). I got to know some amazing people here(most of them from WDS!!), slowly built meaningful connections, and started to enjoy attending more meetups. Life felt lighter with a community that I resonated closely with.
Eventually, I came across a role that felt right in every way. It was a position I had applied to as early as 2020 before COVID hit and threw all plans out the window. I jumped at the opportunity. It was a no-brainer, aligned with my values of life and work. Again, hope said ‘Hello there!’ and stayed for good. I gave it my all, truly! Once I got the confirmation on the offer, all the stress, anxiety about the future, melted. My confidence was back. I felt like myself again.
Reflecting on this year, all that effort feels worthwhile and a crucial part of my journey. I learnt a lot about myself, my mental strength and my core values. My refusal to give up, my strong belief in my abilities (even when it wavered at times) and the support from my partner made a world of difference.
I continue to believe that the only way out is through.