Covid-19 has changed our life – including this 42-year-old man who unfortunately was forced to leave his job due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He then became a swabber and eventually landed a job through the help of a career coach at the Workforce Singapore’s (WSG) after 16-months long of job search, reported Zaobao.
Yah leh, you never read wrongly. It is 16 months! But lucky for him lah, although it took him 16-months long hor, but he was able to land a job in the maritime industry again – an industry he was already familiar with.
Prior to being asked to leave his job, he had worked in the maritime industry for 16 years. He was a captain and was also responsible for shore management. However, the company he worked for decided to downsize during the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing him to leave in February 2021 to start looking for a new job during that extremely difficult time.
In order to support his family, he decided to work as a swabber at the COVID-19 testing.
“The experience was an eye-opener. At first, I was really scared to be exposed to the virus as I am afraid that I might bring it home to infect my family. However, I became friends with many frontliners, and I also believed in keeping everyone safe throughout this period,” he said.
With his experience in the maritime industry and shipping certificate, he originally wanted to continue looking for a similar job in the maritime industry, but he couldn’t find it for a long time.
In August 2021, he decided to approach WSG for help after seeing the WSG’s Careers Connect Centres at Tampines. Since job opportunities in the maritime field are very limited at the moment, WSG’s Senior Career Coach Alfee then suggested that he look for jobs in other industries, such as logistics operations management and other positions.
“Alfee suggested that I should emphasize my transferable skills in my job searches, such as good communication skills, personnel management experience, and my ability to deal with emergencies, etc., to expand the scope of my job search,” he said.
Alfee also encouraged him to use other job portals such as MyCareersFuture and Careers@Gov to find relevant jobs.
In order to increase his chance of getting his resume viewed by potential hirers and interview opportunities, the Senior Career Coach also taught him some resume writing skills and accompanied him to practice for his interviews. Fortunately, he later managed to find a job in the marine insurance industry just last month.
“After a 16-month job search process, I was utterly relieved to return to this familiar field! This experience has made me stronger, determined, and motivated to do my best in this new job.”
As the saying goes: Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Resources are aplenty. Just need to know how to make use of it and must also be willing to try and help yourself bah.
If you are also looking for a job, other than WSG, tia gong NTUC’s e2i also got career coach who will guide, advise and support you on your career journey, and also help you to zhng your resume.
Don’t give up ok.
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