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, 52-year-old Haja Shafiudeen Abdul Jalil, the sole breadwinner of his family, tells of how he was retrenched this year and spent more than two months job hunting.

This August, I became part of a statistic.

I was retrenched from work because my company in the moneychanger business was badly affected by the Covid-19 crisis.

When I received the notice of my retrenchment, I was shocked. I wondered what was next for me.

This was my second retrenchment in my 27-year career. My first was in 2008 after 16 years in the engineering field. I had then made a career switch into the sales line where I spent another 11 years.

As the sole breadwinner of my family, I struggled to break the news to my wife and my two daughters.

My wife was not working because she was medically unfit to do strenuous work following two surgeries.

I was thankful that after they learnt of what happened to me, they supported and motivated me.

We got by with our savings and cut down our daily expenses. The Government’s financial aid came in handy — we received monetary assistance through the Covid-19 Support Grant and Workfare scheme, for instance.

In the meantime, I applied for more than 100 jobs and attended five job fairs over two months. However, I was called up for just about 15 interviews — and none of them was successful.

Despite feeling down at times, I used such setbacks as my driving force. I constantly looked out for other opportunities and assistance available and it was during that time that I came across the programmes offered by Workforce Singapore (WSG).

I made a trip to the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centre located at the Heartbeat@Bedok complex in Bedok Town Centre that was near my home.

I met with a career ambassador who gave me some advice about what I could do in my job search.

I was then referred to career coach Eillyana from WSG Careers Connect who guided me with my job search. She constantly encouraged me to attend workshops relating to role-playing at interviews and to customising my resume so that I could better market myself to potential employers.

She also advised me to expand my job search by attending more job fairs, exploring online job portals such as MyCareersFuture and considering other programmes such as the Professional Conversion Programme for mid-career workers to get started on switching career paths.

This was where my turning point came. I attended a job fair at Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability in mid-October and came across a job opportunity at printing company Markono Print Media.

Following two rounds of interviews, I was eventually hired as a digital print associate.

Although the pay is slightly lower than that for my previous job, I gladly accepted the offer because I felt that this was a chance to start my career anew.

I received other job offers after that but decided to be loyal to the company that first gave me the opportunity. 

I am two months into my new job and I believe I have found my new calling.

I am especially thankful that during my time of need, I was supported by my family and career coach.

To those who have been retrenched and are still looking for job opportunities, perseverance and hard work pays off — so never give up.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Mr Haja Shafiudeen Abdul Jalil, 52, had been retrenched twice over his 27-year career. As the sole breadwinner of his family, he was anxious to find full-time employment to support his family again. With help from his career coach at WSG Careers Connect, he eventually found employment at Markono Print Media.

If you are a jobseeker keen to share your experience 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.