Whether you’re a fresh graduate taking your first steps into the working world or a seasoned professional navigating a mid-career pivot, job searching can feel like an uphill climb. It’s not just about sending out resumes—it’s about standing out, staying resilient, and making informed choices that align with your goals.
In today’s fast-changing job market, knowing how to maximise your job search is more important than ever. The good news? You don’t have to figure it out all on your own.
We spoke to Patrick See, senior career Coach with Workforce Singapore (WSG), and Janice Choo, skills ambassador with the Lifelong Learning Institute, who share thoughtful, practical advice to help you take the next step in your career, no matter where you’re starting from.
Jobseekers: Finding direction amid uncertainty
Looking for a job—especially when the stakes feel high—can be an emotional and uncertain journey. But it’s also a chance to pause, reflect, and realign with what truly matters to you. Patrick shares: “Many jobseekers apply for roles without matching them to their strengths or experiences. Some get caught off guard by common interview questions, and others don’t realise how much value a well-crafted resume or an updated LinkedIn profile can add.”
Pivoting to career coaching after being retrenched from the tech and business research industry, Patrick understands how unsettling career transitions can be. “That’s why coaching isn’t just about job advice—it’s about journeying with someone during one of life’s more difficult chapters.”
Janice sees this firsthand, too, especially among mature workers. “Many are at a point where they want to explore something more meaningful, but they’re unsure where to begin,” she shares. “We always start by understanding their life stage, priorities, and what gives them purpose. From there, we guide them with tools like the Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (RIASEC) profiling to help uncover suitable paths forward.”
Janice and her team also inform clients about various support schemes they can consider tapping into, such as the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP) and the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme (SFLP), which can ease their journey into a new industry or role. “We also explore their motivations for wanting a career change,” she explains.
“Some are drawn to more ‘meaningful’ roles in healthcare or social services sectors. But we also help them manage expectations, because transitions often come with trade-offs—like a potential pay cut or starting afresh on a new career ladder.”
Taking a career break before transitioning into the skills and training space, Janice relates deeply to those who feel unsure or overwhelmed. “It’s about taking that first small step. The rest follows.”
Maximising chances: Matching skills to the right opportunities
A big part of that process involves clarifying where you are now and where you want to go. Patrick shares that employers are looking not just at skills but also whether those skills are current.
“Sometimes, jobseekers don’t realise that what they learnt years ago may now be outdated. That’s not bad—it just means it’s time to explore what’s next and how to bridge that gap.”
He adds that instead of making a drastic career change, it may help to look at adjacent roles first. “It’s like walking across stepping stones, rather than trying to leap across a river.”
Janice agrees: “I’ve advised clients from the tech sector interested in social services to first contribute their tech skills in a social service organisation. It’s a better way to understand the new sector before investing heavily in retraining.”
Keeping track of skills: The digital advantage
Patrick and Janice believe that beyond mindset and strategy, tapping into digital tools can give jobseekers an edge in today’s competitive landscape. These tools help individuals stay organised and make it easier to present their skills and experience clearly to employers.
One such tool is the Careers & Skills Passport (CSP), a new resource available to all Singaporean jobseekers. It consolidates key career and training records in one place, helping individuals confidently manage their career journeys.
“It’s beneficial for those who may have misplaced old certificates or can’t recall details about their past job history,” Janice explains. The CSP pulls available information from Government-verified sources together—from your employment history to your training records—and makes it easier for jobseekers to review and select job and training records to show their strengths to potential employers. The verified employment records feature will also boost their credibility. Also, many jobseekers might have misplaced their certificates such as educational certificates, so this tool will definitely come in useful.
Patrick is excited about upcoming features as well. “In the future, jobseekers will be able to receive employer-validated skills through the platform, which boosts credibility and builds trust.” Individuals can also curate their profiles and populate job portals with verified, consolidated data from their CSP through their digital profiles, which improves trust in job applications and provides reliable information for employers
You’re not alone; Support is readily available
So, what’s the next step if you’re feeling lost in your job search?
“Take heart,” says Patrick. “There are people and tools to support you—like WSG’s CareersFinder, CareersCompass by MyCareersFuture, and Career GRIT. And if you need someone to talk to, WSG’s Careers Connect or NTUC’s e2i centres are ready to help.”
Janice adds, “It’s okay to feel uncertain. But it’s also never too late to find a path that fits. I pursued a second degree in counselling at 40, and I’ve never looked back. With the right support, you can rediscover your confidence and take that brave next step forward.”
