SINGAPORE: A fresh graduate seeking career advice on Reddit ended up facing a wave of criticism after describing a S$4,000 monthly salary offer as a possible “lowball.”

On the r/asksg forum, the graduate shared that a recruiter had approached them about a data analyst position at an allegedly “big company in Singapore.” After attending an interview, they were offered the job the very same day.

However, when the official one-year contract arrived, the graduate was not entirely convinced by the salary package.

“The offer pay is $4k, which I do feel like is a bit of a lowball for the role,” they wrote, although they added that they wanted to secure a job quickly and begin building their career.

The graduate’s worries went beyond the immediate pay cheque. They feared that accepting SS$4,000 now could affect how much future employers would be willing to offer them later.

They also speculated that the recruiter might be taking a large cut and asked whether it would be possible to approach the company directly instead.

On top of that, they had concerns about how the role would appear on their resume and whether spending only a year in the position could make them look unreliable to future employers.

“Would future recruiters see that I left the company in one year and view me as flaky (not able to commit to the job) or get the wrong idea that I was fired?” they asked.

Although the contract could eventually lead to a permanent role, the graduate said they were unlikely to stay even if that option became available.

“What do you have to offer?”

The post quickly drew attention, but not in the way the fresh graduate may have expected.

Many commenters criticised him and other young jobseekers for having unrealistic expectations about starting pay.

One user responded sarcastically, writing, “S$4k? Seriously? That’s a lowball, man. You studied 4 years. Maybe study for a master’s too and return with S$12k expectations. Why take a lowball offer when a PhD can give you S$15k after graduation?”

Another joked, “Yes, you are getting lowballed. You deserve a minimum of S$7k for studying 4 years at a prestigious local university and serving 2 years of NS.”

A third bluntly asked, “What do you have to offer? Fresh grads don’t know a thing yet [they keep] demanding the sky and expecting everyone to bow down to them. Let me tell you, YOU ARE DISPOSABLE.”

A fourth added, “Data Analyst is a dead-end job nowadays; AI can do your job very easily nowadays. What makes you think you are even worth more than S$4k?”

Not everyone agreed with the criticism, however. A handful of users sided with the fresh graduate and offered more constructive advice.

One user told him, “Hey, don’t listen to all the salty uncles over here who can’t fathom that fresh grads are earning more than them. S$4k is slightly on the low side for fresh grads, yes, because as you may know from your peers, many are getting offers north of S$4.5k.”

“In the future, other companies will use that to benchmark your next salary. If it’s an issue, you can hold out for a better company, but you know yourself the best. If you think this will be the best offer you can get, I suggest you take this job first and then work extra hard to grow as fast as possible and switch jobs early in your career to boost salary.”

Another user echoed this view, saying, “Ignore most of the salty Redditors here. Yes, the first job’s pay matters, but now it’s about weighing if you can tahan not having a job for the next few months.” 

“If you can hold out, then just wait for a better offer; if you can’t, then just take it. Fresh grad here as well in the same industry, and S$4k is definitely on the low side. But if the name of the company is decent, then there is an argument to just take it.”

In other news, a young Singaporean woman expressed her anger online after her father suddenly lost his job despite spending years working hard and remaining loyal to his company.

On a Reddit forum called “r/SingaporeRaw,” the daughter said she found it rather unfair that her father was laid off after the company decided to relocate its production operations to Malaysia.

Read more: ‘The company he worked for decided to move production to Malaysia’: Daughter upset after father’s layoff, says he ‘worked hard and stayed loyal’

This article (Fresh graduate faces backlash for calling a S$4k salary offer ‘low’: ‘Fresh grads are demanding the sky and expect everyone to bow down’) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A 25-year-old graduate says he is beginning to feel like he is “watching everything collapse” after spending the past six months unemployed despite submitting between 400 and 500 job applications since graduating from a local university in December 2025.

Sharing his frustrations on a local online forum, the graduate shared that he has been applying to practically every type of job available and has long stopped caring about “market average” fresh graduate salaries or whether the position even matches his economics degree.

“Bruh, I’ve applied to countless types of jobs… and nothing, damn,” he wrote. “The number of HR screening calls I can count with one hand, the number of serious interviews/assessments, count with one finger (that’s 1). And that has been put on hold; suddenly the company is re-evaluating if they want to hire for that position (WTF?).”

Although he has been channelling his energy into self-improvement and staying disciplined, he admitted the uncertainty surrounding his future still feels overwhelming.

“I have been trying to stay disciplined, work out, and learn new skills, but honestly the pressure—I got a partner and a future to worry about while my savings are drying up. I don’t know, it feels like everything’s collapsing.”

By the end of his post, the weary graduate said, “Thought I’d vent it all here, if anyone relates, maybe we can talk it out together.”

“It’s time to change up your job search strategy.”

Given the sheer number of applications he had sent out, several Singaporean Redditors speculated that his résumé might be part of the problem.

One individual wrote, “Hmm, maybe there’s a problem with your resume? (Sounds crazy, but just check, I guess.) your resume has some formatting issues causing it to not be picked up by systems properly?” 

“Try to view your applications and make sure whatever info you filled in is correct and your resume is downloadable.”

Another shared, “Not saying this to flex, but something is definitely wrong with your resume. I am getting 2-3 interviews a week in finance, fintech and engineering firms, and failed all my interviews.” 

“The opportunity is certainly there, and it’s not as bleak as what everyone says (yes, I know there’s truth to it, but successful people don’t share their stories online). I hope this can renew your confidence and retackle your problem from the bottom up.”

Some Redditors also encouraged the graduate to stop relying solely on blind online applications and focus more heavily on networking instead.

“At 500 application rejections, it’s time to change up your job search strategy,” one commenter advised.

“Easiest way to get a job is through networking. Sounds like you might just be submitting applications blindly. It’s not about how many jobs you apply for but the quality of each submission. Go network with friends, classmates, family, alum, former colleagues, professors, etc.”
Another person encouraged him to reach out directly to his university for support. 

They said, “What school? Ask the professors and faculty for help. No need to be embarrassed, or they should be when their product fails in the market.” 

“I’m saying this because I and my wife and other alums who are in middle management now have been personally asked by the school (NUS) to hire or at least favor our own graduates whenever possible. Also shows how brutal the market is right now.”

A handful of commenters also attempted to lift the graduate’s spirits, encouraging him not to let the repeated rejections crush his confidence.

One wrote, “Don’t give up. Even though it’s getting harder and harder. If you have specialised software skills, maybe you can do some side hustles. Have not been working since the end of 2022 here.”

Another commented, “Hang in there! One thing that I’ve seen that helped me and others was also getting in through referrals—even if you don’t know somebody, you could connect through LinkedIn and express your interest in the roles, and if they would be okay to refer you in.”

In other news, a fed-up wife turned to social media to vent her frustration after her husband allegedly refused to help out with household chores, even after their domestic helper left the family.

Posting in the SINGAPORE TRANSFER (No Fees/SD), DIRECT HIRE & NEW HELPER Facebook group on Thursday (May 14), she shared that they had had a helper for six years.

Read more: ‘70% of our marriage he’s been jobless’: Wife says unemployed husband refuses to help after maid left

This article (‘It feels like everything’s collapsing’: 25-year-old graduate says he’s still jobless even after sending 400 to 500 applications) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.