Myth: Retrenchment won't happen to younger workers

Getting retrenched is probably the furthest thing from the mind of a young worker starting out in their career.

But for 28-year-old Asaad Fazah, it became a harsh reality in May last year.

A mere six months into his second job, the business graduate was abruptly notified — via email, no less — that he would no longer be required to attend the company's meeting that day.

"When it happened, I was just like, 'Oh, okay. I guess I'll close my computer now and continue eating breakfast'," Asaad told AsiaOne with a wry chuckle.

The company, a business consulting firm headquartered in Sydney, had already instituted major pay cuts and even slashed working hours for some of his colleagues at that point, he explained, so he might have been "disappointed but not surprised".

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His biggest concern? How to break the news to his mother.

Of course, his monthly study loan payments were also a cause for concern.

What's more, having to hunt for a job while the world is in the throes of a recession.

But five months, 200 resumes and one new job later, Asaad is of the opinion that getting retrenched "wasn't all bad".

"It was a blessing in disguise because I realised I wasn't actually enjoying [the business consultancy job] and I was really burning out," he mused.

A detour three years into his career

He held a project management position at the consulting firm, but also doubled up as his boss' executive assistant.

Despite being stretched in manpower, there was simply "no money" for new hires, Asaad recalled, saying, "I think we all knew we needed to expand the team, considering how many more projects we were about to take on."

Even with an inkling that the company was not doing well financially, he acknowledged that it simply had not crossed his mind to look for greener pastures.

So when the news of his retrenchment hit, his first order of business (besides finishing his breakfast) was to jump straight into job-hunting, he said.

"I immediately wanted to just start looking for another job… I wasn't looking until I needed to."

Turning his hobby into a side hustle

With a suddenly empty schedule after losing his job, Asaad quickly settled into a new routine.

A typical day during the job hunt consisted of waking up at around 8am, having breakfast and enjoying some leisure time. He would then send out his first job application at about 10am, all the way till after lunchtime.

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The rest of the day would be spent on his "own stuff", he offered rather cryptically, before bashfully admitting that he'd gotten back into baking.

A self-confessed cake lover, Asaad used to make his own cakes regularly, but had all but stopped baking in the past couple of years, he said.

"I decided, okay, maybe now's a good time to start this up again, just for fun."

As luck would have it, the hobby also serendipitously turned into a side hustle of sorts when Asaad realised he had a knack for making macarons.

Trying his hand at the French confectionary "turned out well", he said, inspiring him and his brother to set up an Instagram account hawking the sweet treats.

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As for whether he would ever consider becoming a full-time home baker, it's a no - for now, at least. According to Asaad, he wants to stick to producing his bakes on a small scale for fun, rather than churning them out for profit.

Being able to defray some of his living costs with his takings was a bonus, but his eye was on the prize: securing a full-time gig and getting his career back on track.

New beginnings, new opportunities

Even as he made the most of his involuntary vacation, Asaad's path to securing a new job was no cakewalk.

Despite sending out an average of 10 resumes per weekday, turning to friends for resume critiques and taking online courses to hone his interview skills, favourable responses were few and far between. (Pro tip: Workforce Singapore's one-stop centre Careers Connect provides free career coaching, such as how to improve one's resume and interview skills, as well as workshops and online resources.)

Towards the end of his five-month job hunt, the constant rejection had him feeling "unproductive" and "a bit useless", he admitted. "I was just very down because most of my friends didn't lose their jobs or anything."

Then he heard the good news: the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, a joint effort between the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Education and Public Service Division, would expand job, traineeship, and skills training opportunities for close to 100,000 jobseekers.

The moment he found out about the initiative, he headed over to the MyCareersFuture portal to check out the available opportunities.

Asaad, who has about three years of work experience under his belt, was able to apply for openings under the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme, which offers training and attachment opportunities.

Within weeks, he secured an interview with one of the largest insurance companies globally and was subsequently offered a 12-month traineeship with their case management unit.

As part of the traineeship, which commenced last September, he would be trained to handle customer feedback, as well as investigate and resolve cases.

"Personally, the challenge for me is that I have no background in insurance. So I think that's where the training part comes in."

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As the only trainee in his department, Asaad went through a two-week onboarding programme lined up just for him, covering everything from how to use various software to the basics of insurance.

He was also paired up with a more senior member of the team subsequently to gather more experience on the job.

While understandably relieved and excited to embark on a new full-time job - his only offer in months - one of Asaad's biggest concerns was whether he could earn enough from a traineeship, he shared candidly.

"I think at first, my thought process was, 'Okay, if this is financially viable, then I'm all in.'"

Of course, it helps that the life insurance industry isn't doing too badly — the industry saw a significant jump in new business in the third quarter of the year compared to the previous quarter, the Life Insurance Association Singapore noted in a statement on Nov 6.

In an interview with The Straits Times, Tay Jin Li, the head of product and funds development, implementation and distribution at AIA Singapore, explained that "The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in Singaporeans becoming more aware of protecting themselves and their loved ones in the event of critical illness, hospitalisation and death."

All in all, Asaad says he is optimistic about his new role.

"Considering the circumstances, I feel like this is where I was meant to be.

"I can see there's a lot of potential for growth, and a lot more opportunities will be open to me once I'm done with the traineeship."

This article is brought to you in partnership with Gov.sg. For more information on jobs and assistance schemes, visit jobsgohere.gov.sg.