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SINGAPORE: When it comes to lemons, the coronavirus pandemic caused problems for Daniel Tan.
He enjoyed his job as a flight attendant with Singapore Airlines (SIA), a literally high-flying career in which he saw himself for “a long time” to come.
But as more and more flights were paralyzed as the pandemic took hold, he made the difficult, if pragmatic, decision to leave in search of another opportunity. The sight of vacant cabins in February and March gave him a feeling that it would “not be feasible” to stay at this job for the next two years.
Daniel Tan was a flight attendant at Singapore Airlines for seven years. (Photo: Daniel Tan)
And so, in April, he took a “leap of faith” and quit his seven-year job to join Airbnb in a position that was new to him: as a social media specialist.
Having studied mass communication in college, Daniel felt that the new job would unite his passion for media with his experience in the travel industry. He was eager to learn and gain experience in this new area for him.
But just a month after his training, the 30-year-old was laid off as part of Airbnb’s global layoffs.
“My leap of faith turned into a somersault,” he said.
READ: You almost lost your travel business to COVID-19. Now you are creating more jobs than before
DEFEATED
Daniel admitted that his parents had reservations about an employer who was also in the hospitality and tourism industry.
But he had reasoned that there were aspects of the Airbnb business that offered unique local experiences and “national markets in certain countries” that would help overcome the pandemic.
His first “wake-up call” came about two weeks after he joined the company, when news of a possible hiring freeze began to leak.
Then on May 4, a Monday, he received ominous news from his team leaders in the morning. “If you are affected by the layoffs, you will receive an invitation to the Zoom meeting by email,” he recalled being told to staff.
At approximately 3pm, while “in the middle of training,” he received the dreaded email from a representative from the Sydney office.
“That really shook the whole ship. I think in my team, at least eight out of 16 of us were fired, ”he said.
Daniel constantly wondered if he had made the right decision to quit his job at Singapore Airlines.
In the week that followed, feelings of regret and inadequacy plagued him. After all, life had been relatively “easy” for him since landing his first job at SIA fresh out of the National Service.
(Getting fired) was a huge hurdle. I have never felt so defeated, so rejected, so useless.
But it turns out it was the beginning of an unexpected journey: learning to adapt to change and discovering that you were more resilient and versatile than you thought.
WATCH: How a Millennial Survives Layoffs (9:40)
BEAT BLUES WITH BAKE
As single and living with his family, Daniel didn’t have to worry about having a roof over his head. But without an income stream or career path for the foreseeable future, she had to put her personal plans on hold, like landing her own spot this year.
He also hoped to provide his parents, both semi-retired, with some financial stability. His 63-year-old father, David Tan, was a Grab driver who was badly affected by the Singapore “circuit breaker.”
But an optimist by nature, Daniel was in a bad mood for just a week after his downsizing.
“I don’t believe in staying home and getting down and hitting myself. It was time to turn this obstacle into a new beginning, ”he said.
The Basque burnt cheesecake that Daniel baked for his business, BBC. (Photo: Daniel Tan)
With the lemons that life gave him, he made burnt Basque cheese tarts.
He had just started baking during the “circuit breaker,” but he didn’t let inexperience stop him from starting an online baking business with a partner, Darren Woon. It was something that helped him rebound as he discovered his long-term prospects.
To boost their brand on social media, the duo adopted the name of a cheeky company, BBC, as an acronym. They also took care of the accounts, marketing and content creation for their brand, in addition to the cooking itself.
Part of the BBC packaging for its Basque burnt cheesecakes includes custom hand-drawn cartoons.
In the first month, they managed to sell “200 to 300 cakes”; In three months, they made earnings of about S $ 2,000 to S $ 3,000 per month, which were shared between them and their parents.
It became a family business. For example, David, who received S $ 1,000 a month under the Self-Employed Income Relief Program, helped with deliveries as his son’s business gained steam.
For Daniel, the time with his parents was an advantage. “I never realized that I had so much in common with them,” he admitted. “I’ve traveled a lot over the last seven years, and I really didn’t spend a lot of time with them.”
Daniel’s parents, Doris Goh and David Tan, became involved in their son’s bakery business. Doris helped in the kitchen, while David helped with the food delivery.
STRUGGLING WITH THE JOB SEARCH
The family also received payments from the Care and Support Package and utility credits, while the COVID-19 Support Grant for which Daniel qualified gave him three months of breathing space.
However, her profitable new job did not replace a full-time career. “I didn’t like the uncertainty,” Daniel said.
“I wanted to find something … more stable, so that I can be sure that I can earn a certain amount each month.”
She tried “anything and everything,” applying for “150 to 200 jobs” over a two-month period on various job portals, including MyCareersFuture.gov.sg.
These included marketing, communications, public relations, advertising, business development, content creation, and other media-related roles. He even applied to be part of the crew of a private jet.
Job hunting often felt like an uphill battle, and Daniel realized that he might not have the right skills.
But when he didn’t get favorable responses, it affected his sanity, sending him to “a pretty dark place.” He couldn’t help but feel like he had started his job search later than everyone else.
Every time I closed my eyes, I thought, should I have left SQ? Should I have done this, should I have done that? I thought about every single decision I had made, ”said Daniel, who was unable to sleep well for at least two months.
It makes you doubt yourself- It makes you feel like you are worthless.
In July, he accepted that his skill set was not up to scratch. So she decided to take online courses, including social media marketing and digital marketing courses for free on LinkedIn.
To help her bakery business, she took advantage of her SkillsFuture credits to attend bakery courses and enrolled in a business development course, as she was considering going to cafes to deliver cake shipments.
He also started learning the Python programming language, although he was unable to complete the class.
Overall, these courses helped him improve himself and expanded his skills, while also learning about his likes and dislikes, allowing him to better filter his job prospects.
CHANGE OF TIDE
Then the winds seemed to change: Daniel began receiving responses to his job applications. Between August and October, 16 companies called to schedule interviews with him.
When the companies started hiring again, Daniel received 16 calls in total to schedule job interviews with him.
During interviews, she found a way to use her experience running her bakery business to show recruiters how she had continued to learn and grow since her layoff.
“I did marketing, communications, social media and business development for my own brand, so it helped me stand out in some way,” he said.
He had a story to tell.
“Some businesses went to great lengths to discover my Instagram page and some even bought cakes.”
Her self-improvement efforts over the past few months appeared to increase her chances of landing a job – she made it to the final round of interviews for two business development positions and one related to social media.
He was sure that he would finally get a job soon.
And then luckily, while he was waiting to hear the result, a friend nudged him to visit the Airbnb alumni portal. The company had started hiring again, including for his previous position.
Daniel felt that taking on his old job at Airbnb as a social media specialist would be like a “homecoming.”
Despite wondering if he would be affected by another spending cut, this time he was confident in his resilience. He took a photo and applied for his old job.
RETURN TO THE FUTURE
A week after the discussions, Daniel received a verbal offer. He accepted immediately, without waiting for news from the other recruiters who had shortlisted him. This was, he felt, the right move.
“It felt like a homecoming,” he said.
When asked why former employees were being rehired, an Airbnb spokesperson told CNA Insider: “As the business environment and our needs evolve over time, we will continue to seek to attract, develop and retain local talent, including welcoming our former students. “
When he got the job a second time, Daniel realized how unprepared he was and, by his own admission, how thankless he was when he had just finished an airline job. Back then, he had dreaded office hours.
“I had many complaints and many rights of my own,” he said.
His reduction taught him growth and self-esteem; how to get up and improve.
Today, he is confident of doing his job better, with his best people skills. He’s also picking up on things much faster now and being more attentive, he says.
After the last seven months turned out to be nothing that he had planned, he knows it would have been easy to wallow in self-pity. But he realized that he was “definitely not alone.”
There is so much help that can be offered, if you are willing to accept it.
“With all the grants you can get and the free online courses you can take, there are plenty of platforms for you to find your next position or better understand yourself.”
In the end, he survived his “somersault”. “It became a journey of learning, personal growth, self-love; (It’s) about recovering and improving, ”he said.
This CNA Insider story was made in collaboration with Gov.sg. For more jobs and training opportunities, visit https://go.gov.sg/jobsgohere-cnai
