“The pandemic has crushed my career as a content writer. However, I’m grateful for the lessons learned.”
I have just resigned from my previous job since I am going to get married this May. Personally, the idea of being on unemployment is what scares me the most as a grown-up, it’s the only way I earn a living. I know that it should not necessarily be the only way, but I have found comfort in working and having my hard work pay off.
I used to be a full-time content writer at a budding team under a start-up company. We wrote a lot about current trends in tourism and some tips and tutorials which give insights to travellers around the world. Our target audience was those who love to go seek an adventure but have problems absorbing information related to their desired tourist destination due to their low proficiency in English.
We mostly researched towns altogether with their popular local attractions, recommended places to stay, eat, and shop, as well as some interesting backstory each destination got to be presented in our writing. To be honest, it appeared mundane to write articles every day just like that, but I truly loved my job and enjoyed my role as it helped me get endless inspiration–besides, I am happy to share my ideas or important pieces of information to others.
Unfortunately, our project had to meet the dead-end due to the pandemic. It was totally heartbreaking for me as the project was discontinued when I was finally getting more used to writing. I could also finally shape my routine at home around my work hours, but it abruptly stopped just like that.
Later on, I took a career break and helped with a company running a pest control business where my mom’s friend works at. It was totally different from the previous job I had, and it was my first work experience working in another field of job other than writing and teaching (because I have a pedagogy background).
Even if I just helped around with the administration, I actually enjoyed the job as it let me loosen up a bit. I often met clients with diverse backgrounds and characters which somehow improved the way I communicate with people. Surveying our potential customers also gave me a chance to explore new places and meet new faces.
However, I knew that in the end, writing and educating are my callings, so I decided to pursue a career in writing and get back to it. I still have no luck in finding a proper company which would hire me–competition has been harder these days since the pandemic hit–, but I can secure a part-time job writing for a news outlet and some freelance work. I also tutor high-schoolers to prepare for final exams.
Until last week, online talent recruitment and career discovery platform namely Glints sent one of their team to reach out to me for a job opening at a Singapore startup company based in Jakarta. I don’t want to get my hopes high, but I definitely won’t miss this chance which comes to me in its own way.
I did an interview with Glints’ team and was recommended to move toward the next step of the recruitment process, which is the interview with the user. I’ll write about the position offered and how my experience fits that role in the next article.
