'Larping in this economy': Singapore graduate says coursemates are exaggerating their credentials on LinkedIn amid tough job market
SINGAPORE: A Singapore graduate has called out his coursemates for labelling themselves startup founders and hedge fund traders on LinkedIn, despite apparently having little more than school projects and personal investments to show for it. On Tuesday (Oct 13), the graduate shared on the r/asksg subreddit that he had finished his studies at one of Singapore's Big Three universities this year and…
A Singapore graduate has expressed concern over his coursemates falsely claiming startup founder and hedge fund trader titles on their LinkedIn profiles, despite lacking substantial professional experience. This issue surfaced as the graduate shared his recent LinkedIn account creation on r/asksg subreddit, seeking job opportunities. Among the exaggerated titles were claims of being Harvard graduates, simply due to completing an online course.
The graduate's post comes amid a growing trend of fresh graduates facing increased competition in the job market. In 2025, the employment rate for new graduates dropped from 87.5% in 2022 to 74.4%. This prompted the graduate to question whether the severe job market pressure had led some individuals to invent credentials to attract recruiters' attention.
Commenters on the platform offered mixed reactions, with some arguing that this behavior was not new and merely a strategic move. Others suggested that “fake it till you make it” was a viable tactic in Singapore's competitive environment. However, several users advised the graduate to focus on his own job search, rather than policing his peers' LinkedIn entries.
Written by urgent.news from The Independent Singapore's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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