(TL:DR at the end)

Matagal na ako nagta-try maghanap ng freelance works sa Upwork and OLJ before, but to no avail. Recently lang, naisipan ko ulit mag apply through OLJ, this specific job post was looking for a customer service rep for their start-up interior design and renovation business in Singapore.

Ako naman – being a newly licensed civil engineer (na nawalan na agad ng gana maghanap ng work in my field dahil sa kakarampot na pasweldo sa Pinas) and having a 6-month experience sa BPO, but zero experience with VA, freelance, or any remote work – nag apply agad. Bali may Whatsapp business number sa job post na doon isesend ang CV. Later that day, nag respond naman, and nagtanong ng typical interview questions thru chat. I was then redirected to the director in a separate Whatsapp number, by which another set of questions na naman tinanong, and take note, thru chat lang din. At the end lang sya nag request ng voice recording asking me to say anything.

Lo and behold, I was hired, right there and then. Sa loob-loob ko, "ganon lang kadali?", "wala bang in-video interview?" Kinabukasan, a contract was curated already. And the pay, good Lord [600 SGD a month, roughly Php25-26k], for a job that only requires me to reach out [thru call] to homeowners na nag visit sa office nila for renovation services and take down essential information, 3 hrs a day, flexible time pa, I can't even believe I was given this opportunity nang ganun lang kadali. Heaven-sent sya para sakin since part-time lang din hinahanap ko since I'm about to start gradschool as a full-time student this August, so this is a perfect way to spend my free time.

I had doubts of course, but then I was given their social media profiles, LinkedIn profile, and even their registration from an accreditation board from Singapore na nilook-up ko pa online and verified legitimate talaga.

My question lang is, as a first-time freelancer, are situations like this normal? From what I always hear kasi, sobrang tight ng competition sa larangan na to, tsaka lang magiging madali paghanap ng clients if you have proven experience na. Did I just got really lucky?

TL:DR I'm a first-time freelancer and a Singaporean client hired me thru a chat-based interview only. Am I lucky?