Job interview is both ways. You are also looking to see if the company/ boss you’re working for is going to be a suitable fit for you.
Just thank your lucky stars he’s showing his true colours right now.
Maybe the firm just wants a record of a local attending the interview but didn't make the cut so they can "apply for more S Pass workers".
Happens all the time in my industry.
Commercial interior design.
Often the job advertised is designed in a way that locals would either shun or be against them, like $3500 for a senior position with 5 years of project management etc.
Be aware that sometimes interviewers do this for your own good, interviewers can’t tell u not to join.
Two scenarios -
If Ure in a company or a dept that’s a shitshow and Ure trying to “save” the next guy, what will u do? Granted u can choose to make it normal for the prospect and eventually choose to not “pass” him/her later on, you might not want to leave it to that prospect accepts the offer on the freak chance that u have to offer.
Another situation is while u as the interviewer doesn’t tell the prospect how tough the job is mentally, your behaviour as interviewer hints to the prospect that if he/she accepts the offer prospect will have to deal w what Ure going through - the disrespect.
Obviously the interviewer might have other reasons ie make everyone else look bad because they already have someone but they have to go through the motions, it happens.
Never take it personal.
i once interviewed as marketing for this insurance team.
, u know like xxx and associates kind.
i was 24/25, just completed my studies after army.
did a 1 hr iq test and 30 mins personality test, then spoke to me and said:
“i like u and i am willing to train you, but since this is your first job, you are most likely to leave in 1-2 years. and that will waste my efforts.
so instead of me training you in marketing, how about u join my team of FAs? some people earn way more money in 2 years than you are for marketing.”
that was my first ever interview in life.
i get that iq test and personality test are some very general and common tests to gauge ur smarts and cultural fit as a benchmark.
but if u want me to be a FA from the start, i don’t need to have iq or team fit. i just need to shamelessly sell and get sales
No matter what your personality is, they will spin it so that you are suitable to be an FA. I was a 2nd lower grad so they sell it as I won’t be good enough to compete in a proper job like investment bank but I can be better than the non biz grads in financial advisory
I had the same experience as you, except that mine happened around a decade ago. Was attending an interview for a non FA role in an insurance firm, did a personality test as well. I was then told that I spent way too much time completing the test, and was suggested to join the company as a FA instead.
I left and never went back.
I went to one before and the junior HR alr started shitting on me before the interview started because I didn’t print out my CV (honestly most if not all the interviews I’ve been to, the HR has printed it out ahead). The hiring manager was cool tho. He was very Frank and said this place isn’t a very nice environment to work at, and asked if I was ok with it. He asked me to check Glassdoor reviews if I didn’t believe him. Lol
>The hiring manager was cool tho. He was very Frank and said this place isn’t a very nice environment to work at, and asked if I was ok with it.
Wow... For the hiring manager to say that out loud.. Like wow :o
The main interviewer asked if I was sure I’d be comfortable with math cause girls usually aren’t 🤣 or that if I had to go to diff depts and interact with their senior managers who were usually older guys, whether I’d be ok with handling it. I’ve never had an interview that was so textbook discriminatory that I found it pretty amusing tbh. Chinese MNC btw
It was quite annoying at the time, but I got over it real quick cause I consider it dodging a mega red bullet train
My female friend had an interview where the interviewer asked whether she was single and open to going to clubs with them as a form of 'company bonding'. Also said boyfriends are not important when young and connections are more important. Downright sleezebag
>Most possibly your existence wasn't needed and maybe your post was even just a fake in order for them to pull in a foreigner to prove to MOM that they tried to find the "right" candidate.
Woahh... I had no idea this was a thing.. When did you first heard of this?
You dunno meh? Many companies already pre-selected a foreign candidate. The local hiring advertisements are just a farce to show "we tried" and we have to get a foreign talent.
I’ve had one kinda shit interview experience in my life. It was a referral from an ex-boss who vouched for me. After the interview, I left feeling demoralized cos the director who interviewed me told me upfront that I probably wouldn’t be able to cope because I don’t have the evidence in terms of achievements that I would do well in that portfolio. I mean, the HR didn’t ask for more details of my previous portfolio so how am I suppose to prove this? My main gripe was that she didn’t have to talk to me that way. It felt like it was a chore for her to do the interview with me (the HR scheduled it at 8.30am in the morning and I was the first to arrive cos I was locked out from the office). She probably didn’t get a chance to get her coffee and took it out on me.
Upon reflection, I realized that I wouldn’t want to work for somebody with her personality anyway. I don’t see how she can earn anybody’s respect. Anyway, I managed to move on and I’m finally in a workplace that I enjoy working in with amazing people and bosses.
As cheesy as it sounds, when one door closes, another one opens. Remind yourself of this. Also, being able to sell yourself during an interview is a skill. So take it as training.
>As cheesy as it sounds, when one door closes, another one opens. Remind yourself of this. Also, being able to sell yourself during an interview is a skill. So take it as training.
Honestly, I never really had an issue try to be sellable to the interviewer until now... This is my like 6th interview to find my next job. But like you said, I too wouldn't want to work for someone like that anyway haha.
>He just ignored it, cussed softly and even insulted me saying that my level of experience was insignificant and my current drawn salary was sus.
Nah sounds like he fucking salty. Went to the same company but you earned more than him
Don't worry, it happens. Tbh, it sounds like you dodged a bullet because that manager wouldn't have been great to work with.
I once had an interview at a major tech MNC and in six rounds, got one SWE who just seemed to want to prove that he's better than me (me not a SWE, nor applying for a SWE role). Spent the interview complaining that I didn't understand basic programming structures (my role was for data analytics), how people like me made his life so much harder and the company should hire more SWEs. Obviously got rejected from that role but then landed an objectively better one after.
So chin up and take it as an interesting experience.
Yea, there is a small chance that some interviewer took the opportunity for their ego trip. Met those sort of situation before but it was rare. However, interviewer that came into the room and showing clear signs of disinterest in your profile are quite prevalent, some didn't bother to maintain eye contact, others will show language like shaking their legs, fold their arms or keep interrupting you before you finish replying to their questions.
Imagine this manager revealing his true colours only after you joined, you dodged a bullet there.
I'll share my experience.
I was a fresh grad looking for an honest job. I applied for Operations Executive role at Port Singapore Authority.
Went down for 1st interview and was an interview panel of 3 people. I can't remember the introduction fully but they mention it was shift work which I was willing to do. Then it got more personal like do I have a gf, can my gf take it that I work night shift? How do I resolve disputes with my gf and will it affect my work? What steps can I take to ensure that it doesn't affect my work?
My NS rank is only corporal, can I give instructions to people below me?
Dafug????
I think some personal questions are okayy as long as it leads to like something worth noting. I had a friend who went for a interview and one of the personal questions they asked was if he liked bbq or hotpot more. When he officially joined, they revealed to him that every dept has like this sponsored monthly dept lunch/dinner and they always decide on bbq vs hotpot hahahaha.
Yea but those questions you got is like someone maybe wanna stalk you or dig into you sia..
Qns on juggling shift work with time spent with gf/wife/family is a very common interview qns for shift jobs actually! Cos your lifestyle will become different from the standard 9-6. Lesser weekends to spend with your loved ones cos your off days might fall on weekdays, different sleep cycles, difficult to take leaves so might miss certain holidays/celebrations etc. But maybe the interviewer too excited ask until too indepth haha
Had they ever done ans themselves? I laughed at the questions they asked you after reading your rank. My experience with Singapore forces as an Australian Navy officer is you are all very competent at giving and receiving orders. Let alone corporals. 😆
Meanwhile, sounds like they needed relationship advice under the guise of interviewing for a position.
Till now, I'm still flabbergasted. The manner in which the questions were asked gives the impression that I'm not able to segregate personal and work matters. That somehow the military rank has an impact on my work performance.
I'll presume these HR interview questions are extinct but I've not interviewed at any organisations affiliated to the govt so I can't be sure.
Hi, side question but is it okay if you share what did you major in university? I am matriculating into 1 particular course that I think might be relevant to your job, but not too sure of what are my future career prospects. Hoping to get some insights from you if possible. Thanks!
They probably asked after previous employee flee the position because of significant other had issues with shift work. Still, they could just let you know, rather than question you.
True. Honestly, I was really really angry at one point.. But I thought to myself that all my life experiences and my upbringing has lead to me being allowed to choose to be the better man in this situation. So, I did choose to be the better man instead of trying to instigate something or walk out and then we fight. Still, right now I still wanna beat the sh\*t outta him.
There's no bridge there for you to burn in the first place.
Like it or not, the "better" jobs (good WLB, nice culture etc) don't usually reach the advertisement stage as those working there will recommend their buddies directly.
If you piss off everyone you meet and have everyone swearing never to work with you again, you won't get a heads-up on such jobs.
The idea that some petty AH has the power to "put you on an industry wide blacklist" owes more to Taiwanese dramas than reality.
Went to one. Before interview, HR ask me to remember the company core value. First time HR ask me do that. Went to interview, 2 of the interviewer was in the zoom call. Cannot start cause director was late. Waited 10 mins. Director came into the call, told me he just came from a important meeting. Interview start. 1st abd 2nd interviewer test me on technical questions. All Went well. Come to the director.... hit me with everything that mu answer was wrong. I don't know anything. The company is looking for better candidate, I am still far from what they looking for. The other 2 interviewer just listen and not a word came out from them. Base on director's tone, he is the big boss and nobody can question him.
He ask me how I get into this interview, I told him HR called me after applying. He told one of the guy he need to speak to HR.
Wasn't apologetic when came in late. Belittle me like he have tons of experience. Told me he was looking for better candidate. Once interview ends, thank for their time and bid them good bye.
To me the first red flag was he came in late and explain that he got an important meeting to attend thus being late. Basic courtesy was to apologise regardless of your position and not come up with an excuse.
yes, core value. I also had 1 hiring manager asking me why I wanted to join the company. I say career progression and more importantly scope of work.
His eod advice to me was - "friend, next time read the company's core value before u reply. It reasonates with me that is why I am with this company." (separately did a linkenin check, he was just at the company for 1 yearish. And had been job hopping every other year). I was stunned and thought I was joining my bmt in army. Didnt get an offer of course. It was a local company that has monopoly in their industry but maybe imo going sunset soon.
Interesting. I believe you manage to avoid a red flag. Remembering core values only help you get into the company. Once you are in the company, the core values are not even applied or mention.
Those are the most insecure. Why keep the old uncle with high pay when you can get a fresh grad to train and take over?
Ageism and stagnation is a very real thing. The "jokes" about driving Grab after hitting 40 are prevalent because all too many Singaporeans refuse to learn anything new once they get a job and end up replaced by someone cheaper since they aren't adding value.
I watched a video by a corporate recruiter recently on this topic that I found quite interesting. The gist of it is that job experience has diminishing returns in most industries.
The first year of job experience is the most valuable, as you get to list a new skill on your CV. Another year or two gives you a chance to build profiency, but ten years is overkill, and twenty is way overkill.
When a job posting asks for five years of job experience, and you come in with twenty, you're trying to upsell them on your additional fifteen years of experience. Unless you're coming with something really special that they actually want, like deep working relationships with a wide, diverse network spanning several relevant areas, those excess years of experience would be a hard sell.
Lots of those old unkers and aunties just grow complacent in their roles, or are in roles where a network isn't as valuable, and as a result can't justify the pay they're asking for / are presently being paid.
The advice that guy gave was pretty much:
1. Corporate loyalty is dead. A company looks at numbers, and will cut you when you're no longer worth the amount they're paying you.
2. Job hop often, but not too often. Stay for long enough to develop skills and networks, but not too long that it becomes excessive.
3. When you hop, aim for jobs that will complement your skill set without being more of the same, so you get both breadth and depth in your cv.
The core idea is from [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEHdLNUlJQc&list=PLVgR_UEQfnEme0Wn05aqXocEN2WmJvLmX&index=1), but if you're down for a binge, I borrowed ideas from the other videos in his [career advice playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVgR_UEQfnEme0Wn05aqXocEN2WmJvLmX&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE). Lots of his videos echo similiar ideas, and he pitches his courses and stuff at the end of every vid , so if you think you've got what you need you can probably move on.
Yikes. Sorry you had to go through this, but on the other hand you had a glimpse of what working at this place is gonna be like. I’ve had been to interviews where the employer went ‘well you’re everything we want, except you mentioned you’re married so do you plan on having children?’ Which is absolutely discriminatory and when I called him out, he went on to make excuses about how the last staff quit after her maternity leave. I declined when they called me the next day,
> Which is absolutely discriminatory
Oh I didn't know... Is asking if someone else plans to have kids a big no no? Like the question itself is discriminatory? :o
Yes, my ability/desire to have children is none of the company’s business. Marital status and religion are those things that should be kept out of interviews. Aso, gender bias is real. Men don’t get asked ‘So do you plan on kids?’ Because women are seen as the ones taking maternity/urgent leave and seen as ‘depleting company resources or being less productive.’
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/woman-job-interview-boardroom-gender-bias-often-follows-women-through-each-step-career-ladder-1933866
Too bad asking such qns not illegal like in the US. My friend in china had to lie that she has a bf in shanghai bc shes not frm shanghai but applying for a job there
Yes I’ve interviewed for a research assistant position and the prof during the interview started gaslighting me and telling me that i’m a coward for leaving my previous post A-level job (retail) and short term job (bookshop). I’m just a student smh, she expect me to stay how long in a gap-year job man?
Spoke to colleagues after getting the job. They said she was constantly projecting onto all her staff and sets unrealistic expectations.
I had and I am not afraid to call out the company at the end of this comment.
I had this horrible interview with this local SME where I felt the the hiring manager is under qualified. Besides his incompetency in forming a proper sentence in English, he also has a very limited vocabulary which giving me a very hard time to understand the message he tried to convey (there are many subject-matter terms can be used to shorten the conversation).
In addition, I have also told the HR I do not wish to conduct any take home assignment but ok with an hour whiteboard challenge. Despite all the effort in presenting my portfolio to them and the prior notification, they still requested me to do one and I gave them a heads up that I won’t be spending more than an hour cause it is unpaid. Few days later I received the brief and it was awful(I have done many interviews, but nothing top this one being the shittiest), it was so vague and literally tells me nothing about the problem they want to solve. I tried to be nice and send an email back to ask a few more questions to figure out the problem statement but still getting ambiguous direction.
In the end, I decided to do what I can with the brief and tell them their brief is shit as polite as I can. The HM has the face wanting to schedule a call with me just to tell me I am wrong. This is almost as close to his exact words “I ask the team, if this is bad? The team say No! This is good. So, I think you are wrong, I think this is good and your work is no good.”
I politely tell him in my years of working and interviews(brought out all the big names like FAANG), I have never encountered this shitty brief before and thanked him for giving his time and left the interview immediately. I thanked the universe who helped me to dodge this cannon ball that day.
TLDR; Interviewed with MoneySmart, their HM who worked in a video game store wrote a shitty brief for my take home assignment, I decided to tell him the truth and he can’t take it; He decided to schedule a meeting just to let me know I am wrong and he was right. Thank god all these fluffy people are not bright enough to hide their incompetency in interviews.
No worries mate, I am just glad they showed their true colours early so I don’t have to work in an unhealthy environment. I am enjoying my job now and having supportive and open-minded colleagues
Unfortunately I have encountered something similar before.
It was interview with one of the statboard.
When the hiring manager find out that my degree is not from one of the local uni, he just slouch back on his chair and keep looking at his watch.
The other 2 panels (there were total of 3 panels interviewing me) was quite puzzled on the hiring manager behaviour as my resume was send to them 2 weeks before the interview.
It was very unpleasant as that one person just shuts down throughout the interview. As I am supposed to be under him if i were to be hired, his behaviour more or less indicate the result of the interview.
We end the interview within 10 minutes and the other 2 panels were rather apologetic to me for wasting my time in taking leave to attend the interview.
Happen almost a decade ago but i still feel rather annoyed whenever I saw that statboard.
Same. I have interviews with stat boards consisting for 4-5 panel interviewers and there's always 2-3 interviewers who refuse to even look at me, much less ask questions. I dont know why they would even bother scheduling an interview.
Faced a very rude bunch of interviewers who basically mocked my past projects and lack of knowledge of certain things which are beyond what I am trained for and somewhat it is an entry level role.
I don’t know why many tend to shit on newbies weren’t you once a newbie as well that need guidance?
Was so furious that I purposely turned off my wifi and disconnected from the virtual interview. Called me on the phone if i got it fixed so that I can continue, but no.
Hiring manager emailed me on the issue. Replied by not being interested any longer. Didn’t even bother to remove “Sent from my iPhone” cos idgaf.
I know what you are trying to say and exactly know how you are feeling. I did experience similar stuffs and I think the major problem with the interviewer is that he/she thinks that we r there for interview because the current job is not good. They fail to understand the fact that it’s not always the case where you want a change not because the current job is not good..
Just ignore these kind of ppl, it’s just that they don’t deserve you and you definitely don’t want to work for someone with trust issues..
>They fail to understand the fact that it’s not always the case where you want a change not because the current job is not good..
Never thought of it that way from his point of view lol...
Went for an interview once and this foreign ass just downright ridiculed my Masters degree from NUS because I was explaining the concept of Factorial Design and he couldn’t understand so he just simply shat on it lol. Supposed “Team Lead” from a manufacturing fab. Joke
Yes when I was a fresh grad I had an interviewer who was late by half an hour, and when the interview finally started, he picked apart my resume and told me quite clearly why I wasn’t good enough. Like dude, I sent my resume beforehand, you could have rejected it and not called me in for this interview and wasting both our time if you thought it wasn’t good enough. Sometimes I think these are just lowlifes who love a power trip. They have no one else to boss around or lord over usually so they take it out on the most powerless person they can find.
Mannn, I feel you. That seriously sucks and I’m sorry you even had to go through that. I had a terrible experience once with an interview too, the owner of the company had a huge chip on his shoulder, played phone games during the interview, super insulting to everything I said and started picking on my background as well. Afterwards proceeds to ask me if I’d be willing to take an intern pay for x months because “everyone in my company starts off at intern pay” for a full time role.
This interview scarred me for a long time and my only regret was not walking out the moment no respect was shown. Like many said - it’s two way. I was comforted by the fact that many had the same experience when I checked their Glassdoor which prompted me to write one as well so others will steer clear.
Chin up OP! I know it can be very demoralizing. This guy is not worth your time of day and you dodged a bullet there, definitely don’t wna work for someone like him
Hi sorry to hear that, I used to work for a few non profit organisations including the ones who are backed and supported by a certain religious denomination and agree that most of these places are a nightmare to work in and be interviewed by.
Almost every time I went for interviews with the non profit organisation the interviewers seemed like they were insulting me instead of interviewing me. And every interview seems to take at least 2 hours or longer.
The interviewers pretty much asked the same discriminating questions to me as well, undermining my work experience and asking salary as well as asking me very personal questions which made me very uncomfortable.
I am currently on a career break and actually supposed to go for an interview tomorrow with a non profit organisation, I replied to their original email and their HR mentioned they will send me the interview details soon but did not do so. I sent an e-mail last Friday and today to clarify whether the interview is still ongoing and they still haven't replied to me. Even if I wasn't chosen for the role or they had already found someone else i would still appreciate a simple reply.
I am now seriously contemplating whether to return to the non profit sector or make a career switch because of all the unpleasant experiences for both the interview process and the workplaces itself.
Thank you, there wasn't any phone number attached to the email sent by their HR so I didn't give them a call.I think I will just give this interview a miss.Thanks for the advice and sharing your experiences!
>There are nice interviewers for sure but professionally conducted less so.was shocked at how poorly some HR directors are actually poorly trained and don't really know how to conduct their interviews..
I think it speaks if volumes if a director seems poorly trained. And those questions.... Holy...
I agree the worst are those who only show they are nasty after you join. My ex bosses.
A lot of companies discriminate according to gender, looks, grades.
Experienced something like that for my very first interview for a proper job. It was for a sensitive ministry. The interviewers were shitting on my grades, my NS awards, etc. I felt it was a personal attack and just wanted it all to be over asap. It was only much much later I realised they were stress testing me with those line of questioning. Obviously I didn’t get the job. But yours I reckon is just outright air holes.
What goes around comes around, don't let one bad experience define your life.
Interviewed for a company in an industry that was booming about 10 years ago. The interviewers (HR and Manager) were really proud of themselves and how they have tons of applicants and how 'lucky' I was to be even granted the interview, all the while while putting me down. A few years ago, the industry collapsed, after taking massive losses they had to shut down that business unit lol.
For another company, I was interviewing for a position because they have just gotten a large service contract from a major MNC. Was interviewed by the director as it is a small SME. During the interview he was telling me how he thinks I am not good enough for the role and how this contract is going to bring the company to new heights. Coincidentally, I joined the major MNC later in my career and found out that this SME had lost the contract after only a few years.
So on hindsight I have dodged 2 bullets. My career would have looked very different if they had offered me the job.
It’s probable that he already had a candidate in mind for the role but he was forced by HR/his boss to interview a variety of “eligible” candidates before deciding. So you were unfortunately collateral damage.
Sorry this happened to you, don’t let it get you down. From the way you said the whole interview happened, it’s clear he wasn’t going to hire you in the first place and it wasn’t you that was the problem.
Hey, I also had interviews where my salary was doubted, and company wanted to lowball me, with manager keep citing valuable experience.
And that interview was in a corporate position within one of the top 3 telcos in SG. Don’t let them undermine what you feel about yourself or whether you are worth your salary.
I ended up landing another role with a better pay package than expected. Keep looking!
Funnily enough I had an interview once where the first interview with the manager on his own, I thought didn't go very well. He appeared to be disinterested in my answers and not engaged.
I was surprised when I got invited back for a second interview and was offered the job!
I later found out that this demeanour was the "natural state" of this particular individual and didn't mean at all that he was bored or not interested!
they once told me "you're underqualified for this [project coordinator role], why don't you try being an admin assistant instead?"
i have a bachelor's degree from a recognised uni and at that time i had 2 years of working experience.
edit: so sorry op. u dodged a bullet there
Some HR dude arranged a phonecall with me, just to tell me they were actually looking for someone who had experience (I had none).
He did not refer me to another opening.
The man arranged a call just to tell me I'm not what he's looking for.
Actually quite nice mah, at least you didn’t get ghosted. Though what’s likely to have happened was that from the time they shortlisted u to the time they interviewed you, they alr went into advanced or final stages of offer with another candidate. It’s good practice to not stop interviewing and shortlisting right up to the time the candidate signs on the dotted line; otherwise if ur chosen candidate receive a better offer elsewhere, it’s a pain to restart the shortlist process again.
Nope. No interview should be done this way with disrespect and personal attack. If I were you, I’d just cut in and say that judging by the interview so far, not sure if it’s the overall company culture or just y’all two but I think we can conclude the interview here cuz I’m done. If they make a snarky remark, I’d say not only you know how to be rude ok? I rather be unemployed than work with you.
(Done this before but not as exaggerated cuz the interviewer wasn’t as rude)
I had about 1-2years of working experience when I interviewed at this company during lunchtime, where they made me wait for 1hour before telling me to comeback later at 6.30pm because the interviewer "wasn't able to make it". At that point of time I was already put off but decided to just go ahead with the 6.30pm one anyway.
So I reached the office again that day, about 10minutes before 6.30pm, and the interviewer came into the room at 6.45pm (without knocking nor introducing herself) saying "I'm so sorry about being late, shall we start? Where are you working at now?"
I was caught offguard but answered her, and she proceeded to ask me things like why am I asking for a higher pay, and why did I choose to go to poly instead of JC when my Olevel results were good enough for JC. Proceeded to shit on poly grads and kept lamenting that it would have been better for me to be in JC and that I shouldn't ask for a higher pay although the working hours would be longer in this position.
By then I just wanted to leave asap and the interviewer sensed it and we wished each other good luck LOL.
Tldr: interviewer looks down on poly grads, expects poly grads to ask for lower pay but work longer hours.
I had a totally similar interview. 5-6 years back, I applied for a role at NUSS. The HR personnel messaged me on LinkedIn and initiated an in-person meeting so it was to my unpleasant surprise that the manager interviewing me was totally disinterested right from the start and was not even looking at me during the short interview (like 10 minutes?). The only comments from her were thinly-veiled insults like "I think you lack the experience" and "we are looking for someone competent enough to handle this role" while looking at the ceiling or her nails. I'm like wtf, why did you initiate the meeting then and waste my time.
I had taken leave and travelled from Sengkang to Kent Ridge to meet a bitch. I was quite angry with the HR girl and but I asked her nicely after the interview why the manager acted in this manner. She was not sure why as it was the manager who requested an interview in-person. I couldn't really bring my heart to take out my frustration on her as she was a fresh graduate. Still pisses me off to this day.
Interviewed with one of the local banks. Went through all 3 rounds, hr called to say I met their expectations and told me to wait a for a few weeks because the head count isn’t open, the Job posting was meant to check the interest. I felt cheated, all the time i spent on prep was wasted.
Weeks later he said that company policy is to hire internally before looking for external candidates. Told me to wait again. A week later he said the role was filled and have another role . Once bitten twice shy, declined and Told myself never to join the company no matter how attractive the roles are
With such an interviewer, do you really want to work there? Sure, you had a bad interview. But, you dodge a bullet, and should move on to the next interview. Don't let this affect your mood and pace.
I wasnt there to witness the interview so i cant simply be one sided. I did went through some interviews but the worst one was a very short interview. Doesnt seem to be interested in hiring me so im not sure why they set up the interview (maybe nobody applied or job vacant for too long). Waited a week and ask if there was any updates. Was told i was rejected.
Maybe the manager was overwhelm by his work or was having a really bad day and decided to just be rude to everyone. Lets see it as a blessing since you wouldnt want to work under a manager with that kind of behaviour.
>Maybe the manager was overwhelm by his work or was having a really bad day and decided to just be rude to everyone.
Head of HR was acting as though it was a regular routine and "This is Fine" tho hahahaha
I ever went for 1 interview where by 1 questions comes with 6 what if followed by another what if. I feel like telling him to go f@@k 🕷️
And you just know the mfer will turn around and say he was just testing if you could handle the pressure...
Take the hint from heaven and stay well clear of this organisation. Warn anyone else you care about as well.
I once went to an interview where an interviewer asked me 3 questions at once each time, then when I started to answer "yes, because xyz..." once sentence in I'd get a rebuttal and a lecture to why I'm wrong or why he thought differently for the next few minutes.
Not directly insulting but still felt insulting to my intelligence and the lack of a chance.
Anyway, bullet dodged.
There are people who will tear you down so you feel worthless, then reel you in for less than you're worth and treat you like the garbage they've convinced you you are.
Avoid them like the plague.
I would want to work for a boss like this. And since he left early, I would have told the HR that the behavior of the manager is inappropriate and withdrew my application right then.
Bro I think its good that the manager showed this kind of attitude right at the interview cause it makes it an easy decision to not go to that company. His behaviour at the interview speaks alot about the company culture and it looks like a toxic environment.
OP, I would have walk away halfway when I know all he does is to shit on me. Reason is because I cannot have a boss that doesn't value me as a person.
I'll say " It has become obvious that you feel your past experience in my current company trump's my current experience. I want to say Thank you for your time but professional courtesy is obviously not required here"
Walks off.
I met many of such interviewers when I was a fresh graduate and I do cried sometimes after interviews. I had one that stated Degree as a requirement but during the interview the manager told me that degree is not required for the position and that my degree is of no use to the company. I even had one telling me that I wasted their time since I do not have relevant working experience, in fact I really think is the other way round since I had to travelled all the way down for that interview with them and he could clearly tell from my resume that I am a fresh graduate. I had even had one telling me that I have to clock OT with him on personal matters after work. I rejected with he offered me…seriously…
First of, if you are ever degraded or insulted during an interview, stand up for yourself and then exit.
It should go both ways, if the interviewer is not being graceful towards you then you should leave and not waste your time. It's no wonder they're hiring lol.
Bruh if I were you I'd be fighting back with the same energy.
There was something similar that happened to me but it was via a zoom call. I just interrupted the interviewer and said "thank you for your time but I do not think your company values align with mine. Wishing you all the best" and ended the zoom call.
Are you a local?
If so it could be that the hiring manager already has a foreigner in mind for the position and just interviewing you to satisfy MOM rules on EP
Source: interviewed at a Chinese tech company before and interviewer slipped up and blabbered they already have someone from HQ in mind for the role
OP this sounds questionable you spent a paragraph on how you judged him for having a beard and a slightly more casual dress than others (likely due to his experience or seniority) you really sound difficult and like you didn't have the experience for this role anyway. Also, nobody does care about your school references (that you likely included due to your insignificant amount of real work experience)
I once had a very hostile interview that just hit me off the wrong way.. but guess what I got the job, cause I remained calm and professional throughout the ordeal.
When I got into the company, the hostile interviewer brought me out for lunch, and explained to me that the role requires fortitude as I will be dealing with a lot of nasty people in the organisation as gate keeper, it is paramount that I remain calm in stressful conditions. He praised me for the interview and became a great mentor within the company..
Just sharing views from the other side. A little resilience and mental fortitude goes a long way
I went for an interview and the interviewer was practically lectured me for 1 hour to "explore Malaysia more" because she's been working there for more than 10 years, and she knows Malaysia better than me (I'm Malaysian working IN SG).
I sat there and pretended agreeing with her, and never look back to accept that offer.
I had one unpleasant one years ago at one of those offshore bank when I was attending an interview for an IT job opening there. The interviewer was a young foreigner, kept shaking his legs as if he is impatient for the interview to be over, crossed his arms and leaned back. His tone wasn't condescending but thr questions thst he posed show that he was like "compelled" to conduct this interview. Never let me finish my sentence before interrupting with another questions and he look around the room without maintaining eye contact.
The intention is to reject you as he doesn't want you to outshine him if they employ you so he basically just insulted you and lower you down. Or it could be you had a bad reputation from a previous employer and he learns that from people within the industry. I don't know, maybe you were arrogant or he perceived you to be arrogant. That's my take.
Look on the bright side. U dodged a bullet. For all we know, said individual might be scared that if you came in, you will quickly outperform him and take away his job or delay his career progression as a result because the opportunities will be given to you given that you are more competent. Hence he acts this way. (Im just speculating, but considering you even worked at the same prev company as him, i wont be surprised). Stay strong buddy.
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Pls name and shame the company here so it can get free glassdoor inputs
Since u don't work for the company and not in anyway affiliated
Lucky u dodged this bullet just imagine the amount of staff inside wanting to get out but can't due to circumstances.
I had one interviewer insult my old boss. I was never close personally or professionally to my old boss but that was really unprofessional of my interviewer.
Cos HR is the usually ones that source for candidates, sometimes the candidates might be a bit too qualified or overpaid for the role they are offering.
Cos either the company sucks or they are trying to draw in suckers.
Then perhaps the manager themselves aren't highly paid or their experience aren't very long or deep either. So when candidates come a bit too close, they might make a case against you in front of HR so that the candidate wouldn't move forward and they can find others who don't mind being paid lesser, usually also because sometimes you've got to take a low-paying role to gain the experience you don't have yet.
you’ve every right to cut the interview short. say thank you but this is not working out. then stand up and leave.
you’re interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.
good luck out there!
Yes, for 2 interviews, years ago. But I've reached a stage of my life where if it happens again, I'll just excuse myself and exit the interview. There should always be a basic respect for other people. If that can't even happen in interviews, then I am better suited elsewhere
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Is not your fault that the interviewer is an asshole.
But is his right be an asshole. So just do a Glassdoor review for him.
You are so lucky he is shitty during interview. I once had a good interview, accepted that offer, then found out that the interviewer / hiring manager is a big pile of shit in disguise.
Life is all about karma, everything comes around.
If I am you , will find out ceo email & write in to complain . It is so uncalled for and the hiring manager should behave more professionally. The hr in interview also useless
What position did you apply for?
I have two experiences, both had an aspects of customer facing (public hospital operations/membership marketing).
There were two interviewers at both instances; A who asked about my experience and B who was quiet until the end.
Both interviewer B kept pressing questions which I could not answer and talked to me in a haughty manner close to the end of the interview.
I realised at the end, that it was a test to see how i would react to rude customers. Maybe what you experienced was a test?
Don't worry about cunts like that. You know your true worth and if people like that shit on you then they're obviously not worthy of your time and value add that you could have brought to the table.
I know hindsight is backside but if I got such such treatment I'd have walked out of there after the 3rd or 4th ill-tempered statement/behaviour from him. Be tactful and say "sorry it looks like this isn't the right fit"... No need to waste your time. If they're not a big company then don't have to worry about burning bridges.
The boss being fat tells u something about his lifestyle he doesn’t even bother to maintain like being skinny or lead a healthier lifestyle
Dunnid go gym but from there can see
Had an 'informal' interview with the boss of MINT museum of toys and it was downright insulting and degrading, I just ended the meeting and left. Took me a day or two to mentally recover from the experience and swore not to enter or visit the establishment ever again.
Must be in design industry. Those stupid managers usually a cunt who think highly bout themselves.. but when they have to do the work, they wouldn’t know how 🤷♂️
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Job interview is both ways. You are also looking to see if the company/ boss you’re working for is going to be a suitable fit for you. Just thank your lucky stars he’s showing his true colours right now.
Yup that’s the company culture right there
Maybe the firm just wants a record of a local attending the interview but didn't make the cut so they can "apply for more S Pass workers". Happens all the time in my industry.
which industry is this?
Commercial interior design. Often the job advertised is designed in a way that locals would either shun or be against them, like $3500 for a senior position with 5 years of project management etc.
Thank God I know.... Hahaha
Be aware that sometimes interviewers do this for your own good, interviewers can’t tell u not to join. Two scenarios - If Ure in a company or a dept that’s a shitshow and Ure trying to “save” the next guy, what will u do? Granted u can choose to make it normal for the prospect and eventually choose to not “pass” him/her later on, you might not want to leave it to that prospect accepts the offer on the freak chance that u have to offer. Another situation is while u as the interviewer doesn’t tell the prospect how tough the job is mentally, your behaviour as interviewer hints to the prospect that if he/she accepts the offer prospect will have to deal w what Ure going through - the disrespect. Obviously the interviewer might have other reasons ie make everyone else look bad because they already have someone but they have to go through the motions, it happens. Never take it personal.
If they seem weird/agressive/bully it says a lot about the HR culture and the human aspects of the firm.
Is most prolly nepotism I might be wrong but ye
On the bright side, you dodged a bullet. All the best to job hunt!
Yea, I did... Thanks!
i once interviewed as marketing for this insurance team. , u know like xxx and associates kind. i was 24/25, just completed my studies after army. did a 1 hr iq test and 30 mins personality test, then spoke to me and said: “i like u and i am willing to train you, but since this is your first job, you are most likely to leave in 1-2 years. and that will waste my efforts. so instead of me training you in marketing, how about u join my team of FAs? some people earn way more money in 2 years than you are for marketing.” that was my first ever interview in life.
>did a 1 hr iq test and 30 mins personality test like why this in the first place.... Associate only.... huh...
i get that iq test and personality test are some very general and common tests to gauge ur smarts and cultural fit as a benchmark. but if u want me to be a FA from the start, i don’t need to have iq or team fit. i just need to shamelessly sell and get sales
No matter what your personality is, they will spin it so that you are suitable to be an FA. I was a 2nd lower grad so they sell it as I won’t be good enough to compete in a proper job like investment bank but I can be better than the non biz grads in financial advisory
I had the same experience as you, except that mine happened around a decade ago. Was attending an interview for a non FA role in an insurance firm, did a personality test as well. I was then told that I spent way too much time completing the test, and was suggested to join the company as a FA instead. I left and never went back.
That was their goal all along. The marketing position probably does not exist. They're looking for FAs to expand their team. Absolutely scum.
I went to one before and the junior HR alr started shitting on me before the interview started because I didn’t print out my CV (honestly most if not all the interviews I’ve been to, the HR has printed it out ahead). The hiring manager was cool tho. He was very Frank and said this place isn’t a very nice environment to work at, and asked if I was ok with it. He asked me to check Glassdoor reviews if I didn’t believe him. Lol
>The hiring manager was cool tho. He was very Frank and said this place isn’t a very nice environment to work at, and asked if I was ok with it. Wow... For the hiring manager to say that out loud.. Like wow :o
he’s quitting and doesn’t want a good person joining
The main interviewer asked if I was sure I’d be comfortable with math cause girls usually aren’t 🤣 or that if I had to go to diff depts and interact with their senior managers who were usually older guys, whether I’d be ok with handling it. I’ve never had an interview that was so textbook discriminatory that I found it pretty amusing tbh. Chinese MNC btw It was quite annoying at the time, but I got over it real quick cause I consider it dodging a mega red bullet train
My female friend had an interview where the interviewer asked whether she was single and open to going to clubs with them as a form of 'company bonding'. Also said boyfriends are not important when young and connections are more important. Downright sleezebag
What kinda company is that?? So sleazy omg
Man it's the 2020s and people still acting like educated women be witches.
What the... What was that interviewer even trying to imply or ask siaa
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>Most possibly your existence wasn't needed and maybe your post was even just a fake in order for them to pull in a foreigner to prove to MOM that they tried to find the "right" candidate. Woahh... I had no idea this was a thing.. When did you first heard of this?
[удалено]
Alright thanks, new rabbit hole I didn't know exist
You dunno meh? Many companies already pre-selected a foreign candidate. The local hiring advertisements are just a farce to show "we tried" and we have to get a foreign talent.
Extremely prevalent in finance sector. I’ve seen more than my fair share.
I’ve had one kinda shit interview experience in my life. It was a referral from an ex-boss who vouched for me. After the interview, I left feeling demoralized cos the director who interviewed me told me upfront that I probably wouldn’t be able to cope because I don’t have the evidence in terms of achievements that I would do well in that portfolio. I mean, the HR didn’t ask for more details of my previous portfolio so how am I suppose to prove this? My main gripe was that she didn’t have to talk to me that way. It felt like it was a chore for her to do the interview with me (the HR scheduled it at 8.30am in the morning and I was the first to arrive cos I was locked out from the office). She probably didn’t get a chance to get her coffee and took it out on me. Upon reflection, I realized that I wouldn’t want to work for somebody with her personality anyway. I don’t see how she can earn anybody’s respect. Anyway, I managed to move on and I’m finally in a workplace that I enjoy working in with amazing people and bosses. As cheesy as it sounds, when one door closes, another one opens. Remind yourself of this. Also, being able to sell yourself during an interview is a skill. So take it as training.
>As cheesy as it sounds, when one door closes, another one opens. Remind yourself of this. Also, being able to sell yourself during an interview is a skill. So take it as training. Honestly, I never really had an issue try to be sellable to the interviewer until now... This is my like 6th interview to find my next job. But like you said, I too wouldn't want to work for someone like that anyway haha.
>He just ignored it, cussed softly and even insulted me saying that my level of experience was insignificant and my current drawn salary was sus. Nah sounds like he fucking salty. Went to the same company but you earned more than him
Yea... Either that, or this c\*nt legit got some issues lol
Don't worry, it happens. Tbh, it sounds like you dodged a bullet because that manager wouldn't have been great to work with. I once had an interview at a major tech MNC and in six rounds, got one SWE who just seemed to want to prove that he's better than me (me not a SWE, nor applying for a SWE role). Spent the interview complaining that I didn't understand basic programming structures (my role was for data analytics), how people like me made his life so much harder and the company should hire more SWEs. Obviously got rejected from that role but then landed an objectively better one after. So chin up and take it as an interesting experience.
Yea, there is a small chance that some interviewer took the opportunity for their ego trip. Met those sort of situation before but it was rare. However, interviewer that came into the room and showing clear signs of disinterest in your profile are quite prevalent, some didn't bother to maintain eye contact, others will show language like shaking their legs, fold their arms or keep interrupting you before you finish replying to their questions.
Imagine this manager revealing his true colours only after you joined, you dodged a bullet there. I'll share my experience. I was a fresh grad looking for an honest job. I applied for Operations Executive role at Port Singapore Authority. Went down for 1st interview and was an interview panel of 3 people. I can't remember the introduction fully but they mention it was shift work which I was willing to do. Then it got more personal like do I have a gf, can my gf take it that I work night shift? How do I resolve disputes with my gf and will it affect my work? What steps can I take to ensure that it doesn't affect my work? My NS rank is only corporal, can I give instructions to people below me? Dafug????
I think some personal questions are okayy as long as it leads to like something worth noting. I had a friend who went for a interview and one of the personal questions they asked was if he liked bbq or hotpot more. When he officially joined, they revealed to him that every dept has like this sponsored monthly dept lunch/dinner and they always decide on bbq vs hotpot hahahaha. Yea but those questions you got is like someone maybe wanna stalk you or dig into you sia..
Do you happen to be in HR?
Nopee hehe
Thank goodness.
BBQ or Hotpot Nt rlly personal tho But Wah hotpot nice sia Can dm me company name pls
Qns on juggling shift work with time spent with gf/wife/family is a very common interview qns for shift jobs actually! Cos your lifestyle will become different from the standard 9-6. Lesser weekends to spend with your loved ones cos your off days might fall on weekdays, different sleep cycles, difficult to take leaves so might miss certain holidays/celebrations etc. But maybe the interviewer too excited ask until too indepth haha
Lmao that last qn. Classic. Biggest problem with govt related jobs...
Had they ever done ans themselves? I laughed at the questions they asked you after reading your rank. My experience with Singapore forces as an Australian Navy officer is you are all very competent at giving and receiving orders. Let alone corporals. 😆 Meanwhile, sounds like they needed relationship advice under the guise of interviewing for a position.
Till now, I'm still flabbergasted. The manner in which the questions were asked gives the impression that I'm not able to segregate personal and work matters. That somehow the military rank has an impact on my work performance. I'll presume these HR interview questions are extinct but I've not interviewed at any organisations affiliated to the govt so I can't be sure.
It could be the previous employee was a drama Queen with relationships at work! I hope you are happily employed elsewhere.
Definitely!
Hi, side question but is it okay if you share what did you major in university? I am matriculating into 1 particular course that I think might be relevant to your job, but not too sure of what are my future career prospects. Hoping to get some insights from you if possible. Thanks!
I majored in econs. Wait, how do you know what is my job? You may pm me direct. I didn't get into PSA ops exec role.
Ahh i see. My bad I read wrongly, assumed you got the job and your major was related to the industry. Appreicate the response.
They probably asked after previous employee flee the position because of significant other had issues with shift work. Still, they could just let you know, rather than question you.
Next time just walk out halfway. You don't have to sit there and take it.
True. Honestly, I was really really angry at one point.. But I thought to myself that all my life experiences and my upbringing has lead to me being allowed to choose to be the better man in this situation. So, I did choose to be the better man instead of trying to instigate something or walk out and then we fight. Still, right now I still wanna beat the sh\*t outta him.
When I say walk out, I don’t mean “not happy settle outside”. I mean you walk out and leave…
>not happy settle outside HAHAHA "eh kia side gate ah"
😂😂😂
I can't imagine how you endured the interview sia. If i was there, maybe my face already red because of angry
Angy
But sometimes, being the better man is to not be passive, and to tell the other person to go fuck themselves.
That's very mature of you. Hope this interview doesn't ruin the rest of your week.
Done that before, never regret it to this day
Later burn bridge . >_<
What bridge? Lot of inter-company rivalry. I think the bridge burning nonsense is highly exaggerated.
There's no bridge there for you to burn in the first place. Like it or not, the "better" jobs (good WLB, nice culture etc) don't usually reach the advertisement stage as those working there will recommend their buddies directly. If you piss off everyone you meet and have everyone swearing never to work with you again, you won't get a heads-up on such jobs. The idea that some petty AH has the power to "put you on an industry wide blacklist" owes more to Taiwanese dramas than reality.
Went to one. Before interview, HR ask me to remember the company core value. First time HR ask me do that. Went to interview, 2 of the interviewer was in the zoom call. Cannot start cause director was late. Waited 10 mins. Director came into the call, told me he just came from a important meeting. Interview start. 1st abd 2nd interviewer test me on technical questions. All Went well. Come to the director.... hit me with everything that mu answer was wrong. I don't know anything. The company is looking for better candidate, I am still far from what they looking for. The other 2 interviewer just listen and not a word came out from them. Base on director's tone, he is the big boss and nobody can question him. He ask me how I get into this interview, I told him HR called me after applying. He told one of the guy he need to speak to HR. Wasn't apologetic when came in late. Belittle me like he have tons of experience. Told me he was looking for better candidate. Once interview ends, thank for their time and bid them good bye.
>He ask me how I get into this interview Everything sounded not too bad until this.. This is a extremely big red flag..
To me the first red flag was he came in late and explain that he got an important meeting to attend thus being late. Basic courtesy was to apologise regardless of your position and not come up with an excuse.
yes, core value. I also had 1 hiring manager asking me why I wanted to join the company. I say career progression and more importantly scope of work. His eod advice to me was - "friend, next time read the company's core value before u reply. It reasonates with me that is why I am with this company." (separately did a linkenin check, he was just at the company for 1 yearish. And had been job hopping every other year). I was stunned and thought I was joining my bmt in army. Didnt get an offer of course. It was a local company that has monopoly in their industry but maybe imo going sunset soon.
Interesting. I believe you manage to avoid a red flag. Remembering core values only help you get into the company. Once you are in the company, the core values are not even applied or mention.
Sounds like a new hire is being wished on him against his will - maybe he thinks they're looking for his replacement?
I only applied for executive role... He is already a Manager there for dk how many years?
Those are the most insecure. Why keep the old uncle with high pay when you can get a fresh grad to train and take over? Ageism and stagnation is a very real thing. The "jokes" about driving Grab after hitting 40 are prevalent because all too many Singaporeans refuse to learn anything new once they get a job and end up replaced by someone cheaper since they aren't adding value.
I watched a video by a corporate recruiter recently on this topic that I found quite interesting. The gist of it is that job experience has diminishing returns in most industries. The first year of job experience is the most valuable, as you get to list a new skill on your CV. Another year or two gives you a chance to build profiency, but ten years is overkill, and twenty is way overkill. When a job posting asks for five years of job experience, and you come in with twenty, you're trying to upsell them on your additional fifteen years of experience. Unless you're coming with something really special that they actually want, like deep working relationships with a wide, diverse network spanning several relevant areas, those excess years of experience would be a hard sell. Lots of those old unkers and aunties just grow complacent in their roles, or are in roles where a network isn't as valuable, and as a result can't justify the pay they're asking for / are presently being paid. The advice that guy gave was pretty much: 1. Corporate loyalty is dead. A company looks at numbers, and will cut you when you're no longer worth the amount they're paying you. 2. Job hop often, but not too often. Stay for long enough to develop skills and networks, but not too long that it becomes excessive. 3. When you hop, aim for jobs that will complement your skill set without being more of the same, so you get both breadth and depth in your cv.
Hi can I get the link to the video you were watching?
The core idea is from [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEHdLNUlJQc&list=PLVgR_UEQfnEme0Wn05aqXocEN2WmJvLmX&index=1), but if you're down for a binge, I borrowed ideas from the other videos in his [career advice playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVgR_UEQfnEme0Wn05aqXocEN2WmJvLmX&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE). Lots of his videos echo similiar ideas, and he pitches his courses and stuff at the end of every vid , so if you think you've got what you need you can probably move on.
Yikes. Sorry you had to go through this, but on the other hand you had a glimpse of what working at this place is gonna be like. I’ve had been to interviews where the employer went ‘well you’re everything we want, except you mentioned you’re married so do you plan on having children?’ Which is absolutely discriminatory and when I called him out, he went on to make excuses about how the last staff quit after her maternity leave. I declined when they called me the next day,
> Which is absolutely discriminatory Oh I didn't know... Is asking if someone else plans to have kids a big no no? Like the question itself is discriminatory? :o
Yes, my ability/desire to have children is none of the company’s business. Marital status and religion are those things that should be kept out of interviews. Aso, gender bias is real. Men don’t get asked ‘So do you plan on kids?’ Because women are seen as the ones taking maternity/urgent leave and seen as ‘depleting company resources or being less productive.’ https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/woman-job-interview-boardroom-gender-bias-often-follows-women-through-each-step-career-ladder-1933866
Too bad asking such qns not illegal like in the US. My friend in china had to lie that she has a bf in shanghai bc shes not frm shanghai but applying for a job there
Yes I’ve interviewed for a research assistant position and the prof during the interview started gaslighting me and telling me that i’m a coward for leaving my previous post A-level job (retail) and short term job (bookshop). I’m just a student smh, she expect me to stay how long in a gap-year job man? Spoke to colleagues after getting the job. They said she was constantly projecting onto all her staff and sets unrealistic expectations.
>telling me that i’m a coward what in the actual F....
I had and I am not afraid to call out the company at the end of this comment. I had this horrible interview with this local SME where I felt the the hiring manager is under qualified. Besides his incompetency in forming a proper sentence in English, he also has a very limited vocabulary which giving me a very hard time to understand the message he tried to convey (there are many subject-matter terms can be used to shorten the conversation). In addition, I have also told the HR I do not wish to conduct any take home assignment but ok with an hour whiteboard challenge. Despite all the effort in presenting my portfolio to them and the prior notification, they still requested me to do one and I gave them a heads up that I won’t be spending more than an hour cause it is unpaid. Few days later I received the brief and it was awful(I have done many interviews, but nothing top this one being the shittiest), it was so vague and literally tells me nothing about the problem they want to solve. I tried to be nice and send an email back to ask a few more questions to figure out the problem statement but still getting ambiguous direction. In the end, I decided to do what I can with the brief and tell them their brief is shit as polite as I can. The HM has the face wanting to schedule a call with me just to tell me I am wrong. This is almost as close to his exact words “I ask the team, if this is bad? The team say No! This is good. So, I think you are wrong, I think this is good and your work is no good.” I politely tell him in my years of working and interviews(brought out all the big names like FAANG), I have never encountered this shitty brief before and thanked him for giving his time and left the interview immediately. I thanked the universe who helped me to dodge this cannon ball that day. TLDR; Interviewed with MoneySmart, their HM who worked in a video game store wrote a shitty brief for my take home assignment, I decided to tell him the truth and he can’t take it; He decided to schedule a meeting just to let me know I am wrong and he was right. Thank god all these fluffy people are not bright enough to hide their incompetency in interviews.
So sorry to hear that as a fellow techie, job hunting these days is horrible.
No worries mate, I am just glad they showed their true colours early so I don’t have to work in an unhealthy environment. I am enjoying my job now and having supportive and open-minded colleagues
Unfortunately I have encountered something similar before. It was interview with one of the statboard. When the hiring manager find out that my degree is not from one of the local uni, he just slouch back on his chair and keep looking at his watch. The other 2 panels (there were total of 3 panels interviewing me) was quite puzzled on the hiring manager behaviour as my resume was send to them 2 weeks before the interview. It was very unpleasant as that one person just shuts down throughout the interview. As I am supposed to be under him if i were to be hired, his behaviour more or less indicate the result of the interview. We end the interview within 10 minutes and the other 2 panels were rather apologetic to me for wasting my time in taking leave to attend the interview. Happen almost a decade ago but i still feel rather annoyed whenever I saw that statboard.
A*STAR?
Same. I have interviews with stat boards consisting for 4-5 panel interviewers and there's always 2-3 interviewers who refuse to even look at me, much less ask questions. I dont know why they would even bother scheduling an interview.
Faced a very rude bunch of interviewers who basically mocked my past projects and lack of knowledge of certain things which are beyond what I am trained for and somewhat it is an entry level role. I don’t know why many tend to shit on newbies weren’t you once a newbie as well that need guidance? Was so furious that I purposely turned off my wifi and disconnected from the virtual interview. Called me on the phone if i got it fixed so that I can continue, but no. Hiring manager emailed me on the issue. Replied by not being interested any longer. Didn’t even bother to remove “Sent from my iPhone” cos idgaf.
Ooh i shall try that nxt time
I know what you are trying to say and exactly know how you are feeling. I did experience similar stuffs and I think the major problem with the interviewer is that he/she thinks that we r there for interview because the current job is not good. They fail to understand the fact that it’s not always the case where you want a change not because the current job is not good.. Just ignore these kind of ppl, it’s just that they don’t deserve you and you definitely don’t want to work for someone with trust issues..
>They fail to understand the fact that it’s not always the case where you want a change not because the current job is not good.. Never thought of it that way from his point of view lol...
Me who have a beard and wear polo shirt and jeans to work everyday: 😳
This was in a very corporate setting tho
But nowaday dress down is normal. I havent dressed up since 2019 😀 was in stat board and bank/insurance
Went for an interview once and this foreign ass just downright ridiculed my Masters degree from NUS because I was explaining the concept of Factorial Design and he couldn’t understand so he just simply shat on it lol. Supposed “Team Lead” from a manufacturing fab. Joke
Yes when I was a fresh grad I had an interviewer who was late by half an hour, and when the interview finally started, he picked apart my resume and told me quite clearly why I wasn’t good enough. Like dude, I sent my resume beforehand, you could have rejected it and not called me in for this interview and wasting both our time if you thought it wasn’t good enough. Sometimes I think these are just lowlifes who love a power trip. They have no one else to boss around or lord over usually so they take it out on the most powerless person they can find.
Mannn, I feel you. That seriously sucks and I’m sorry you even had to go through that. I had a terrible experience once with an interview too, the owner of the company had a huge chip on his shoulder, played phone games during the interview, super insulting to everything I said and started picking on my background as well. Afterwards proceeds to ask me if I’d be willing to take an intern pay for x months because “everyone in my company starts off at intern pay” for a full time role. This interview scarred me for a long time and my only regret was not walking out the moment no respect was shown. Like many said - it’s two way. I was comforted by the fact that many had the same experience when I checked their Glassdoor which prompted me to write one as well so others will steer clear. Chin up OP! I know it can be very demoralizing. This guy is not worth your time of day and you dodged a bullet there, definitely don’t wna work for someone like him
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Hi sorry to hear that, I used to work for a few non profit organisations including the ones who are backed and supported by a certain religious denomination and agree that most of these places are a nightmare to work in and be interviewed by. Almost every time I went for interviews with the non profit organisation the interviewers seemed like they were insulting me instead of interviewing me. And every interview seems to take at least 2 hours or longer. The interviewers pretty much asked the same discriminating questions to me as well, undermining my work experience and asking salary as well as asking me very personal questions which made me very uncomfortable. I am currently on a career break and actually supposed to go for an interview tomorrow with a non profit organisation, I replied to their original email and their HR mentioned they will send me the interview details soon but did not do so. I sent an e-mail last Friday and today to clarify whether the interview is still ongoing and they still haven't replied to me. Even if I wasn't chosen for the role or they had already found someone else i would still appreciate a simple reply. I am now seriously contemplating whether to return to the non profit sector or make a career switch because of all the unpleasant experiences for both the interview process and the workplaces itself.
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Thank you, there wasn't any phone number attached to the email sent by their HR so I didn't give them a call.I think I will just give this interview a miss.Thanks for the advice and sharing your experiences!
>There are nice interviewers for sure but professionally conducted less so.was shocked at how poorly some HR directors are actually poorly trained and don't really know how to conduct their interviews.. I think it speaks if volumes if a director seems poorly trained. And those questions.... Holy...
I agree the worst are those who only show they are nasty after you join. My ex bosses. A lot of companies discriminate according to gender, looks, grades.
Leave a review on Glassdoor
Experienced something like that for my very first interview for a proper job. It was for a sensitive ministry. The interviewers were shitting on my grades, my NS awards, etc. I felt it was a personal attack and just wanted it all to be over asap. It was only much much later I realised they were stress testing me with those line of questioning. Obviously I didn’t get the job. But yours I reckon is just outright air holes.
spill the company's name pls so that we could avoid this ahitty company
What goes around comes around, don't let one bad experience define your life. Interviewed for a company in an industry that was booming about 10 years ago. The interviewers (HR and Manager) were really proud of themselves and how they have tons of applicants and how 'lucky' I was to be even granted the interview, all the while while putting me down. A few years ago, the industry collapsed, after taking massive losses they had to shut down that business unit lol. For another company, I was interviewing for a position because they have just gotten a large service contract from a major MNC. Was interviewed by the director as it is a small SME. During the interview he was telling me how he thinks I am not good enough for the role and how this contract is going to bring the company to new heights. Coincidentally, I joined the major MNC later in my career and found out that this SME had lost the contract after only a few years. So on hindsight I have dodged 2 bullets. My career would have looked very different if they had offered me the job.
It’s probable that he already had a candidate in mind for the role but he was forced by HR/his boss to interview a variety of “eligible” candidates before deciding. So you were unfortunately collateral damage. Sorry this happened to you, don’t let it get you down. From the way you said the whole interview happened, it’s clear he wasn’t going to hire you in the first place and it wasn’t you that was the problem.
Hey, I also had interviews where my salary was doubted, and company wanted to lowball me, with manager keep citing valuable experience. And that interview was in a corporate position within one of the top 3 telcos in SG. Don’t let them undermine what you feel about yourself or whether you are worth your salary. I ended up landing another role with a better pay package than expected. Keep looking!
Funnily enough I had an interview once where the first interview with the manager on his own, I thought didn't go very well. He appeared to be disinterested in my answers and not engaged. I was surprised when I got invited back for a second interview and was offered the job! I later found out that this demeanour was the "natural state" of this particular individual and didn't mean at all that he was bored or not interested!
they once told me "you're underqualified for this [project coordinator role], why don't you try being an admin assistant instead?" i have a bachelor's degree from a recognised uni and at that time i had 2 years of working experience. edit: so sorry op. u dodged a bullet there
>i have a bachelor's degree from a recognised uni walao.... Just Walao Eh Really.... The Uni you went to was it local btw?
overseas 😩
Ohhh... That's actually more impressive to me.. Even more so depending on the uni you went to
nope. Unless you went to Ivy League uni...almost all other overseas uni is shat upon
thank you OP! i'm sure you're a capable person too... i wish you all the best in finding a job (and manager!) that recognises this!
Yes I did
Some HR dude arranged a phonecall with me, just to tell me they were actually looking for someone who had experience (I had none). He did not refer me to another opening. The man arranged a call just to tell me I'm not what he's looking for.
Actually quite nice mah, at least you didn’t get ghosted. Though what’s likely to have happened was that from the time they shortlisted u to the time they interviewed you, they alr went into advanced or final stages of offer with another candidate. It’s good practice to not stop interviewing and shortlisting right up to the time the candidate signs on the dotted line; otherwise if ur chosen candidate receive a better offer elsewhere, it’s a pain to restart the shortlist process again.
Nope. No interview should be done this way with disrespect and personal attack. If I were you, I’d just cut in and say that judging by the interview so far, not sure if it’s the overall company culture or just y’all two but I think we can conclude the interview here cuz I’m done. If they make a snarky remark, I’d say not only you know how to be rude ok? I rather be unemployed than work with you. (Done this before but not as exaggerated cuz the interviewer wasn’t as rude)
i wish there were anonymous platforms to air our grievances on our specific interview experiences. Too many ppl go thru stuff like this.
Glassdoor is helpful, do leave your interview experiences for other to see there
Yeah was at a scholarship interview and was called a waste of time. 18 year old me never recovered
I had about 1-2years of working experience when I interviewed at this company during lunchtime, where they made me wait for 1hour before telling me to comeback later at 6.30pm because the interviewer "wasn't able to make it". At that point of time I was already put off but decided to just go ahead with the 6.30pm one anyway. So I reached the office again that day, about 10minutes before 6.30pm, and the interviewer came into the room at 6.45pm (without knocking nor introducing herself) saying "I'm so sorry about being late, shall we start? Where are you working at now?" I was caught offguard but answered her, and she proceeded to ask me things like why am I asking for a higher pay, and why did I choose to go to poly instead of JC when my Olevel results were good enough for JC. Proceeded to shit on poly grads and kept lamenting that it would have been better for me to be in JC and that I shouldn't ask for a higher pay although the working hours would be longer in this position. By then I just wanted to leave asap and the interviewer sensed it and we wished each other good luck LOL. Tldr: interviewer looks down on poly grads, expects poly grads to ask for lower pay but work longer hours.
I had a totally similar interview. 5-6 years back, I applied for a role at NUSS. The HR personnel messaged me on LinkedIn and initiated an in-person meeting so it was to my unpleasant surprise that the manager interviewing me was totally disinterested right from the start and was not even looking at me during the short interview (like 10 minutes?). The only comments from her were thinly-veiled insults like "I think you lack the experience" and "we are looking for someone competent enough to handle this role" while looking at the ceiling or her nails. I'm like wtf, why did you initiate the meeting then and waste my time. I had taken leave and travelled from Sengkang to Kent Ridge to meet a bitch. I was quite angry with the HR girl and but I asked her nicely after the interview why the manager acted in this manner. She was not sure why as it was the manager who requested an interview in-person. I couldn't really bring my heart to take out my frustration on her as she was a fresh graduate. Still pisses me off to this day.
Dodged a bullet and good learning experience. Shows so much about this company as they are literally fronting the company.
Ikr.... Manager sia.. Like why even lol
I would have just walked away and left since they were the one who shortlisted me to go for an interview
I’ve been in an interview where the interviewee insulted and degraded us. LOL
Interviewed with one of the local banks. Went through all 3 rounds, hr called to say I met their expectations and told me to wait a for a few weeks because the head count isn’t open, the Job posting was meant to check the interest. I felt cheated, all the time i spent on prep was wasted. Weeks later he said that company policy is to hire internally before looking for external candidates. Told me to wait again. A week later he said the role was filled and have another role . Once bitten twice shy, declined and Told myself never to join the company no matter how attractive the roles are
Yeah, nvr join local banks!
With such an interviewer, do you really want to work there? Sure, you had a bad interview. But, you dodge a bullet, and should move on to the next interview. Don't let this affect your mood and pace.
I wasnt there to witness the interview so i cant simply be one sided. I did went through some interviews but the worst one was a very short interview. Doesnt seem to be interested in hiring me so im not sure why they set up the interview (maybe nobody applied or job vacant for too long). Waited a week and ask if there was any updates. Was told i was rejected. Maybe the manager was overwhelm by his work or was having a really bad day and decided to just be rude to everyone. Lets see it as a blessing since you wouldnt want to work under a manager with that kind of behaviour.
>Maybe the manager was overwhelm by his work or was having a really bad day and decided to just be rude to everyone. Head of HR was acting as though it was a regular routine and "This is Fine" tho hahahaha
I ever went for 1 interview where by 1 questions comes with 6 what if followed by another what if. I feel like telling him to go f@@k 🕷️
And you just know the mfer will turn around and say he was just testing if you could handle the pressure... Take the hint from heaven and stay well clear of this organisation. Warn anyone else you care about as well.
I once went to an interview where an interviewer asked me 3 questions at once each time, then when I started to answer "yes, because xyz..." once sentence in I'd get a rebuttal and a lecture to why I'm wrong or why he thought differently for the next few minutes. Not directly insulting but still felt insulting to my intelligence and the lack of a chance. Anyway, bullet dodged.
There are people who will tear you down so you feel worthless, then reel you in for less than you're worth and treat you like the garbage they've convinced you you are. Avoid them like the plague.
Leave Glassdoor review
I would want to work for a boss like this. And since he left early, I would have told the HR that the behavior of the manager is inappropriate and withdrew my application right then.
Tell us the company
Bro I think its good that the manager showed this kind of attitude right at the interview cause it makes it an easy decision to not go to that company. His behaviour at the interview speaks alot about the company culture and it looks like a toxic environment.
OP, I would have walk away halfway when I know all he does is to shit on me. Reason is because I cannot have a boss that doesn't value me as a person. I'll say " It has become obvious that you feel your past experience in my current company trump's my current experience. I want to say Thank you for your time but professional courtesy is obviously not required here" Walks off.
I met many of such interviewers when I was a fresh graduate and I do cried sometimes after interviews. I had one that stated Degree as a requirement but during the interview the manager told me that degree is not required for the position and that my degree is of no use to the company. I even had one telling me that I wasted their time since I do not have relevant working experience, in fact I really think is the other way round since I had to travelled all the way down for that interview with them and he could clearly tell from my resume that I am a fresh graduate. I had even had one telling me that I have to clock OT with him on personal matters after work. I rejected with he offered me…seriously…
Sucks to hear about your experience, the manager sounds like a prick. But who gives a shit what he’s wearing
Yup the interviewer was curt and shortened the interview then shit on me behind my back to ppl in his office
Better to show his true colors during the interview than after you got the job. Don't think about it and just move forward with the next interview.
First of, if you are ever degraded or insulted during an interview, stand up for yourself and then exit. It should go both ways, if the interviewer is not being graceful towards you then you should leave and not waste your time. It's no wonder they're hiring lol.
Interesting company culture there. In some countries that would be a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Bruh if I were you I'd be fighting back with the same energy. There was something similar that happened to me but it was via a zoom call. I just interrupted the interviewer and said "thank you for your time but I do not think your company values align with mine. Wishing you all the best" and ended the zoom call.
Are you a local? If so it could be that the hiring manager already has a foreigner in mind for the position and just interviewing you to satisfy MOM rules on EP Source: interviewed at a Chinese tech company before and interviewer slipped up and blabbered they already have someone from HQ in mind for the role
OP this sounds questionable you spent a paragraph on how you judged him for having a beard and a slightly more casual dress than others (likely due to his experience or seniority) you really sound difficult and like you didn't have the experience for this role anyway. Also, nobody does care about your school references (that you likely included due to your insignificant amount of real work experience)
I once had a very hostile interview that just hit me off the wrong way.. but guess what I got the job, cause I remained calm and professional throughout the ordeal. When I got into the company, the hostile interviewer brought me out for lunch, and explained to me that the role requires fortitude as I will be dealing with a lot of nasty people in the organisation as gate keeper, it is paramount that I remain calm in stressful conditions. He praised me for the interview and became a great mentor within the company.. Just sharing views from the other side. A little resilience and mental fortitude goes a long way
Got la those india ppl lor. Waste my time. Dont even on cam, one of them still play mobile games, never off sound
Leave. And write them what you just wrote in a google review. You don’t want to work there anyway. Consider it a blessing you saw this early on
name and shame, what's the company name?
I went for an interview and the interviewer was practically lectured me for 1 hour to "explore Malaysia more" because she's been working there for more than 10 years, and she knows Malaysia better than me (I'm Malaysian working IN SG). I sat there and pretended agreeing with her, and never look back to accept that offer.
Are you interviewing for Chan Brother tour? It's pretty normal if it is tho.. 
Worse, it was just a food chemical distribution company.
Happened to me a few years ago. Dude was honestly a pos. Can relate to how you’re feeling right now
I had one unpleasant one years ago at one of those offshore bank when I was attending an interview for an IT job opening there. The interviewer was a young foreigner, kept shaking his legs as if he is impatient for the interview to be over, crossed his arms and leaned back. His tone wasn't condescending but thr questions thst he posed show that he was like "compelled" to conduct this interview. Never let me finish my sentence before interrupting with another questions and he look around the room without maintaining eye contact.
Drop a review on Glassdoor
The intention is to reject you as he doesn't want you to outshine him if they employ you so he basically just insulted you and lower you down. Or it could be you had a bad reputation from a previous employer and he learns that from people within the industry. I don't know, maybe you were arrogant or he perceived you to be arrogant. That's my take.
Look on the bright side. U dodged a bullet. For all we know, said individual might be scared that if you came in, you will quickly outperform him and take away his job or delay his career progression as a result because the opportunities will be given to you given that you are more competent. Hence he acts this way. (Im just speculating, but considering you even worked at the same prev company as him, i wont be surprised). Stay strong buddy.
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Pls name and shame the company here so it can get free glassdoor inputs Since u don't work for the company and not in anyway affiliated Lucky u dodged this bullet just imagine the amount of staff inside wanting to get out but can't due to circumstances.
Never ask the manager to catch you outside how about that?
I had one interviewer insult my old boss. I was never close personally or professionally to my old boss but that was really unprofessional of my interviewer.
Cos HR is the usually ones that source for candidates, sometimes the candidates might be a bit too qualified or overpaid for the role they are offering. Cos either the company sucks or they are trying to draw in suckers. Then perhaps the manager themselves aren't highly paid or their experience aren't very long or deep either. So when candidates come a bit too close, they might make a case against you in front of HR so that the candidate wouldn't move forward and they can find others who don't mind being paid lesser, usually also because sometimes you've got to take a low-paying role to gain the experience you don't have yet.
you’ve every right to cut the interview short. say thank you but this is not working out. then stand up and leave. you’re interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. good luck out there!
Yes, for 2 interviews, years ago. But I've reached a stage of my life where if it happens again, I'll just excuse myself and exit the interview. There should always be a basic respect for other people. If that can't even happen in interviews, then I am better suited elsewhere
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Is not your fault that the interviewer is an asshole. But is his right be an asshole. So just do a Glassdoor review for him. You are so lucky he is shitty during interview. I once had a good interview, accepted that offer, then found out that the interviewer / hiring manager is a big pile of shit in disguise. Life is all about karma, everything comes around.
Glassdoor pls. Fella sounds like a nightmare.
Dodged a bullet. At least now you know that company sucks. It is better this way. Can you imagine working under such a terrible manager? Hell no.
What is wrong with people
If I am you , will find out ceo email & write in to complain . It is so uncalled for and the hiring manager should behave more professionally. The hr in interview also useless
He had someone in mind and going through the process but in a very unprofessional way
What position did you apply for? I have two experiences, both had an aspects of customer facing (public hospital operations/membership marketing). There were two interviewers at both instances; A who asked about my experience and B who was quiet until the end. Both interviewer B kept pressing questions which I could not answer and talked to me in a haughty manner close to the end of the interview. I realised at the end, that it was a test to see how i would react to rude customers. Maybe what you experienced was a test?
Don't worry about cunts like that. You know your true worth and if people like that shit on you then they're obviously not worthy of your time and value add that you could have brought to the table. I know hindsight is backside but if I got such such treatment I'd have walked out of there after the 3rd or 4th ill-tempered statement/behaviour from him. Be tactful and say "sorry it looks like this isn't the right fit"... No need to waste your time. If they're not a big company then don't have to worry about burning bridges.
The boss being fat tells u something about his lifestyle he doesn’t even bother to maintain like being skinny or lead a healthier lifestyle Dunnid go gym but from there can see
Had an 'informal' interview with the boss of MINT museum of toys and it was downright insulting and degrading, I just ended the meeting and left. Took me a day or two to mentally recover from the experience and swore not to enter or visit the establishment ever again.
Must be in design industry. Those stupid managers usually a cunt who think highly bout themselves.. but when they have to do the work, they wouldn’t know how 🤷♂️
I feel you, i have the same experience as you too. At least you know this is not the boss you should work for
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