SINGAPORE: A jobseeker found herself in an awkward situation when an interviewer reportedly declined to consider her for a full-time administrative role paying S$2,600 per month, allegedly because she only holds a diploma.
Sharing her experience on the r/singaporejobs subreddit on Wednesday (Feb 11), the woman recalled, “I went for an interview. My resume clearly states that my highest education is a diploma, but only when I arrived did he open my resume for the first time. From his reaction, I’m quite sure he hadn’t read it at all, and he looked genuinely shocked that I’m a diploma holder.”
“Then he asked if I wanted to do part-time admin instead, offering me S$10 per hour, because for full-time they prefer a degree holder, but they only offer $2600 for full-time admin?? I doubt that, but still very crazy.”
The situation became even more surprising just minutes later.
About five minutes into their conversation, the interviewer reportedly shifted the discussion and asked whether she would consider becoming a financial advisor and joining their team to sell insurance.
“He started to ask me if I wanted to become a financial advisor and join them to sell insurance. After I politely declined, he started giving me a life lecture about how young people should try more things. Mind you, I applied for an admin role,” she recounted.
She also shared that she had initially requested to conduct the first interview online before proceeding to a face-to-face meeting. However, the interviewer insisted that it had to be in person from the start.
“I thought at least I’d get to see the actual working environment,” she continued. “Turns out I walked into what looked like a shared office space with multiple companies sharing together. So basically, I travelled there just for him to read my resume in front of me and try to recruit me into insurance. [This is my] worst interview experience.”
“Be glad you didn’t get hired!”
In the comments section, numerous users shared similar experiences. They informed the woman that companies often use this bait-and-switch tactic to pressure candidates into joining as financial advisors.
One user speculated that the interviewer had already read her resume but deliberately “acted” as if he hadn’t to manipulate her into thinking she didn’t deserve the position.
“It is a rehearsed tactic to make you think you’re at a disadvantage,” they said. “A psychological trick to make you more open to the counteroffer. You dodged a bullet there. They likely have many more such tricks they would use on you during your time there.”
Another commented, “You just got scammed. They were looking for someone to sell their insurance packages. Be glad you didn’t get hired!”
A third remarked, “This is a major red flag. I’m glad you walked away. An interview goes both ways. It’s not just for employers to pick and choose. It’s also for employees to see if this is an environment suitable for them.”
A fourth added, “Hate it when interviewers (or people in general) cannot take no for an answer. Then they’ll start to get personal with you or impose their opinions on you. Like, you don’t even know me at all. I’m applying for a job, nothing more. It’s okay, take this as a learning experience. Keep going!”
In other news, a Singaporean woman has shared online that she feels like she’s slowly losing her mind having to keep living in the same flat as her husband, who she’s already separated from but isn’t officially divorced from yet, all because of paperwork, finances, and the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP).
Posting on the r/askSingapore subreddit on Tuesday (Feb 10), the woman admitted that she has, quite simply, “lost love” for her husband and no longer sees any kind of future with him.
