SINGAPORE: Hiring managers usually reject applicants after interviews because of salary misalignment, lack of enthusiasm or confidence, poor cultural fit, or because they simply found another stronger candidate, but one Singaporean jobseeker said she was rejected for something far more trivial: being soft-spoken.
Sharing her experience on the r/asksg forum on Thursday (Mar 12), the jobseeker wrote that from her perspective, the interview, which lasted for about 45 minutes, “went quite well.”
It was a face-to-face interview and the conversation flowed naturally, she said.
She introduced her background, spoke about her experience, and discussed the role with the hiring manager. She also asked about the work culture, working hours, and whether the position might eventually convert into a permanent role.
“For context, I wasn’t nervous or intentionally speaking softly. I was just speaking the way I normally speak with people.”
At one point during the interview, the hiring manager even remarked that her experience was “something the team needed,” which left her feeling “fairly confident” as she walked out.
However, she later received the feedback through the recruiter that she was not selected because she did not fit “the robust nature of the role.”
“The specific comment was that I was ‘quite soft-spoken,’” she said. “This caught me off guard because in 10 years of working life and attending interviews, I’ve never received feedback like this before. Even when I attended a face-to-face interview before, I had never gotten rejected due to being ‘soft-spoken,’ and this was one of the few in-person interviews I’ve had in a while.”
Perplexed by the reason given, she turned to others online to ask if they had ever encountered similarly unusual feedback after an interview.
“Has anyone else ever received similar feedback in an interview?” she wrote. “Do hiring managers sometimes equate being soft-spoken with not being confident or suitable for certain roles? I’m trying to process this feedback and understand it better. Would appreciate hearing other perspectives.”
“It could be a toxic workplace.”
Many Singaporean Redditors quickly took to the comments to share their opinions.
One user said that perhaps the hiring manager did not mean to offend her when they mentioned that she was “quite soft-spoken.”
“Corporate translation: The work environment is very rough and full of conflict. They think you are too nice to fit in. Likely you dodged a bullet there,” they wrote.
Another told her that the situation might actually be a “blessing in disguise.” “It could be a toxic workplace with politics that sap the soul,” they said. “Believe it or not, there are people who thrive in that kind of environment and even stir up the toxicity, and then there are the rest of us who just want to do our work in peace.”
A third chimed in, saying it might simply have been an excuse. “They probably heard back from another candidate that they were waiting to get back to them. That person was probably more favourable, but they didn’t want to risk it so they interviewed you in case the other person rejects. That person probably accepted so that why they didn’t select you.”
A fourth added that she should not take the comment too much to heart because “they can give any reason, but that doesn’t mean it’s factual or proven. It’s just like a year-end appraisal.”
In other news, an HR professional has sparked discussion online after claiming that many Gen Z applicants do not seem particularly interested in the roles they apply for, as they “won’t pick up or return her calls.”
In a post on the r/singaporejobs forum, she shared her recent experience while hiring for a junior role that pays “well above the market rate.”
