A jobseeker was left shocked and unsettled after a virtual interview with a local IT company took a deeply personal and inappropriate turn, prompting her to exit the session midway.

On Friday (June 6), she shared her experience on ‘Reddit’s Ask Singapore’ forum, detailing what she described as “the worst interview” she’s ever encountered. According to her post, the interview was conducted online by someone who identified herself as the company’s “business advisor.”

“It started off alright,” the jobseeker recalled. “Then came personal questions asking me to speak and describe my family. I did talk about family, gave some brief details, and the follow-up questions were, ‘Are your parents working? Do you need to support your parents financially?’”

The jobseeker, applying for an account manager role, said she questioned the importance of those personal questions. “I asked the interviewer what the relevance was to the job scope. And she said, ‘I need to know my team well before hiring,’” the jobseeker said.

“After asking for the relevance and expressing to her that I was uncomfortable in answering, the next question was still family-related and personal. Told her I wasn’t interested in the job and left the call.”

At the end of her post, she asked, “Anyone has similar experiences with such interview questions?”

“You did the right thing! They should not be allowed to ask these types of questions…”

In the discussion thread, many Singaporean Redditors criticised the interviewer’s conduct, calling it unprofessional and inappropriate.

One said, “Definitely not relevant and probably discriminatory. If it’s the hiring manager, I think that’s a bit of a red flag. If you have options, you should report it to HR and imply that you would complain to MOM.”

Another wrote, “Lol. These kinds of questions sound like the company sussing out characteristics to discriminate against employees for.”

A third added, “You did the right thing! They should not be allowed to ask these types of questions; there is a difference between small talk and an invasion of privacy. Anyway, chit-chat is also not very professional. People are hiring for a specific job, not to find a mate. In Europe and in Canada, this type of questioning is not permitted.”

Others also shared their own experiences, saying they too had been asked personal questions in interviews that had nothing to do with the job. Some recalled being questioned about their relationship status, religion, family background, or financial responsibilities.

One wrote, “Some hiring managers have no brains. Many years ago, I encountered someone who asked about my religion (admin role in the banking industry). I didn’t get shortlisted, dodged a bullet.”

Another recounted, “I had mine ask if I have a BF, and if I will get married. I rejected the job offer as I was not comfortable. I had another question if I’m comfortable dressing up as a manager to meet clients for sales. I retorted rudely, ‘What has it got to do with the role?’ (not a customer-facing role)? and left immediately.”

Interviewers should steer clear of sensitive or discriminatory questions

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), interviewers should ask only job-related questions and avoid topics that could be seen as sensitive or discriminatory. To ensure fairness, employers are encouraged to adopt clear, objective, and relevant selection criteria when shortlisting and evaluating applicants.

MOM also advises that job application forms should only collect information necessary to assess a candidate’s ability to perform the job. This includes qualifications, skills, knowledge, and work experience. Employers should not request details such as age, gender, race, religion, marital status, pregnancy status, number of children, or disabilities, unless there is a valid and job-related reason to do so. If such information is genuinely required, the purpose must be clearly explained to the applicant. (The Independent Singapore)