SINGAPORE: A man recently shared on social media that a hiring manager in Singapore asked him some very personal questions.
In a post on r/askSingapore dated Friday (March 29), the man wrote, “I’ve had an initial call with the hiring manager for a firm located in Singapore and it was going ok till a point when she started asking questions such as whether I was married and had plans to start a family or have a child in the near future.”
“What puzzled me was the hiring manager’s justification for asking these questions, citing that ‘hiring people is a very troublesome process’,” the man explained.
The man refrained from delving deeper into the meaning of this explanation during the phone call, but he found himself pondering whether it’s standard practice for companies to ask such personal questions during interviews.
He also sought advice on how best to respond to such questions should they arise again in the future.
“It’s not normal, but it happens way too often”
In the discussion thread, Singaporean Redditors explained to the man that hiring managers often ask personal questions to help them assess whether the candidate is suitable for a job, especially if the role involves travel or requires overtime work.
They also mentioned that, although this practice is not considered normal, it has become prevalent in Singapore.
One individual shared, “After 22yrs in the working society, I have been asked twice the same question. Reason very simple, the job I’m applying for, have to standby 24/7.
Having kids and family probably will be hard for me to suit the job requirements.”
Meanwhile, others criticized the companies for posing such personal questions, arguing that these inquiries were private and irrelevant to the company’s operations.
Some individuals also pointed out the ‘discriminatory nature’ of these questions, particularly concerning gender roles.
They argued that women’s prospects of landing the job may be ‘negatively affected’ if they disclose their desire to get married and start a family since the hiring manager may assume that she will take more time off due to her obligations at home.
On the other hand, similar responses from a man might be interpreted favorably because they would mean that they would be more likely to stay on the job for a long time, especially if they are satisfied with the offered salary.
One individual stated, “These questions are discriminatory in nature, and while you don’t have to answer them, or can opt to answer vaguely, your interview will be affected by it.
That being said, there’s no law, or written contract clause that will allow the company to act on any potential lies told in response to this.
Your state of marriage cannot be lied about, but you can lie about having no intention to have kids, and if you do have kids your company cannot fire you on grounds of lying about that, or write into the contract something pertaining to that.”
A few, however, contradicted this notion. One individual explained, “It’s a grey area.. on one hand, yes it is defined as discrimination, and on the other side of things, they view it as a practical question as it affects their business operations.”
While another chimed in to say, “It’s not normal, but it happens way too often.
Usually I retaliate by asking simple questions about how they manage their direct report and they get flustered because they realized themselves as an incompetent boss. Lmaoo”
Lastly, one individual shared that her typical response to such inquiries is, “That’s very personal and intrusive.
I may or may not have plans but I’d like to keep that private but can assure you that my performance won’t be affected by any future plans, you’re looking for someone to fill this role and I feel I’m that someone that can do the job.”
Read also: Should I tell hiring managers about my “career break due to burnout?”