SINGAPORE: A jobseeker recently shared on Reddit that he had a strange and uncomfortable experience during the hiring process with a local SME.
In a post on the r/askSingapore forum on Wednesday (Jun 25), the jobseeker said the company asked him to bring his payslip to the very first interview, which already felt like a “red flag.” During the interview, the hiring manager also mentioned that overtime was “very normal” in their company, which added to his concerns.
But the biggest surprise came after the interview. The HR representative told the jobseeker that if another company offered him a higher salary, the SME would not proceed with the hiring. They also said that if he wanted a written offer, he would need to “verbally commit” first and reject all other job opportunities he was considering.
The jobseeker found this unreasonable and explained that he could not make a decision based on just a verbal offer, especially when he had not seen the full contract. He also mentioned that at that point, he still had no information about things like leave, benefits, or working hours. In response, HR simply told him that “the leaves and benefits are all normal” and tried to move on.
Eventually, HR agreed to send the written offer. But three weeks have passed and the candidate has yet to receive any update.
Puzzled by the experience, he asked other locals in the forum, “Is this normal with SME companies in Singapore? Does anyone have any SME experiences to share?”
“Go find something better, please.”
In the comments, most users agreed with the jobseeker and said the company was a “huge red flag.” Many felt it was totally unreasonable to ask for a payslip during the first interview, let alone expect someone to commit without even seeing a proper offer.
A lot of people told him to just move on and find a better employer. One person wrote, “Red flag! And it’s just verbal offer, I ever encounter before. Then they ghosted me. There’s no point waiting for them, just keep sending resume and attend interviews.”
Another commented, “Move on. They want to hide information and make their hiring process more tedious, that’s their problem.”
A third added, “LOL. Haven’t even started work and they are already saying OT is very normal? Someone trying to gaslight you. What SME is this? Very good pay or prospects? If no, then who do they think they are? Go find something better please.”
It’s worth noting that an individual is only considered an employee after signing a contract of service. Also, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), if someone decides not to turn up on their first day of work, they should inform the employer as soon as possible and try to resolve the matter politely by explaining the reason if they can.
In such cases, the employer is not allowed to claim notice pay or any compensation under the Employment Claims Act, since there is no official employment relationship yet.
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Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)