SINGAPORE: A man took to Reddit to share a rather unusual experience with an employer who told him he “had to submit his resignation letter to his current company and serve notice first” before they would reveal the salary and contract details for the new role.
In his post on r/askSingapore, a Reddit forum on Monday (Dec 30), the man recounted that when the company reached out over the weekend to let him know he was shortlisted for the “Sales and Marketing entry-level role,” they also made an unusual request: for him to resign from his current job so that they could proceed to the next step and go over the contract details.
“I questioned them about why they would ask me to resign from my current position first instead of arranging a meeting to discuss the contracts and relevant matters,” he said.
“My previous two employers had sent me a text or email with my pay and a quick job interview. However, the interviewer reiterated that I should submit my resignation so that they could arrange a meeting with HR after I completed my notice,” he continued.
The man also tried asking them about the basic pay during the call, but the interviewer gave a vague explanation, implying that commissions were high and could potentially exceed his expected pay, depending on the team’s ability to hit target KPIs.
“This explanation made sense when I realized why the company had listed a salary range of $3K to $5K on Indeed,” he wrote.
After the call, the man said he felt uneasy and sceptical about the job because the company hadn’t even sent him a written confirmation of his shortlisting. Yet, they were making ‘strange and highly questionable’ demands.
“What if they offer me a lowball salary? What if the contract isn’t favourable?” he asked.
Seeking some clarity, he turned to the Reddit community and further asked, “Is it a common workforce practice to get someone to resign from their current position before allowing them to review their upcoming contractual terms?
I’d also like to know if anyone has encountered such a situation and what advice you can offer.”
“Do not resign just to see their offer…”
The post sparked a lively discussion in the comments section, with many agreeing that it was unusual, unprofessional, and potentially manipulative for the employer to ask a candidate to resign before even providing details about the salary or contract terms.
One user said, “Very unusual and kinda red-flag for me. Maybe they want to test your ‘sincerity’ or something. Do not resign just to see their offer. If they can’t show you without you resigning first, just walk away.”
One user said, “This is very fishy and odd. I suspect they just want you to lose your bargaining power because you will be jobless by then. Even if they lowball you, you have to take it. It’s a big NO for me, and bye-bye to them.”
Another pointed out, “Ehh, very sus leh. They never even tell you, ‘We’ll like to offer you the position of xxx.’ They just said you’re ‘shortlisted’?! What if you go down and have three other people there that are ‘shortlisted,’ and you need to negotiate to ensure you get the job?”
In other news, a man claimed on social media that a recruitment agency sued him for S$2,000 after he failed to attend a job interview.
Posting on Reddit’s ‘Ask Singapore’ forum on Saturday (Dec 28), he explained that he missed the interview due to personal family issues and had even informed the agency beforehand that he couldn’t attend.
Despite this, weeks later, he was shocked to receive a court letter stating that the agency was suing him and demanding S$2,000 in compensation.
Read more: Recruitment agency sued me S$2,000 for not attending their job interview
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)