5 curveball questions asked at Singapore job interviews

JobStreet.com recently conducted a survey and invited 120 Singaporean job candidates to share the most outrageous questions ever asked during a Singapore job interview. Below are the 5 most interesting ones that stood out:

  1. “Assuming that there were 3 birds perched on a line linking 2 lamp posts, if 1 was shot, how many birds are there left?”

[Interview for a Procurement Executive position in a Finance firm]

  1. “The US has manholes which are round in shape but in Singapore it is usually square. Which do you think is a better shape & why?”

[Interview for a Manager of Community Projects position in a Social Service Firm]

  1. “If you have an urgent request from the company to fulfil a job function within 4 hrs, and you are in the middle of celebrating your dad’s birthday at the moment. What will you do?”

[Interview for an IT Engineer position in a Technology Firm]

  1. “Do you think a doctor can trade stocks better than you and why?”

[Interview for an Institutional Dealer position in a Securities Firm]

  1. “Have you ever stolen a pen from work?”

[Interview for a Manager position in a Healthcare Firm]

Jobstreet.com noted that employers are increasingly asking brainteaser questions to evaluate potential candidate abilities to perform under pressure and think on the spot. This means that candidates with well-prepared scripts to answer interview questions have found themselves caught off-guard by interviewers who throw these types of curveball questions that have nothing to do with the position offered.

One employer was quoted as saying:

“What is unique about curveball questions is that there are no right answers. Rather, it is an opportunity for the employer to observe the candidate’s thought process and display of wit during unexpected situations.”

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