12 most common interview questions in Singapore & how to answer them

You check your inbox.

There it is – an email from your dream employers inviting you for an interview.

After the excitement recedes, you get sucked back to reality. Now you’re wondering: “What kind of questions will they ask me, and how can I best answer them?”

Dear jobseeker, we got you.

In this article, we’ve curated the most common interview questions in Singapore and how you can answer them . Practice answering them and present yourself as the employee they have always been looking for.

The most common job interview questions in Singapore:

1. Can you tell me about yourself?

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

It is a safe bet this will be one of the first questions asked, and the way you answer it will set the tone for the entire interview.

Employers aren’t trying to learn about your favourite colour – they want to know why you are the best candidate for the job. They want to hire the best person for the job, and your task will be to convince them that you are that person.

Give information about how your professional life relates to the position

There aren’t two positions that are exactly the same – every of their title is.

From the job description, you can find out what are the qualifications and skillsets that the employer is looking for. This will help you know what to highlight in all of your previous work experiences, education, achievements, and skills.

Tip: Answer in chronological order. You don’t have to go year by year, but as much as possible, try to detail the experiences and skills you’ve gained in an organised fashion. That will leave a lasting impression on the employer.

2. Why do you want to work here?

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

This is one of the most common interview questions because it gives the interviewer deeper insights into what your intentions and motivations are, whether or not you’ll be a valuable contributor on the team, and whether you have the right attitude to fit into the company.

Do your research

Find out everything there is about the company and the position.

Study the company’s website and follow their activities on social media. Be clear on the company’s mission and what their core values are. Take it a step further by reading the most recent articles that the company has published, or articles that have been published about the company.

Top 3 strategies to answer “Why do you want to work here?”

• Prove that you are the solution to their problem
  All that research should give you a pretty good grasp of the problem that the company is hiring you to solve. It is impressive to point out their problems and needs, but you’ll take it up a notch if you can convince them why you are the perfect solution for it.
• Have a personal story to tell
  It is important to let your personality shine through, especially when employers are known to favour candidates with a pleasant attitude more than just someone with a specific skillset.

After all, skillsets can be trained.

The easiest way to showcase your personality is to talk about something that really interests you or something that you’re really passionate about. Weave that into your personal story and your excitement for the position will naturally be felt by the employer.

• Be very specific with your answers

Here’s an example of what we mean: “I want to work here because I admire the company’s value – especially the one about empowering employees. It is delightful to know that the organisation takes the time to understand each employee and proceeds by playing to their individual strengths.”

When you are this specific, the employer can tell that you are not just interested in the position, but also the company. And you’ve done your research.

3. What are your strengths? Common interview questions

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

This is much more straightforward. They want to know if your strengths complement the requirements and expectations of this position.

3 steps to answering “What are your strengths?”

• Make a list

First, review the job posting very carefully and make a list of the qualifications, experience, and skills needed to excel at the job. For example, recognise what is it the company needs most. Whether it’s analytical skills, critical thinking, or leadership skills.

• Pinpoint your strengths

Next, evaluate your career accomplishments and how they relate to the position.

Besides each of the points on the list, you made in Step 1, jot down a sentence or two about how you match up with those skills. You should detail specific ways of how you excel at them and make sure to include quantifiable examples like “Helped to grow B2C sales by 20per cent”.

• Narrow it down

Focus on the 2 – 3 strengths you want to highlight, preferably your strongest assets. The better you are able to explain how your strengths relate to the position, the more likely you are at securing a job offer.

4. What are your weaknesses? Common interview questions

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

There is strength in vulnerability. Showcasing your weakness does not mean filtering yourself out of the job, but you will have to understand the best way to answer it. Here are the 3 main points they’re looking out for:

• Self-awareness
• Plans for improvement
• Will that hinder your performance on the job

Use the ABC method to answer this question

• A: Actions you took
• B: Be upfront about it
• C: Create a plan for further action

Actions you took

When you talk about your weaknesses, accompany it with actions that are in progress to overcome the weakness.

Example: You may be applying to be a journalist, but lack the flair that one would need with words to perform on the job. What will help show the employer that you’re being proactive about it would be to join a club that produces monthly newsletters for the school. That will give you practical hands-on experience to get accustomed to writing. Also shows that you are serious about pursuing a career in journalism.

Be upfront about it

State exactly what your weakness is and be upfront about the struggles you face. If there is a particular reason why you’re struggling with the weaknesses, share it honestly with the interviewer as well.

Create a plan for further action

Be forward-looking.

Impress your interviewer by telling them what you plan to do to better manage your weakness. Go one step further and tie it to their company as well as the job. It shows that you have done in-depth research on them.

Example: You may be applying for a marketing position in a retail company, but are unfamiliar with running paid ad campaigns – which so happens to be a non-vital requirement for the position. Don’t just stop there. Share with the employer how you’re planning to take an online course for paid ad campaigns, and how you intend to study the ads that competitors in the retail industry are running.

Check out more example answers for this interview question.

Related: The Number 1 Mistake People Make When Answering “What Are Your Weaknesses”

5. Share a challenge or conflict you faced at work/school and how you dealt with it

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

The interviewer wants to see how you react to difficult situations on the job, and how you approach problem-solving.

Tips to answer this question effectively:

• Keep it positive
• Has to be significant and relevant
• Explain the outcome

Keep it positive

Don’t bring up situations where you have to speak negatively about someone or somewhere else. That only reflects poorly on your character, it also doesn’t showcase your ability to tackle problems.

Instead, focus on situations that showcases competencies that are relevant for the job. You can even mention a situation that taught you a precious lesson.

Has to be significant and relevant

Tie back the difficult situation to the position you’re applying for – as best you can.

Review the job posting very carefully and get a better grasp on what the interviewer is looking for in an ideal candidate. Pick a difficult situation that ties back nicely to the responsibilities and requirements of the job. Talk about how you overcame the challenges because of certain competencies that you have, or how you developed some competencies because of the experience.

To leave a lasting impression, talk about a time where you were under immense pressure. This can include factors such as a pressing time constraint or how the emotions of those you worked with were severely affected.

The goal is to demonstrate your adaptability and problem-solving skills.

Explain the outcome

Employers are eager to know the results you achieved from handling a difficult situation.

The best way to structure your answer would be by using the STAR method:

• S – Situation. Provide context and clearly depict the situation for them.
• T – Task. Talk about the task at hand and what was your role in the situation.
• A – Action. Elaborate on the specific actions you took to resolve the conundrum.
• R – Results. Share the outcome of the situation and what you managed to get out of it.

6. Tell me about a time you failed – Common interview questions

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

Many people fail to realise that there are many hidden questions and agenda in this one big question. Let’s break it down.

• Evaluate your self-awareness
• Whether you are able to learn from your failure
• How you’ll prevent it from happening again
• Understand you as a person
• Uncover potential red flags

Choose your failure based on the mentioned factors

The solution or lesson learnt should clearly demonstrate one or more traits that an ideal candidate should possess.

Even though you’re talking about a failure, you can potentially come off as a more suitable candidate – simply because through the failure you managed to learn important lessons along the way.

But remember: Practice selective honesty. Do not choose a failure that was easily avoidable, absolutely disastrous, or uncovers serious red flags.

What does a good answer look like?

Now that we know about the reasons interviewers ask this question, a good answer should tick all the boxes. Here’s what a good answer would encompass:

• What the failure was
• How you dealt with the failure and what was done to fix it
• How you plan to avoid such issues in the future
• What you learnt from this and how you’ve changed
• How all of it relates to the job you’re interviewing for

Remember: Keep your story concise and highlight the key takeaways. Leverage on your failure to accentuate your strengths. Don’t just tell the interviewer about the time you failed. Instead, let them know how you turned it around in your favour.

Check out model answers for this question on the full article of “How To Answer: Tell Me About A Time You Failed” .

7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

Hiring and training a new employee is time consuming – and very costly. Which is also why employers are usually looking to hire someone for the long run.

With this question, they are testing to see whether or not you have thought about your career, and if you are looking to commit to this role and to the company. Preferably, they are looking to weed out those that just want their “foot in the door”, or those that are already thinking about their next career adventure elsewhere.

The employer also wants to understand if the career progression and pathway they can offer you is aligned with what you are interested in.

Tips to answering “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

First of all, don’t attempt sensitive humour like “Hopefully, in five years I’ll be taking over your spot”.

That is a terrible idea. Don’t.

However, this is a good chance to demonstrate that you have put in serious thoughts into your future, and how the position in this company is aligned to where you want to be.

Your answer is a self-appraisal of where you are currently at, what you think you’re capable of, and where you see yourself in the future.

ALSO READ: Don't know how to answer a question during a job interview? Do this

Before you start talking about vision and goals, you want to communicate clearly that the position you are applying for is an important and vital step in your career – and you plan on excelling in the role. Once you’ve established that, it will make sense to start discussing possible upward mobility within the company, while emphasising your plans to be staying with the organisation in the long run.

It is also a great chance to show that you have done your due diligence. Bring up your research on all the related roles in the company and try to figure out what are the positions you can potentially grow into. Of course, always weave it into your answers as naturally as possible.

8. What do you think the company can do differently/better?

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

This is one of the most common interview questions that evaluates your creativity and observation skills. The interviewers want to see if you can identify the current problems in the company and give an actionable solution to solve it. In turn, that tells them how much you are able to contribute to the team.

Common mistakes

Saying “everything seems perfect” is simply telling the interviewers that you have no ideas – which is the last impression you’d want to leave for them.

Avoid giving answers or feedback without suggesting a solution. That is exactly what they hate.

The best way to answer this question

• Do your research
• Be appreciative and give constructive feedback

Do your research

We cannot stress this enough. Make sure you know more as much as you can possibly can based on publicly available information (without being inside the company). Otherwise, keep researching.

Because this is the only way for you to detect a problem or spot any aspects that you think the company can improve on.

If you are applying for a Product Management position in an e-commerce company, go to their company’s website and find any bugs or inconvenience on the user’s point of view. Even better if you have purchased something from their site before. You can even figure out a way to help the company draw in more customers, and then suggest it even before being asked about it.

Be appreciative and give constructive feedback

The best way to point out a problem is to first compliment the strengths of the company, and what they are doing right. Then, politely bring out what you feel can be better improved on.

Of course, an actionable solution needs to be delivered after illustrating the problem at hand.

Example of what’s actionable: Suggesting to the company they add more categories for their products (and what specific categories to add), to better help customers navigate to what they are looking for.

9. What do you do outside of work?

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

This question is a good sign. It means that you’re appreciated and the interviewer actually wants to know more about you. They are curious about your life outside of work, and whether it interferes with your ability to perform on the job.

Common mistakes

Avoid obvious or generic answers that don’t reflect any personality. Something like “I like to travel” is a good example – everyone loves travelling and the interviewer knows that too.

While we encourage you to be as specific as possible, don’t mention anything that may affect your work. That includes answers like “After work, I like to explore new bars and meet new people. Usually after getting a couple of drinks, I will hit the club for an enjoyable night”.

How to answer this question

Your goal is to create a bond between you and the interviewer, especially to make the employer feel like you are actually someone that he or she can work with on a daily basis.

The trick to this question is to let the interviewer know what kind of person you are by sharing your hobbies with them.

• “I like to spend time with my friends and family” tells the interviewer that you value time with your loved ones, and prioritise the relationships in your life.
• “I like reading and taking online classes” shows your curious-to-learn nature and tells the interviewer that you are passionate about learning.
• “I like going to the gym and participating in sports” brings forth the active side of yourself, and the interviewer will know that you are someone that takes good care of their body.

Make sure you are well-prepared for this question.

Think: If you can’t express yourself well, it is hard to convince the interviewer that you will be able to express work-related ideas that can help the company grow.

10. Why should we hire you? Common interview questions

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

It may seem like they’re trying to put you in a tough spot by asking this question, but here’s what they are really trying to find out:

• Why you instead of others?
• Why are you the best fit?
• How can you value-add?
• Can you think on your feet?
• What’s your “Special Magic?”

You need to know yourself, the job, and the company to answer this question

• Know yourself: Categorising your skills
• Know the job: What you can and cannot do (for now)
• Know the company: What problems they need solved?

Read the full article to answer “Why should we hire you?” here.

11. What is your expected salary? Common interview questions

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

• To see if they can afford you

You can be the perfect candidate for the job, but that wouldn’t matter if the company does not have the budget to afford your asking salary

• To gauge if you know your worth

Someone who’s worth their salt will never discount themselves by accepting a mediocre paying job. Likewise, they will never price themselves out of a job.

Good practices when answering “What is your expected salary?”

• Get a sense of salary expectations
• Justify your range
• Be transparent about competing offers
• Hold off answering the question first

Get a sense of salary expectations

Simply put, do your due diligence.

Figure out the market rate for the particular job you’re applying for. Generally, salaries for similar roles and years of experience shouldn’t be too far off across different companies.

Justify your range

Always offer a range. It lets employers know that you are open to negotiation and are flexible with your salary.

Be transparent about competing offers

You may feel compelled to hide it, but being open and transparent is always the better option. Employers almost always want to know what they’re up against, and it makes you look more “in demand”.

Hold off answering the question first

If you get asked about your expected salary in the first half of the interview, delay answering it till the end of the interview. Because a good answer wouldn’t necessarily put you in a more favourable position, but a bad one can risk cutting the interview short.

Money is a sensitive topic, and there is more behind the science of salary negotiation. Read the full article to this question here.

12. Do you have any questions for us?

What are they trying to find out with this interview question?

This is one of the most common interview questions in Singapore. The answer to this question should never be a no. Here’s what they’re looking for:

• You are what you ask
• It’s their turn to convince you
• “Tell me how I can do better “

You are what you ask

The type of questions you ask say a lot about you. Thoughtful questions give you bonus points, and the lack thereof may suggest that you are uninterested or underprepared.

It’s their turn to convince you

Every interview is a crucial touchpoint for interviewers to convince you to take up the offer. If you are a worthy candidate, they would want to address any concerns or doubts you may have about taking on the offer.

Tell me how I can do better

If you get the job, this may be the last interview for your in the months, or even years to come.

That is not the case for your interviewer. They interview candidates all year round and want to know how they can attract more jobseekers, get the right candidates to apply, and improve the candidate experience.

Here are some great questions you should be asking

• About the job
• About the company
• About the ideal candidate
• Uncover potential challenges
• Discuss future & immediate next steps
• And one last question to wow the interviewer…

Read the full article on how you can best answer the question, and get a list of 40 smart questions you can ask at the end of your interview.

Bear in mind that these mainly serve as a guide to point you in the right direction to ace the interview. Study how to best answer these questions, and then put in the time and effort to personalise and refine your answers.

Employment is right around the corner.

This article was first published in TalentTribe.asia.