SG jobseeker stunned after HR asks her to pitch sales ideas for S$3k entry-level role

SINGAPORE: Are some employers going too far? Recently, one Singaporean jobseeker shared that an HR representative asked her to come up with multiple ideas to boost the company’s sales during the hiring process.

Posting on the r/singaporejobs subreddit on Sunday (Aug 9), the jobseeker said this was for an “entry-level position” and that HR had told her that, to move on to the next interview round, she needed to come up with “several solutions and market trend insights to help boost company sales, then present them to the hiring manager.”

Stunned by the request, she said, “This is the first time I've run into something like this. Is this normal? The salary range is only around S$3,000... I feel like I'm not being paid enough for this kind of work.”

“Give them nothing”

In the comments, many were equally appalled by HR’s instruction, with one saying that giving a task this big during the hiring process is usually reserved for positions at a manager’s level or higher.

“Being asked at an entry level means this company is trying to get free ideas and a working plan,” they added.

Another agreed with this view, writing: “They want you to work for free; if you present this, be prepared that you won't get the job. It's an exploit. Give 'em vague ideas. Do all the work but give away nothing to them. Show them you did research and came up with a plan. Detailed and all. But give them nothing.”

A third shared, “I can safely tell you all the crappy interviews that asked me for ideas and how I executed my work, etc., ended up being just about trying to steal my ideas for free. Then they will complain that I’m asking for too much salary, followed by saying I’m not good enough. Then lastly, say that they found another more suitable candidate.”

Some also urged her to reconsider going through with the hiring process.

One comment read, “It's a free market out there; it is absolutely within your rights to drop out of this interview process if you feel this scope is not worth the offered package.”

In other news, a foreign worker has claimed that the stress of working in Singapore has become so overwhelming that it is making him physically ill, prompting him to ask whether such workplace culture is considered normal in the city-state.

Writing on the r/askSingapore subreddit, the man said: “Before this, I had no health issues. Now, every day I have full-body hives and rashes down to my feet. My face and lips randomly swell up, and doctors can’t find a medical reason for it.”

Read more: Foreign worker claims toxic Singapore workplace left him physically ill: ‘The stress is literally making me sick’