#interview experience

once you’re applying to a job and in an interview the employer asked you a question “tell me about yourself”

Overview of scholars’ programmes and scholarships for which I went for interviews:

Scholars’ Programmes: 1. National University of Singapore (NUS): University Scholars’ Programme (USP) 2. National Technological University (NTU): CN Yang Scholars’ Programme

Scholarships: 1. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Local and Overseas Scholarships (CAAS) (2 rounds) 2. National Technological University: Nanyang Scholarship 3. National University of Singapore: NUS Merit Scholarship (2nd tier; 1st round)

This post has been long overdue but... After my GCE ‘A’ Level a couple years ago, I applied for a number of scholarships and scholars’ programme locally. However, when I was shortlisted for the interviews for these, I realised there were very few platforms on which they actually shared in-depth information about how the interviews are conducted so now that I’m kind of done with all my interviews, I’ve decided to compile everything I went through and share it with you guys. I was actually also just shortlisted for the MOH Healthcare Merit Award / Scholarship interview, but declined to attend it (so I’m sorry to those who were curious to know what the interview would be like) because I’ve decided to enrol into CN Yang Scholars’ Programme. I’ll give you a breakdown of the reasons why in a bit. All right, enough rambling, now it begins!

CAAS Scholarship Interview 

Result: Not offered (honestly because I did ZERO preparation for the actual interview lol halp) 

There were two rounds of interviews for this scholarship. The first involved something like a ‘roleplay’ where we discussed how we would solve a simulated issue. I passed this round. Honestly, just speak up and try to ‘put yourself out there’ more, so that the interviewer / observer can hear your opinions better and ‘get to know you’ more easily. 

The second round of interview is way more formal, with a panel including about 4 management/executive-level guys. I’m pretty sure one of the Directors was there. Since I did not pass this round, I won’t share my answers back then, but I think the trick is to really read up on Singaporean current affairs beforehand, read some opinion pieces (maybe from the newspapers forums), and know about CAAS well!!

The Interview Questions: 

1. Tell us about yourself.  2. What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?  3. What do you know about CAAS? 

4. Do you think females should also partake in NS? --> I answered this question very poorly (I think), but the interviewer then told me that I could’ve said something like... ‘females also serve the country in different ways, such as in the public sector, in their daily contributions to the workforce and even taking care of their children and their families for the future...and military / NS is not the only way one can contribute to Singapore’s society’ 

I can’t really recall the rest of the questions, but good luck! 

NUS USP Interview 

Result: Offered Summary of benefits: Basically a programme that entails 2 years of compulsary on-campus living (NOT sponsored accommodation, but simply a requirement of the programme) that focuses on critical thinking skills and nurturing all-rounded thinking regardless of courses pursued; known to be pretty rigorous, involving classes even after ‘lesson hours’ and intensive writing; according to my seniors, this programme really trains your writing skills so it kind of helps in the long run, with writing theses and all that. pretty cool programme imo.

The Interview: this was a pretty chill, casual interview if i’m completely honest. there were 2 interviewers -- a prof of the programme and a USP alumni.

Q: Tell us about yourself, in terms of how your life has been and what got you interested in USP. A: Well, I’d like to think that I have led quite a unique life in that I spent the first 10 years of my life living in Malaysia. And because my entire childhood was spent there close to nature, it shaped my thinking such that I have a greater appreciation for more hands-on and experiential learning. So, even when I came to Singapore for primary education onwards, I was constantly seeking ways to achieve a more balanced, and exciting education path for myself. For instance, in secondary school, I tried my hand in community service, which made me realise my passion for people (etc. etc. etc.); and then in Junior College, I decided to pick up photography because I realised that I was lacking the more ‘artistic’ aspect of life. So I did that, alongside my original interest in community service, which I continued to pursue with my own self-initiated Fundraising projects. Why I’m interested in USP is because I realised that there are multiple tiers to it that allow me to be exposed to a wider variety of knowledge fields and skill sets, and also more abstract and humanities-focused courses even though I’m interested in joining a science course.

Q: You mentioned that you spent the first 10 years of your life in Malaysia, can you tell us more about what you think of the sense of rootedness you have towards Singapore vs Malaysia? A: (I’m assuming this is pretty specific towards my previous answer and probably none of you will be asked this as well so I’ll skip on what I replied; but I gave a pretty neutral answer, saying that I’m thankful towards M’sia for having shaped me as a child to think the way that I do today, and towards S’pore for the opportunities I have had to grow even more as a more mature person etc.)

Q: What was your community service project about and what did you learn from it? A: It was a fundraising project that aimed to raise funds so that the organisation we were working with would be able to continue to sustain its operations, and fulfil its aim of keeping all its programmes free of charge. Because I was the student leader of this project, I was in charge of coordinating recruitment, attendance as well as liaising with managements to host our fundraising events. So through these, I was able to learn how to communicate better with others and negotiate for better terms for my project. Because I was doing this along with exams, and another year-long tuition programme for less fortunate children, I also learnt to manage my stress and the importance of pacing myself so that I would not overwork and burn out.

Q: Speaking of non-profit organisations, what do you think of them in general? A: I feel like ultimately, non-profit organisations are still businesses that require a certain amount of profit and/or revenue to continue sustaining their operations. So, in the end it’s still a lot of communicating with other for-profit businesses to sell their efforts so that they would be sponsored, and so that others would be enticed to give back to the community by helping to sustain the non-profit organisations. My fundraising project was actually able to give me more insight into the behind-the-scenes of running a non-profit organisation, and we realised that even donations had to be audited and checked, and the staff still had to be paid. etc. etc. etc.

Q: What do you think sets you apart from your peers such that you will be able to excel under USP? A: I believe that I have the passion and the drive to keep up with the rigorous programmes and classes at USP. I am also very ambitious, so I will constantly strive to improve myself. Because I’ve always been very receptive to both the sciences and the humanities and have equal appreciation for both, I am also confident in understanding and adapting to the style of USP. I also think that because of my experiences, I will also be able to bring more unique ideas to the table as USP and contribute to more meaningful discussions.

NTU CN Yang Scholars’ Programme Interview

Result: Offered Summary of benefits: Includes the Nanyang Scholarship and guaranteed overseas final year research project (5 to 8 months), guaranteed overseas exchange for one semester, guaranteed four years of stay in NTU halls of residence, opportunities for research attachment from Year One onwards, opportunities to attend an international conference with full subsidy, opportunities to meet top leading scientists and academics, opportunities for PhD study at NTU or Joint PhD with partner university (Minimum CGPA of 4.00 for application of a scholarship from NTU)

The Interview: again, a pretty chill, pretty brief interview. there was only 1 interviewer.

Q: Tell me briefly about yourself. A: (summarised achievements + passions/interests)

Q: Do you intend to do a PhD after you graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree? A: Yes, because........ (just talk about furthering your passions and a PhD honing new skills...)

To be honest, the rest of the interview was mostly the interviewer explaining what the scholarship and scholars’ programme would entail. It was quite an easy breezy interview.

NTU Nanyang Scholarship Interview (under SCBE) 

As my first-choice course was Chemical Engineering, naturally I had my Nanyang Scholarship interview under the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering (SCBE), with the Academic Chair and an administrative staff as the interviewers. 

Result: Offered along with ADDITIONAL LEAD AWARD  Summary of Nanyang Scholarship benefits: Full coverage of subsidised tuition fees (after Tuition Grant), Living allowance of S$6,500 per academic year, Accommodation allowance of up to S$2,000 per academic year (Applicable to scholarship holders who reside in NTU hostels only), Travel grant of S$5,000 for an overseas programme (one-off), Computer allowance of S$1,750 (one-off)

Summary of LEAD Award benefits: can expect up to SGD$6,000 reward in the form of one of the following four options: (1) $1,500 cash award per semester (max 4 semesters); or (2) Overseas Internship for 2 months at MIT or other world renowned overseas laboratories for research; or (3) Leadership development/ conference/ workshop; or (4) Overseas study trip

--> Trick: if you ever get such a top-up award, just opt for the cash grant as that’s the easiest to reap the full benefit. You’re better off sourcing for your own internships, as the MIT ones are not guaranteed to be available for your cohort, or there might be more administrative procedures for that. 

The Interview: 

Q: Tell me about yourself.  A: (summarised achievements + passions/interests) -- you can talk a little bit about why you chose to study your course of choice 

Q: Tell me more about your leadership positions in JC and secondary school.  A: (again, summarise your achievements - phrase them in such a way that you end with a positive result that YOU helped to achieve) 

More follow-up questions about past work experiences...honestly, just answer from your heart and be truthful. They don’t bite. 

Afterwards, they pretty much just started telling me about the scholarship and how I can benefit from it. Following that, they offered me the LEAD Award top-up, which I did NOT see coming but was very flattered by. 

NUS Merit Award Interview (under Faculty of Science, Pharmacy)

Result: Offered Merit Award (2nd tier) Summary of benefits: Tuition fees (after MOE Tuition Grant subsidy), S$6,000 annual living allowance, S$2,000 one-time computer allowance upon enrolment, Guaranteed an offer of a 1-semester Student Exchange Programme (SEP) with one of NUS’ overseas partner universities, Guaranteed offers of on-campus accommodation for the first 2 years of undergraduate studies, provided the Scholar submits a complete hostel admission application every year within the prescribed application periods, and fulfils NUS’s eligibility criteria for NUS on-campus accommodation.

The Interview:

I have to say that this was one of my worst interview experiences. The questions were pretty standard at first, asking about (again) yourself, your past experiences, why you chose your course of study. But after a while it took a dark turn. So, by this point I’d already been accepted into the Pharmacy course, so I was merely interviewing for the scholarship and NOT the course. Yet, the interviewer (one of 3 in the panel) started to bombard me with questions about why I got a B in A Level Chemistry (FYI: I had all A’s and a B in H2 Chem), what went wrong (his words, not mine), why I deserved to be given a scholarship IN SPITE OF THE ‘B’, what I will do to overcome this stupid shortcoming...... blah blah blah EXTREMELY TERRIBLE AND ELITIST INTERVIEWER.

But again, that was my experience. I could’ve just gotten a really mean interviewer. Just go in with an open mind. But I left the interview feeling really looked down on and...shamed. Which is sad because now that I am way past that, I wish I had gone back in and told him that grades are not what make a person. 

And with that, we have come to the end of this reeeeeeally long (and overdue) post. 

If any of you guys have anything to ask me about scholarships / scholarship application processes in Singapore, feel free hit me up in the ask box! :) Hehe. 

Oh, and if you were curious, I accepted the C N Yang Scholarship + Nanyang Scholarship (with SCBE LEAD Award) in the end. If you would like me to talk more about how I am finding NTU life, how each Scholars’ Programme works, how I am benefitting from my scholarship, and so on, do ask away! (https://studyblxrr.tumblr.com/ask)

I gave them my usual speech about wanting something a bit more stable that would offer me a work/life balance and would give me a start unto understanding how an office area works for when I eventually move into the IT world. They seemed understanding, offered me some feedback on my resume (which I appreciated very much) and that was the gist of it. But I walked put of their feeling hopeful but at the same time defeated.

It seems they were mostly concerned about my ability to actually work on a computer. I know that a certain level of computer skills is needed to do this kind of work but I feel I have a pretty good grasp on it. But I might not have conveyed that to them properly. And I get it someone like me, who has more skills in one area than another doesn't really deserve the time of day, and not a lot of companies want to spend their money on training someone who can't do the job at all.

Initial screening  My interview was scheduled on a Monday, Jan 24th, 2022, at 2.30pm and I was planning to enter the building at 2.15pm. As per the interview letter, they will not allow us inside even if we enter the building too early. 15mins early was fine. My family arrived at the parking lot at 2.02pm and waited inside our car for few mins. After that, I took out the folder that had the…

So this company I was interviewed by in May still have the position open in October. I had rejected them because of the talent head's attitude as if he was doing a donation by giving me a job. I understand somewhere between the lines it's the same thing but there is something called being humble and if the HR head is like that, I wondered how the rest would be in the organisation.

After seeing that role open for months I want to work with the company and the job. But I don't want to work with the leadership. Can't these old people just retire and sit at home?

Signed

Introduction

If you’re looking for a job, it’s important to know what the company culture is like. If you’re thinking about working at a certain company and want to get an idea of how happy their employees are and what they think of their management team, the best way to do that is by reading reviews from current employees. The five companies I’m going to discuss all offer different features depending on what type of information you’re looking for: Glassdoor offers more detail than other sites with its company reviews; PayScale has lots of salary and compensation data; Monster focuses primarily on jobs listings; Comparably takes into account employee satisfaction as well as salaries; while Niche provides detailed statistics on everything from diversity rates to hours worked per week

Reviewia

Reviewia is a popular company review website that allows employees to anonymously review their employers. It also allows those looking to find a new job or company to search for jobs and companies by location, salary, industry, job title and more. Reviewia has expanded their platform over the years and now includes features like “Reviewia for Business” which allows companies to respond directly to employee reviews on Reviewia

Careerbliss

CareerBliss is a user-generated site, meaning that users submit their own reviews and ratings of companies they’ve worked for.

Users can also rate their employers based on factors such as work-life balance and compensation.

This site is used by people who are looking to apply for jobs, as well as those who are already working at the company that they want to review. If you’re interested in applying for a position with an organization, this site will help you make an informed decision about whether or not it’s worth applying (and potentially making yourself miserable). If you’re already working at a company that you think could be better than what it currently offers its employees (or worse), this website will let others know why you love or hate working there so much.

Monster

Monster is a job search and career management website. It is an online resource that provides services to help individuals find new jobs, get higher salaries and manage their careers. In addition to providing these traditional career-related services, Monster also offers its users advice on how to break into a specific industry as well as tips on what to do in order to succeed at work.

Monster has more than 25 million jobs listings in the United States and Canada alone which makes it one of the most comprehensive sources for finding employment opportunities available today. The site lets you search for jobs by category (such as healthcare or technology), location (such as New York City), company name or keyword through its expansive database of openings from thousands of companies around North America including Google[1]Apple[2], etc..

Indeed

Indeed is a job search engine that you can use to find jobs. It’s free to use and has a large database of jobs for you to search through. You can also filter your results based on factors like location, salary range and specific skills required for the role.

Although Indeed is not specifically designed as a company review website, it does provide information about employers in some cases — especially if you’re looking at a job which requires previous experience with that particular company.

If you go through their “company profile” section, you’ll be able to see basic details about the business such as its address and contact information as well as what they do and where they operate from (if anything).

PayScale

PayScale is a website that provides compensation data and software. PayScale provides information on:

salary trends

salary negotiation

salary reports

PayScale has almost 15 million people in its database, and it’s the largest source for employer-reported pay data. They also have tools and resources to help you figure out how much you should be making based on your education level, experience level and industry.

Vault

Vault is a career network and information resource. Vault provides company review, rankings and salary reports. It also offers job listings and career advice when you are looking for a new job or considering a change in employers.

Vault has a mobile app for iOS devices that includes all the same features as the desktop website (except no ability to write reviews). The app has been downloaded over 2 million times and rated 4 stars out of 5 on iTunes App Store.

Comparably

Comparably is a company review website that allows employees to give their honest feedback about their employers. Employees can compare their experiences with other companies and see what it’s like to work for a company from within the industry. This platform is useful for both employees and employers — the former because they may be able to find a better job opportunity, and the latter because they can get valuable information on how they’re perceived by their workers.

Niche

Niche is a website that helps you find the best jobs in your city. It also helps you find the best companies in your city and other cities. This makes it a good tool for people who want to work for a specific company, but don’t know how to find them or where they are located.

These are the best company review websites.

Reviewia

CareerBliss

Monster

Indeed

PayScale

Vault

Comparably

Niche

Conclusion