Master structured interviewing techniques in Singapore. Learn to craft behavioural and competency-based questions to select the right candidates effectively.

Introduction

Hiring the right people is one of the most important decisions any organisation can make. Imagine building a team of employees who are not only competent and motivated, but who also fit seamlessly into your organisation’s culture and work collaboratively with others. Achieving this begins with effective recruitment and interviewing practices.

Unfortunately, hiring the wrong person can be extremely costly. A poor hiring decision can lead to reduced productivity, team disruption, increased turnover, and significant financial loss for the organisation. Too often, hiring decisions are based on gut instinct rather than structured and objective assessment.

This comprehensive two-day training programme equips HR professionals and hiring managers with the knowledge and practical skills needed to conduct structured, behavioural-based interviews that improve hiring accuracy and reduce the risk of costly mis-hires. Participants will also learn how AI tools can enhance the recruitment process, making hiring more efficient, data-driven, and effective.

Through practical exercises, interactive discussions, and hands-on interview practice, participants will learn how to assess candidates objectively and make informed hiring decisions aligned with the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) guidelines.

Course Details: 

Objectives

By the end of this programme, participants will be able to:

• Understand the principles and advantages of structured interviews for better hiring outcomes.

• Leverage AI tools to enhance recruitment efficiency and effectiveness.

• Understand job competencies and how they guide better hiring decisions.

• Develop and apply competency-based interview questions.

• Design interview questions aligned with the organisation’s job requirements, vision, mission, and values.

• Apply a structured 5-step interview process to ensure consistency and fairness.

• Use behavioural-based questions and the STAR technique (Situation/Task, Action, Result) to evaluate candidates effectively.

• Select appropriate assessment methods to evaluate candidate capabilities.

• Conduct virtual interviews and panel interviews professionally and effectively.

• Manage challenging candidates and difficult interview situations.

• Project a professional image that reflects positively on the organization.

Participants will leave the programme with practical tools and techniques to conduct interviews confidently and make well-informed hiring decisions.

Methodology

To encourage transfer of learning in the workplace environment, the programme incorporates interactive discussions, exercises, skill practices and videos.

Outline

This two-day workshop combines conceptual knowledge with practical application, allowing participants to immediately apply what they learn.

Day 1 - Building the Foundations of Effective Hiring

The first day focuses on developing the right mindset and understanding the key concepts behind successful recruitment and interviewing.

• The importance of hiring the right candidate and the hidden costs of a mis-hire.

• Understanding what creates the right fit between candidate, job, and organization.

• The role of AI tools in modern recruitment and how they can enhance hiring efficiency.

• AI applications such as drafting job descriptions, creating job advertisements, screening candidates, and generating interview questions.

• Understanding job competencies and how to design competency-based interview questions.

• Developing behavioural-based questions aligned with job and organisational requirements.

• Effective interview planning, including one-to-one and panel interviews.

• The five key steps of a structured interview process.

• The art of effective listening during interviews.

• Using probing techniques and the STAR method to gain deeper insights into candidate experience.

Benefits of Programme

• Attract candidates to join the organisation through projecting a professional and positive organizational image

• Increase staff retention rate by first select the right candidates that fit the job, team and organization

• Maximise productivity and reduce mis-hire costs

Outline

Day 2 - Practical Application and Skill Development

The second day focuses on applying the concepts learned through interactive exercises and skill practice.

• Use different candidate assessment methods such as role plays, exercises, tests, and demonstrations to improve hiring accuracy.

• Conduct structured interviews using the five-step interview framework through intensive practice sessions.

• Experience interviews from multiple perspectives as interviewer, candidate, and observer.

• Apply checklists and feedback techniques to improve interviewing skills.

• Detect AI-generated answers and handle AI-prepared candidates.

• Read body language in addition to verbal answers.

• Ensure compliance with TAFEP guidelines for fair and progressive employment practices.

• Handle challenging candidates and difficult interview situations.

• Manage both virtual and face-to-face interviews professionally.

• How to detect red flags in candidate’s answers

• Understand the do’s and don’ts of modern interviewing.

• Make objective and fair selection decision

Participants will receive constructive feedback to help them refine their interviewing techniques and build confidence in conducting effective recruitment interviews.

Who should attend

This programme is ideal for:

• HR professionals and HR business partners

• Hiring managers and team leaders involved in recruitment

• Talent acquisition specialists and recruiters

• Supervisors responsible for selecting new employees

• Anyone who wishes to improve their interviewing and hiring decision-making skills

Trainer

Susan Fong brings with her more than 20 years of working experience in the field of Human Resource Management and Development. Her experience spans across industries like telecommunications, market research, information technology and healthcare. She was holding managerial positions in various organisations and her last position was Senior Manager, Learning and Development of a local large organisation.

Susan conducts various programmes, ranging from personal development to leadership. She has conducted programmes on 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Leadership Development, Competency-Based Interview and teambuilding. She is also certified as a DISC Behavioural Consultant, NLP Practitioner and WSQ-ESS programme facilitator.

Having been in the role of a Senior Human Resource Practitioner with management responsibilities, Susan has leadership and facilitation experience. As such, she is able to share and impart her knowledge and experience in areas like interviewing skills, performance management and people management. She has conducted numerous training sessions for managers and executives in organisations such as ACNielsen Research, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Parkway Health. Her passion lies in being able to contribute to improving the competencies of her participants through interactive sessions. She firmly believes that competent people make a big and positive difference to the organisation.

Susan holds a Bachelor of Business in Business Administration (Distinction Award) and also a Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management (Bronze Award). She is also certified in Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTA).

 

Administrative Details:

Scheduled Dates

• 10 & 11 December 2026  (Face-to-Face)  (28th Run) - Confirmed

• 15 & 16 April 2027  (Face-to-Face)  (29th Run)

Duration / Venue

• Two days

• 9.00 am to 5.00 pm

• Hotel Grand Pacific Singapore  (28th Run)

Certification

A Certificate of Attendance will be awarded at the end of the course.

 

Course Fees

• S$ 959.20 w/GST (S$880.00) for Community/Corporate Subscribers

• S$ 1,035.50 w/GST (S$950.00) for Non-Subscribers

Funding

• UTAP Funding is available for NTUC Union Members ($250 or $500 for those aged 40 and above, until 31 March 2027).

• Grants/Subsidies/SkillsFuture Credit are not applicable.

IHRP CPD Hours 

• 14

(Please refer to the IHRP website)

Refreshment

• Coffee & tea with snacks during the morning and afternoon breaks

• Lunch will be provided

Past Participants:

Past Participants' Comments

• "Susan (Trainer) is able to answer all our queries clearly and direct us well to ask effective interview questions"

• "Training was really well planned and the trainer was very clear in delivering and engaging every participant" - Sherlyn Sim, Ocean Network Express Pte Ltd

• "Program was well paced and comfortable for me" - Adrian Wee, Chugai Pharmabody Research Pte Ltd

• "Very enjoyable training session" - Jessica Siow, Aicadium Singapore Pte Ltd

• "Susan is a passionate and engaging trainer, one of the best I've encountered in recent years. I thoroughly enjoyed her course and I'm sure I will be able to apply the skills that I've learnt from her in my job. Thank you, Susan!" - Vion Tan

• "The advice, tips and role play were very useful. Susan (Trainer) was very engaging, professional and friendly. Thanks for the 2 days of training!" - Yap Wei Beng, National Cancer Centre Singapore

• "Susan was very engaging and gave us a lot of real life and relevant examples. A lot of learning and sharing with one another. Good role plays and immersive experience. Would definitely recommend it to anybody interested in improving their interview skills" - Ang Ching Siang, Training Vision Institute

• "The trainer is very generous in sharing her experiences and she offered very solid advice and tips!" - Doreen Yang

• "It was great!" Natalie Wee, CapitaLand Investment Limited

• "Trainer is very encouraging, engaged and motivating to keep the class in good discussion" - Jessica Tok, Watsons Personal Care Stores Pte Ltd

• "The course has been very beneficial to me and the advices and tips are very useful for me to use when conducting interviews" - Nurul Ashikin Binte Mohamed Yunos, Bulgari South Asian Operations Pte Ltd

• "Susan is a candid & experienced trainer. She is able to relate to the participant's situation. Thanks for providing me insights on new perspectives to conduct interviews"

• "It was really useful for me as it made me understand how to ask better questions and getting better answers related to the competency of the role" - Arvin Loh, Neo Performance Materials (Singapore) Pte Ltd

• "Fruitful and effective. It is very structured and the trainer was able to convey the message clearly!"

• "The trainer made the attempts to give her feedback to each role play and advised how she can improve which helps us in the experiential learning. Susan is very experienced in the subject matter and was encouraging which made the learning more fruitful"

• "Susan is such an excellent trainer! She makes the class/workshop very interesting and we were able to learn the skills through presentations in role play. Loves attending her classes" - Joan Chua, Frasers Property Corporate Services Pte Ltd

• "Very insightful and refreshing! The activities were fantastic in applying and retaining our learning"

• "The behavioral questions were very interesting to allow the candidates to share more about their experience"

• "The training program has allowed me to have an in depth understanding of interviewing techniques!"

• "Overall the program is very interactive. Trainer is very well-informed and knowledgeable"

• "Great program. Trainer has vast recruitment knowledge to share during training"

• "Practical and easy to apply!"

• "Susan is a very interactive trainer. Very engaging"

• "Susan is really approachable and she is always thinking of a way to put the point in a way that could be easily understood. She is also very open to give advices. I will definitely register for any course by Susan! "

• "Good variation of listening / watching videos / group discussions / role play. Love the session! Susan is great!"

• "Well placed. Useful and very relevant. Easy to understand."

•​ "To have colleagues attend together. Able to share & useful for role play​!" - Anjana, N​ational University of Singapore​ (NUS)

• "Very informative, got to experience new things, learnt how to conduct a effective interview session"

• "Excellent trainer, rich in information!"

Past Participant Organisations

• A*STAR - Science and Engineering Institutes, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore, Agency for Integrated Care Pte Ltd, Azbil Singapore Pte Ltd, Aicadium Singapore Pte Ltd, Afton Chemical Asia Pte Ltd

• Building and Construction Authority, Bulgari South Asian Operations Pte Ltd, BW Maritime Pte Ltd, Balestier Market Pte Ltd, Beyond Social Services, Brunei Darussalam Central Bank

• CapitaLand Retail Management Pte Ltd, Chr. Hansen Singapore Pte Ltd, Casino Regulatory Authority, Charles Monat Associates Pte Ltd, Citystategroup Pte Ltd, Community Psychology Hub, CapitaLand Investment Limited, CapitaLand Shared Services Ptd Ltd, Changi Airport Group (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Chugai Pharmabody Research Pte Ltd, Constellar Group Pte Ltd, CASA (S) Pte Ltd, Chugai Pharmabody Pte Ltd, CLI Asset Management Pte Ltd

• Digicel Singapore, Dentons Rodyk & Davidson LLP, Dematic Pte Ltd

• Edwards Lifesciences (Singapore) Pte Ltd, E M Services Pte Ltd, Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd, Eu Yan Sang International Ltd, Eng Kong Container Agencies (Pte) Ltd, Eastern Pacific Shipping, EDMI Limited, ESRI Singapore Pte Ltd, Epic Technology Pte Ltd, Excelitas Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd (Optics Division)

• Fluke South East Asia Pte Ltd, FWD Singapore Pte Ltd, Frasers Property Corporate Services Pte Ltd, Fusion Trade Pte Ltd

• German Institute of Science and Technology - TUM Asia Pte Ltd, GLP Pte Ltd, Gladiolus Place, Groz-Beckert East Asia LLP, Government Technology Agency

• Hotel Miramar Singapore, HGST Singapore Pte Ltd, Hogarth Worldwide Pte Ltd, Home Nursing Foundation, Harry's International Pte Ltd

• Island Aviation Services Limited, I.Dental Invisible Braces Pte Ltd, Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants, Institute of Materials Research & Engineering (IMRE) A*STAR Research Entities, ITE College East – School of Business and Services, IPI, ICD Security Solutions, IINO Singapore Pte Ltd, I-PEX Singapore Pte Ltd

• Jet Aviation (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, JERA Global Markets Pte Ltd, Jurong Engineering Limited

• Kyocera Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Keppel Management Ltd, Kok Tong Transport & Engineering Works Pte Ltd, Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital

• LVMH Fragrances & Cosmetics (S) Pte Ltd, Lane Crawford (Singapore) Pte Ltd, LEGO Singapore Pte Ltd, Liebherr-Singapore Pte Ltd

• Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, Methodist Girls' School, Multitest Electronic Systems (Asia), Murata Electronics Singapore (Pte) Ltd, Ministry of Home Affairs, MSI Global Pte Ltd, MOL Chemical Tankers Pte Ltd, Motional, Methodist Welfare Services, Methodist Welfare Services, Ministry of Defence

• National Library Board, National Institute of Education, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Polyclinics, NUS - Institute of Systems Science, Neo Performance Materials (Singapore) Pte Ltd, National University of Singapore, Nikkei Group Asia, National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Youth Council, Nanyang Technological University, National Trades Union Congress c/o Employment and Employability Pte Ltd

• Omron Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Ocean Network Express Pte Ltd

• PSA Corporation Limited, PAP Community Foundation, PERSOLKELLY Pte Ltd, PrimeStaff Management Services Pte Ltd, Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd, PGIM Singapore, Spazio Concepts Pte Ltd, Parkroyal Collection Pickering

• Rohde & Schwarz Regional HQ Singapore Pte Ltd, Rakuten Asia Pte Ltd, Republic Polytechnic, RE&S Enterprises Pte Ltd

• SGS Testing & Control Services Singapore Pte Ltd, Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering - NTU, Singapore Institute Of Technology, Singapore Institute of Management, Singapore Aero Engine Services Pte Ltd, SCSK Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Valve & Fitting Pte Ltd, SBS Transit Pte Ltd, Sony Electronics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Sims Global Commodities Pte Ltd, SMRT Trains Ltd, SMRT TEL Pte Ltd, Spazio Concepts Pte Ltd, SG Enable Ltd c/o CPH, Shimadzu (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, Samsung SDS Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, St. Andrew's Community Hospital, Samudera Shipping Line Ltd, Sheffield Employment Agency Pte Ltd, Singapore Power Ltd, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Stacktech Pte Ltd, SLS Bearings (S) Pte Ltd, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Samaritans of Singapore Limited, SD Guthrie Berhad, Singapore Innovate Pte Ltd

• Talenat Pte Ltd, Transas Marine Pacific Pte Ltd, Toyota Tsusho Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Tan Tock Seng Hospital Pte Ltd, Tokyo Electron Singapore Pte Ltd, Total Oil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Training Vision Institute, TotalEnergies Trading Asia Pte Ltd, TotalEnergies Marketing Asia-Pacific Middle East Pte Ltd, The Esplanade Co Ltd, Truegenics Pte Ltd, Tanaka Electronics Singapore (Pte) Ltd

• Urban Redevelopment Authority

• Vistra Corporate Services (SEA) Pte Ltd, Vantive Manufacturing Pte Ltd

• Wacker Chemicals (South Asia) Pte Ltd, Watsons Personal Care Stores Pte Ltd, Workforce Singapore, Woodlandshealth Pte Ltd, WS Engineering & Fabrication Pte Ltd

• Yayasan MENDAKI

• Zuellig Pharma Specialty Solutions Group Pte Ltd