HR said will inform me of the outcome within two weeks. My panel interview was two weeks ago. No call up or email for site interview. Not sure what to think. :(

Take it as you are not offered the job, either this or they decided to move on to other candidates first and let you know again if they find you more suitable.

As scenario as you, but i waited for about a month. Emailed HR and they kept saying they are still reviewing and considering other candidates. Not sure about my chances.. Just keep waiting..:( :(

That is a very long wait! You must have been really determined to wait it out for the final confirmation the first time around.

What is this final management clearance about? I more or less guessed that some sort of security clearance will have to be undertaken before someone can work in MINDEF, but I never expected there to be another level of clearance to pass.

Who is in charge of giving the management approval?

I attended an interview in mid Feb and the mindef HR staff told me that it will take a few weeks before they can inform me the outcome of the interview. I have not received any calls or rejection email from them. Why are they so slow?

The same thing also applies to other civil service jobs i have applied to. I attended an interview at MOH around the same time (mid feb) and haven't gotten a reply from them.I don't know whether CS is so inefficient cause the private sector firm took less than a week to send me the rejection email.

HR will come back to you with an offer, which you will either agree or you don't. This offer has to be approved by the management (Chief) and you will be informed duly after 1 or 2 weeks. You will have to go for security clearance, depending on the nature of your role. Then, medical review and during this time, they will draft up an offer letter in parallel. The entire process is not that sloow if they are interested to have you on board.

The general rule of thumb is that you can forget about the role if you have not heard from them after two weeks. It may also mean that they are currently still interviewing other candidates and have not come to a decision yet. You have to understand there are a lot of applicants, and they have many choices to choose from.

Will the HR let you know whether you pass or fail the psychometric test?

Yes. The process will be super fast if you have good credentials e.g. Ivy League or 1st Class. The general pool can take up to 1-2 months.

For me, I did the psychometric test way before. When I applied, I was called for the first interview at MHRD within a week upon application. Immediately after the interview, the hiring manager called and arranged for a site preview in the 2nd week. Received a verbal offer 2 days after from MHRD and concurrently scheduled for a medical review.

The process could be as fast as 2 weeks from the initial interview (excludes psychometric test) to the verbal offer, depending on your credentials and the urgency for that position.

Nope. They will not let you know about it.

A real nut-crack, who goes one round to identify oneself as an IVY League or 1st class candidate.

I resigned and went back to mindef, applied twice and IT IS NOT ABOUT WHO YOU ARE but what you are. Pass degree btw, i got notified both times within 2weeks, i seriously dont think credentials make a difference.

SAF personnels are not eltists, they are down to earth people like u and I, pls ignore this joker and wait patiently, sometimes due to an overwhelming response and conflicting schedule, they cannot get back to u as fast as they shld. My commander is interviewing candidates but because he is very busy, we haven't been able to interview pple. Just to note: whether you are a straight As student or not doesnt matter, ultimately is how u present urself during the interview.

I have seen academic smart pple who have no people skills, saf is a people oriented place fyi. Dont be like a fool, go in act smart and think you are that good. Sometimes we need a bit of old fashion...

Hi. Just wanted to say thanks for this. It's rather reassuring to know. I am nearing two weeks of waiting and about to lose hope. But I feel a little more heartened by your post. :)

Hey np, just sharing what i know, which may not be accurate since hiring managers all have diff selection criteria, most i know are not academic worshippers. When i first got in to Mindef, my degree was not a prestigious one and i only got a pass degree but i went in with more than 5yrs of experience from another ministry and they saw pass my credentials, even though i had 'stronger' opponents, most inportantly the hiring manager must see something in you, they must see ur value and ur integrity which far surpasses the need for excellent academic achievements. I was not even from the top 3 unis of singapore and there are many more like me.

That being said, i dont want to raise ur hopes too high, i will recommend u you to continue ur job hunt elsewhere if u have been waiting for 2 weeks. In fact, dont stop ur job hunt because there is no guarrantee u can get in anywhere unless u sign the offer letter. All the best!

I have seen a lot of mediocre people in mindef (ie. those who will definitely be axed if he/she were to enter the private sector)...so yes, do not fret over your diplomas/degrees.. cuz they do not matter..and once you enter, your iron rice bowl awaits

can anyone share how's the psychometric test gonna be like?

Yep, looking elsewhere too. Thank you so much! :)

Hi, can you list what are the interview questions that they asked?

Hmm.. How slow can a response be then? Possibly more than 2 weeks in some instances?

So... when did you sign your employment contract?

Anybody knows whats the job scope of DXO HR executive?

It has been exactly two weeks since I went for the panel interview for IT Customer Engagement and I have heard no news yet. Does that mean that I no longer hold a chance of getting an offer. And has anyone else who went for the same position on around the same time received any news?

Iron rice bowl if you are content to be mediocre and farm your 6-8k salary... those who are high performers will never be satisfied with that.

How long was your interview ?

Ultimate jiak liao bees (good for nothing fellas)..

Why don't you take the time to read posts covering this throughout this thread?

Seriously. Only ask questions that have not been answered yet.

anybody got called for interview for executive (governance & engagement)?

Call MINDEF HR to find out if a decision has been made? Let us know what they tell you?

Yeah. I'm wondering the same thing. Why is it taking so long for replies from the CS to be made? Is there a lot of red tape that they have to clear before they can give us replies?

What exactly goes on behind the scenes?

I called to check, they told me i have not been shortlisted further. you can check with them

The thing is i do not care whether they reject me or not but at least have the courtesy to send me a rejection email. Don't tell me that they take several months to send rejection email.

Really don't care meh?

Move on, dude.

How is the interview process like?
Any other tests to go through?

Did you take this up with them when you called then? Did you ask them why they didn't get back to you on this?

I always thought that MINDEF HR would contact candidates whenever they had further updates, and that a delay in an update probably meant that they had you in mind as a shortlisted candidate as the general assumption was that they would contact you quickly if you were rejected. This doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

It will be a panel interview with MINDEF HR staff and some heads of the department sitting in, and you may or may not have to take a written test prior to the interview.

What is the written test about?

The questions asked depend on the position you applied for.

It's very common for you to have to complete writing assignments before being interviewed by many civil service agencies that you apply to.

Now like no news means rejection already.

I have just graduated from NUS in civil engineering and obtained a pass degree, I would like to apply as a DXO in HR executive.
Any idea will they accept a degree that is not relevant to the position that i have applied for?

://.mindef.gov.sg/dxo/careers_vacancy.html

HR Executive
You manage selected HR functions to enhance organisational performance and employee engagement. The functions include manpower administration, welfare management as well as rewards and recognition. You work closely with the management, employees and external parties to execute and govern HR policies effectively.


You must have a tertiary qualification with preferably 2 to 3 years' experience in HR management. You should be driven and results-oriented, with excellent interpersonal and time management skills. Appointment will commensurate with your experience.
(Candidates with no experience may apply.)

Hi all,

To give everyone who has been waiting for replies for some time, i waited for more than 3 weeks, nearing a month, and in the end i got the job :) The waiting time is long for some positions maybe because they are waiting for more positions to be opened up.

Good luck to all :)

To those who keep posting about how long the wait is, why you havent got any reply etc, I personally feel that you will not fit into the working culture of MINDEF. This culture is all about patience and perseverance. Success comes to those who wait and can afford to wait. Meanwhile, focus on your exams (for soon to be fresh grads) and job search (for those experienced hires)