Initial round was with a Tax Manager and a Senior Associate. It went on for more than an hour, casual conversation to get to know me more. They accessed cultural fit and willingness to learn. Completely professional interviewers; I heard back in two days that I progressed to the partner round. The partner round happened in Feb 2020. I sensed subtle racism during the interview - the partner mentioned that she felt that I won't be "fit" to work in Grant Thornton or in Singapore since I am an Indian/ not a Singaporean. Then she mentioned that she was "skeptical to bring in more Indians into her team". This was quite shocking to me, but I patiently explained that I studied in a leading university in Singapore, where I worked with various nationalities, including Singaporeans during our project work. She seemed extremely uninterested and unprofessional that she stood up and ended the interview within fifteen minutes. I honestly did not expect this kind of treatment from a partner of Grant Thornton.

I applied through the ACCA Employer website under the Penang branch. The interview process took place on 8 January 2026 and consisted of three stages on the same day: 1) Filling up an application form 2) Completing an assessment 3) An interview with the Director, only 1 person involve The interview was conducted in a casual and conversational manner. Questions mainly focused on self-introduction, reasons for leaving my previous job, and an explanation regarding a six-month career break. I was also given the opportunity to ask questions. As of 19 January 2026, I have not yet received any update regarding the outcome.