The questions, with what to listen for in each answer
Most candidates interview well. They're warm, they like people and they want to help. The ones still with you after a year also make calls with nobody watching, hear no without taking it personally, and can get through a lean first year.
These questions ask what a candidate has done. Copy them, print them, or download them for Word or Excel, where the scorecard adds itself up. Free, no sign-up.
Adviser interview: [candidate's name]
Date: ______. Interviewer: [you]. Referred by: ______.
Before the interview
- One thing on their CV to ask about: ____________
- The 15-minute screening call is done: yes / no
- The exams they'll need, and when they could sit them: ____________
- Anything that could fail your firm's fit and proper check, asked on your declaration form: ____________
The questions
- Why this job, and why now? Listen for: a reason beyond the money, and a clear picture of what the work is.
- Tell me about a time you had to get a stranger to agree to meet you. Listen for: what they actually did, how many tries it took, and what they'd do again.
- Who are the first 20 people you'd call, and what would you say to them? Listen for: real names and a plan, not "everyone I know".
- Tell me about a month when nothing you tried worked. What did you do in the third week? Listen for: more calls and a change of approach, with no blame.
- Walk me through a normal week in your job now. What do you do without anyone asking? Listen for: a routine they keep on their own.
- How will you fit the exams around what you're doing now? Listen for: dates, not "I'll find the time".
- A client wants to buy something you think is wrong for them. What do you do? Listen for: the client's needs first, and a note on the file, even if it costs the sale.
- The first year is usually the lean one. How many months could you cover your costs while your income builds? Listen for: a number they've worked out.
- Tell me about feedback you disagreed with. What did you do with it? Listen for: something they changed.
- What do you want to ask me? Listen for: questions about training, support and the work, as well as the pay.
The scorecard
| Area | Score (1 to 5) | What they said |
|---|---|---|
| Why this job | __ | __ |
| Meeting strangers | __ | __ |
| Their first 20 names | __ | __ |
| Handling no | __ | __ |
| Their own routine | __ | __ |
| The exams | __ | __ |
| Doing right by clients | __ | __ |
| Covering the lean year | __ | __ |
| Taking feedback | __ | __ |
| Their questions | __ | __ |
Red flags
- Asks only about the money, or the most anyone has ever earned
- Can't name ten people they'd call
- Blames every past job on a manager
- Treats the exams as a formality
The decision
- Total score (out of 50): __
- Next step: second interview / a day with the team / no. Date: ______
- Exams booked for: ______
- Why: ____________
Download for Excel Download for Word
How to run a 45-minute interview
Use the same questions and the same order, and do the scoring after they leave.
- Ask every candidate all ten questions, in order.
- Write down what they said, and score it after they've left.
- Leave the last ten minutes for their questions.
- Answer the money question with your contract's actual terms.
- Decide within a day, while you still remember the answers.
How to score the answers
A score only means something next to another candidate's.
- 1 means no example, 3 a real example, and 5 a real example with a number in it.
- Score on your own, before you talk about the candidate with anyone.
- After five interviews, write down the lowest total you'd still hire.
Two candidates, scored
Two made-up candidates, on the same scorecard.
| Area | Wei Ling Tan, hotel sales executive | Marcus Lee, secondary school teacher |
|---|---|---|
| Why this job | 4 | 3 |
| Meeting strangers | 5 | 2 |
| Their first 20 names | 4 | 2 |
| Handling no | 4 | 2 |
| Their own routine | 5 | 3 |
| The exams | 4 | 3 |
| Doing right by clients | 4 | 5 |
| Covering the lean year | 3 | 2 |
| Taking feedback | 4 | 4 |
| Their questions | 4 | 2 |
| Total | 41 of 50 | 28 of 50 |
Wei Ling on meeting strangers: "I called 40 corporate travel managers in my first month and got six meetings." She wrote down 14 names in five minutes. She has savings for about eight months, though she hadn't worked out her costs until you asked. Next step: a day with the team, with RES5 booked for the next available date.
Marcus told a good story about talking a parent out of a tuition package their child didn't need. On his first 20 names: "My friends and old classmates, I suppose." He couldn't think of a time he'd been turned down at work. Next step: a no for now, and an invitation to come back after he's told ten friends what the job is.
Questions to swap in
Swap one in when an answer is vague.
| Area | Question |
|---|---|
| Finding clients | What's the most people you've had to contact in one week, and how did you keep track of them? |
| Finding clients | Who's the last person you talked into trying something new? |
| Handling no | What's the biggest no you've had at work, and what did you do next? |
| Their own routine | What have you kept doing every week for a year, without anyone checking? |
| Doing right by clients | Tell me about a time you told a customer not to buy something. |
| Covering the lean year | Tell me about a month when you earned less than you'd planned. What did you change? |
What a new adviser needs before you appoint them
Check this before the offer. MAS's page on appointing a representative says the person must "Be at least 21 years old", meet the academic and exam requirements in Notice FAA-N26, and meet the fit and proper criteria in FSG-G01.
- Academic minimum, from FAA-N26: an A Level certificate with passes in at least three H2 and two H1 subjects, an International Baccalaureate Diploma, a diploma from a Singapore polytechnic, or an equivalent. The notice lists exceptions.
- Exams, from FAA-N26: a valid pass in RES5 plus the product modules for what they'll advise on. For life policies, its Table 1 lists M9 and M9A. Exemptions apply to some people, and life policies with accident and health benefits also need the health insurance qualification under MAS Notice 117.
- Fit and proper, from FSG-G01: a person is expected "to be competent, honest, to have integrity and to be of sound financial standing".
- Your firm "must notify MAS if it wishes to appoint representatives" and certify that the person is fit and proper.
One fair hiring point: TAFEP says to avoid age as a selection criterion "unless you are bound by legal or regulatory requirements". MAS's minimum of 21 is that kind of rule, so state it and say why. TAFEP also lists "How old are you?" among questions you shouldn't ask, and asks you to explain the reason if you must ask something that could seem discriminatory.
Sources: MAS, Appointing a Representative; MAS Notice FAA-N26; MAS Guidelines FSG-G01; and TAFEP on job ads and interviews, read 2 November 2026.
What Palby Sales Tracker does for a new adviser's first year
Once someone joins, each call, Set and Opening is one tap on their phone. The pledge sheet takes a yearly FYC goal and a case size and works down to Sets, Openings, Closings and cases a month and a week.
Needs you today lists anyone with no entry for 3 days, then whoever's furthest behind their weekly goal. A new adviser who's stopped prospecting shows up there during the week. See how agency managers use it.
30 minutes. You choose the day and the time.
Book a walkthroughKeep reading
Common questions
Ask about what they've done: meeting strangers, a month when nothing worked, their weekly routine, a time they put a customer first, and how they'll fit the exams in. The template has ten, with what to listen for in each answer.
Look for a routine they keep without being asked, a real list of people to call, and a worked-out plan for a lean first year.
Yes. "Tell me about a time" questions show what someone did. "What would you do" questions show what they know they're meant to say.
Use your contract's actual commission and bonus terms, and say the first year is usually the lean one. Don't quote a typical figure or your top earner. The [guide to recruiting financial advisors](/sales-tracker/guides/recruit-financial-advisors) covers the rest.
MAS says they must be at least 21, meet the academic and exam requirements in Notice FAA-N26 and meet the fit and proper criteria. Your firm must notify MAS of the appointment.
Yes. The Excel file adds up the scorecard, and there's a filled-in example on a second sheet. For Google Sheets, upload it to Google Drive and open it there.
Yes. Copy it, print it or download it, with no sign-up and no form.
Sources
- MAS, Appointing a Representative for Licensed Financial Advisers or Exempt Financial Advisers, read 2 November 2026
- MAS, Notice FAA-N26 Competency Requirements for Representatives of Financial Advisers, read 2 November 2026
- MAS, Guidelines on Fit and Proper Criteria [FSG-G01], read 2 November 2026
- TAFEP, Writing Job Advertisements (For Employers), read 2 November 2026
- TAFEP, Conducting Job Interviews (For Employers), read 2 November 2026