I think you did a great job at the interview. Kudos. This is probably not a good fit for you.

OP, I think I know which company you interviewed for. From the sounds of it, your personality did not jive with their personalities and/or working style. It happens...two months ago, I had an interview with the hiring manager of one of Malaysia’s biggest banks and it was a disaster because we didn’t see eye to eye.

May I know why you are looking to join a bank/finance company? For someone with your writing ability, you might be able to pursue a position in their corporate comm or internal comms department.

I am looking to go there eventually. There have been plans to pursue my master's in communication studies early 2022 if I still can't get a full time job by the time the year ends. In fact, I have been exploring comms role for a very very long time, but many companies don't seem keen to hire someone who doesn't have professional experience in the field. Might you know someone who might be looking for a comms role?

Side note, I'm curious to see if you know which company I'm referring to. Care to pm me?

the three question you asked, are really stupid questions.

esp question 3, anyone will be a bit pissed.
when they give you chance to ask question, they dont meant question like these.

To anyone reading this comment, don't let the buffoon above deter you from asking questions like "leadership style."

Granted, it is unorthodox but MNCs generally appreciate such questions being thrown forward. Only certain high level people sitting on their high horse would feel offended by such questions.

In fact, I encourage you to ask. Many employers I've posed this question to have responded with a smile on their face and demonstrate good surprise. It's a way for you to get to know your employer and the good ones will know that you're trying to learn their work language so you can mesh with them. The bad ones will take offense and start having ill thoughts.

I'm not hurt that I asked these questions and got insulted, more so that I didn't trust my instincts. Someone here has been very informative and they shared the same sentiments about the role.

Thank you for the kind words, and the random trolls looking to rake up points.

Also, thank you to the 888th viewer/reader

https://imgur.com/a/QfMH6Z0

if you cant accept criticism, just say so.

Warning: this contains harsh opinion


i am sure you can ask better questions.

I honestly don't know what to say or feel. But I'm still feeling somewhat hurt over the fact that this happened.

For the very first time in my life, I was put down at an interview with the words "I don't know where's your head at, what picture are you trying to paint?"

Let me try and summarize this as easily as I could.

Yesterday, I received a call from a Hays recruiter about a potential opportunity with a prestigious finance company located at KL. I've been trying to get a job in the finance industry for a long time now, so this opportunity was godsent. Plus, because I come from a writing background, getting my foot into a bank/finance firm is a once in a lifetime thing. I made my preparations, understood the role that they were hiring for inside and out, and went in with 120%.

Prior to all that, the recruiter told me this company was looking for a content writer. I thought, okay, I have content writing experiences. I deal with real estate and have side exposure to banking jargons and the basics of it, I agreed to the interview. Yet, last night as I was making my preparations, I noticed the recruiter was sending me to the interview for a managerial position. An hour or two before the interview today, I called the recruiter and double checked if he knew the situation, he assured me that it was no big deal and again reaffirmed that they were looking for a content writer.

The interview happened at 5:30PM, it was meant to run for an hour. I got in early, turned on my video cam and eagerly introduced myself. There were 3 interviewers present - the HRBP, Hiring Manager and the Head (the one that the hiring manager reports to). So... 5 minutes into the interview, the hiring manager summed up the role, leaving me with hardly any questions to ask. I was hoping to demonstrate my knowledge of what they're looking for, but the hiring manager put my curiosity and excitement to a stop, because she had just dumped it there and then.

On top of that, the hiring manager revealed they weren't just looking for a content writer, they wanted the incumbent to specialize in content strategy, and have familiarity with google analytics. All these I am perfectly fine learning with support. The only thing I had trouble with was google analytics, which is surface level. So there were two things that went awry here - One, a misinformation. Two, I think the hiring team didn't know what they wanted.

It went from content writer --> digital marketing specialist --> content producer. I was trying to wrap my head around their expectations, trying to understand what is their game plan and approach to pushing their finance products to a bigger crowd. Everytime I asked something specific, I was getting a by the book answer "We're really open, we're looking to try." Which made it hard for me to narrow down their focus and figure out what they want.

Because they had cut short the interview, they were pestering me to get into my questions. I had a string of them, mostly aimed at understanding the state of work that the department is engaged in, followed by a few questions regarding the company/employers they were. Slowly bit by bit, I started sensing animosity from the head of department. There were 3 questions that I asked her.

1) What is your approach to social media at the moment? Are you prioritizing quantity over quality? [I was asking this because their social media posting frequencies seemed irregular, and their post followed the standard copywriting style]

The question was met a very stern rebuke along the lines of "Everything we do here is quality, let's put it that way." The HoD seemed to take offense to the question. Trigger point 1

2) Could you tell me a little about your company culture and what makes it unique?

This was met with. "I don't understand the question. What I can say is we are a team lah. We're very performance-based. And we try to keep the work-life balance intact. Trigger Point 2." At this point, I was sensing more animosity from the HoD.

3) I imagine I'll be working with you and X often, can you tell me how's your leadership style like?

Straight up, "I don't know where your head's at. What picture are you trying to paint here?" At this point I knew she was getting pissed. The recruiter had told me the HoD can be blunt but is nurturing, and I expected her to be blunt, but it was obviously clear that she's angry.

The HRBP stepped in and told me to relay further questions to my recruiter or her, and they left it at they had to see another candidate at 6.

I think all parties involved in the call knew what was going on, and there might not be a fit. I'll be surprised if they got back to me, but I doubt they would.

My point is, I've never had someone snapped at me for asking a harmless question regarding company culture and leadership styles. And while do I know I'm not at fault, I can't help but feel humiliated and regretful that I shouldn't have walked out of things as per my principles, because these days people keep saying word gets around fast.

I'm just curious, what will happen if the interviewer had answer your questions with the answer below, what do you think of the answers?

1) What is your approach to social media at the moment? Are you prioritizing quantity over quality? [I was asking this because their social media posting frequencies seemed irregular, and their post followed the standard copywriting style]

"Quality" - pretty sure everybody will answer that....but I think by answering this will you continue to question them like "but your social media postings is irregular?"  To me seems like this question is directing towards a negative atmosphere as we know that prioritizing quantity over quality is bad.
3) I imagine I'll be working with you and X often, can you tell me how's your leadership style like?

Goal-oriented
Team-oriented
Performance-oriented

Of the above leadership styles and many others which are not stated which are you seeking for? Is any of those deemed negative to you?

Firstly, I think there is nothing wrong with TS questions. Those are legit questions where s(he) think are important indicators. If the employer not able/ not willing to answer, then TS can keep looking for an employer that is able to address such issues.

I like the last question as TS is figuring out what does the employer want and expect from the staff. Looking at the HOD answer, I feel that TS may not like an environment where it's mostly:
1) Do, don't ask
2) Don't think and care, just do
3) What's the problem? Ah, do only

I have worked with such people and not a pleasant experience. They don't think beyond and hardly strategic. Plenty of time are spent on fire fighting, plugging holes rather than addressing root cause.

So there are a couple of comments that are saying that my choice of words are poorly chosen. And I was thinking about it over the night. My two cents, no matter how you phrase the questions, there will be people who may ding on you for not being "courteous" enough, or there are the ones who claim that you could have just gotten straight to the point. There will also be the bunch who said I should ask for more "concrete" questions like salary, benefits and what not.

So here's a few simple scenarios:

Scenario 1:
Assume I do not say quality vs. quantity, I phrase it as "Are you looking small, consistent churn of social media postings to push your products? Or do you prefer to deliver your deliverables in large chunks or windows."

I would imagine the HoD would get upset of the word - consistent. Cause I did ask that question.

Scenario 2:
I asked quality vs. quantity, but supplemented my question by saying "I'm asking because I can see that your copywriting style that follows the tone of a standard corporate business that many not appeal to the mass, particularly when we're talking about finance." And this is interesting because their demographics were leaning towards millennial, and with millennial, your approach needs to be fresh and creative.

Again, the HoD might take offense to the words "tone of a standard corporate business" and still fire at me.

Scenario 3:
I'm not quite sure if I have more than 2 scenarios. But I would say I was matching the flow of the conversation, as Topace111 put it. And I was very polite and cordial even in my questions, though since this is all conveyed through text, a few users above suggested I danced around my questions.

Lastly, as for leadership style, a simple description of how you choose to treat your employees is good enough. Doesn't have to be a specific question, what you answer, imo is what you portray to your employee. If you say things like "I'd like to give my employees support but I expect them to be self-starters." That's good enough. Some leaders are aware of the standard leadership style i.e. nurture vs. authoritative vs. delegative etc.

There is no hard and fast rule to saying that and I'd imagine if the person has a hard time saying all that, I believe they may feel apprehensive about keeping the communication open. Not surprising because the HoD is someone in her mid 40s - mid 50s I'm thinking. Might have been a clash in culture and communication.

My takeaway from the interview is this, I was there to understand the solution, find out if I can cater to the cause, ask more questions to determine if I knew what was being put forward. And if it all checks out, then great, I know I'm the right guy for this.

The way I see it, there's no pleasing everyone. You ask questions, some say you're attempting to be smart. You show up being a yes-guy, some will say you should ask further questions. When you practice open and transparent communication, others may think you're think different.

Either way, someone here attended the same interview with me, and they agreed that the atmosphere was mostly like that. Looks the hiring team doesn't know what they want. We were told similar version of the story. Content Writer --> Digital Marketing --> Content Production

It all seemed very confusing. And the hiring manager herself didn't seem to know nuts about digital marketing.
I have been in environments where it's the above you described  . Those environments are usually toxic and don't end well for either parties. There were also MNCs who operate in that manner. I tend to prioritize mental health over career glamor these days, and would gladly settle for a low-paying job if the employer is transparent than one where they tell you absolutely nothing and mentally scar you.

After all, an employer-employee relationship is a relationship too.

I honestly don't know what to say or feel. But I'm still feeling somewhat hurt over the fact that this happened.

For the very first time in my life, I was put down at an interview with the words "I don't know where's your head at, what picture are you trying to paint?"

Let me try and summarize this as easily as I could.

Yesterday, I received a call from a Hays recruiter about a potential opportunity with a prestigious finance company located at KL. I've been trying to get a job in the finance industry for a long time now, so this opportunity was godsent. Plus, because I come from a writing background, getting my foot into a bank/finance firm is a once in a lifetime thing. I made my preparations, understood the role that they were hiring for inside and out, and went in with 120%.

Prior to all that, the recruiter told me this company was looking for a content writer. I thought, okay, I have content writing experiences. I deal with real estate and have side exposure to banking jargons and the basics of it, I agreed to the interview. Yet, last night as I was making my preparations, I noticed the recruiter was sending me to the interview for a managerial position. An hour or two before the interview today, I called the recruiter and double checked if he knew the situation, he assured me that it was no big deal and again reaffirmed that they were looking for a content writer.

The interview happened at 5:30PM, it was meant to run for an hour. I got in early, turned on my video cam and eagerly introduced myself. There were 3 interviewers present - the HRBP, Hiring Manager and the Head (the one that the hiring manager reports to). So... 5 minutes into the interview, the hiring manager summed up the role, leaving me with hardly any questions to ask. I was hoping to demonstrate my knowledge of what they're looking for, but the hiring manager put my curiosity and excitement to a stop, because she had just dumped it there and then.

On top of that, the hiring manager revealed they weren't just looking for a content writer, they wanted the incumbent to specialize in content strategy, and have familiarity with google analytics. All these I am perfectly fine learning with support. The only thing I had trouble with was google analytics, which is surface level. So there were two things that went awry here - One, a misinformation. Two, I think the hiring team didn't know what they wanted.

It went from content writer --> digital marketing specialist --> content producer. I was trying to wrap my head around their expectations, trying to understand what is their game plan and approach to pushing their finance products to a bigger crowd. Everytime I asked something specific, I was getting a by the book answer "We're really open, we're looking to try." Which made it hard for me to narrow down their focus and figure out what they want.

Because they had cut short the interview, they were pestering me to get into my questions. I had a string of them, mostly aimed at understanding the state of work that the department is engaged in, followed by a few questions regarding the company/employers they were. Slowly bit by bit, I started sensing animosity from the head of department. There were 3 questions that I asked her.

1) What is your approach to social media at the moment? Are you prioritizing quantity over quality? [I was asking this because their social media posting frequencies seemed irregular, and their post followed the standard copywriting style]

The question was met a very stern rebuke along the lines of "Everything we do here is quality, let's put it that way." The HoD seemed to take offense to the question. Trigger point 1

2) Could you tell me a little about your company culture and what makes it unique?

This was met with. "I don't understand the question. What I can say is we are a team lah. We're very performance-based. And we try to keep the work-life balance intact. Trigger Point 2." At this point, I was sensing more animosity from the HoD.

3) I imagine I'll be working with you and X often, can you tell me how's your leadership style like?

Straight up, "I don't know where your head's at. What picture are you trying to paint here?" At this point I knew she was getting pissed. The recruiter had told me the HoD can be blunt but is nurturing, and I expected her to be blunt, but it was obviously clear that she's angry.

The HRBP stepped in and told me to relay further questions to my recruiter or her, and they left it at they had to see another candidate at 6.

I think all parties involved in the call knew what was going on, and there might not be a fit. I'll be surprised if they got back to me, but I doubt they would.

My point is, I've never had someone snapped at me for asking a harmless question regarding company culture and leadership styles. And while do I know I'm not at fault, I can't help but feel humiliated and regretful that I shouldn't have walked out of things as per my principles, because these days people keep saying word gets around fast.

the three question you asked, are really stupid questions.

esp question 3, anyone will be a bit pissed.
when they give you chance to ask question, they dont meant question like these.

Very poor choice of words.
First you insult the team on their work quality in which directly insults the HOD which i assume is in charge of socmed.

Secondly company culture for banks are normally rubbish. If you went through their linkedin and did not see any posts about HR awards, transformation, employee first. You know that the culture is shit. When there is nothing to boast about, it will come on as insulting

Thirdly whats your leadership like, after the first two i guess she couldnt careless about what your question was after the first two questions comes on as insulting

1) What is your approach to social media at the moment? Are you prioritizing quantity over quality? [I was asking this because their social media posting frequencies seemed irregular, and their post followed the standard copywriting style]

The question was met a very stern rebuke along the lines of "Everything we do here is quality, let's put it that way." The HoD seemed to take offense to the question. Trigger point 1

2) Could you tell me a little about your company culture and what makes it unique?

This was met with. "I don't understand the question. What I can say is we are a team lah. We're very performance-based. And we try to keep the work-life balance intact. Trigger Point 2." At this point, I was sensing more animosity from the HoD.

3) I imagine I'll be working with you and X often, can you tell me how's your leadership style like?

Straight up, "I don't know where your head's at. What picture are you trying to paint here?" At this point I knew she was getting pissed. The recruiter had told me the HoD can be blunt but is nurturing, and I expected her to be blunt, but it was obviously clear that she's angry.

ability to take insults is part of the job requirement, hence the insult.

customer service position?

I feel that your questions are more suitable for 2nd interview where you can ask more about the company culture, policy and etc. You should have ask question more specific to your role. 3rd question is really inappropriate to ask in front of few others. This is more to a 1-to-1 question with your superior. Hope you learn from this experience and do better in future interview. Good luck.

NEVER assume that awards to a company = good culture! Take a look at the stuff Lazada posts on their linkedin, all the glamour-glamour awards, and compare with the situation on the ground on their Glassdoor and ask your friends who work there if you know any. Such a stark difference that it's honestly disturbing. It's a honey trap to lure new talent in, but once you're in then you'll see how toxic it really is.

No im not assuming thise companies have good culture.
Just that thise companies have alot to boast about when they receive those rewards.

Not so intelligent on your part for question 1.who on earth will admit they prioritise quantity over quality.

You're pretty much just contradicting yourself.

Got award = says nothing.

Got no award = also says nothing.

So at the end of the day, the presence of an award makes no difference. So I don't think a bank having awards makes any difference, which voids your argument in essence. 

Questions 2 and 3 seems off.

It may be acceptable in management under western mindset, but definitely not go well with the asian-minded people we have in Malaysia.

Questions like these are double edged swords right...

Sometimes you get people who is willing to play with you and spend some time explaining culture/leadership..sometimes they just want you to ask job specific questions..and stay away from ambiguity.. especially since you're a new comer and I assume fresh..

I think, this group of managers you met, don't really like ambiguity and open ended questions and would instead preferred if you ask job specific questions...

It may/may not work out, but remember it's not your fault..hey I get rejected all the time in interviews before landing a good job...I have had interviews where I thought it went well but got rejected, interviews that went disastrous as the manager was yelling at me..to finally landing a preferred job...

The world is round alright, there's not single pathway to everything...and I've worked at banks right, from your approach I have a feeling banks may not be the best place for u...do you like rules? Do you like to follow a proper procedure? Are you okay with micro-managers? Can you tahan politics? Most likely your superior and above have been in the system for so long they've shed their creativity and ambiguity..bankers don't like ambiguity again I need to stress this...

And  content writers' job should be creative, but being one at a bank will give u headache as your draft will probably get vet on multiple levels before it gets approved..think about it...

all the best..

P.S, forummers here gave great tips to improve the structuring of those sentences, no harm changing your approach next time.. from good to great!

Good luck hunny!

I find it funny how the TS claims to be a content writer but don't know how to present and word his/her questions better. Isn't it a content writer's job to be able to present their intentions better? Seems like this one doesn't, yet comes on here looking for empathy. Nothing wrong with showing empathy but when going against an international company, who is this TS against an entity that's "famous" and more "well-known"?

Couple of things to correct you on.

One, the company isn't an MNC but a rather well-established local financial firm. Two, I believe there are people who are confusing content writing with corporate dancing. Reflecting on someone's suggestion - "“As I look forward to the role, could you share with me what are the standard leadership practices within the department that enable employees to strive further?”"

I doubt anyone can come up with a scripted answer as such in split seconds when they are in shock.

Perhaps grow a thicker skin? People say a lot of dumb things to your face you don't expect them to give you an entire kingdom and apologize to you, do you? Let it go you will find better employers.

I'm not sure where you got the impression that this post is seeking an apology. If anything, it is meant to share my experience with the hiring manager and HoD. I find it ironic that your tone started out supportive but randomly transitioned into one that nitpicks on one's profession. Perhaps you wouldn't be stuck on /k being nasty if you were successful.

I am not surprise the interviewer whack you especially on question no.1. Seriously, are you expecting them to answer you 'we favor quantity over quality'? I would immediate reject my candidate if this happened in my candidate.

literally tak pakai otak

Poor choice of words ts.. You should be more sensitive to their responses.

Their response to your first question should already give you a hint of what type of questions or at least how it is worded is comfortable for them.
Also try asking questions with more direct answers.
Example taking your first question, quality is very subjective. Because everybody wants quality, but it must be balanced with quantity. Because this is a profitable company, not a hobby.
Hence her answer is a given.

It's actually a fair enough question, asking about what the current business direction and focus is at.

Couple of things to correct you on.

One, the company isn't an MNC but a rather well-established local financial firm. Two, I believe there are people who are confusing content writing with corporate dancing. Reflecting on someone's suggestion - "“As I look forward to the role, could you share with me what are the standard leadership practices within the department that enable employees to strive further?”"

I doubt anyone can come up with a scripted answer as such in split seconds when they are in shock.

Perhaps grow a thicker skin? People say a lot of dumb things to your face you don't expect them to give you an entire kingdom and apologize to you, do you? Let it go you will find better employers.

1. Choice of word

2. Asking a question that you already have answer in your mind. E.g quality vs quantity, is he expecting the hirer to tell him we focus on quantity over quality?

3. The question he asked reveals he is not concerned on the job prospect and growth, more like trying to find out how bad the situation can be and immediately pull out if that matches

Funnily enough, there was a time I was interviewed by a GM. When it came to the salary discussion, he asked for my expected salary which I replied, could be further negotiated if I got the job.

He got triggered and said I had a "strong character"

Hey folks. Thought I would pop in to give you guys an update on things.

So I got off the call with the recruiter an hour ago. Obviously, with how bad the interview went, it was a no-go on either sides. That said, the recruiter did ask what went wrong, and I shared my side of the story.

To cut the story short, the recruiter had shared they heard some negative feedback about the HoD from time to time. And they also acknowledged the hiring manager didn't have the slightest clue of what they were doing either.

Someone else also came forward to share their experience with the company, and had withdrawn themselves from the hiring process too. I was also given insiders info on things, let's just say the hiring department isn't in the best shape at the moment.

Anyways, I believe that is the end of the saga. I would gladly reveal the name of the company, though please PM me if you seriously wanna know. I left a review on their glassdoor profile, but I don't know if it was passed. Side note, you guys have been amazing, the supportive bunch I mean. There are those who have also chastised me, including one user here who started off supportive but probably turned salty when I didn't reply to his kind words :S. Also a shame to see a popular face here remark "You're a content writer but you can't even speak well."

Regardless, I'm gonna leave this thread open, it'd be nice to see if any other stuck up management folks would come in here to offer their piece of (shitty) mind for the kicks of it. I welcome those who wanna share their horror interview stories to come forward and speak up too!

Happy surviving FMCO yall!

That why i hate recruiter from headhunter always give u false impression even in senior management level. Sigh.. Miscom alot and when u interview is different.

But depend on u TS. which work u prefer. But fiannce to content writer . i think so so not ngam leh. Just my 2 cents.. Im in finance line and i tell u life is so hard now for finance.

Question 2 and 3 are the basic interview questions that being posted all over the internet. If you do a basic search on Google, you will same pattern of questions.

Why some of you really butthurt with TS choice of questions?

If this is the way the HOD or HR reacts to these questions, this company is not worth it for you to join.

Asian mentality + Boomers mentality = A total disaster.

Hey folks. Thought I would pop in to give you guys an update on things.

So I got off the call with the recruiter an hour ago. Obviously, with how bad the interview went, it was a no-go on either sides. That said, the recruiter did ask what went wrong, and I shared my side of the story.

To cut the story short, the recruiter had shared they heard some negative feedback about the HoD from time to time. And they also acknowledged the hiring manager didn't have the slightest clue of what they were doing either.

Someone else also came forward to share their experience with the company, and had withdrawn themselves from the hiring process too. I was also given insiders info on things, let's just say the hiring department isn't in the best shape at the moment.

Anyways, I believe that is the end of the saga. I would gladly reveal the name of the company, though please PM me if you seriously wanna know. I left a review on their glassdoor profile, but I don't know if it was passed. Side note, you guys have been amazing, the supportive bunch I mean. There are those who have also chastised me, including one user here who started off supportive but probably turned salty when I didn't reply to his kind words :S. Also a shame to see a popular face here remark "You're a content writer but you can't even speak well."

Regardless, I'm gonna leave this thread open, it'd be nice to see if any other stuck up management folks would come in here to offer their piece of (shitty) mind for the kicks of it. I welcome those who wanna share their horror interview stories to come forward and speak up too!

Happy surviving FMCO yall!

1) What is your approach to social media at the moment? Are you prioritizing quantity over quality? [I was asking this because their social media posting frequencies seemed irregular, and their post followed the standard copywriting style]

The question was met a very stern rebuke along the lines of "Everything we do here is quality, let's put it that way." The HoD seemed to take offense to the question. Trigger point 1

2) Could you tell me a little about your company culture and what makes it unique?

This was met with. "I don't understand the question. What I can say is we are a team lah. We're very performance-based. And we try to keep the work-life balance intact. Trigger Point 2." At this point, I was sensing more animosity from the HoD.

3) I imagine I'll be working with you and X often, can you tell me how's your leadership style like?

Straight up, "I don't know where your head's at. What picture are you trying to paint here?" At this point I knew she was getting pissed. The recruiter had told me the HoD can be blunt but is nurturing, and I expected her to be blunt, but it was obviously clear that she's angry.

People here were not pissed that you asked questions. People were pissed because of the dumb shit that you asked.

What were your expectations when you ask these questions?? I dont fucking understand especially the first question. Of course people are gonna sugarcoat and tell you that everything is fine and dandy.   You can't expect people to open up to you just from this kind of interactions wtf. The recruiter probably saw through your shit and got angry lol.

Grow some tact seriously. People who feel so entitled and so high up their horses that they don't think twice about what they're saying are not someone one usually enjoys working with. Just saying.