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 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.

This post has been edited by MerryGoRound^2: Jun 2 2021, 09:12 PM

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?

This post has been edited by MerryGoRound^2: May 26 2021, 12:42 AM

Hey folks, it looks like someone here is on the same page with me and knows the potential employer I'm referring to. Also seems that said person went through the same confusion.

To err on the side of caution, I'm removing certain keywords. Those who know , know .

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

This post has been edited by MerryGoRound^2: May 26 2021, 01:31 AM

I'm all for criticisms. After all I make mistakes and am not perfect either. That being said, I think there's a difference between constructive criticism and bashing someone online.

Take a page from one of the comments above who actually pinpointed what they felt might have went wrong and offered their way of going about the questions. Even the post after yours was constructive enough.

If you were good with what you do, you wouldn't be on kopitiam trying to display superiority. I am sure you can think and write better than your current response.

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.

This post has been edited by MerryGoRound^2: May 26 2021, 01:23 PM

Nope. A desk-bound job. Just your run-of-the-mill corporate job.

My understanding/impression of the interview is that this is a one-off interview. Considering all 3 parties, HRBP, Hiring Manager and HoD were involved. Going by what I know, most HoDs don't involve themselves during the preliminary interviews, unless it's one-time thing.

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.

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.

This post has been edited by MerryGoRound^2: May 28 2021, 05:58 PM

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.

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!

This post has been edited by MerryGoRound^2: Jun 2 2021, 01:26 PM

don't worry, you're not the only one who has been telling me that.

I believe I may have been blinded by the glamor of working at a bank, as well as the stability and career progression that comes with it. But this experience has also helped open my eyes to the fact that working as a writer in the bank may not be right for me. As such, I'll be tailoring my search towards communications-based role henceforth.

I wouldn't mind working at a bank still, but I think my scope of work should gravitate towards being a people person and having lots of social interactions, both in and off jobs.

Hi there, long time no see

Hey folks, I'm still getting people PM-ing me about the company name.

Unfortunately, I don't think I can divulge the manager's name anymore

My recruiter caught wind of this thread on Wed, just hours after I said I wouldn't mind revealing the company's name. I had only revealed the names to one person thus far and so I have my hunch about who might have tipped my recruiter off. And I don't really wanna implicate those who attended the same interview and shared their experiences with me either.

As such, I don't think I can reveal names any further. Though I honestly see no wrong in doing that.

What I will say is the company is based around the vicinity of a very affluent Damansara area. Those who know will figure it out in no time.