Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
Interviewing for a job is a part of a professional career in any sector. Most of us don’t like job interviews and some of us actually sweat bullets at job interviews in preparation. Whether we get the job we apply for is something that is truly beyond our control.
But today we share stories from Malaysians who did the opposite. These Malaysians decided that the interviewer was not good enough for them, and decided that if the interview isn’t good, the job can’t be worth it, and proceeded to walk out of the interview!
1. My interviewer would NOT stop playing with his phone!
I was a fresh grad and going for one of my first interviews. I had taken a lot of time to prepare and I got there about 10 minutes early.
I had to wait 10 minutes and then my interviewer met me and took me from the reception into the meeting room while doing something on his phone at the same time.
We went through the interview and I was asked all the usual questions. At that point, I felt that I was doing pretty well. My interviewer was on his phone the whole time, but I figured that he was recording my answers on his phone or taking notes so I didn’t mind.
Then about halfway through I realised he was not paying attention to anything I said because he had asked me to repeat myself several times and even asked me the same question twice!
Suddenly, he put his phone down and started taking notes on pen and paper about my answers. I took a glance at his phone screen and saw that he was watching Facebook stories during my interview.
I waited a long moment and to my amazement, he picked up his phone, asked me a question, and then resumed watching whatever he was watching. This is the guy who was supposed to be my direct supervisor and he can’t even pay attention to what I am saying!
I stood and left, going back to the reception to sign out and return my visitor pass. I could see right through the glass walls that he was still watching his phone as I got into the lift.
And he was supposed to be the lead programmer for the project…
2. “I don’t hire people who work for money!”
I was interviewing for the position of game designer at a local and fairly successful game studio located in The Vertical at Bangsar South. Things there are pretty good in terms of work conditions, hours, salary, and overtime.
So when a rival studio tried to headhunt me, I wasn’t really interested, but since they were asking, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see if there was a better offer out there in terms of salary or career progression.
The interview went pretty well at first as the games and projects I have worked on demonstrated my skills and abilities well. Then came the question that broke the camel’s back: “We do a weekly thing every Friday evening. It’s a couple of hours of overtime, are you okay with that?”
I thought about it and gave my honest answer, “Since it’s a scheduled, weekly event, I wouldn’t mind being a part of it if the overtime is compensated accordingly.”
The mood changed and the temperature in the room dropped to the negative so fast that I was almost frozen in my seat. There were a few more questions but I could tell that my answer had blown up this opportunity.
When we got to the questions about perks and salary, I asked for slightly higher than my current salary. The look on the interviewer’s face morphed from shock to incredulous. “What makes you think you’re worth that?!”
I told him calmly that is what I was currently earning with a payslip to prove it. His jaw hit the table and he stuttered that they couldn’t match my current salary. I was understanding about that and decided to wrap up the interview.
Then he decided to get snarky with me by telling me that “We hire people for their motivation and passion, not for money. So I doubt you would be a good fit here.”
I actually laughed in his face saying, “I wasn’t aware that passion and motivation paid for the food, electricity, and bills.”
Needless to say, I blacklisted that company right away.
3. The CEO made fun of my social media during the interview
A company was looking to hire a 3D artist and I thought I was suitable for the role when I found out about the job opportunity. I have 7 years of experience as a freelance 3D artist and the portfolio to back it up. I’ve shipped a few games and worked in different areas of 3D art. I know enough of the specialised areas to be able to function as an all-rounder in this field. This would have been my first full-time position though.
My interview was with the company CEO. It was… strange. The CEO didn’t seem impressed with my portfolio because I had only shipped 3 games in 7 years.
But the games I had worked on were titles from international and famous franchises which he had never even heard of. Then he suddenly went on his laptop and called up my social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
He laughed at the photos on my FaceBook of me and some of my friends in various costumes. I admit: I looked a bit ridiculous in the Star Wars “generic Sith” costume.
He was annoyed with the state of my LinkedIn account because I had no endorsements – which was a huge red flag for some reason.
Then he mocked me for only having about 20 followers on Twitter, stating that his 11 year old daughter has more followers than me.
Not my best moment, but I absolutely hate people like this. If you don’t want to hire me, that’s fine, but I will not sit there and be insulted. I snarled my thoughts at him. “I have the relevant knowledge, skills, and experience. I have been part of the art team on international best-selling games!”
Then I put him in his place: “Those Facebook pictures you are mocking? They are from an official MAKNA cancer fun run! LinkedIn? Twitter? Go check out where it matters for game artists: Artstation, Behance, and DeviantArt!”
I make enough to live very comfortably as a freelance artist. The right people know me and my work. I have more than enough work that I could set up my own outsource art team if I wanted to. I closed my comments making my opinion very clear, “F*ck your company and f*ck you!”
Naturally, I didn’t get the job in his company. I heard through the grapevine that quite a few people left and that the company was caught up in legal troubles because angry clients were threatening to file lawsuits.
The company had 55 employees and was forced out of its prestigious Bangsar South offices. The company’s legal troubles forced management to fire almost everyone. Now there are only 7 employees based in a Petaling Jaya co-working space.
Bosses like this guy are the reason why I am happy to continue being a freelance artist without a so-called full-time office job.
4. I walked out but still got the job!
It was a 45-minute drive to the interview from my home in Kota Kemuning but I had heard good things about this company. Those expectations were met when I showed up for my interview.
I was 10 minutes early and they gave me a small bottle of water while I waited in the interview room. I started the interview speaking to my direct supervisor and after 20 minutes a HR representative joined us. I thought that things seemed to be going really well.
Then suddenly, a woman knocked, entered the room, and started asking some rather technical questions to my interviewer and then followed up with some other questions for the HR person.
I sat quietly for 20 minutes while this conversation went on. They were discussing things that went way over my head. I finally decided that I should just quietly make my exit. I half interrupted, shook the hands of my supervisor and the HR person, and left.
I was very confused about how that interview went and was queueing to pay for my parking ticket when my phone rang. It was my future supervisor, calling because he was wondering where I went. I explained that I’d left because I thought that my interview was done.
He said that they were not, and was wondering if I could come back up to discuss an offer. I laughed nervously and said I thought I wasn’t getting the job. He laughed nervously and explained that the woman interrupting was their CEO and founder, who didn’t realise she’d interrupted my interview!
I went back, we hashed out the details on my offer, and they told me to take a day or two to consider the offer before signing. I decided to accept the offer. On my first day there, I got to meet the CEO again. After polite introductions were made, she apologised to me for disrupting my interview!
Suffice to say, I’ve been with this company for five years and have been promoted from junior programmer to assistant lead programmer. Let’s just say I’m not going anywhere!
Know your worth and know when to walk away
In Malaysia, interviewers are seen as a “gatekeeper” who judges whether you are worthy of having the job. A job interview is not an interrogation and it should not be. It should be about finding a place where you can contribute to the success of the company and get paid a fair and reasonable wage for your efforts.
If employers can cut interviews short because they think you’re not the right person for the job, then you have the exact same right when the interview is misleading, a waste of time, or is a place where hell freezes over before you would work there.
For more stories like this, read: Starting A New Job Here In Malaysia? Here Are 5 Colleagues You MUST Make Friends With!, The Malaysian Guide To Acing Your Phone Interview, and 10 Signs That Your New Malaysian Workplace Is Toxic & That You Should Get Out IMMEDIATELY.
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