A recent post has gone viral after a woman shared an unsettling exchange with a man in his 40s who contacted her ahead of a job interview.
Taking to Threads, Nina (@bobkeeperbob) posted a series of screenshots showing conversations between herself and the male interviewer after she applied for a personal assistant position with him.
For illustration purposes only
Malaysian boss warns interviewee he may be “friendly”
According to the conversation, the interviewer messaged Nina beforehand to confirm whether she was still interested in attending the interview, to which she replied that she was.
He then threw in a disclaimer, saying that if she were offered the job, she would have to get used to his “friendly” and “kind” personality. He also told her she was free to cancel the interview if that made her uncomfortable.
“I just want to let you know that if you end up working with me, you might think I’m flirting, but that’s just how I treat the staff at the front counter and my personal assistant. If you think you’d be uncomfortable with that, you’re free to cancel the interview.”
He went on to explain that he prefers having a friendly and close relationship with his staff, stressing that his behaviour should not be mistaken for flirting.
“I’d also prefer my staff to be friendly and close with me, without thinking that I’m trying to flirt or anything like that. If you’re not comfortable with it or don’t like the idea, I’ll just cancel the interview,” he added.
“Would you be comfortable with me treating you specially?”
Nina later asked the interviewer why the previous woman had resigned from the position, to which he jokingly replied, “Because she fell in love with me.”
Although Nina continued responding professionally, the conversation soon took an uncomfortable turn when he began asking about her personal life, including whether she had a boyfriend.
He then asked if she would be okay with him giving her “special treatment” and whether he could call her to continue the conversation. She politely declined the offer to have a call and instead asked him to explain the job scope.
“When it comes to work, I’m fine as long as I’m treated with respect. I always respect the people I work with, especially my superiors. But what exactly do you mean by ‘special treatment’? And what exactly is my job scope?” she asked.
The interviewer later clarified that he asked the question because he had high hopes for her abilities and believed she would be a valuable addition to his company.
“To put it simply, if you were to work with me, would you be comfortable with me treating you a little more specially than usual? I’m looking for a personal assistant who can be very close to me and someone I can trust to manage the shop whenever I’m not around. But it’s okay, just answer yes or no. I’m not forcing you. I asked because I believe you’d be able to help manage my shop well. You have housekeeping experience, and you can drive too.”
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Nina shared that she ultimately decided not to attend the interview. She also warned women, especially those living in Perak, to be cautious if they ever come across the man.
“If you’re a woman living around Ipoh and you come across this creepy old man’s job ad on Facebook, please run. Before you know it, he might be offering you a very different kind of ‘personal assistant’ role. But if you’re into that, feel free to go for it.”
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