I applied for an Office Administrator position via MYFutureJobs. A girl texted me saying that I was shortlisted who scheduled an interview for 5:00 PM. While the late timing seemed odd, I didn't think much of it and agreed.
The next day, the girl (i think she's an insurance agent and trying to recruit new members to earn commission) texted me at 10 AM asking if I could attend a "sharing session" at 2:30 PM that same day. I was highly skeptical like why would they invite an un-interviewed candidate to a sharing session for a standard admin role? I politely declined due to prior commitments. An hour later, she texted again, claiming the interview location and time had changed. It was now at a local cafe at 6:00 PM, featuring provided food and another "sharing session." Despite my growing suspicion, I agreed because the agency was a well-known, authorized unit under a major insurance company in Malaysia. I assumed it was just an unconventional recruitment process. Shortly after, she sent me a Google Form to register for the cafe event.
The plot twisted yet again at 7:30 PM when she rescheduled the interview a third time this time to 8:30 AM the following morning. She explained that her boss wanted me to join their morning meeting so I could see "how they start their day" and get introduced to the environment.
When I arrived the next morning, I noticed several other candidates. We were handed application forms, and that’s when the first major red flag appeared. One section asked for consent to automatically transfer our application to an "Insurance Agent / Wealth Planner" role if the Admin position was unavailable. Knowing this wasn't what I applied for, I left that section blank. The form concluded with a personality test.
The morning meeting felt less like a corporate briefing and more like a cult-like assembly. It began with general prayers, followed by singing company songs (reminiscent of a school assembly), bragging about agency achievements, and shouting corporate mottos. After the meeting, we waited for our personality test results. I watched two candidates get called outside, never to return, presumably because they "failed."
During my interview, the interviewer didn't ask a single question about administrative work. Instead, the focus was entirely on my personality type. When I asked about the consent section I had left blank, the interviewer confirmed that if the admin role was full, I’d be placed in sales. He asked if I was interested, and I firmly said no. The interview ended abruptly.
By 4:30 PM that afternoon, the recruiter texted to inform me they wouldn't be moving forward with my application, and that I no longer needed to attend the cafe event. That’s when the pieces clicked together, the morning session was just a screening process to see if I was gullible or desperate enough to be recruited into an insurance sales scheme. The "Office Admin" listing was probably entirely a bait-and-switch tactic.
A quick check on Glassdoor later confirmed that many others had fallen for the exact same trap. They posted fake job ads under Admin, Hr role but I guess those positions never existed. While it was a waste of time, I’m glad I trusted my gut and didn't sign that consent form. Lesson learned: always be cautious of job offers originating from insurance agencies!