As someone who has been steadily working since graduation, I occasionally apply to jobs and attend interviews to stay engaged with the market. Unfortunately, this particular experience left a very negative impression.
I was told to arrive at 2 PM in business casual. When I got there, around 10 candidates were already seated. It wasn’t until then that I discovered the role paid only $48,000–$55,000 – nowhere near the level of spending needed to live in the Greater Vancouver Area. We were ushered into a conference room and handed a booklet with five written questions to complete using pen and paper. We were told that interviewers would come pick us out one by one.
After about 30 minutes, a man in a suit entered the room, gave everyone a dismissive once-over, and abruptly asked, “Who here wants to make money?” The room fell silent in confusion for a few seconds before someone cautiously replied, “Yes.” What followed was a patronizing and aggressive monologue. He declared that the company only wanted “the best,” had no interest in “second-best,” and had already disqualified four candidates based solely on their résumés—none of whom had even spoken to anyone yet. Those individuals, he added, were still welcome to interview—but only for a completely different position: a commission-only, self-employed sales role with no base salary. This critical detail was never mentioned until the interview itself, making the whole setup feel misleading and manipulative. Out of curiosity—and since I had a relatively free day—I stayed to see how this would play out. I ended up waiting almost two hours, only to be briefly spoken to about the commission-only role. The most frustrating part? No one even glanced at the written responses we had completed earlier. They were completely ignored.
The entire experience felt disingenuous, like a bait-and-switch tactic designed to funnel / gaslight people. It was poorly organized, unprofessional, and frankly insulting. It’s disheartening to see this kind of toxic, high-pressure corporate culture—reminiscent of exploitative practices abroad—taking root here in Canada.