Interview with HPB

I should have known better to trust the vibes I have and my very own gut feelings.

I attended an interview with Health Promotion Board sometime this week and was totally pissed off at their lack of professionalism and a high and mighty attitude. I know HPB is a statutory board; I thought it sounded like a fun organization with all the various marketing activities going on but it has the government “smell” and “feel”, if you know what I mean.

Before coming for the interview, I had looked through the job scope once again and felt really bad vibes, as if something was wrong. I was proven right in due course. Was told to report at 10am for a presentation and discussion and had this feeling that it would be a group presentation and was wondering if it was going to be a group discussion after all. My suspicions were confirmed when I reached there and found several other candidates loitering around. We were then told to go into a meeting room to wait for the deputy director of marketing. I looked around and felt extremely unconfident and low-spirited given the outgoing personalities of other candidates and their advertising agency experiences.

Well, what happened next was HPB’s version of “The Apprentice” but to me, it was poorly administrated. The deputy director gave a very brief presentation of what HPB was about (only a few lines) and told us to introduce ourselves to all in the group of eight. So the round-the-table formal introductions began. After that, we were given an outline of what a particular program to be rolled out in future and were told to come up with a marketing plan in half an hour. We then had to present individual parts. I felt like I was back in Uni.

I am pissed because we were not told what we had to go through. I am pissed because it took me a bloody 2 hours of interview and no one told me. What a waste of time! In addition, this is only the “knockout” round. HPB wants to see who can work well and if there is teamwork. Is it necessary at this stage?? Shouldn’t the first stage be screening of candidates? How can you not screen candidates but dump them together to save time? Well, you can but this is poor HR and poor interview techniques. There was no genuine interest in the candidates.

Also I am pissed because the deputy director asked dumb questions during the presentation; I would think he has more substance. I am pissed because the deputy director was already biased in his selection of candidates subconsciously – he only asked a few candidates questions and looked bored at others. I am just pissed. Who knows if they will use our ideas we generated? That would be unethical and cheap.

Anyway I learnt a good experience from this and that is being able to react at last minute, poorly put together interviews. You can have this style of interview but someone needs to be in control and administer it well. I also learnt that marketing jobs are not for me. I will stick to marketing communications which is the execution