A Malaysian recruiter explains why a fresh graduate was rejected for a RM6,000 role, urging candidates to ditch clichés and focus on storytelling.
JOB interviews can be a make-or-break moment for candidates, especially fresh graduates hoping to secure competitive salaries despite having limited work experience.
Taking to Threads, a Malaysian recruiter claimed to have rejected a fresh graduate who was interviewing for a RM6,000 position due to the candidate’s “underwhelming” performance during the “behavioural” assessment interview.
The recruiter went on to advise candidates to improve their “storytelling” skills.
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“If you’re asked questions about real scenarios involving conflict management, challenges, feedback, or collaboration, please don’t answer with ‘I’m proactive, a self-starter, adaptable’. That script is outdated,” the post read.
They further emphasised that companies want to hear a candidate’s ability to reflect, analyse their decisions, and articulate the impact of those decisions.
“Share your real experiences.
“The more you share, the more interested we will be in you,” the recruiter added.
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The post has since sparked broader discussions about the expectations placed on fresh graduates, highlighting the balance between limited experience and the ability to demonstrate critical thinking.
While many netizens agreed with the recruiter’s perspective, some pointed out that candidates who excel in interviews are often those with prior work experience.
In response, the recruiter reiterated their stance, claiming that some fresh graduates they had spoken to performed well despite having limited experience.
“That said, even without experience, we still look for street-smart thinkers.
“Read more and gain more exposure. Sometimes, what we really want to see is how you think and process information,” one user noted.
“Those who are good at storytelling are usually experienced hires, because they’ve gone through various real-life work situations. This is where the expectation mismatch comes in. Fresh graduates are just starting out and naturally don’t have much experience yet,” another commenter said.
