Jobseekers are always told to “know their worth,” yet some companies can’t even be honest about what they’re willing to pay.
A woman recently shared her frustration online after her husband applied for a job that advertised a salary “up to RM3.5k”, only to be offered nearly half of that amount when he showed up for the interview.
Salary listed as RM3.5k, actual offer RM1.9k
According to her, her husband applied for a Catering Officer position and confidently listed his expected salary as RM3,500, an amount that was negotiable since that was the amount stated in the job ad.
However, during the interview, the company revealed the actual offer was only RM1,900 plus an allowance of RM100.
When he asked why the advertised figure was much higher, the interviewer allegedly replied:
Sorry, we don’t know about the ad. The HR handled that.”
The woman said the excuse felt dismissive and misleading, especially after they travelled hours believing the job would pay according to the advertised range.
She said employers should simply list the real pay instead of using inflated numbers to attract applicants.
She added that fresh grads or entry-level jobseekers might still consider the role due to the flexible working hours with two shifts, but for those supporting a family, the pay was unrealistic.
“We even started planning to relocate if he got the job,” she wrote.
Netizens share similar experiences
The story quickly gained traction, with many netizens sharing that they too had faced dishonest salary listings and bait-and-switch interviews.
One netizen criticised the interviewer’s reasoning, writing: ‘Interviewer must be aligned with HR. That excuse is nonsense.’
Another shared an experience where HR promised RM3,500 but broke it down into:
- Basic salary: RM2,500
- Monthly KPI: RM1,000
If the employee took even one day of annual or medical leave, they would lose the entire KPI allowance.
Another netizen recalled her husband being offered RM2,300 in an interview despite the ad stating RM3,600.
“They even told him to come back the next morning to submit a letter explaining why he wanted the job. Acting like they’re paying RM10k. We rejected it immediately.”
Others advised jobseekers to clarify salary expectations over the phone before agreeing to an interview to avoid wasting time.
May noted misleading salary ads have been happening for years, claiming some HR teams intentionally inflate figures to attract applicants, especially those urgently looking for work.
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