I have observed the business practices of this company from recruitment right to actual on-the-job experience.
Firstly, they do not hire graduates or diploma holders. They are in fact only looking for cheap labour. Yet they advertise their need for fresh grads willing to become trainess i.E. IT Trainees, Management Trainees, whatever trainees... Etc. Promising an income range of around MR 1-1.5K, they seemed reputable.
So I called up and asked for the person highlighted in the ad. But I was unaware of their advertisements posted a month back or so. Those were similar but had different staff names included for us to callback. Guess what? When I attended the first interview, I realised that those were non-existent persons. The company was way to small for me to believe that they had similar branches nationwide i.E. M'sia. During the preliminary interview, we were all asked general questions individually by the 'manager'. She (i want to name her in person, but i prefer to get a hit squad to take her out quietly...) asked whether I was willing to work outside mostly and never mentioned desk jobs or even IT related job requirements / skills. That left me wondering if the IT skills that I could offer were needed. That lady also asked if I could work immediately the following Monday. I said yes and was instructed to be back there early on that day. Just like what my fellow sufferers faced!
On Monday morning I arrived early. I was ushered inside that SOHO like office despite its claim to be an expanding multinational company. I noticed that the number of employees desk there (either clerks or helpdesk) was the same. It confirmed my suspicions that they were using bogus names to deceive the advertising company.
I recalled what the lady manager said regarding my new job. She did mention that I would be a management trainee. Not an IT trainee although I did raise that issue. She sidestepped it and mentioned training me for 1 month at most in people skills, sales skills, and management skills etc. (Still no IT mentioned... I m so dead!!!) I was anticipating a short session in the office whereby a briefing / short introductory course would commence.
Our names were called one by one. As each trainee entered they were introduced to their trainers. What a day for a field trip!
I tagged along with a guy. Only later did I know that he was the branch manager for Klang region. (What the heck. I don't care anyway!).
I did not observe what the real manager said to these trainers before they were assigned to bring us out and gauge us. I know that he did use techniques highlighted by other dissatisfied Cydcor / DS-MAX "victims" i.E. Those motivational rah-rahs. Etc. But whatever it was they were a dedicated & brainwashed lot. More committed than the most ardent Communist in realising their company's goals and their personal targets.
EP claimed to market food products via dropping and did not associate itself with direct-sales schemes. The manager put down so many other successful setups i.E. Cosway, Amway you name it he looks down on it. Claiming that EP does direct-marketing and has no pyramid structure. Well I soon found out why..
In fact I suffered for a day! Eight hours on the first day learning about the company's history (a bag-load of baggage that), its business model and of course the sales techniques and theory under the trainer. Basically the way to the top is similar to that in the USA. However, I'm not too sure if all trainees were warned to keep the nature of their job secret right up until they became managers. Imagine! Not telling your own family that you are participating in a rip-off! Almost all EP staff - those successful top-echelon ones did that.
I had to practice dropping and sales pitching. I did overcome some fear in meeting strangers then. I noticed that what all the more senior trainees did was to tag along in my trainers van and get dropped off at strategic places around his area. They had a quota and a target they had to meet. You see they could just have worked in a supermarket or for a more reliable setup.
Working their butts off like that and for so little pay.
And i am so sure this company is lying when it claims to have affliation with DS-MAX. I also may state that convincingly. If I was the new head of CIA I would misuse my powers to remove this scum from the face of the Earth.
T
PJ / Klang, Malaysia
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