I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Changing Young Lives Foundation (Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon City) in June 2025
Interview
Poor arrangement, purposeless interview
The day before the interview, they called me and said they would send a confirmation email, but it never came.
On the day of the interview, I was informed on the spot that there would be a 30-minute written test, which was essentially just copying text. There was also a form asking candidates to self-rate their skills for various tasks, which was a waste of time.
The staff said they would return in half an hour, but after 45 minutes, they still hadn’t come back, and I had to proactively look for them.
This position frequently undergoes recruitment within a year and often changes names: Development Executive, Funding Specialist, Program Manager, reflecting the company’s attempt to mask high turnover rates and unreasonable expectations, which makes it difficult to hire people.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The Line Manager asked if I knew design and whether I brought my portfolio, revealing she hadn’t even looked at my resume, which included the website for my portfolio.
Typical NGO issue: they want candidates with extensive experience and versatility but lack the ability to offer competitive conditions. They expect someone with rich fundraising experience from the private sector, but such a person wouldn’t even consider joining an NGO.
In short: wasting time
they don’t like people who know too much about the NGO ecosystem, as they fear they’d be hard to control and might leave quickly, knowing the lack of prospects and tough work. Yet, they also dislike inexperienced candidates, deeming it a waste of time to train them.