JTI - Japan Tobacco International Interview Questions
& Process

I had 0 experience and there was an internship program for 3 months. All interviews went well, the hiring manager was actually 10/10, we spoke for 2 hours instead of 30 minutes, really chill guy. But when I asked if the job is a permanent one after the training period (as HR lied to me), he said that it's not and it's a job for people with 5+ years of experience, very demanding, and that they put these 3 months internships just for visibility to look like they take new guys and promote themselves as a company, but with 0 intention to hire after.

I got through the first interview, it was pretty chill and the HR person was really nice. Then I had a final interview with the team, and they were nice too. But honestly, I was bummed out because it took them three whole weeks to tell me I didn't get the job. They said I'd hear back the week after the interview, but it ended up being a three to four week wait for a generic rejection email. I was really hoping for this role, especially since my last job was so similar, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Still, it was an experience, and maybe I'll get another shot with the company down the road.

Their hiring process seems to lack transparency and integrity. It appears they open positions solely to legitimize hiring their interim employees, leading candidates through interviews that are essentially a formality. I learned from a friend working there that this role was initially posted to bring in their interim employee, and my own experience sadly confirmed this suspicion. Here's what transpired: I successfully passed the initial interview, which lasted about an hour. Following that, I completed two assessments, taking around an hour in total. Subsequently, I was scheduled for a second interview with representatives from People & Culture and the hiring manager. The manager was reportedly unwell, which led me to believe the meeting would be rescheduled upon her recovery. This meeting was intended to be a joint session with both the Hiring Manager and People & Culture. However, just a few days later, I noticed the position was closed. This occurred long before the planned remaining two stages of the process could be completed. Soon after, the Head of People & Culture contacted me to inform me that they had decided to hire their interim employee instead. They added a comment about how it 'takes months to get to know the JTI culture,' which suggests that new hires aren't genuinely welcomed. This situation strongly indicates that the hiring decision was predetermined, and the interview process was merely a procedural step. It's disheartening, particularly for a company that emphasizes values such as integrity and inclusiveness. I strongly recommend that other candidates carefully consider whether to invest their time in such a process, as the role might not have been genuinely open from the outset. It's quite a shame.

Got the interview invite and test on the same day, super weird. The interview didn't even wait for the test results. The TA was clueless about the role, her intro was useless, just repeating the job description. She didn't even read my resume, I had to guide her through it and she complained about how it was organized. Then, there were issues with the test provider, she didn't get one of the two test results. She blamed my country for this, suggesting I move or use a VPN. When I sent her the result, she complained it took ages because it came from my country, even though it was just seconds. She was rude and arrogant, kept cutting me off, and asked the same questions repeatedly. Because she was unprepared, she was distracted, had silences, and even put on lipstick during the call. Too many red flags, so I bailed on the interview process. It's a shame for the company to have a TA like this handling niche, high-skill roles.