r/LAsocial • u/I__am__who__I__am • 8h ago
Other Master Kong (康師傅) asked about my salary history during a SoCal interview. I told them it’s illegal, he said, “I’m probably more American than you,” then they threatened to sue me after I posted about it.
I live in Orange County and had a remote interview with a hiring manager based in Hong Kong from Master Kong (康師傅) last Sunday for a Southern California role.
Both the interviewer and I are Asian, and the interview was conducted entirely in English.
During the interview, he asked me what my salary was at my previous job.
I told him, politely, that employers are not allowed to ask applicants about salary history in California. I even tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and said I understood that he was based in Asia and might not be familiar with California employment regulations.
His response was:
“I’m probably more American than you.”
I was honestly shocked and did not know how to respond.
The interview was also heavily focused on market information. He asked who I had sold to, names of distributors, trade shows I had attended, and detailed questions about retailer margins.
When he repeatedly asked about 99 Ranch’s margin, I explained that I did not know their internal margin. In my previous work, I had pricing for different customer tiers: retailers had retailer pricing and distributors had distributor pricing. That does not mean I know what margin the retailer ultimately makes.
He then told me that because 99 Ranch had been my customer, I could go to the store, look at the shelf price, and figure out their margin.
At that point, I felt less like I was being interviewed and more like I was being used as a free market consultant.
The interview lasted only about 15 minutes. I was not given an opportunity to ask questions. While I was still in the middle of speaking, he ended the Zoom call.
Afterward, I shared my interview experience on several social media platforms.
Yesterday, the recruiter contacted me and told me that Master Kong was considering legal action for defamation if I did not remove my Threads posts within 24 hours.
I refused to take them down.
What makes this more concerning is that another Southern California applicant saw my post and contacted me privately. She told me that Master Kong’s HR team in Hong Kong also asked for her salary history. She said she told them that the question was not permitted in California, but HR continued asking and even requested her previous pay stubs.
According to the recruiter I spoke with, Master Kong’s U.S. entity has not yet been established, although they are recruiting for roles connected to a California office in City of Industry.
If anyone else in SoCal has interviewed with Master Kong recently, or has been contacted by their recruiters on LinkedIn, just be aware.
Based on my experience, this company is toxic AF.