Workplace reviews and discussion: 王文楷建築師事務所

Gain some experience. Once we arrived, both sides knew it wasn’t a good fit, but the owner still spent 30 minutes talking with me and offering some advice, which showed sincerity.

HR proactively contacted me for an interview. Over the phone, they said the position wasn’t listed on 104, but that it was probably general administration. It didn’t match my résumé or the type of position I was looking for. However, I thought it would be my first interview and a chance to gain experience, so I agreed.

When I arrived, the owner felt that my salary expectations were too high and that they might not be able to offer even half of what I requested (they didn’t say so explicitly, but it sounded like around NT$25,000).

The company distributes a sheet implying that good employees should work overtime.

My educational background is solid, although it is in a different field, and I am not willing to work overtime. The owner essentially declined politely, saying that he wouldn’t say the small temple couldn’t accommodate a great Buddha—he could accommodate me—but he guessed that I probably wouldn’t be satisfied with the salary. He also implied that if I couldn’t work overtime, salaries in Tainan would not be high, and suggested that I would be better off going home to take care of my children.

The firm seems to handle mostly government projects. It feels like there are about 10 employees, and the workplace has a very family-style atmosphere.

The HR person seemed rather incompetent. The person they were looking for was not what the owner wanted, and they also couldn’t determine my salary expectations from my résumé.