None

Wistron in Hsinchu Science Park left me with an extremely negative interview experience

The résumé I made available was for a technology PM position, but that Hsinchu Science Park company proactively invited me to interview for an HR position.

I thought it might be because I had HR work experience, and I was also willing to apply for some HR-related positions, so I decided to attend the interview.

I arrived early that day and went in for the interview earlier than scheduled, in a small, enclosed interview room with white walls.

At the beginning of the interview, their HR interviewer asked me what was distinctive about my place of household registration and similar questions. That was still fairly normal, and then they asked me to introduce myself.

Many teachers and supervisors had reviewed my self-introduction, and I had delivered it comfortably in dozens of interviews. It included three of my personality traits, specific work experience and achievements illustrating them, and finally the reason I wanted to join the company as an HR professional.

But when I finished, the HR interviewer looked at me with a very smug expression and said they could not hear what my personality traits were. They asked me to talk about my family background and gave the example that, if my parents had both been very busy when I was young and unable to take me to and from school, and I had walked home every day, that would show I had an independent personality.

I accepted that suggestion and gave my own version of the self-introduction.

But they were still dissatisfied and angrily said many unpleasant things to me, such as:

“I'm a senior alumnus who graduated from National Taiwan University 116 a long time ago. Every year, I invite some junior students over to chat.”

“Are you nervous? You must be very nervous, right?”

“What is your family background like? I don't want to hear you talk about what you did at work anymore.” (I genuinely think this is private.)

“I don't think you're the person I'm looking for.”

“You don't look like someone from 116. Do you know Professor xxx? He provides so many excellent resources.” (Basically, that professor was not from our department.)

“Did you use Professor xxx's resources? I get invited back every year to share with the junior students.” (BTW, I had already explained at the very beginning of my self-introduction which departmental and university resources I had used during my master's program. Were you listening?)

Finally, I tactfully expressed that I accepted their advice and also told them, “If you think I'm not the person you're looking for, then why should we continue this conversation?”

They then changed their wording and said, “I never said we wouldn't hire you. We can still talk.”

After giving me some more lectures,

They also said that they worked in HR at a company in Hsinchu Science Park, had never worked overtime, and were unwilling to work overtime, saying it all with an extremely proud expression.

I truly think they no longer understand what has changed in that department at National Taiwan University 116. They have not even heard of many of the professors. They probably just do roughly the same things every day, with little change, and wanted to find someone to lecture in order to feel a sense of accomplishment by flaunting their seniority.

This experience showed me what an unprofessional pressure test looks like.

It also wasted my transportation costs and time.

You know, just because someone goes to the trouble of preparing for an interview and drives to your company, that doesn't make you so impressive. You never know when the tables will turn and you might run into someone who won't put up with you!