Workplace reviews and discussion: 采萱國際開發有限公司

The position I interviewed for was Graphic/Web Designer.

The company is located at the foot of Xiangshan Mountain. Because the building is on a slope, it is classified as a basement, but it should actually be considered the first floor. The interview was conducted in a conference room. The environment was very clean, and the company asked applicants to fill out some information first.

Before coming, I had read reviews from other applicants. Some described the experience as ordinary, while others found it unpleasant. However, the person who interviewed me did not make me feel any pressure or condescension.

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First, applicants are asked to introduce themselves:

Answer honestly. The interviewer will choose a few questions from your self-introduction to ask about.

Because I mentioned in my self-introduction that I had worked in web design, the interviewer asked whether I knew HTML and CSS. I said yes, and the interviewer mentioned that, among all the people they had interviewed, I was the first designer to say that I knew programming.

After the self-introduction, the interviewer began explaining the job duties. Most of the work involves graphic design, but the position the company was hiring for this time also required knowledge of web programming to manage products and information going online and offline.

Because I mentioned that, in addition to design, I also wanted to explore marketing—I felt that marketing and design complement each other and would make my work better—the interviewer said that if I had the opportunity to join the company and wanted to learn about marketing, they would be happy to let me gain exposure to it. I would just need to tell them, and they would speak with the marketing team at that time.

Regarding salary, they said that if I was confirmed as hired, HR would call to discuss the salary, so compensation would not be discussed on-site.

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Have you seen our products? What do you think is different about them?

Whenever I interview with a company, I look at its website and products in advance, precisely to prepare for questions like this.

I answered: The company’s product packaging is very clean and simple, and I really like it. It is different from 90% of the product packaging on the market.

The interviewer responded that the company focuses on scalp care. Products from other manufacturers might only involve shampooing and conditioning, whereas the company’s products focus on scalp care in addition to cleansing and conditioning.

I continued: I would say that 90% of the packaging on the market likes to use gold lines, serif fonts, and glass-like designs to make products look high-end. However, the company’s products use only simple white and orange designs, which I find very distinctive. I would really like to work for such a different company. After all, I am a designer, and I also hope to be different from others.

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Have you written social media posts? Are the topics assigned by the company? Would you use current events to write posts?

Answer honestly. This question was asked because the interviewer mentioned that the position would require posting some new information on the website.

I answered that I had. I had written Facebook posts, but I decided the topics myself. At my previous company, as long as the posts I wrote matched the products that needed to be promoted during that season or month, that was sufficient.

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What was the biggest problem you encountered at work?

Answer honestly. I answered: Not knowing how to design a draft, because the interviewer was also in a marketing and design-related position and could empathize.

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Practical test

During the practical test, the interviewer explained that the purpose was to assess the applicant’s layout skills, and that a simple design would be sufficient. Applicants needed to explain to the interviewer why they chose that layout and the details of their composition.

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