Other than the leave policy complying with the Labor Standards Act, there really aren't any advantages!
The following account of the interview process is very lengthy, so please use your judgment when reading it!
I had no experience working at a pet store, but I had 10 years of experience in retail sales. I also love pets, which was why I submitted my résumé to the Shalu branch of Eastern Pet Cloud.
At first, I received an invitation to an interview, but the scheduled time happened to conflict with a family memorial ceremony, so I asked whether it could be moved to the next day or another day.
The message was read but left unanswered (I originally thought my message had not been received), so I still went at the time they had scheduled.
On the day of the interview, the woman inside had no idea that an interview had been scheduled because the store manager had suddenly taken the day off and was not at work.
She asked the store manager, who also did not know about the interview and said the supervisor might have sent the interview notice. However, the supervisor was teaching a class at the Zhongqing branch.
They originally wanted me to go to the Zhongqing branch (I thought this store had major communication problems, and judging from the woman's reaction, it seemed the store was not short-staffed—so why was anyone coming for an interview?). I said it was fine to reschedule for another day when the store manager would be working, and asked when would be convenient. The woman then called the supervisor. The supervisor said he was worried that riding to Zhongqing would be too far for me, and that he would return to the Shalu branch at 5 p.m. to interview me. The interview at 5 p.m. turned out to be probably the worst interview I have ever experienced!
The supervisor was a man. As soon as he arrived, he asked, “Did you bring your résumé?” I said that the interview invitation stated that I did not need to bring any documents because I would fill out the company's internal forms, so I had not brought one. The supervisor said, “That’s impossible. I sent the email—how could I have said that you didn’t need to bring one?” When I tried to find the evidence to show him, he even complained that the 4.7-inch screen on my iPhone 7 was too small and showed me something on his own phone. At that moment, he made it sound as though I was lying, which left me feeling quite uncomfortable. Later, he impatiently said, “It’s okay that you didn’t bring your résumé. You should at least have a handwritten one, right?”
(I thought, Please—you said I didn’t need to bring any documents and would fill out your company’s internal forms. How could I possibly have brought a handwritten résumé as well?) I told him I had not brought one either. He then belittled me, saying, “How can you not even have the basic attitude toward an interview? Isn’t bringing a résumé a basic requirement? If you didn’t print out your 104 résumé, you should at least have had a handwritten one!”
I apologized and said that I really had not prepared one because the notice said documents were not required. Some companies had previously told me not to bring anything and instead fill out their own forms, so I thought they were doing the same. I continued looking for the evidence to show him.
He was also very busy, with phone calls repeatedly interrupting our interview. While waiting for him to finish a call, I found the evidence. When I showed it to him afterward, he made up an explanation, saying that the phrase “No documents need to be brought on the day of the interview” referred to personal documents such as an ID card, bank passbook, or certificate of resignation.
I said, “But the next sentence says, ‘We will ask you to fill out the company’s internal forms that day,’ so I thought I only needed to come to the store and fill out your forms.”
(I thought, Then why didn’t you simply look at my résumé on 104 and interview me? Why fixate on a paper résumé? Can’t you read the Chinese on a phone?)
Later, he received another important call, so I waited another two minutes. He then asked me to introduce myself. I had not even been speaking for a minute when another call came in, and I waited another two or three minutes. When he returned, he asked me to rate my self-introduction. I was dumbfounded and thought, I haven’t even finished introducing myself—how am I supposed to rate it? After freezing for three seconds, I answered, “60 points.” (He apparently thought I was too nervous to speak.)
There was indeed some fault on my part because of the misunderstanding about not bringing a résumé. Then he said, “Didn’t you say you had something to do at home and couldn’t come today?”
I replied, “So you did receive my message. I thought you hadn’t received it, which is why I came at the scheduled time for the interview.”
(By this point in the interview, I felt that the supervisor was extremely lacking in empathy and had low emotional intelligence! The read-but-no-reply routine—seriously? @.@)
He asked, “If you don’t have pets, why do you want to switch from a cosmetics and drugstore retail position? I used to be a chef myself, and switching to a pet store was a turning point for me. What makes you want to enter the pet industry?”
I replied, “Because I like pets. I used to have five pets at home, and I also cared for eight stray dogs. Since I have retail sales experience and like dogs, I applied for this position.”
He interrupted, saying, “I’ve interviewed more than 100 people, and every one of them tells me they like pets. Don’t you have a more special reason? Do you have pets now?”
I replied, “Not anymore. After moving, my current home environment isn’t suitable for keeping a dog.” (I thought, You’ve interviewed so many people—how do you not even understand the basic courtesy of letting someone finish speaking? And you’re proud of it? The people you interviewed before were really unlucky.)
He said, “If you don’t have pets, this job will be very tiring and difficult. Working at a pet-store counter isn’t just stocking products, arranging displays, and playing with cats and dogs as it appears on the surface. Simply moving goods requires good physical strength. Can you accept that?”
I replied, “I’ve never thought working at a pet store would be easy. Every industry has its difficult aspects. My previous job at a cosmetics and drugstore wasn’t just stocking products and arranging displays either; we also had to carry dozens or even hundreds of boxes of merchandise.” (Because I am 164 cm tall and weigh 45 kg, people tend to assume that I am thin and weak and unable to handle physical work. I wasn’t surprised to be questioned about this, but doesn’t my résumé clearly show my height and weight? Do you expect someone of this height and weight to look especially sturdy?)
He replied, “Our female staff member…” (and called one of the women over). He asked her to say how many kilograms of cat litter she usually carried, and then asked her what the secret to this job was. She replied, “You need to have passion and love for pets! Otherwise, it’s really tiring.”
(I thought, Usually, when someone answers “you need passion,” it means the atmosphere of the job probably isn’t very good; otherwise, they wouldn’t give such a formulaic answer.)
He asked, “What salary are you hoping for? What kind of leave system do you expect?”
I replied, “I hope for NT$27,000. For leave, following the Labor Standards Act is fine.”
He replied, “The base salary is NT$23,800. With some overtime allowances and other items, after deducting labor and health insurance, it’s approximately NT$27,000–29,000.”
Then he was busy answering another phone call. When he returned, he told me, “I gave your self-introduction a score in the sixties because not bringing your résumé was really unacceptable. That’s the most basic thing. You didn’t even meet the basics. If you hadn’t happened to meet me, a kind interviewer, and the store manager had interviewed you instead, you definitely wouldn’t even have been given a conversation.”
(I thought, If you don’t want to hire someone, come up with a better reason. This misunderstanding was clearly caused by your side. @.@+)
“But I also forgot that I had arranged an interview with you today, and I’m sorry for making you come here twice. I also forgot to tell the store manager about the interview. In addition, you don’t speak loudly enough. For this job, we need to speak very loudly.”
I replied, “It’s true that my voice is soft, which may make people feel that I lack projection, but I can speak loudly if necessary. It’s just that I wouldn’t answer that loudly during an interview—it would feel like I was arguing.” (I knew he was looking for reasons to reject me, so I decided to see how he would respond.)
He said, “Usually, you shouldn’t have too many expectations from an interview, and you shouldn’t take the result too seriously. If you are accepted, we will notify you within three days, and you can bring your résumé and come back for another interview. If you don’t receive notification within three days, don’t wait—that means you aren’t suitable.”
I said, “Okay, I understand.”
He replied, “I hope you won’t be too discouraged even if you aren’t accepted. The roads are slippery in the rain, so be careful riding home.”
I smiled and replied, “Okay, bye-bye.” (I don’t know how many times I rolled my eyes internally. Was it really necessary to keep reminding me that I probably wouldn’t be hired? Ridiculous~)
The interview took less than 15 minutes, including 10 minutes of waiting while he talked on the phone. During the five minutes of actual conversation, he said that he had previously been a chef. I initially thought he had been a police officer because the entire process felt like being interrogated: he would start rebutting me before I had finished speaking. He would probably also be suited to being a lawyer instead of a police officer—he was extremely good at arguing. It’s a shame he isn’t a lawyer, but I came for a job interview, not to participate in a courtroom debate!
Although you looked down on my thin and weak physique as unsuitable for this physically demanding job, doesn’t your own appearance—looking like a drug addict—seem just as mismatched with the service industry you work in? I had assumed that the pet-store business, after being taken over by the publicly listed E.SUN company, would have managers with a certain level of emotional intelligence. That interview was a huge disappointment.
I can understand that a supervisor who has interviewed more than 100 people would be fatigued by interviewing candidates. But if a manager carries too much negative energy and has such deep-seated stereotypes and preconceived notions, then someone who only talks and does nothing is not suitable for human resources, right? The fact that someone like this can become a supervisor makes me feel fortunate that I did not meet his requirements.
The biggest disappointment was not being interviewed by a supervisor with low emotional intelligence. It was that I had postponed the opportunity to attend my mother’s memorial ceremony for this interview. He kept emphasizing that I should not be discouraged or have high expectations if I was not accepted. I really wanted to tell him: The only thing that would disappoint me is failing to be selected by a capable, emotionally intelligent manager who could lead me. You overestimate yourself far too much. It’s not even Ghost Month yet, and I’ve already encountered someone scarier than a ghost.
I hope this helps people who are planning to interview at Eastern Pet Cloud. If you happen to be interviewed by the male supervisor who came down from Taipei to Taichung (his dark, prominent eye circles made him look like a drug addict at first glance), be mentally prepared to be interrupted at any time and to feel as though you are being interrogated during the questioning.