Workplace reviews and discussion: 漢聯海運承攬運送有限公司

The work environment is quite pleasant, I suppose....

At first, I went to the interview with the attitude of giving it a try because the company proactively sent me an interview invitation. I applied for the secretary position.

For people who commute by public transportation, the company’s location is somewhat inconvenient. The nearest MRT station is Taipei 101, but you have to walk quite a long way after exiting the station. Before the interview, you have to complete quite a few tests, including six English-to-Chinese email translation questions, all related to ocean shipping. If you have a foundation in English, they are not particularly difficult.

There is also an aptitude test, which is somewhat ridiculous. It includes sequencing, logic questions involving selecting the odd one out, and finally a test of English typing speed.

After completing all the tests, I was interviewed by a slightly overweight middle-aged woman. The interaction during the interview was very poor; it was almost entirely a question-and-answer session and felt somewhat like an interrogation. She also asked many unrelated questions, such as my blood type, zodiac sign, and what my family members do. Finally, I was interviewed by a vice president, who asked largely the same types of questions. Naturally, these included why I left my previous job and my expected salary. They also gave a general description of the job duties.

Working here requires formal attire, which you have to purchase yourself. New employees are first observed for one or two weeks to see whether they adapt before purchasing it. After completing one year of employment, accounting reimburses half of the clothing expenses. Overtime starts being counted only from 7:30, on the grounds that working hours are 9:00–6:00 every day and the company already gives you a 1.5-hour lunch break. After deducting this 1.5-hour break, the daily working hours are less than the legally required eight hours. In addition, judging from the tone used during the interview, overtime seems to be routine at the company.

The company’s location is not particularly convenient for ordinary commuters.

The management at this company feels very rigid and conventional. The interviewers kept asking unrelated questions, and there seems to be an overtime culture.

The company environment is quite good, but I noticed that there were many empty seats, so the turnover rate is probably fairly high.