Not really.

When you think the company’s monthly “welfare products” are an employee benefit,

when you think there’s no bonus for the three major holidays, but the products the company generously gives out instead are a benefit,

when your eyes narrow into a smile,

then you take a closer look at your monthly payslip and discover that the welfare fund is deducted from your salary.

When filing taxes in May, you even discover that an inexplicable additional welfare-fund deduction was counted as income. Really great.

I was so angry that I forgot this is the pros section. Anyway, it’s also a Schrödinger’s advantage—existing somewhere between having it and not having it.

Sharing some details because I don’t want more people to go down the wrong path. This experience is from the headquarters’ marketing department.

Interview:

1. First, look closely at the 104 job listing. If you scroll all the way down and the contact person’s surname starts with ㄘ, for your own good, I recommend not applying.

2. They will provide a test before the interview. It isn’t difficult, but I recommend not taking it too seriously—just cover the key points to avoid turning it into a free proposal.

3. The manager interviewing you will look completely harmless and speak in a relaxed tone. There won’t be any overly difficult questions (though it mainly depends on their mood at the time). Like the wolf in grandmother’s clothing asking Little Red Riding Hood to come a little closer to the bed, they will all speak with a smile. This stage is mainly for the manager to see whether you are an obedient good child. If you act like a quail, you have a higher chance of being hired.

4. If you are unfortunately hired, there will be a standard process and an offer. They will also mail you a physical hiring notice, an indenture, and other documents. You can fill them out before your start date. I think this part is fairly thoughtful. As for the bank, you can open an account with Hua Nan, whose app is rather difficult to use. (Sorry—I didn’t mean to insult two companies at once.)

5. On your first day, you will fill out some paperwork with HR. Then they will hand you a retro orange booklet and a small booklet with a black, gold-embossed logo, opening the grayscale scenes in the running slideshow of your life.

6. But I really have to commend the orange booklet. It is excellent for weighing down instant noodles: thick, heavy, and large enough. The outer layer is made of thick waterproof material, so you don’t have to worry about steam wetting the cover when it is placed on top of the noodles. It can even hold down those extra-large bowls. Highly recommend taking one. (Thumbs-up.)

Work environment

1. I don’t know whether your coworkers will be from the same intake as mine—most of them may have already left—but the younger coworkers are generally nice and talented. Treasure those who can still laugh, because once you know how to laugh, you won’t cry.

2. Everyone’s workstation is fairly spacious and the desks are large enough. The drawers and chairs are just a little old, and the computers depend heavily on luck, though most are terrible and difficult to use. You can only use the web version of LINE, and Office is from 2007. Can you believe it? Children born that year are already in high school.

3. Payday is fixed on the 10th, but you really can’t let your guard down. Check your payslip carefully—when HR goes off the rails, they really don’t hold back.

4. The attendance system for leave and overtime is so difficult to use that it cannot be found anywhere in any known universe. Reporting one period of overtime directly makes you work another period of overtime.

5. They have a habit of turning off the lights for naps. If you care, bring your own desk lamp. After all, your manager doesn’t care whether you are still desperately rushing to finish a meaningless report because of one of their unhinged remarks. When they want to sleep, they turn off the lights. Natural light cannot reach your work area anyway—after all, there is no hope in hell.

6. If your art classes were always borrowed for math lessons when you were a child, don’t worry. Here, every administrative process is an arts-and-crafts project: all kinds of cutting and pasting, various sizes, sticking things everywhere, folding and refolding, folding in half and then in half again. Even a gentle fold can fold me in half, and then you still have to make it through the manual obstacle course.

7. Try not to appear too happy in general. The smile on your face and the sound of your playful laughter will bring you unnecessary trouble. Try widening your eyes and keeping your mouth slightly open, looking soulless. Work at least two hours of overtime every day. When your manager is acting up, zone out and think about your household electricity meter; things will go a little more smoothly for you.

8. Watch out for typos. Don’t say I didn’t warn you :D

That’s all for my sharing.

Finally, I have to say that this is an extremely, extremely unfortunate company. Its biggest problem is that it should have gone public.

The original founding team’s dedication to making good products, good marketing, trusting employees, and maintaining an open attitude have gradually disappeared here.

All I can say is that the company isn’t ours. As an employee, all you can do is handle the work in front of you and collect your monthly spiritual consolation payment.

And “wealth never lasts beyond three generations” is absolutely the most fitting phrase for this place. If you have a choice, try not to choose this place. Don’t even consider passing through here temporarily.

Best of luck with your job search.