Workplace reviews and discussion: (台北市電腦公會)台北市電腦商業同業公會

1. The main business, international exhibitions, are indeed world-class.

2. Convenient transportation; headquarters is located at the intersection of Bade and Dunhua roads, in a good location.

3. The three seasonal bonuses and year-end bonus are indeed provided.

I hope to share the most genuine experience with those considering joining the association: think twice, then think twice again. As someone who has worked at the association for many years and has also lived and worked abroad, although I have great respect for the deputy secretary-general and many senior executives, unfortunately, policies from above are met with countermeasures below, making a career at the association a mixture of many emotions.

The serious shortcomings are as follows:

1. The association organizes many international exhibitions, including several of Taiwan's most representative international technology exhibitions. However, many (though not all) managers lack an international mindset. Quite apart from their international outlook, even their language skills are problematic. Many managers have trouble even writing emails in English, yet constantly criticize the English content produced by people who have studied or genuinely lived overseas, resulting in delays.

2. The association likes to recruit people with overseas experience, but its overall management mindset is not very open-minded. Everything sounds good during interviews, but much of the actual operation does not match what was said during the interview, and the expertise brought back from abroad by people with overseas experience is not always respected.

3. The job duties, collaboration model, and position within the company ultimately differ from what was described during the interview. This inevitably gives people the impression that they are lured in first and then left to clean up the mess for veteran employees who cannot complete their tasks.

4. Some senior employees focus on the person rather than the issue, and the quality of some senior managers is consequently also worrying. Some cannot even meet the most basic standard of punctuality (though not all), lack innovation, and cannot even prepare and deliver their own presentations, burdening other managers and colleagues. Yet there is no relevant mechanism to protect frontline staff or other colleagues. It is regrettable.

3. The success or failure of international exhibitions is closely connected to technology and trends across various industries. However, the thinking of many managers responsible for the association's international exhibitions differs from that of the industry. As a result, ideas proposed by clients (exhibitors, prospective forum speakers, international teams, etc.) often do not align with the managers' direction, causing certain areas to fall behind industry trends.

4. There are issues with intergenerational communication and respect for expertise internally. Some (though not all) senior employees resist learning new skills, tools, and even new ways of working. Differences in views about work standards would be understandable, but senior employees often instead ostracize younger colleagues with professional expertise, sometimes even verbally abusing and insulting them. Over the years, the enthusiasm of many young employees has been worn down, leading them to leave dejectedly.

5. Building on the above, some departments have problems respecting expertise. People with insufficient professional competence refuse to keep up with specialized expertise from outside (such as marketing, foreign languages, and creativity), yet like to interfere in professional matters using unverified hearsay.

6. Workplace bullying occurs in some departments (emphatically, not all). When senior employees or those who disrespect professional expertise face performance pressure, they blame other colleagues for their own responsibilities. They may even verbally attack them in public, and the matter is not subsequently handled appropriately.

7. Because some mid-level managers lack professional competence, they can only prevent the fact of their own inadequacy from being exposed by making things difficult for others and suppressing people who have accumulated achievements, thereby affecting colleagues' career development.

Especially for friends who are just entering the workforce or have an overseas background, remember that the styles of the association's departments differ greatly. Some departments have begun to improve, but others can only be described as having a worrying outlook. Choosing poorly may significantly affect your future work and career, so remember:

1. You really should gather information and ask many questions when choosing a department; you cannot go wrong. Departments that lack staff will definitely recruit people first and explain later, using all kinds of persuasive tactics to please you. If possible, visit the department you are interested in beforehand and experience it firsthand with your own eyes and intuition.

2. Clarify the job responsibilities during the interview. If you feel you have a chance of being hired, confirm everything repeatedly before starting work (there have previously been cases where the actual duties and role differed from those described during the interview, or where substantially different additional work was added).

3. If things do not meet your expectations after joining, ask around about opportunities in other departments. As mentioned above, the atmosphere differs from department to department.