This company is TAAZE, the online used bookstore.
The concept of buying and selling used books is very good.
The company consists mostly of young people and is very willing to give young people opportunities to learn.
When I worked there, the whole company was beset by internal and external troubles. There were vicious battles within departments, conflicts between departments, and clashes between the general manager’s faction and the chairman’s faction. It was truly quite a spectacle.
Our supervisor was very good at currying favor with the chairman. The parachuted-in manager had absolutely no professional ability and spent work hours going around talking nonsense, showing none of the qualities of a manager. They even took responsibility for matters unrelated to our department. They could not outargue managers from other departments, and their ability to get things done was utterly exasperating. After only one year, the entire department was nearly ruined.
Both senior colleagues and the parachuted-in manager told me to do things. I did not know what to do, but I still followed the parachuted-in manager’s instructions.
A senior colleague once earnestly told me not to follow the parachuted-in manager’s instructions because what they were doing was highly problematic. If something went wrong, they would not be able to save me. At the time, I could not see what the problem was; only now do I realize how important those words were. Get out as soon as possible.
Although the senior colleague was extremely fierce, they were not at their desk 90% of the time during work hours—either out smoking or socializing with other departments. Even when at their desk, they were playing games or browsing online shopping sites. They have since been laid off and happily received a very large severance payment.
The chairman was once the founder of Books.com.tw, but after disagreements over management philosophy led to the removal of the general manager position, they founded TAAZE.
They are very good at painting grand visions and are extremely idealistic, but do not consider whether employees can actually accomplish them.
In a public speech, they once told everyone that they did not know which employees in the company worked hard and which were slacking off. It was truly ridiculous.
That is also what happens in practice: those who slack off continue to stay, while those who work diligently resign after staying only a short time.
The turnover rate is extremely high, and they are constantly training new employees.
I heard that they strongly disliked the general manager’s management style and later stepped in to serve as general manager themselves.
The concept of used books is excellent, but the processing costs are also very high. The company has been operating at a loss, and the chairman has continued burning through the company’s accumulated capital.
The information security problems are extremely serious. The company was once among the top three most frequently reported platforms for suspected fraud.
I heard that the company has apparently moved near Linsen North Road, downsized, and moved into a smaller office.
The HR staff and the receptionist were both very nice and did not put on airs. They also answered questions carefully.
The area has convenient transportation.
1. The interviewing manager was unhappy that the candidate had changed the interview time. Apparently, job candidates are supposed to unconditionally accommodate the time slots offered by the company for interviews. How dare anyone tell HR they wanted to change the time? They clearly had no consideration for the company at all. Such behavior showed that they had no genuine intention of applying for the job!
LOL, I was only going to an interview, yet they demanded that I unconditionally accommodate the company.
I had clearly confirmed with HR that the interview time would work, and I arrived on time. Halfway through the interview, the manager suddenly developed a massive ego and started throwing a tantrum. The manager said the company had many meetings and was very busy, and because I had not accommodated the time slot the company had initially selected for the interview, they felt that I had no genuine intention of applying.
I said that I took this interview very seriously, so I wanted to be in the best possible state for it. The manager even mocked me, saying that this was not an excuse and that job candidates should always be ready for battle.
When HR first called to schedule the interview, I immediately asked whether it could be changed, and HR confirmed that the manager could accommodate a change. Yet now they made it sound as though I had deliberately set them up. As if I could possibly know when the company was going to have meetings = =
2. They lure people in with Position A, but are actually looking to fill Position B. When I asked what Position B actually involved, the manager just kept repeating that it was roughly a PM role with some business development, without providing any concrete details at all. I had no idea what Position B actually did.
3. Half of the interview was spent investigating my family background and probing into my privacy: which companies my parents worked for, which companies my siblings worked for, whether my current residence was rented or purchased, whether I had loans, whether my student loans had been fully paid off, and whether my family had financial difficulties (they even asked this twice).
4. The manager wanted to PUA the candidate but was clearly not capable of doing so. They repeatedly asked what I thought my weaknesses were. After I answered, they did not believe me, yet still wanted to use my weaknesses to put me down. They also asked whether my former colleagues had ever said what kind of person I was. I said that I had gotten along well with my former colleagues, so their evaluations should probably be positive. When the manager realized there was nothing they could use to attack me, they moved on to the next topic.
5. The manager could even discriminate based on zodiac signs: “You don’t seem like a [zodiac sign],” “People of [zodiac sign] are really disadvantaged,” “Aren’t people of [zodiac sign] usually like this or that?” and “People of [zodiac sign] are not suited to the workplace.”
6. From beginning to end, they never asked about my personal abilities. They only glanced at my portfolio without asking anything about it, and just kept asking about the company I worked for before my previous company. I left that company three or four years ago—how could I possibly know what it is like now? They even asked why I did not return to that company. I really do not understand. Were they telling me to go back there?
7. The manager also threatened me by saying that the company would interview many people. The implication was that I should behave myself and answer every question honestly, or I would not be hired. When they saw that I did not seem to react much, they nervously asked whether I had interviewed with other companies in the same industry.
I’m dying laughing. How insecure do you have to be to ask these questions? Who would apply to only one company when looking for a job? That is basic common sense.
7. They asked me to interview without proactively stating the salary and benefits. Then, when I tried to ask, they hurriedly ushered me out. Were they really that afraid of being asked?
8. The manager proactively said they would notify me of the result over the weekend, but it was still a silent rejection.
The interview was conducted solely by the department manager. There were no forms to fill out or tests to take, making it a very relaxed interview.
I wasn’t hired, so I’m not sure.