財團法人商業發展研究院

None

I don't know whether HR had even looked at my résumé before asking me to come for an interview. The interviewer only started reviewing my résumé on the spot and then told me that I wasn't suitable for the position, followed by a bunch of rude remarks. It was simply a waste of my time—I took time off work to come here only to be humiliated. I suggest that your HR department carefully review résumés before inviting candidates, because it's not only your managers whose time is extremely valuable.

You get to meet many legendary textbook authors and gain deep insight into the real reasons why the country cannot make progress.

Those damn civil servants are a bunch of garbage. If you’re just looking for a job—a job where you can slack off—this isn’t a suitable place for you either. Simply put, only people who want to experience firsthand how awful civil servants are should join, to see just how garbage the officials at the Ministry of Economic Affairs can be. You’ll really hate yourself every year for paying taxes to that bunch of garbage.

I had read online interview experience shares, which may differ slightly from my personal experience. My own experience was positive, and I would recommend that everyone give it a try. You can replace the heaviness of an “interview” with an attitude of exchange and communication. I think most employees at this company are well-educated, think clearly, and value logical communication over forcing out answers or using sophistry. Below are my brief impressions from my interview in April 2023. During the self-introduction, you can pause at appropriate points to ask the interviewer which aspects they are more interested in before explaining them in greater detail. After all, you cannot know which part of you the interviewer wants to learn more about. Asking direct questions is usually a more time-efficient way for both sides to communicate. Good communication is not about its length, but about achieving the deepest understanding in the shortest time. Next, I explained my understanding of the company’s work content based on my personal interpretation. I also recommend directly asking about anything you do not understand. Asking about what you do not know is better than pretending to understand. The interviewer did not give me the impression of communicating from a superior-to-subordinate position; the interaction was more like an equal exchange. When responding to the interviewer’s questions, I shared my thoughts and also asked the interviewer for their answer to the same questions. The interviewer was also very willing to share their approach to solving them. Personally, I found the entire interview process quite pleasant, so I wanted to share a brief account of my experience here and offer some encouragement and advice to those who have not yet interviewed.

There will be quite a few phone conversations after the interview as well. I understand that most of them take place during working hours, but since I was still employed at the time, my supervisor was sometimes nearby. In addition, much of the content of the calls was private, so having someone else nearby made it difficult to respond freely. However, I also felt uncomfortable hanging up. I would suggest including a little conversational leeway at the beginning of the call.

1. The HR lady arranged the interview time quickly and efficiently.

The reception staff (the HR lady and the secretary) were very friendly.

2. Transportation was quite convenient. At first glance, it seemed like a sizable work environment.

Upon entering, it was a quiet work environment, with approximately one-third of the seats unoccupied.

There was only one older male interviewer (reportedly the director).

The questions were generally divided into education / employment / personal matters.

The overall impression was poor (or rather, very bad), though the director’s young female secretary managed to salvage things somewhat at the end.

Serious questions:

Q0. First, introduce yourself (a little over one minute + I used one-page résumé and PowerPoint slides).

【Education】

Q1. What department did you graduate from, and what kinds of projects have you worked on?

Q2. Questions about the duration and number of years of your studies.

【Employment】

Q1. What types of projects have you worked on?

Q2. What role did you take in the projects? What kinds of analyses did you actually perform?

Q3. Do you (extremely) understand Taiwan’s politics and their relevance to industry?

Q4. Do you regularly read news about Taiwan’s political, economic, and industrial affairs? (Economic Daily News)

Q5. What was your TOEIC score? (A top-tier score is his standard.)

Q6. Can you quickly prepare presentations and reports?

Q7. Can you accept working overtime?

【Personal questions】

Q1. Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? What is their occupation/content of work?

Q2. Where are your parents? What are their occupations/content of work?

Throughout the interview, he kept interrupting to ask questions.

As my answers failed to meet the interviewer’s expectations, his tone shifted toward denial and skepticism, and then he started going around in circles.

Everyone makes different choices during their student years.

During my student years, I took extra courses and graduated early. I completed the required credits, submitted my thesis, and participated in the competitions I was supposed to.

Graduating early does not mean cutting corners = =

He kept going around in circles asking why I had not stayed in school for the full duration before graduating........ (He asked this approximately 3–4 times during the interview overall.)

Let me summarize the additional requirements he has for that position:

You probably need a perfect TOEIC score, a graduate degree in business from one of Taiwan’s top four universities, and an in-depth understanding of the Chinese Communist Party’s “20th National Congress” economic policies, etc. (Sorry, I was too angry to remember everything here.)

If these are the qualifications you want in a candidate, remember to update the other details of the job posting on the job bank with the director’s requirements.

Don’t schedule interviews and waste everyone’s time. And I was also speechless that he ended by asking about my partner and family.

Finally, he threw out the following:

‘It’s pretty good that I gave you an interview opportunity and gave you a learning experience, isn’t it?’ (Something along those lines.)

My blood was boiling ^_^

Fortunately, the director’s secretary was kind and beautiful, and she escorted me to the elevator.....

Taken from the forum, returned to the forum.

Thank you.

None

After submitting the interview materials to the supervisor, there was no response as to whether an interview would be arranged. The process was left incomplete, which felt very unpleasant.

Special note: The above only describes the experience of an individual who worked in a certain department; I have no knowledge of the other departments.

Possessing an excellent service attitude and corporate culture

Overtime? It doesn't exist!

Everything is simply a reflection of employees doing their duty!

Making unpaid contributions to the company's performance and to your own career development

Management comes up with wild ideas, and everyone applauds and approves them together! In any case, everyone makes decisions together only to spin their wheels: “presumably,” “therefore,” “definitely right.”

Infinite merit! Surely a perfectly fulfilled life!

Boss:

“Young people are all great. We need to give young people opportunities, and besides, they're all very cheap!”

“We're cultivating your ability to work independently.”

“You need to report back on time—even on holidays. That's easy, right? It won't take up your time, will it?” (Of course, in cases like this, there is no such thing as overtime. Don't be so petty.)

“You need to be efficient. How can you be so inefficient?” (Don't be affected by constantly changing orders; you'll all be very efficient, okay? ^_^)

If your supervisor needs it, having you log on for a meeting during a holiday can't be called overtime! The supervisor doesn't claim overtime either. Everyone should treat official business as personal business! Don't quibble with the company!

Provide the media with proof that overtime pay was reported and say that everything was legal.

Yes, those people reported overtime pay for those hours.

What about all the overtime that wasn't reported—why not mention that?

In any case, everything is administered according to the law. Thank you for your guidance.

The higher-ups hold all the power, caring only about showing off. They love the spotlight, press conferences, and news releases. As for actual ability? They just talk it up. It's great fun wasting public funds with those officials. Research reports? Copy and paste works best.

Put them out in the industry and they'll become a laughingstock. They don't know the technology, the market or customer base, or analytical strategy. They wrote some policy or strategy as the basis for a proposal, only to be questioned: “I've never heard of this. Why isn't it a SWOT analysis?” Come on—you haven't even conducted an actual investigation, so what SWOT analysis are you talking about? Ignorance is truly the style of our magnificent great nation!

They like to shoot the arrow first and draw the target afterward, making the people underneath help patch together a rationale. The logic has been dead for ages, yet they still talk about logic. They do a bunch of things unrelated to the core business just for exposure, and in the end make a mess of it or let it fizzle out—then blame the people below for being incompetent. (The key point is that there isn't even any funding, lol.)

Quiet

Violations of the Labor Standards Act, office politics, employees are laid off whenever the company wants without objective and legitimate reasons, and turnover can reach more than 20 full-time employees a year (with around 10 full-time employees in total). Those who stay are all from the same faction as the boss. The system is incomplete, and promotions are determined 100% by the boss’s mood.

The first-round interviewer was quite nice (but if I clearly didn't meet the qualifications, why was I allowed to proceed to the second round?!)

But the second-round interviewer was basically there to put you down, criticizing you for not being ready to contribute immediately and complaining about colleagues claiming overtime pay and taking parental leave (aren't these basic rights?) They also asked about your zodiac sign, relationship status, and so on...

None

This was probably the worst interview experience I have ever had. I applied for a position at the southern campus, and the interviewer was a fairly young man. From beginning to end, he maintained a condescending attitude, and the interview consisted of constant humiliation. I have rarely encountered an interviewer with such a poor attitude.

The job duties would mainly involve writing research proposals to secure government funding, assisting with data collection, providing analytical reports, and helping industries with digital transformation, among other things.

The work environment seemed ordinary. The office was very quiet, with no one talking, and everyone was looking at their screens. I don’t know whether that was because a job applicant was there or because everyone was simply working seriously, but that seemed to be the general atmosphere in the office.

Flexible shifts for 2 hours

The scheduled lunch break is from 12:30 to 13:30, but you can start your break at 12:00

The supervisor shows no intention of addressing colleagues who openly swear