實威國際股份有限公司

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The woman who called to invite me to an interview was very rude (her voice sounded like that of a middle-aged woman).

In a very lazy, lifeless voice, she said, “Hello~ Is this XXX? Are you interested in sales? Would you be able to work in Neihu?”

She did not explain at all what kind of work the company does, nor did she provide any detailed description of the job. She simply wanted to send me an interview invitation directly.

She kept emphasizing, “We are a leader in computer software. I think you are young and highly adaptable.”

In the end, I stated that the company’s location was inconvenient to reach by MRT and that I was not interested in accepting an interview.

She said in a very disdainful tone, “You can drive!”

I said that I did not have a car.

She continued, “Then learn! Don’t compromise when looking for a job just because of the location.”

I am truly grateful for this woman’s advice. Having a driver’s license does not mean I should learn to drive and buy a car just to commute to work at a company whose business is unclear!

This was the first time I had ever received such an awful interview invitation call.

According to her way of thinking, I suppose I should look for jobs in southern Taiwan from Taipei—after all, you can get anywhere by car.

Personally, I feel that the working environment for engineers is generally quite relaxed. When stationed at a client site or introducing products externally, people who are competent at their work do not face too much pressure, and can occasionally take a breather during busy periods.

As for the salary, it is commensurate with the workload. I feel this is suitable for people who want stability, and personally think it is quite good.

(I’m someone who prefers a comfortable, low-pressure lifestyle.)

Also, the managers and colleagues are nice, and the atmosphere is pretty good.

Work is actually fairly flexible, but your time is essentially tied up there.

Another thing is that the boss loves holding meetings. Sometimes I feel it would be enough for each task to be assigned to the manager and then communicated onward; meetings aren’t really necessary.

Also, although the job title is engineer, it is somewhat like a service-industry job. Sometimes you have to listen to customers’ complaints (though not many). In any case, besides your own professional expertise, you still need to know how to deal with people, so it is not suitable for someone who only knows how to bury their head in work.

Compared with the companies I have worked at in the past, I would give it about 7.5 out of 10.

The salary is fair, there are regular raises, and the work is not overly demanding.

If you have just graduated and really don’t know what to do, this is also a place where you can gain experience on your résumé at a publicly listed company, so it is quite suitable for newcomers.

1. I’m in the sales department myself. The sales jobs I had before were basically very demanding: overtime was mandatory, and I also had to deal with clients and accompany supervisors to social engagements after work. At 實威, there is no such culture. The work pace is relatively stable, and there is almost no overtime. Most of the time, you can leave work on time, maintaining a balance between life and work. (In fact, most of this company’s clients are also office workers, so they won’t answer your calls after work either.)

2. As for the salary, it depends quite a bit on your previous work experience when determining your pay. Since this is a sales position, it mainly depends on how much you can increase your sales commissions. Given the workload, I don’t think the salary is too bad. However, clients are unlikely to make large purchases from you all at once. You have to cultivate each client, with the concept of treating everyone equally.

3. The supervisor is quite nice and won’t abandon you. Overall, they’re pretty good, and their attitude is also okay.

4. I’ll also briefly describe the job duties so everyone knows what to expect.

For sales, the work involves selling both software and hardware. Of course, the company provides comprehensive product training. The products are indeed fairly specialized, so you need to thoroughly understand your own products. There is a certain SOP to follow during work: you have to make cold calls, and there is a set amount of information to submit every week. The work intensity is not low, but because there is no overtime, everyone does their best to finish things during working hours. Therefore, if you are used to sales jobs with a very high degree of freedom, you may have trouble adapting at first. However, once I got used to it, I actually found it easier than all my previous sales jobs.

1. Although this is a sales position, the work is quite systematized. You must clock in and out properly, and there is no such thing as flexible working hours. This is very different from the sales jobs I had before. Some people couldn’t get used to it and resigned on their own.

2. Leaving work on time doesn’t mean the job isn’t demanding. There is a certain level of intensity, and it’s unlikely that you can slack off during working hours. You’ll be busy almost continuously until the end of the workday.

(The benefit is probably that time passes quite quickly.)

3. The company does not provide official vehicles, so you have to use your own car. For business trips, you submit the expenses to the company for reimbursement.

The basic benefits of a publicly listed company

The company makes money, but the performance bonuses are not high.

You only receive the performance bonus after all receivables for the month have been collected. Bonuses may be paid quarterly, semiannually, or even annually, and the bonus is cut in half if you resign.

It is unclear what the year-end bonus is evaluated on. Even when annual targets are met, the year-end bonus is only half a month’s salary. The sales secretary has more authority than the sales staff: you get scolded by customers when you go out, and then get yelled at by the sales secretary when you return.