頤和文化事業有限公司

The company operates out of a remodeled first-floor residence. It is very clean but somewhat cramped, and the interview takes place in a meeting room in the basement. Actually, I was quite unlucky with the timing of this interview because it happened to conflict with a government-subsidized course. During the interview, the interviewer explained that they were giving me an opportunity because of my proactive attitude and because they appreciated it.

The company already had one graphic designer, and they were looking for a second person to share the workload. However, the company kept reconsidering whether it really needed a second graphic designer, so the position would open and close repeatedly and was even changed to a part-time position.

As mentioned above, I happened to be taking a government-subsidized marketing course during the two weeks before the interview. They asked what I had gained from the course. I answered that I had heard of and worked with all the topics covered before, but before taking the course, I did not know the “why” behind them. It was not until the instructor explained them during the course that I understood.

Next, the interviewer first asked the candidate to introduce themselves, and then began explaining the job duties in detail. When asked whether I had looked at the company’s website and what I thought of it, I said that, personally, I felt their website was clean and streamlined, which made every article easy to notice—this was a good thing.

They then asked what I thought my strengths were. I answered honestly that my strength was being proactive, and the interviewer agreed, saying it was evident from how proactively I contacted them to adjust the interview time while I was taking the course, as well as from my enthusiasm about joining the company. The interviewer therefore responded in kind with a positive attitude.

However, the company later decided to change the graphic designer position to part-time, so I was not hired.

I didn’t get the job, so I’m not sure.

The colleagues are fairly united.

1. The boss’s mood fluctuates greatly. It is said that someone saw him punching a tree in a park, but slamming tables and throwing things is considered normal.

2. The turnover rate is extremely high—so high that you won’t believe it.

3. He asks a lot of strange questions, including about your private life, such as whether your family has money.

4. He occasionally provides afternoon snacks, but is extremely stingy about them (for example, one steamed bun shared between two people; I’ve forgotten most of the details, but I vaguely remember it was generally like this).

5. There really are no cats here.

6. The boss basically does not pay overtime. You have to proactively ask him for it, but that comes with the risk of making him angry.

7. Previously, being one minute late was counted as an entire hour of pay being deducted.

8. Previously, when a female colleague had menstrual cramps, he said that it wasn’t him who was in pain, so how could she be sure that the pain was real?

9. When someone resigns, he usually does not hire a replacement. He tells the existing employees to fill in instead.

10. You may think that taking leave means you can really take time off. Wrong—you will work and reply to messages somewhere outside the office, and if he cannot reach you, he will call you.

11. What he says often does not literally mean what he says. You have to go along with him; otherwise, he will blow up again.

12. Previously, when someone resigned, he even slammed the table, leaving everyone completely stunned. He also would not let the employee log out of LINE, saying that he would do it for them, and directly forced them to leave. This left many people stunned, and they all went on to resign.

13. There is not much to learn, but he will require you to do many miscellaneous tasks, including things that have nothing to do with your work.

14. Doing a good job is considered merely expected. If your performance is only average, you will be scolded and criticized—let alone if you do a poor job.

15. The salary is completely disproportionate to the work.

1. Colleagues are very united and get along well.

1. The vice president has already been taken away by a former employee to enjoy retirement, so there is no vice president on-site.

2. You may be told to come to work the next day (because the turnover rate is extremely high).

3. You have to read between the lines; they will not clearly tell you the direction of your work.

4. Even if you complete your work tasks and have not done anything wrong, you may still be called into the office and harshly lectured, being told that you need to do better.

5. Employees are often called away during their lunch break to a small nearby park to listen to private complaints about life and work.

6. There are often gaps and vacancies in positions, and no one can train you because most people do not stay long.

7. The high turnover rate can be seen in the editorial pages of the quarterly publication: you will find that the staff list is completely different every quarter.

8. The attitude toward employees who are about to resign is very poor. After submitting your notice of resignation, be mentally prepared to deal with a large amount of emotional outpouring.

No, being able to bring pets to work may be the only advantage.

If you’re seeing this, take it from someone who’s been there: whether it’s the work or the management, all I can say is that it will keep challenging your entire worldview.

If you receive an interview invitation, I suggest you skip it.

If you get the job, all I can say is Amitabha.

If you go in, remember: 火佛修一 心薩嘸哞

To everyone who happens to see this post, it means you had good karmic ties in your previous life.

膾陶

1. There are cats

2. There are quite a few hipster cafés nearby

3. The company is very quiet

4. They had thoroughly read the interviewee’s résumé

5. The interviewer was very polite

1. They ask a lot of questions, and it feels like they are asking you to gather information about other companies while you’re at it

2. They keep asking about the previous company’s revenue

3. They have a lot of doubts about applicants

4. They ask whether you plan to get married and have children