柏金創意整合行銷有限公司

Beautifully decorated office

Based on my interview experience, this ranks among the top three most absurd experiences ever.

They found me on 104 and began messaging me privately by email. The email said they wanted to interview me for a design department position. Since I have fairly extensive experience and currently hold the title of Design Manager, I asked in the email: What position are you looking to hire me for? Also, what is the salary range?

They replied: We sincerely invite you to participate in our interview. Regarding the questions you asked, the supervisor will discuss them with you during the interview. If you are interested in participating, please reply with the interview time slots that are convenient for you, and we will get back to you as soon as possible with the exact interview time.

So, believing in the principle that people are inherently good, I went to the interview.

1. The process was fairly pleasant at first, until the person they called the Design Director said, “You express yourself well. Have you considered switching to sales?”

I began to wonder whether they had even read my résumé. (I was already a manager, presenting reports and proposals every week, so naturally my communication skills should be at a certain level.)

2. Next, they asked how many people I had managed in each of my previous jobs. (Heh, the teams at my first three jobs seemed to have been larger than the team managed by this Design Director.)

3. Then they asked about my current salary. After hearing it, the director replied, “That’s really good. Congratulations!” (My immediate reaction was: Is my current salary higher than this director’s? His expression was simply too amusing.)

4. Finally, I asked, “May I ask what position you are recruiting for?” At that point, the director’s expression changed instantly. With an expression that seemed to say, “Are you kidding me?”, he answered, “I’m applying for a graphic designer position. I said so in my emails!” I thought I might really have overlooked it, so I replied, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I may have missed it.”

5. I have to give them credit for this: Regardless of whether I was hired, I received a notification two days later. As you can imagine, I received a rejection. However, I also replied in the email:

Thank you for your reply. However, regarding the question I asked at the end of the interview—what position are you recruiting for?—you indeed never answered it in any of the emails exchanged before the interview. The way and tone in which you answered me at the time were truly surprising.

I also wish your company success in finding talent.

I’m sharing the experience above as a reference for anyone considering interviewing there. P.S. There is no so-called compensatory time off for overtime on weekdays; only weekend overtime comes with compensatory time off. Weekdays operate under a “responsibility system”—a responsibility system—a responsibility system! (What an excellent company, apparently above the Labor Standards Act.)

1. Each project comes with design bonuses, communication bonuses, site supervision bonuses, and so on.

2. No need to clock in or out.

3. Dinner is provided for overtime work after 150 hours.

1. Long working hours, with no distinction between day and night.

2. Profanity is everywhere, people speak loudly, and they do not consider others’ feelings.

3. If you work too slowly, the sales staff will pressure you, asking, “How long is this going to take?!” Working at the company feels like being on a fire brigade: when they need you, they are pleasant and polite; when they do not, they keep making things difficult.

4. There is a constant stream of assignments, with no time to catch your breath, yet everything must be done quickly. Because there are bonuses for closing projects, the sales staff are very good at applying pressure.

5. Communication between clients and the sales staff leads to endless design revisions, or the requirements become completely different from what was originally discussed.

6. It is always treated as a design problem; the sales staff are considered to be in the right, and the boss pressures people to quit.