東聚國際食品有限公司

I interviewed with the company, was offered the position, but ultimately decided not to report for work.

1. The company is fairly sizable. After importing raw materials, it conducts trial production on-site, so in addition to office areas, it also has a baking classroom (I’m not sure whether it is used for events or something else). When I went for the interview, there was a chef researching desserts with other colleagues. According to the interviewer, the factory is nearby.

2. The interviewer was quite friendly, and the other employees were friendly as well. When I asked them about the interview location or greeted them during my visit, they responded in a friendly manner. Even the men who looked like drivers or logistics staff did not come across as rude or casual (of course, these were only my first impressions).

3. The benefits are all comparable to those for civil servants. Overtime must be requested from a supervisor in advance, and overtime pay is provided. From what I heard, overtime is not routine.

4. The general manager and two salespeople are Japanese, so there may be opportunities to chat with them and practice spoken Japanese.

1. Did the interviewer seem to be making unrealistic promises?

They said the company provides Japanese classes twice a month. Later, after asking a recruiting consultancy to inquire and confirm again, I found out that these Japanese classes were only just being planned (starting in April 2021) and were not yet held regularly. However, during the interview, they made it sound as though the classes had been provided for many years. (That said, I also did not ask in great detail at the time. Although I like continuing my education, I was worried that they might think I cared too much about benefits.)

2. The location is inconvenient. It is in the Xizhi District (near Nangang Exhibition Center Station, but it still requires taking a bus for about 20 minutes), so the company was very concerned about whether interviewees could accept the workplace being in Xizhi. However, because of this, I also felt during the interview that they did not ask me many questions about my résumé (about three or four, plus the two or three questions I asked myself). It felt as though anyone who was willing to accept the company could give it a try. The entire interview lasted about 30 minutes.

There really are no shops near the building! The surrounding area consists entirely of factories. I went there during the day, and it may be even more desolate after dark... It is the kind of place where some factories even keep dogs at the entrance. You definitely need transportation to buy a meal; otherwise, it takes about 10–15 minutes to walk to an area with shops.

3. There were obvious problems with internal communication.

In my case, the interviewer brought up the salary proactively. Anyone who has applied to a Japanese company through a recruitment agency and interviewed after submitting a résumé through a job bank will know that consultants remind applicants to avoid asking about salary during the interview and instead ask the consultant to inquire after receiving an offer, because Japanese companies are more particular about this etiquette. However, during my interview, the other party proactively discussed and agreed on a salary with me. After I was notified that I had been hired, I asked the consultant to confirm the salary during the probationary period and after formal employment. The company contact told me a salary that was 2,000–3,000 NTD lower than what had been agreed on at the time (I am giving only an approximate range here and do not want to be too specific). I explained that we had clearly agreed on the salary during the interview and that there was a discrepancy, and asked the consultant to help communicate with them. However, the company contact was extremely forceful, repeatedly asking whether I would reject the offer if the salary was the amount they were now stating. They also asked which employee had discussed the salary with me (the contact person was different from the person who discussed the salary during the interview).

Fortunately, I always remember the surnames of the people who interview me, so after I clearly identified who it was, the other party still insisted on the salary they had stated.

At that point, I felt very negatively about the situation. Why should I have to bear the consequences of what was clearly their own internal communication failure? Moreover, I felt that this amounted to going back on their word. I felt that a company like this offered little security, and I came away with the impression that they lacked integrity. Therefore, I ultimately chose not to report for work. Of course, the location was also a consideration. (At the time, I had thought about accepting the offer for the experience, but the location was actually very far for me. I did not expect my feelings about the company to become so negative because of the salary discussion, so I decided not to go.)

The above is a sharing of my experience during the interview. Of course, I believe that a company must have good qualities to grow to this size, and I saw many colleagues who appeared to have been with the company for a long time. I am only honestly sharing my feelings about the entire interview process and what happened afterward. If anyone interviews with this company, please make sure to clearly confirm the advantages mentioned during the interview, the job duties, benefits, and salary, to avoid experiencing the kind of problem I encountered.