Since joining Contact TAIWAN as a member in March 2020, Shang Dao Food Co. has actively participated in recruitment events for foreign talents in Taiwan. According to Marketing Manager Boxter Chen, there has been a growing trend of tea consumption in Europe and America in recent years. Therefore, Shang Dao Food Co. is actively expanding its presence in these markets and hopes to attract more European and American talents through the Contact TAIWAN platform.
Christhian Perez (Chris), originally from Mexico, came to Taiwan in 2020 and has been living and working in Taiwan for nearly three years. Looking back, he came to Taiwan to pursue a master's degree and learn Chinese through a scholarship provided by the Taiwanese government. He also had the aspiration to work in Taiwan.
During his university years in Mexico, Chris studied Business Management. He gained practical experience by working in a small-scale timber factory where he had to learn various skills, including product sales, accounting, and finance. This work experience greatly enriched his professional knowledge and developed his multi-faceted abilities.
When asked about his impression of Taiwan, Chris mentioned that he took Chinese language classes in college and his Chinese teacher happened to be from Taiwan. This sparked his interest in Taiwan, and he learned about the summer exchange programs available in Taiwan. In 2017, he participated in a summer exchange program, which deepened his love for the country. He found Taiwan to be a culturally rich, safe place with friendly people. Additionally, he appreciated the convenience of life in Taiwan, such as efficient public transportation and 24-hour convenience stores. These factors influenced his decision to stay and work in Taiwan after graduation.
We inquired about how Chris discovered the Contact TAIWAN platform. He initially learned about it through the Taiwan Trade Center in Mexico, which organized a Taiwan Machinery Exhibition. Through the promotional activities of TAITRA, he became aware of the platform and registered as a member. When he was looking for a job in Taiwan after completing his master's degree, he immediately thought of Contact TAIWAN and used the platform to find his current job.
Chris works as a sales representative for Shang Dao Food Co., responsible for developing markets in Latin America and Europe. Fluency in Spanish and a deep understanding of Latin American culture are essential for this position. He has successfully developed long-term partnerships with two Mexican manufacturers and hopes to create more collaboration opportunities in the future.
In his work, Chris finds the most challenging aspect to be completing transactions under difficult conditions. He needs to maintain constant communication with clients, sometimes even making phone calls late at night. He introduces products, negotiates prices, and resolves customer inquiries. Sometimes, he encounters questions that have no precedent or are difficult to answer, requiring him to exert extra effort to find solutions that will earn customers' trust and secure their orders. On average, closing a deal takes three months. To date, Chris has successfully completed five orders, which gives him a great sense of accomplishment.
Regarding his future career plans, Chris intends to stay in Taiwan for at least another year. He hopes to explore more places and eventually return to Mexico, where he plans to apply the knowledge and skills he acquired in Taiwan to open his own bubble tea shop or pursue other business ventures. He believes that his experience working in Taiwan and his proficiency in Chinese communication will be advantageous in finding employment with Taiwanese companies or local companies that require Chinese language skills.
During the interview, we asked Chris for suggestions regarding Contact TAIWAN. He hopes that the platform can offer more job opportunities in business-related fields such as management, marketing, and accounting to cater to a broader range of job seekers. He also mentioned that Contact TAIWAN is more foreigner-friendly compared to other Taiwanese job platforms like 104, 1111, and yes123 because of its English interface. Due to his positive experience, he would recommend this platform to others with similar backgrounds.