Chapter 33: The Gathering of Various Gods
Through a friend, Wen Erya poached a director of engineering from a large state-owned enterprise. After a preliminary round of discussions, he learned that this person had participated in many first-tier construction projects in Beijing and possessed a background in civil engineering and demonstrated real talent and dedication. This time, Wen Erya didn't dare let CEO Lin choose on his own and strongly recommended this candidate.
Lin Ruoyan didn't want to offend the HR director every time, so she followed his advice and interviewed this person first.
Lin Ruoyan agreed to meet the candidate primarily because of his age, which was already over fifty. Many real estate companies only hire candidates under thirty-five, and they also require over a decade of experience in the same position, often with a master's degree or higher. He went to college at eighteen, and majors in architecture and structural engineering require a five-year undergraduate degree and a three-year master's degree. Even without an extension, he would have been at least twenty-six. How could he have had over a decade of work experience under thirty-five? It was a bit of a contradiction.
They don't like older people, thinking that when they are older and have families, they will definitely pursue a comfortable life. The knowledge and technical means they learned in the past are also updated quickly. For example, this old man in his fifties today probably can't even use a computer. He is stubborn and unreasonable, and he doesn't listen to orders and is difficult to communicate with.
Lin Ruoyan had dealt with such veteran engineers in real life, and it left them feeling exhausted and worn out. Therefore, she wasn't particularly optimistic about this candidate. However, given his age, he wouldn't be able to move up the ladder, so perhaps he would fit her company's needs. At worst, she could assign him some younger people to work with computers.
Lin Ruoyan felt relieved when she saw Mr. Jiao Zhenggui walk in. He was dressed simply, holding a badly worn thermos cup in a cotton cover he had sewn himself. His hair was gray, but he had a kind smile on his face. He was much easier to deal with than the stern, stubborn old man.
After chatting for a while, Lin Ruoyan discovered that Jiao Zhenggui was only interested in salary and work location. When he heard that his salary would be doubled and the project site was located in Beijing's North Fourth Ring Road, and that he could work there for two or three years without having to travel elsewhere, Jiao Zhenggui immediately smiled.
Jiao Zhenggui left his state-owned enterprise because, at fifty, he hadn't yet reached leadership. His skills were too demanding and his responsibilities were too high, making him indispensable to the front lines. He was often assigned to projects in other parts of the country. Now, with his wife ill and hospitalized, and their only daughter facing the high school entrance exam, he needed to care for her. Since his family lived just outside the North Fourth Ring Road, he needed a job closer to home.
I was a bit hesitant when I first heard the company was near the West Second Ring Road. Now that the project is outside the North Fourth Ring Road, as a construction director, I'm basically stationed on the construction site year-round. Now that I don't have to travel for business, the construction site is close to home, and I can easily ride my bike home, which makes it a perfect fit for me while taking care of my family.
Seeing that Jiao Zhenggui was indeed in need and was a good father to the Gu family, Lin Ruoyan immediately thought of her own father and decided to hire Jiao Zhenggui.
Wen Erya was of course happy. Although Lao Jiao looked kind on the outside, he was actually known as the "smiling tiger". He spent all year round at the construction site, had a keen eye and kept his word. He was very strict in managing the construction team and would never tolerate construction units cutting corners. He also held many technical patents, and he was able to fully demonstrate the principles of speed, efficiency and economy in completing projects.
Lin Ruoyan followed suit and gave the resumes of the engineering department candidates to Lao Jiao, asking him to pick people to form the engineering department.
Old Jiao agreed with a smile, but he was thinking, "There's no project plan yet, and it'll be at least three months before we start working on the project." He could handle all of this early work on his own, so he could slowly recruit people, preferably without too many, and gradually fill out the engineering department around the start of construction. Human resources were expensive, so he'd save wherever possible.
The previous directors were confirmed quickly, but when it came to the candidates for the cost department, Lin Ruoyan and Wen Erya had a big disagreement.
The group recommended a candidate, but Wen Erya didn't like him and looked for a few other candidates. But Lin Ruoyan fell in love with this candidate. His name was Li Jia, who was mentioned in the original book.
If Fang Yue had successfully won the land deal, Li Jia would have been the project's cost director. He offered Fang Yue numerous professional suggestions, ensuring she spent the limited funds wisely. Regardless of his real estate expertise, he possessed considerable skill in managing money.
In order to be able to spend 100 million yuan stably every month in the future, Lin Ruoyan will definitely need such elite troops and generals to carry out refined control of project costs.
Wen Erya looked down on this man because he actually wrote on his resume that he'd leave work every afternoon to pick up his children from school. Didn't he have someone else to take care of his children? How could a man who didn't put his work first deserve the highest salary in the industry? This clearly didn't reflect the attitude of a serious worker!
In the era of the book, kindergartens and elementary schools generally ended around 3:00 p.m., and there was no humane after-school service like the one twenty years later, where parents could wait until their parents got off work to pick up their children. If there were no elderly relatives, relatives, or babysitters at home to help pick up the children, parents would definitely find time to skip work to bring their children back from school.
In such cases, it is usually the mother of the child who asks for leave, and leaders generally do not have high expectations for women with children.
No matter how successful a strong woman is at work, she will often be accused or suspected of neglecting her family, so after get off work they will drag their tired bodies to continue taking care of their husbands and children, sacrificing their own leisure time to do laundry, cook, and tutor their children, so as to avoid giving people a chance to criticize them.
Regardless of whether a man is successful in his career or not, it is normal for him to do nothing when he gets home. Occasionally he may do housework or cook a meal, or take the place of others to pick up the kids from school and take them to training classes. This is enough to be considered a model of family-orientedness.
Whether in the world of books or in reality, Lin Ruoyan has witnessed too much such injustice.
Therefore, for a man who asks for leave every day to pick up his child from school, it only means that his family is probably really in trouble. Marking it in his resume means that he is an honest person. Whether he focuses on his family and ignores his work cannot be concluded simply based on this.
Besides, aren't there really people who can take care of their families and work? Aren't most working women like this?
Lin Ruoyan figured that since she was currently in Beijing with only this one project, it wouldn't take much time for someone to pick up the kids every day. With this example of someone who could balance work and life, the company's atmosphere seemed even more relaxed and free.
When Li Jia was invited for an interview, he didn't have much hope.
As a man in his thirties with some work experience and in his prime, he often gets interviews more easily than a woman with similar qualifications. Both the client and he are confident in his professional abilities, but the mere mention of disappearing for an hour to pick up the kids at around 3 p.m. Monday through Friday often makes follow-up impossible.
So after briefly introducing his education, resume and work ability, he specifically mentioned the matter of picking up the children to avoid wasting everyone's time.
Unexpectedly, Boss Lin agreed without batting an eye. Unlike state-owned enterprises, the boss generally has the final say in private companies. Even with the HR director's reluctance, the boss signed the contract and even noted that this issue wouldn't be counted towards attendance.
To fight for this right, Li Jia was willing to leave work an hour later each day, even taking a pay cut. After all, he earned money for his children. He refused to believe he couldn't find a job that would allow him to take care of his children. Hard work pays off, and he finally found it.
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