Jiang Jingyu ate silently, his head lowered. After hearing Madam Tong’s string of complaints, his assistant felt compelled to chime in.
“May I ask which university Miss Tong graduated from and what her major was?”
Tong An’an knew it was a polite question, but before she could reply, her mother cut in.
“Oh, speaking of that, I’m embarrassed. She was always first in her class from kindergarten onwards. Everyone praised her, saying she’d achieve great things. Well, she did test well, getting into Nancheng University.”
“But she wouldn’t listen to us and insisted on majoring in History. Even though she got scholarships every year and was recommended for postgraduate studies, so what? Everyone who didn’t pursue further education, even from less prestigious universities, has been working for years. She, on the other hand, hasn’t been accepted by a single company!”
“I told her long ago that interests and hobbies can’t put food on the table. People need to be realistic. She wouldn’t listen, and now look at her!”
Instead of offering comfort for her daughter’s struggles, the mother launched into a series of criticisms.
Although the assistant sympathized with Tong An’an, as someone who had navigated the corporate world, he understood the importance of one’s major.
Despite the mother’s harsh words, they were quite accurate.
Her chosen major was indeed problematic.
Even if he wanted to help her, he couldn’t, given this circumstance.
Ultimately, the assistant also lowered his head to eat and stopped engaging in the conversation.
Amidst the awkwardness, Tong An’an watched them pay the bill and leave politely.
Upon returning to Nancheng, the busy work schedule quickly made Jiang Jingyu forget about the events that had transpired in the small town.
Only occasionally, late at night when the world was quiet, would he look through Lu Jiaying’s old photos on his phone and happen to remember that girl named Tong An’an.
Because of a similar face, he would sometimes wonder if she had found a job, if her situation had improved.
But it was only for a fleeting moment. He knew very well she wasn’t Lu Jiaying, and he’d forget once he put his phone down.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
One day, new candidates were coming in for interviews at the company, and several senior executives required Jiang Jingyu’s participation in the final round. His assistant had scheduled him with some free time, so Jiang Jingyu headed to the interview room early.
On the way to the interview room, he saw a row of young men and women in professional attire sitting in the hallway outside the small interview rooms.
Jiang Jingyu, who normally kept his gaze straight ahead, found his eyes drawn to one person in the middle as he passed by, noticing her distinctiveness.
Tong An’an?
Thanks to her unusual demeanor, Jiang Jingyu spotted her immediately in the crowd.
However, Tong An’an hadn’t seen him.
She was nervously rehearsing her interview lines in her mind, clutching the edges of her laptop, her eyes slightly closed, appearing as if she were facing a formidable opponent.
Jiang Jingyu’s gaze quickly swept over her face. His footsteps didn’t falter until he entered the conference room, where he then asked his assistant.
“What are those people outside doing?”
“The sales department is recruiting new sales talent. They’ve requested six positions from HR. They should all be here for sales interviews.”
Jiang Jingyu wouldn’t normally have been concerned about a few sales personnel.
But Tong An’an was a postgraduate from Nancheng University.
With such an excellent academic background, why would she be applying for a sales position?
Jiang Jingyu involuntarily became interested in the matter.
“It seems the sales department is aiming for another year of glory. Get me their profiles to review.”
The senior executives would take a while longer. The assistant assumed he was just looking out of boredom and quickly pulled up the profiles.
As Jiang Jingyu scrolled through the information, he realized he didn’t fully grasp his own company’s strength.
He had assumed Tong An’an was desperate and settling for less, using her master’s degree to apply for a sales position.
However, upon reviewing the profiles, he discovered that all her competitors were top graduates.
Their resumes were more dazzling than the last.
Tong An’an, lost in the crowd, actually became the least noticeable one.
These candidates were postgraduates from Xiangcheng Chinese University, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Suzhou College of Business. The competition was so fierce it couldn’t be described as merely tragic.
Seeing so many talented individuals vying for a mere sales position, Jiang Jingyu felt a sense of satisfaction.
He asked his assistant, “Does the group have very high academic requirements for talent selection?”
“Not really. The standard on the official website is a bachelor’s degree or above, with work experience preferred. However, due to the current severe employment situation, applicants generally have very high academic qualifications, which naturally raises the bar.”
After speaking, he inwardly sighed for himself.
Fortunately, he had graduated a few years earlier and became Jiang Jingyu’s assistant with a bachelor’s degree from Beicheng University.
If it were now, he might not even be able to step through the door of the sales department.
Recalling his mother’s words and looking at her seemingly unremarkable academic path, Jiang Jingyu couldn’t help but frown, feeling a sense of worry for Tong An’an.
At the same time, his interest in this job application grew even more.
“When do their interviews begin?”
The assistant replied, “HR told me these candidates have all passed the first and second rounds of screening. Today is the final interview, and it has already started.”
“I haven’t experienced this kind of interview in a long time. Any one of them has a much higher academic qualification than me.”
Jiang Jingyu closed his laptop and stood up with a look of keen interest.
“Tell them to postpone the interviews over there until tomorrow. I’m going to check on this side.”
The president always had his reasons for his actions. As an assistant, his role was to cooperate unconditionally without asking too many questions. The assistant quickly made the arrangements.
Jiang Jingyu was soon led to the interview conference room for the sales department.
In the conference room were the Deputy Director of HR, the Vice President of Sales, and the heads of the Domestic Marketing and International Marketing departments.
Upon seeing Jiang Jingyu suddenly enter, everyone quickly stood up to offer him a seat.
Jiang Jingyu waved his hand, telling them to relax, and pulled up a chair to sit by the wall behind them.
The interview continued in an even more serious atmosphere.
Jiang Jingyu found that today’s students were truly multi-talented. Not only were their academic qualifications high, but they were also very confident.
They spoke enthusiastically about their resumes, talking eloquently. It was no wonder they were applying for sales positions; they truly had a talent for it.
After listening to five or six candidates, all of whom seemed promising, Tong An’an entered. She sat demurely in her chair and nervously introduced herself to everyone.
In stark contrast, the department heads clearly weren’t impressed. Their demeanor became casual, and their questions became more probing and difficult.
Tong An’an was applying for an international marketing position. The department head flipped through her resume and said dismissively.
“Your resume isn’t done very carefully. It’s like a blank page. Did you just download it from the internet?”
Tong An’an had attended many interviews. Regardless of whether she was favored, the interviewers generally possessed basic courtesy and spoke more tactfully.
This was the first time she had encountered someone who judged her before the interview even began, showing clear disdain.
Awkwardness, embarrassment, and nervousness were immediately more evident on her face.
But she answered sincerely, “No. I made it myself. Every piece of information written is one hundred percent accurate.”