Chapter 955: Joining the Team

"I see your university major was Business Administration. Do you have any understanding of the human resources industry?"

"It's basically finding jobs for other people, just like an agency. People might not understand themselves, they don't know what they want to do, and they don't have long-term life plans, so we need to help them. In this process, we earn some commission. We help others, we help hiring companies save time, energy, and the costs of ineffective recruitment, and we make money too. It's a win-win-win situation, everyone is happy."

Sitting opposite Xiong Qingchun was a man in his twenties who had just graduated. His name was Huang Zimu. He wore glasses and had a crew cut; he looked very energetic, spoke naturally, and sounded very clear-headed. He was a Nanning local, spoke Mandarin very well, and didn't have the local accent.

Without waiting for Xiong Qingchun to continue asking, he said, "I just want to work here at home. My education is only a junior college degree, and most places require at least a bachelor's degree. I don't meet the criteria, so people don't even look at my resume when I submit it. Sales jobs are the only ones that hire a lot, but I don't want to do that. It just so happens you're hiring, so I submitted a resume to see. I don't live far away, just across from the police station."

Xiong Qingchun laughed, "You've been to quite a few interviews, haven't you? You're already answering before I ask."

"Everyone asks like that, so I'll be proactive and say it first."

"Do you have any understanding of the work at our employment agency?"

"To be honest, I don't, but I imagine it involves making phone calls, right?"

"Pretty much, you have to contact people, after all." Xiong Qingchun nodded with a smile and asked, "What are your requirements for salary and benefits?"

"I saw you wrote three thousand to five thousand, and I think four thousand is just right."

"There are two ways: if we don't pay social insurance for you, you get four thousand; if we pay social insurance, you get three thousand. However, our social insurance is paid in full based on your salary. You should have some understanding that social insurance..."

Xiong Qingchun gave a rough introduction to the social insurance payment issue and said, "You've seen it yourself, we are a startup, a makeshift team. It's just the two of us, and these are the conditions. If you agree to this salary and these benefits, I can sign a labor contract with you right now. If you don't agree, then I wish you luck in finding your ideal job."

"Fine, three thousand is three thousand. If I do a good job, won't my salary go up later?"

"I'll make it clear first: we are a small company, and every person is very important. You've just arrived and don't know how to do anything, so you will definitely need some training. It will take at least a month or two before you can work independently. If you sign the contract and want to leave after two months, we'll have an unpleasant situation. So, you need to think clearly about whether you really want to work here."

"No problem. I can't say what will happen in the future, but I'll work for at least a year. To be honest, I'm planning to earn some tuition money, get a self-study degree, improve my education, and then take the civil service exam or something later."

He agreed very readily and spoke very honestly. On one hand, it was because of his naturally cheerful and outgoing personality; on the other hand, it was because the Youth Employment Agency was truly too small, so he felt relaxed about this job.

The second point was especially important. The company was small, the workplace wasn't high-end, and most job seekers felt very relaxed. But if it were the opposite, and the job seeker was given a high-end impression first, they would feel uneasy and nervous during the interview. Even if the salary was only three or four thousand, they would subconsciously want to seize the opportunity because of the so-called "future" of a big company.

Wang Yan sat on the broken sofa with his legs crossed, listening to Xiong Qingchun's entire interview. He naturally felt Huang Zimu's relaxed attitude. He spoke clearly and was outgoing; just based on these two points, this kid was usable.

Human resources, headhunting, and so on sound very nice, but when you get down to the work, it's not much different from sales; it's all the same thing. So, being able to speak clearly and daring to speak is very important; this is a basic quality. After that, requirements for so-called speaking techniques and the like come into play, but those can all be honed.

In fact, Wang Yan had seen this kid near the shop over the past two days; he had also come early to check things out. It might have been because he lived nearby and stopped by while passing, and only then decided to come over.

Seeing Xiong Qingchun looking at him, he nodded at her, which counted as accepting Huang Zimu.

"Good, then come work with us. When can you start?"

"Now." Huang Zimu said it decisively.

"Good, then I'll draft the contract now. Did you bring your ID card?"

"I brought it."

Immediately, Xiong Qingchun began operating, printing the contract, and also registering the new employee—firstly for national management and statistics, and secondly for paying social insurance...

This was already one month after Zheng Qiudong had left. Under Wang Yan's rapid expansion, the Youth Employment Agency's business had exploded. Of course, there was no serious business; it was all short-term labor business.

Nanning was also a big city. When a city is big, work is diverse, and people's lives are also diverse. The so-called "Sanhe Gods" existed here too. They did some light short-term labor, and once they earned some money, they spent it. Of course, there wasn't any major spending; it was just surfing the internet, eating a meal, and so on. They had no fixed residence and lived in the moment.

After a month, Wang Yan and Xiong Qingchun had gathered a group of such candidates. If needed, they could easily round up a hundred or eighty people. All kinds of short-term part-time jobs—filling seats at venues, acting as shills, security, manual labor, and so on—were varied, with one person earning anywhere from a few dozen yuan a day.

Relying on a large volume of such short-term jobs where they took a cut of a few dozen yuan per person, they balanced the books two days ago: they had earned over thirty thousand in the past month, with over a thousand yuan coming in every day.

As business increased, the number of people needing to be contacted naturally increased. As such, Xiong Qingchun was basically busy from morning till night every day. She alone could no longer handle such a complex workload, which was why she hired someone to share the work, or even replace her. This was also good for letting her detach herself to manage other matters.

After all, they couldn't just do this kind of part-time work forever; they still needed to establish connections with large and medium-sized companies and develop business—that was where the money was. A single success fee was twenty to thirty percent of an annual salary.

Of course, this commission wasn't fixed; everything had to be negotiated. In fierce and cruel competition, if you want to survive and grow, in the absence of illegal acts like selling counterfeit or inferior goods, there are generally only two paths: either be strong, or be cheap. This is a universal rule.

But regardless, expanding upward into real human resources business is more profitable. Whether it's headhunting or labor dispatch.

After a while, Xiong Qingchun signed the contract with Huang Zimu, looked at Wang Yan, and said, "Our business is growing and expanding. Should we go out for a meal tonight to celebrate? It's also to welcome a new comrade."

Before Wang Yan could speak, at the shop entrance, accompanied by the sound of suitcase wheels on the ground, a voice sounded: "That's a must."

"Zheng Qiudong?" Xiong Qingchun stood up in surprise, "Have you thought it through and come to join the team?"

"What else could it be?" Zheng Qiudong smiled as he dragged his suitcase in, looking at Huang Zimu, who was holding the labor contract, "It's only been a month, and you've already grown and expanded? I'm not late, am I? The terms we agreed upon before still stand, right?"

"That's for sure. How about this: let's sign the contract now and clarify the shares. The two hundred thousand is separate, of course. I keep my word, I'll definitely give it back to you later."

"No rush. Professional matters must be left to professional people; that way everyone can rest easy."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Then let's rent a place to settle down first."

"I think compared to renting a place for me, it's more necessary for us to find a larger office location. After all, we'll definitely be developing business in the future. Not to mention the clients, it's not great for job seekers to come for interviews in this place."

Looking at Wang Yan, Xiong Qingchun helplessly shrugged, raised her eyebrows, and spread her hands, saying simply and powerfully: "No money!"

"I have two hundred thousand here. I know Brother Yan's ability; it's Brother Yan who is bringing me along to eat, but I can't take advantage for nothing. I thought about it before coming: I'll put up two hundred thousand for a twenty percent stake. This way we have starting capital for development, and we can settle accounts clearly between brothers, so I can feel at ease."

"This..." Xiong Qingchun couldn't make up her mind and could only look at Wang Yan.

In fact, during the past month of getting along, during the explosion of the small shop, and without realizing it, she had already come to view Wang Yan as her backbone—a sense of peace she had never felt before.

Wang Yan nodded: "That's fine, then we'll take advantage of you. Find a lawyer tomorrow to draft a contract. It's still early, just after work started this afternoon, you definitely haven't had lunch. Let's just grab a bite to eat for now. Let's find an office space first. What are your thoughts? Zimu, right? You speak up too; you're participating in the company's development."

Huang Zimu looked at Xiong Qingchun, then at the shareholder boss who didn't know where he popped out from, and finally looked at Wang Yan, who had tattooed arms, a unique temperament, and looked like the big boss in charge.

"I think it shouldn't be too big. We don't have much capital, and if we take too big a step, it's easy to tear something. We don't need it either; a place bigger than this is enough. I think those two-story shops on the street are quite good. I went to them when I was interviewing before. Not all shops in the city are expensive; there are many streets that aren't very popular, and the rent is very cheap. We find one that isn't too shabby, buy some second-hand office supplies, and we can open for business."

Xiong Qingchun nodded with a smile: "I think Comrade Xiao Huang is right. We still need some time before we can reach high-end office buildings. With just the four of us, it will take some time to expand the team. A two-story shop is enough for twenty or thirty of us to work, which can support us for a period of time. Zheng Qiudong, what do you think?"

"You know, I definitely want to go to an office building, the higher-end the better." Zheng Qiudong laughed, then turned and said, "But currently we really don't have that need, and the business hasn't expanded there yet. A two-story shop is enough; the main thing is that the space is larger. It's not like here, where the four of us can't even work."

"However, if we really talk about it, what I'm more concerned about is when we can go to the Yangtze River Delta to develop business. That's when we'll really grow and expand, and stir up the wind and clouds."

"Just like I told you before, we definitely have to develop well here in Nanning first, and have a base before talking about anything else. What we're doing now is still part-time work. Next, we can't lose this part-time work sector, and we must continue to expand the business. At the same time, we need to establish connections with other enterprises and carry out human resources delivery business. Whether it's headhunting or labor dispatch, we have to do it bit by bit."

"If things go smoothly, one year of development here will be enough for us to be stable. By then, we can storm into the Yangtze River Delta; the future is promising. Especially you, Zimu, you have to study hard and participate in the work as soon as possible."

"Although we are suspected of bragging now, you'll understand after working for a while that we aren't people who talk big. You are also a veteran of the company. If you grow well enough by then, it's not impossible for the Nanning business to be completely handed over to you."

"I will definitely work hard."

"It's not about working hard, it's about studying well. Everything has its tricks. Working hard creates wealth for us, but studying hard creates value for yourself. Saying you're a veteran is just a joke; you have to work here for a long time."

"But life is changeable and colorful. You're still young, and the road ahead is long; it's really not certain what you'll do in the future. However, the things you learn in this industry are applicable to other industries. For example, the communication skills we need, for example, how we look at people, and for example, how we conduct investigations into some enterprises, etc. —these are all practical."

Is Wang Yan kind-hearted? Definitely. He certainly didn't deceive Huang Zimu; what he said was very honest. For a young person like Huang Zimu who had just graduated, these were things he had never thought about before. But when these words were spoken, coupled with some understanding in future work, this Huang Zimu would likely not leave and would follow him wholeheartedly.

Seeing Huang Zimu, and then having Zheng Qiudong by his side, reminded Wang Yan of Zheng Qiudong's own first employee when he started his business, Hui Chenggong. His choice was not very smart. Because when he left, it was exactly when Zheng Qiudong was on the rise, and he was a veteran who had followed Zheng Qiudong in his development. Even if he couldn't see the future, he should have known that things would definitely get better, so that wasn't a smart choice.

However, on the other hand, Hui Chenggong's job-hopping was because of better treatment, which to a certain extent showed that Zheng Qiudong ignored the salary issues of those around him. This is the core issue of company operation; he had even worked as a compensation director at Shangu Group for a period of time, so he should have understood the importance even more.

Wang Yan patted Huang Zimu on the shoulder, then turned to Xiong Qingchun and said, "You talk to Zimu first, and then coordinate tomorrow's part-time work. I'll go out with Qiudong to take a look, try to find a suitable shop nearby, and strive to get it done in these two days. Let's go out for something good tonight."

"Good." Xiong Qingchun nodded, but suddenly said "Ah" and asked, "We have to change the industrial and commercial information when we change locations, and we're still an individual business. I think we should establish a company. Besides, we're three partners, and the name 'Youth Employment Agency' isn't appropriate."

"Hmm, you're right, but let's study this when we eat tonight. Let's go."

Wang Yan waved his hand, took the car keys, and left with Zheng Qiudong to find the next base... ===== CHAPTER 956 =====