Chapter 71: Striving to Recruit People

In an era of guaranteed job assignments, college students had little choice in their placements. However, faculties and departments sometimes sought students’ opinions, even though these were often disregarded.

Even so, Director Gao was eager to explore potential recruits. Even if he couldn’t hire them immediately, he could gauge their interest in future opportunities.

Wen Jiajia sat at the table and, after dinner, began chatting.

She asked, “Where are students from your School of Chemistry typically assigned after graduation?”

“To the Industrial Bureau and the Research Institute,” one student replied. “These are the most desirable places. Last year, a top student was assigned to the Research Institute.”

“That’s not always the case. Over the past two years, only one student out of four who went to the Research Institute had impressive grades. The others… well…”

Before the student could finish, someone nudged him to stop.

The student looked unwilling but complied.

Wen Jiajia, maintaining a gentle smile, asked, “How many students from your department go to the Municipal Industrial Bureau and the Research Institute each year?”

“Less than five.”

“Only five! Then where do the rest go?”

“Not necessarily to factories,” a stable student explained. “Many are assigned to government departments, like grassroots communes^[1]refers to a community or organization that operates from the ground up, with decisions and actions being driven by the collective participation and input of its members. or the Geological Bureau^[2]is a government agency or institution responsible for studying and mapping the geological features of a region..”

A female student added, “Last year, some were sent to work in coal mines.” She looked sympathetic; coal mines weren’t bad jobs, but they were far from home, often in the north.

Wen Jiajia quickly responded, “Consider our medical glass factory. It’s located in Linhe City. Do any of you have connections to Linhe or nearby areas?”

A female student with a particularly gentle demeanor replied, “My home is in Fanyue County, which is next to Linhe. It only takes a little over two hours to get there by train, including delays.”

Wen Jiajia said, “Then you should definitely consider our Medical Glass Factory. Although it’s newly established, it’s backed by the Linhe Municipal Industrial Bureau and is expanding rapidly. Joining now would make you part of the pioneering team.”

These words sparked interest among some students.

Many wanted to work in the Industrial Bureau, a prestigious and promising department, or in research institutes where they could fully apply their knowledge.

However, some students recognized their abilities and preferred a more practical job, where they could apply what they had learned immediately.

A new factory offers a unique opportunity: they could contribute their passion and efforts to a growing enterprise and experience a strong sense of accomplishment.

Yet, ideals face the reality of institutional constraints.

One student sighed, “Ultimately, it depends on the school’s arrangements.”

“Sometimes the school’s arrangements don’t matter much; it depends on the government,” another added.

Indeed, schools don’t have the final say in assignments, but they can make recommendations that the government often follows.

Tracing back to the source, the government department that holds the power to allocate college graduates is the State Education Commission.

The State Education Commission leads the process and collaborates with other departments to formulate a college student allocation plan based on the employment needs of government agencies, institutions, and state-owned enterprises. This plan is then distributed to universities, which have the right to make recommendations.

After universities assign students according to the plan, they submit the forms for approval. Generally, the Education Commission approves these applications. Rejections are rare. This is why Director Gao went to such lengths—traveling thousands of miles by train with his subordinates to the university, shamelessly building relationships, and inviting them to dinner. It’s because he values the recommendation power held by the school.

Wen Jiajia smiled and didn’t dwell on this topic. Instead, she shifted the conversation back to their medical glass factory.

“If you join our medical glass factory, college students like you will start with a 14th-level salary—48.5 yuan for internships, which is standard across most factories. But…”

Wen Jiajia lowered her voice, “The salary on our tickets is comparable to that of large factories with thousands of employees, like machinery, pharmaceutical, and chemical factories. I’m not exaggerating; I previously worked for Linhe Pharmaceutical Factory, which is quite renowned in several eastern cities.”

Several students nodded in recognition of Linhe Pharmaceutical Factory’s reputation.

“Oh, and there are canteen subsidies. Like in pharmaceutical factories, college students receive subsidies. On average, meat and vegetables are provided three days a week.”

“What about accommodation?” someone asked.

Wen Jiajia replied, “Accommodation is available, but the building is still under construction and will likely be completed next year.”

She was telling the truth. She had just learned yesterday that there was a piece of vacant land outside the city belonging to the Medical Glass Factory. It was right next to the Cultural Palace and quite large—capable of accommodating up to a thousand employees if fully developed.

However, only two buildings will be completed next year. This would be sufficient for now, but the area around the factory was not very lively. The Cultural Palace wouldn’t be finished until the year after next, and the hospital was not very close.

She couldn’t reveal that.

It would be ideal to have a dormitory for new graduates who aren’t yet starting families.

The conversation continued, covering work content, factory environment, and policies, and they chatted until nearly seven o’clock.

Overall, the discussion was pleasant. Wen Jiajia made a good impression on several students, and they seemed to like her as well.

As darkness fell and only a few street lamps illuminated the campus, the students headed towards their dormitories with heavy hearts.

“After hearing what you said, I think Linhe Medical Glass Factory sounds quite promising,” one student remarked. “My home is not far from Linhe, and my family is worried about me being assigned to the north.”

“Yeah, everything at the new factory is brand new. If we go there, we might become the veterans in a decade or two!” another said.

Everyone laughed at this thought.

What attracted them was the opportunity the new factory offered: a chance to fully utilize their talents and ambitions in a setting that was still developing.

Moreover, Linhe is close to Haishi, a large city with good conditions. The climate is similar to Haishi, so there’s no concern about acclimatization.

Even the food tastes similar to what they’re used to.

“But we can’t make the decision ourselves,” one student said.

“Maybe we should ask our teacher tomorrow. The medical school representatives are here to discuss things, so they will likely consult the teachers in our department,” another suggested.

“I really want to go there. Our study’s focus on materials makes Yi Glass a suitable choice. Initially, I hoped for a large local factory, but now I prefer Yi Glass.”

“Let’s ask tomorrow. We’ll go together.”

As they talked, Wen Jiajia and Liang Mu discussed the day’s events.

Liang Mu praised Wen Jiajia, “Comrade Wen, you’re really good at talking.”

“…” Although the compliment sounded a bit strange, Wen Jiajia accepted it with a nod and advised, “We’re not much older than these students. Since we’re around the same age, it’s easier to chat with them. Just treat them as classmates.”

“None of my classmates went to college.”

Wen Jiajia was surprised, “Really? That’s unusual. I had only one classmate who went to college, and I was in a county school. Shouldn’t there be more opportunities in city schools?”

“Anyway, none from my class went. There were originally two, but one was reported just before the list was finalized. The other was recommended, but their uncle stepped down, and the spot ended up going to a neighboring school.”

Indeed, there are many opportunities but fierce competition.

When they arrived at the state-owned restaurant, Director Gao and his group were still dining. Director Gao had said he would invite the department teachers to dinner at the state-owned restaurant near the school, so Wen Jiajia and Liang Mu were waiting at the door.

Mosquitoes were plentiful outside, so the waiter invited them in.

“Are you dating?” the waiter asked.

Wen Jiajia replied, “No, we’re colleagues.”

The waiter said, “I thought it didn’t look like it.”

Wen Jiajia smiled and said, “We’re waiting for some people who are dining inside.” She pointed through the glass window.

This state-owned restaurant is very large and is divided into two areas by a door. Through the glass on the door, one can see the senior director inside.

“Haha, then you have to wait a while before you come to eat!” the waiter laughed. “Have you eaten yet? Do you want to order some food?”

Wen Jiajia replied, “Thank you, we have finished eating.” The waiters here are quite enthusiastic.

Actually, it was Wen Jiajia’s stereotype that was at work. She always felt that people in places like supply and marketing cooperatives, department stores, and state-owned restaurants were relatively superior.

But to be honest, she had never met anyone who was too arrogant in many places.

The slogan “No beating of customers^[3]means that there should be no physical violence or mistreatment towards customers.” actually appeared in the 1980s.

Just kidding, this is a sports event; everyone is speaking cautiously. How could they possibly beat up customers? Anyone who shows contempt for customers will be reported.

However, it is rare to find someone as talkative as this waiter. Wen Jiajia had just talked too much and is still in the “recharging period^[4]phase of recovering from the energy expenditure of her previous extensive talking.,” so she is not very enthusiastic.

The two of them waited for nearly an hour and a half. No wonder Director Gao said he had to stay up late tonight. It was almost nine o’clock now, and it would definitely be ten o’clock when they arrived at the guesthouse.

How did the meal turn out? Judging from Director Gao’s expression, it turned out pretty well, with a bright smile on his face.

Not only that, he also said, “See you tomorrow.”

“Let’s go.” After seeing the group off, Director Gao rubbed his stiff face and said, “Fortunately, we still have a car. This is much better than our neighboring city.”

Wen Jiajia was also quite surprised that there were still buses running so late.

“Maybe there are more people working the night shift,” Wen Jiajia said after thinking about it.

There were not many buses, and the three of them waited for a long time before they got one. It was already 11:30 when they arrived at the guesthouse, and the receptionist had already fallen asleep.

The three of them walked upstairs lightly.

After returning to the room, Wen Jiajia resisted the urge to sleep and took a shower before lying down on the bed.

The two people next door were so sleepy that they didn’t even have time to take a shower. They fell asleep in less than half a minute after lying on the bed.

Because they were so sleepy, they didn’t even recognize their bed.

Early morning.

The early morning in Hai City was exceptionally lively, with the noise even reaching from the street to the third floor of the guesthouse.

Wen Jiajia was awakened by the sounds of people working in a nearby state-owned restaurant: the sound of tables and chairs being moved, the sound of bowls and chopsticks colliding, and the shouts of the store staff.

She was about to curse, “Wei Dai, stop making noise,” but she suddenly came to her senses and remembered that she was on a business trip.

The curtains were thick, and the light from outside the window was not glaring after being filtered by the curtains. She rubbed her eyes, feeling that she had not slept enough.

“What time is it…” Wen Jiajia muttered, and looked at her watch. It was just past six o’clock.