Chapter 41: Competing for Talent

The setup of Dai Er's company at the job fair was on a completely different level compared to Huaifeng.

Even their employees' uniforms looked expensive, while Su Qingyi's blue suit was something she had hastily bought from a night market.

Seeing her worried expression, Jiang Han chuckled. "Take a look at their recruitment brochure."

Su Qingyi skimmed through it, her eyes widening. "They're recruiting marketing staff… They require a marketing-related degree from a 985 or 211 university?"

She smacked her lips. "Their standards are crazy high."

Then, she read further and was stunned.

"The base salary is only 1,500 yuan plus performance bonuses?"

Jiang Han handed her a cup of instant coffee. "That's just the market rate. They're actually paying a bit higher than most."

Su Qingyi finally understood—Jiang Han planned to win over talent with higher salaries.

In 2000, salaries in small cities barely reached 700 to 800 yuan, and even in major cities like Modu, many jobs paid just over 1,000 yuan.

But even though their company offered higher salaries, it was still a new company. Would people even consider joining them?

At that moment, an employee from Dai Er's company, a woman in high heels, glanced at Jiang Han with thinly veiled contempt.

"This job fair gets worse every year. How can they place us next to such a tiny company?" she muttered.

Her colleagues chimed in—

"Exactly! We're a Fortune 500 company, and I've never even heard of this Huaifeng."

"They didn't even bother setting up their booth properly. A company like that has no strength. Will they even manage to hire anyone?"

A well-dressed man with slicked-back hair stirred his coffee lazily. "And this instant coffee? The smell alone screams cheap."

A fashionable woman in stockings took a sip of her own hand-ground coffee and sneered. "Not everyone has refined taste, you know."

Though they were speaking softly, Su Qingyi and Jiang Han heard every word.

Su Qingyi clenched her cup tightly, her face darkening. "So what if they work for a Fortune 500 company? They're still just employees!"

Jiang Han, however, remained unfazed. "What's wrong with instant coffee? Does hand-ground coffee magically taste better? These people have been brainwashed by capitalism."

Su Qingyi fumed, ready to argue, but Jiang Han held her back.

"Don't waste your breath on people like them."

She frowned. "That's not like you. You used to be so arrogant in school—why hold back now?"

Jiang Han shrugged. "Maybe I left a bad impression on you back then."

Just then, the job fair officially began, and a flood of job seekers poured into the venue.

"Yangyang, look! Dai Er's booth is over there!"

"Hurry up! If we're late, we'll have to wait in line."

Within minutes, a long queue had formed in front of Dai Er's booth.

Meanwhile, Huaifeng's booth had only a handful of visitors.

Seeing the stark contrast, Su Qingyi sighed. How embarrassing…

The job seekers in line started chatting—

"Dai Er's marketing department is hiring 60 people this time. Our chances are pretty good."

"Yeah! And foreign companies offer great benefits, so it should be worth it."

"I'll ask them about the salary package first."

At that moment, Dai Er's slick-haired HR started registering job seekers.

A young woman with a high ponytail approached and asked, "Excuse me, could you tell me the expected salary for new recruits?"

The HR rep frowned slightly, his tone indifferent. "We'll discuss the salary package after the initial and final interview rounds."

Then, he added, "For fresh graduates like you, expect around 1,500 yuan per month during the internship."

Hearing the number, the woman hesitated.

After completing her registration, she walked away with her friends.

"One thousand five hundred a month… Doesn't sound like much."

"Don't complain. Most fresh graduates get paid even less. At least this is a Fortune 500 company—the salary might increase in a few years."

The high ponytailed girl sighed. "Still, we graduated from 985 universities… I didn't expect our worth to be so low."

At that moment, another HR rep from Dai Er raised their voice—

"Attention, everyone! We are only recruiting 985/211 graduates or those who have studied abroad. If you don't meet the qualifications, please look elsewhere."

Many job seekers groaned in disappointment and started leaving.

"What the hell? I have a bachelor's degree, and my major is a perfect match for the role."

"Doesn't matter. These foreign companies only want elite school graduates. Let's go find another booth."

Noticing the crowd dispersing, Su Qingyi immediately spoke up.

"Everyone, please wait! Our company, Huaifeng, is also hiring for the marketing department. Feel free to come and learn more!"

Hearing that, a few job seekers paused and turned towards their booth.

But someone muttered, "Huaifeng? Never heard of them…"