The founder of foreign trade company talks about the industry

As a student majoring in foreign trade, the most likely question you want to ask is, why did you choose foreign trade in the first place?

C: Actually, there isn't much reason behind it. You do what you like, pursue what you want. Don't spend too much time on choices and come up with a rationale. Students often ask me, "Should I choose A or B? Can you advise me on which one to choose?" I don't know, I just do my job. Because making choices incurs costs, so just go ahead and do it. Right?

Yes, I've also read your account of starting your own business, and that article left a deep impression on me. (For details, see the column "Cindy's Chat" in this public account.)

C: I was kind of an artsy youth back in the day (laughs).

How do you view the differences between the market environment of ten years ago and today's era? Because honestly, the main confusion for most students nowadays seems to be - it's very difficult to feel free and choose what they want after graduation.

C: Every generation faces its own difficulties. From the perspective of Gen Z today, you may look back and feel like this era hasn't given you many opportunities. I'm from Generation X, but we also felt like there weren't many opportunities because the Baby Boomers were ahead of us. The Baby Boomers feel held back because of the Generation Xers. Each generation faces its own challenges, but society still moves forward, and ultimately it's up to this generation to carry it forward. This generation has its own strengths and its own pains. Heroes are made by their times, so if you want to become one, there will always be opportunities. The key is how you perceive it.

You said young people are lost nowadays, then let those who are lost be lost. They always have the top 20%, right? Not everyone from our generation started their own businesses either. So, in the end, it depends on your serendipity and what you want to do. It is fate. This is very important.

Regarding the talent requirements for a company like ours, what is the most core and important aspect?

C: In one word, alignment.

Well, when chatting with colleagues, I sometimes find that they may not all have the experiences or qualifications corresponding to their positions.

C: You may find them quite diverse, right? Yes, this involves how you recruit people. Although each person may seem different, they all have commonalities that fit within the company's culture.

So, this question is difficult to answer but also easy - it's about alignment. We've tried many times and failed. We've visited many large and small companies, and it's true - fresh graduates are hard to deal with.

Because they have high aspirations and are not satisfied with just working in a small company. They have many aspirations for their future and haven't been hit by the harsh realities of society yet, which leads to a high turnover rate and constant need for training.

Small companies cannot provide them with such a large platform. They can join companies like Meituan, join companies with thousands of employees, or work on assembly lines, which may be more in line with their expectations.

Young employees are a different dimension altogether. We need to absorb fresh talent, but freshness also means instability, and a company cannot afford too many unstable factors.

Ultimately, we need someone with work experience, but not too much; someone who has worked in a factory, knows the hardships of life, knows what's good and what's not, and doesn't have unrealistic ideas.

Yes.

C: Right? You say you can't endure hardships, but you want a lot of money, and you envy others. This tears you apart. That's not alignment. Someone who has a family and responsibilities tends to have a better sense of duty.

Of course, they have their downsides too, such as slightly less creativity, and they may be burdened by their family. Each stage has its own problems to face.

In this process, I find a paradox emerging: if companies are not willing to hire fresh graduates, how can they gain their first work experience?

C: Then you go find companies that recruit management trainees. Because large companies need to eliminate. And they need a large number of blank slates to draw on because they need to eliminate many to finally get a match, right?

Small companies emphasize practicality; when you come, you have to be useful. Because the cost of training is very high. One person at a time, you don't seem to make much money, then insurance, then training, all kinds of energy-consuming things, you can't do anything in the first year.

But large companies can, they can select ten out of a thousand, they must pay for their training costs, they must draw up this blueprint. Whether you can stay competitive in the end depends on your ability.

If you do well, you will have a sense of belonging recognized by the company's culture. Here, if I tell you to identify with it, you'll say I've just started my first job, I haven't even done my second or third yet, how can I identify? Right?

So, the best answer to this question is alignment. Because I said to identify with it, and you say I've just started my first job, I haven't even done my second or third yet, how can I identify? Right?

You might think there's no chance for me in this era if you look at it from the perspective of a post-2000s generation. I'm from the 80s, but we also felt like there weren't many opportunities because the 70s were ahead of us. The 70s feel held back because of the 60s.

Every generation is a struggling generation, but society still moves forward, and ultimately it's up to this generation to support it. This generation has its own advantages and its own pains. Heroes are made by their times, and there will always be opportunities if you want to become one. The key is how you perceive it.

Yes, what you said about the confusion of young people nowadays is true. So let those who are confused be confused. They always have the top 20%, right? Not everyone from our generation started their own businesses either. So, in the end, it depends on your serendipity and what you want to do. It is fate. This is very important.

Bosses discussing hiring—Matching

Actually, I'm curious about something. For companies like ours, what is the most crucial and important aspect when it comes to hiring talent?

C: In one sentence, alignment.

Well, when chatting with colleagues, I sometimes notice that they may not all have the experiences or qualifications corresponding to their positions.

C: You may find them quite diverse, right? Yes, this involves how you recruit people. Although each person may seem different, they all have commonalities that fit within the company's culture.

So, this question is difficult to answer but also easy - it's about alignment. We've tried many times and failed. We've visited many large and small companies, and it's true - fresh graduates are hard to deal with.

Because they have high aspirations and are not satisfied with just working in a small company. They have many aspirations for their future and haven't been hit by the harsh realities of society yet, which leads to a high turnover rate and constant need for training.

Small companies cannot provide them with such a large platform. They can join companies like Meituan, join companies with thousands of employees, or work on assembly lines, which may be more in line with their expectations.

Young employees are a different dimension altogether. We need to absorb fresh talent, but freshness also means instability, and a company cannot afford too many unstable factors.

Ultimately, we need someone with work experience, but not too much; someone who has worked in a factory, knows the hardships of life, knows what's good and what's not, and doesn't have unrealistic ideas.

Yes.

C: Right? You say you can't endure hardships, but you want a lot of money, and you envy others. This tears you apart. That's not alignment. Someone who has a family and responsibilities tends to have a better sense of duty.

Of course, they have their downsides too, such as slightly less creativity, and they may be burdened by their family. Each stage has its own problems to face.

In this process, I find a paradox emerging: if companies are not willing to hire fresh graduates, how can they gain their first work experience?

C: Then you go find companies that recruit management trainees. Because large companies need to eliminate. And they need a large number of blank slates to draw on because they need to eliminate many to finally get a match, right?

Small companies emphasize practicality; when you come, you have to be useful. Because the cost of training is very high. One person at a time, you don't seem to make much money, then insurance, then training, all kinds of energy-consuming things, you can't do anything in the first year.

But large companies can, they can select ten out of a thousand, they must pay for their training costs, they must draw up this blueprint. Whether you can stay competitive in the end depends on your ability.

If you do well, you will have a sense of belonging recognized by the company's culture. Here, if I tell you to identify with it, you'll say I've just started my first job, I haven't even done my second or third yet, how can I identify? Right?

So, the best answer to this question is alignment. Because I said to identify with it, and you say I've just started my first job, I haven't even done my second or third yet, how can I identify? Right?

You might think there's no chance for me in this era if you look at it from the perspective of a post-2000s generation. I'm from the 80s, but we also felt like there weren't many opportunities because the 70s were ahead of us. The 70s feel held back because of the 60s.

Every generation is a struggling generation, but society still moves forward, and ultimately it's up to this generation to support it. This generation has its own advantages and its own pains. Heroes are made by their times, and there will always be opportunities if you want to become one. The key is how you perceive it.

Yes, what you said about the confusion of young people nowadays is true. So let those who are confused be confused. They always have the top 20%, right? Not everyone from our generation started their own businesses either. So, in the end, it depends on your serendipity and what you want to do. It is fate. This is very important.

Bosses discussing management—Advancing under pressure

I'd like to ask about your feelings as a boss. Because from the way you communicate with everyone, I feel like you're always worried about everything, with a feeling of being personally involved in everything.

C: Actually, it's not that I particularly enjoy managing every aspect of the company. But you have to understand, if a professional manager wants a million-dollar salary, do you think a company will pay a million-dollar salary to hire someone who can manage everything for them?

Uh, no... they wouldn't?

C: Right, but do you think you can hire someone who can manage everything efficiently for the average salary? Well, that depends on the different companies, right?

For example, companies with less than 50 million in revenue, which we call small businesses, have about three or four people - a general manager, a deputy general manager, a director, a supervisor... It's too complicated, there's no need for it.

For a company to survive, one of its core aspects is being fast, accurate, and ruthless. Large companies emphasize processes and standardization. I said earlier that Taiwanese companies are very process-oriented. To do one thing, you have to send it to more than a dozen departments for approval. Do you think that's slow or fast?

It seems like it lowers efficiency.

C: It's not necessarily low efficiency; there are benefits to having processes, after all, large companies have hundreds of employees. Then you say, oh, small businesses have only a few people, and they still hire a manager.

And then there's the problem with the manager's communication. If you can't find a good manager, there will be big problems, and you'll be stuck in the middle, right?

That's why you feel like I'm so worried; maybe my approach is more direct and efficient. I hope everyone can be in their best working condition, right?

So, I'll say, I won't specifically look at your emotional state, as long as you can handle it, I'll point it out within the scope of work. Because I'll forget, so I don't want to leave this until tomorrow.

If you can handle it, you'll stay, if you can't, you'll leave. That's my style, I have to please myself first, right?

Of course, I'll also consider the individual. For example, someone like Kiki who just joined, I'll definitely go easy on her, not criticize too harshly. With others, the more I criticize, the tougher I get, which means their endurance has reached a certain level, and I don't need to care about their emotions or anything, because that's troublesome.

Yes, these are all costs of communication.

C: Right, so for example, if I criticize her harshly today, but the work isn't finished yet, I'll certainly talk to her in a more gentle manner next time, so she doesn't feel unbalanced emotionally. Being a boss is also a rather cumbersome job because if you're wrong, it could mean tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that's real money.

No one is perfect, so mistakes will be made, right? A boss in a small business must be a good mentor. You may see the model of this company and think, I don't want to work in such a company because I don't want to be judged all the time.

But that's not the case. Actually, when I see you perfecting your work, telling you what needs to be done efficiently, it allows you to do it more effectively, right? So, it depends on how each person views this issue.

And how you view the issue determines your future path. Some people are afraid of being taken advantage of, so they don't do this or that, and they end up not doing anything for you. Right?

And some people, I'll tell you today that this needs to be changed, and your English writing is not standard, and then you don't want to listen to me, then next time I won't say anything, and it's up to you what you want to do. As long as you get the work done, you're fine, right?

The dumbest way is to block out the boss, or maybe you don't feel comfortable being with the boss. But we can't do things because we're comfortable, right? We must endure a certain amount of pressure. In the process of beginning to endure this pressure, we see our own growth and progress, and that's what we want to achieve.

Okay, thank you, I've learned a lot today. Due to the length, let's end the interview here for now.