A man who was fired and had to continue looking for a job

In his lifetime, Bai Xiao has never felt the feeling of "not being happy no matter what", except this time when he was fired from the company.

After working for seven full years, I was fired in just three or four days, and I was still in a director-level position. I thought that the wave of dismissals that came out of Beijing just as news, but I didn’t expect that it would happen to me so quickly. How to say it? It's a bit like a movie, but it's thrilling to have it become an autobiography.

Bai Xiao clearly remembers receiving the notice from HR on Tuesday, thinking that a new person was going to be interviewed. Unexpectedly, he walked across the corridor and stepped into the conference room, and heard the news that he had been fired.

"I'll ask the boss." Bai Xiao subconsciously said to HR.

"This is the boss's signature. There is no need to look for him. More people will be notified next." HR handed over a document.

Bai Xiao felt a chill in his heart, as if he had been stabbed by someone, silently. What immediately flashed into my mind was a life script that coincided like a joke but was also real: my one-year-old child, my wife who was a teacher in a training institution, and my parents who had retired at home and had not yet found a way to live in their later years.

"I can temporarily reduce my salary and tide over the difficulties with the company."

"The company is undergoing business transformation this time and will open a new department. You can transfer there, but I'll start at the general staff level."

After hearing HR's answer, he felt like he had eaten a cement brick for no reason, and he felt panicked.

"When are you leaving?"

"You can leave after handing over the work at hand."

Two hours later, Bai Xiao walked out of this place company. In the elevator, press the button for the top floor.

The door to the rooftop was pushed open. Bai Xiao held the door firmly with one arm and moved out sideways.

A building with more than 50 floors is not considered a tall building in Beijing, but standing on the rooftop is a bit enlightening. The wind speed alone can blow the hairstyle back and forth, and there is not much hair on the forehead. Struggling hard in the wind.

I work tirelessly for the company and work overtime on weekends, but in the end I feel like a chess piece being manipulated. No, not even chess pieces. Chess pieces still have their positions in every game. I don’t know where my position is this time.

This wave of Internet dismissals has made people panic, and it eventually affected them. Being kicked out was like being thrown off the track by a hammer during the sprint of life, only to have to climb back up again and continue running with the young people. As I get older, I really don’t have enough strength.

In the past, I worked for myself, and as a single person, I could handle ups and downs no matter what; now we are a big family, and it would be hard to be a little behind. Suddenly I remembered Chaplin's movie "Modern Times". I felt like I was just a screw in the big machine production, but I just put on decent clothes, and the keyboard replaced the wrench for screwing the screw.

Suddenly someone tapped me on the shoulder. It turned out to be Zhang Chen, my former subordinate.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Brother Xiao, after you go out, I will be the one who goes in behind."

"Heh... ah... ...I'm sorry, brother, I couldn't take care of you."

"Brother Xiao, don't say that, my department is no longer guaranteed."

"You are the manager now. Right."

"Yes, I was promoted last year. I remember that you encouraged me to develop in another department."

"Yes, you worked very hard at that time. I found that I couldn’t take care of you, and I never made any progress. In fact, I couldn’t take care of you any longer. Anyway, you got promoted, and now I feel more comfortable speaking out.”

“It was ordinary back then. After graduating from college, you said you liked my hard work, so I kept studying and working overtime. Later, I felt that I was working too hard and had no plan and was not flexible. "

" The speed of the development of the Internet in China is so unexpected. Those of us who work in Internet companies have become so small that we can’t even see ourselves.”

“Brother Xiao, I remember that time. When I first joined the company, you said to me, 'Do you know why we call it Snow Chicken Technology? Snow chickens live at the highest altitude in the world. Although they are chickens, they stand the highest. We call them Ningwei Chicken Head! The company would rather be the head of the chicken than the tail of the phoenix, and strive to be the best in the new field. '"

"I also listened to what the boss said...it's all over..."

p>

Zhang Chen handed over a cigarette, "Brother, what are you doing up here?"

Bai Xiao held the railing hard and looked at the cartoon cars downstairs. He took a deep breath and said, "I want to jump off a building, jump off a building, an urge to jump off a building. Do you understand? You don't understand."

"I understand, brother, I understand."

"What do you know? The performance of these seven years is like a story with no ending. Seven years, no ending. The only outcome is to be fired unfairly."

< p> "This is an era full of stories, but without endings... My girlfriend just deleted my WeChat account, blocked my phone calls, and couldn't be contacted. The four-year relationship was broken off at the drop of a hat. In the end, there was no one. ending.

It fucking hurts. "

"You broke up? "

"It was more abrupt to leave than to be dismissed. I didn't know how to react. Last year, we occasionally discussed when to get married. "

"Don't be sad, you may be the one who marries you in the end. "

After Bai Xiao took the last puff of cigarette, the smoke exhaled from his mouth was immediately carried away by the wind. "Haha, just come here to relax today. Don't be too sad. Go out and look for it. There are good companies. Jump off a building and let others jump. "A trace of white smoke lingered in the corner of his mouth.

"That's right, let the company's stock price plunge. "Zhang Chen threw away the cigarette butt and stamped it a few times with his foot. The withered and stubborn body of the cigarette butt lay straight on the cement floor.

The two picked up their boxes and went downstairs one after the other.

Of course, Bai Xiao’s dismissal could not be hidden from his wife. He just packaged it up better and “parted ways” with his original company.

From the first moment he got home, Bai Xiao was worried. I was uneasy. After my wife gave birth to her child, her original company had found reasons to fire her. When she came back, with her good English foundation, her wife worked as an English teacher in an elementary school in an educational institution.

Home loan and car loan. Two mountains have been suppressing the family's income, and life is tight. Before I was fired, if life was like a piece of water-absorbing cloth, I would twist a lot of money on my car loan and housing loan. If I twist it again, some water will still drip out. . Now I only rely on my wife's income, and I have to start using my savings. My life is like being wrung out and exposed to the sun for a while. I can squeeze out water drops, but I use a little too much force. I took it out, wrote it several times, and asked my wife to translate it into English. I sent it to all the headhunters I had contacted before.

There were quite a few interviews, but there were only a few that I could talk to. .

Some interviewers asked long and short questions, but did not ask about the job; some started by asking about the economic situation and which of the major Internet companies were optimistic, frequently popping up flashy and fashionable Internet words, and got blocked several times in a row. Bai Xiao had nothing to say.

After two weeks of interviews, it was more tiring than working all night. I really missed the time when I was just starting out, and I was so energetic that I would boldly express my unique opinions on any problem. The interviewer nodded frequently.

Now my answer is like a college entrance examination question that has been answered dozens of times, and the interviewer has a smile of understanding and dissatisfaction on his face.

After running around in leather shoes for several days, I simply changed to sports shoes, and then went out in casual sportswear.

The whole figure shrank, and I went to the vegetable market to buy vegetables in the morning. At times, I was easily overwhelmed by the hawker's momentum and lost my bold energy. Sometimes I looked at the food for a long time and didn't know what I was seeing. It wasn't until someone else picked the food away that my eyes noticed the change and spoke to the hawker. Inquiry.

A month has passed, and I can’t sleep with anxiety. I am even more anxious than when I was waiting for my wife to give birth to a child. I got up in the middle of the night, sat on the sofa in the living room, and dug out Inamori from the bookcase. Kazuo’s book, I saw his favorite words in it:

“I believe that work is a panacea that can cure all diseases. Through work, you can overcome various difficulties and tests and make your life run smoothly. ”

“Sufferings are neither expected nor caused by us, but unexpected sufferings follow one after another. …However, ‘work’ hides a great power, which can help you overcome the suffering in your destiny and bring light and hope to your life. "

Every time I read these sentences, it's like Kazuo Inamori comes to life again and talks to him in my ears.

"Honey, go to bed early. "I don't know when, his wife was already standing in the living room. "Hurrying is not the answer. I heard from my former colleagues that the current situation is also very serious. One of my best friends’ husbands was also fired and she is also looking for a job. "

"Yes, rushing is not an option. You go to sleep first, I will sleep later. "

"Don't we still have some money in the bank? Why don't I take a few more classes? Anyway, they will teach the same content. "

"No, no, don't take too many classes. Come back from get off work early to spend time with your mother and children. ”

“Hey, you said, it’s better to be a student. You can study painting, English, dance, and have fun with classmates of the same age all day long. What a wonderful age you are. You don’t have to worry about money at all. . ”

“There are advantages and disadvantages. You see, when we were young, our teachers didn’t teach us the importance of money. As a result, when we came out into society, we struggled to make money, which was completely different from what we thought in college. "

"You can't blame the teacher for this. It's not mentioned in the textbook. How can you ask the teacher to talk to you about money? When you were studying, everyone was a little arrogant and regarded money as dirt. ”

“So, China’s education needs to be reformed to teach children how to recognize money, at least starting in college, so that they will not suddenly only recognize money when they go out of society and be defeated by money.” "

"I'm afraid it will be the same even if you teach me. What can I do if I know it? I'm just a carrot and a pit. How can I transform into Jack Ma with a snap? ”

“At that time, the textbooks taught us to study for the rise of the motherland. Don't tell me, we all believe it. It was only when I was in high school that I changed the channel in my mind - working hard for the college entrance examination.

"

"Studying for the motherland is still no match for the housing prices in the motherland. You said, this house is built on this ground, how can it be worth so much money? When I first bought it, I really felt that my feet were gold. "

"Hey, this problem is not just a problem we face. Why don't you immigrate to Thailand and go to Malaysia, where the housing prices are lower? But there is no Malatang in our country. ”

“Immigration is impossible. I have lived here for so many years and I am not used to moving anywhere.” "

"Okay, go to bed early, you have to go to class tomorrow. ”

Bai Xiao experienced the longest period of unemployment in the workplace. For a full month and a half, his screw could never find a satisfactory position, so that he could dig in and work again. The results came out.

HR, who is best at polite rejection, has become the person he hates most during this period. Those positions in the company that he doesn’t like, like Jue Wa, even if he goes to make money in an emergency, It won't last long.

It's especially hard to find a director at the level like him. A few days ago, there was news that a technical director at a major Internet company had only been here for half a month. The department was disbanded before it was too late. Therefore, the technical director specially published 3,000 words to express his dissatisfaction.

The wind was so strong today that Bai Xiao sprayed three times more hair spray before he could manage. Fixed his hairstyle. Faced with the situation, Bai Xiao finally lowered his head. If he persisted, the workplace would not show mercy to him. He had just come out of an interview for a manager-level position at an Internet company that had raised Series B funding. < /p>

Fortunately, this company's salary and department structure are relatively reasonable, and we had a good chat with the CEO.

Coincidentally, I saw Zhang Chen when I came out. The two met each other and smiled at each other.

After three days, Bai Xiao received a phone call to the effect that there were two candidates for CEO, and they were still deciding. One more day. I'll give you a reply in two days.

When I came back from a walk in Baixiao Park, I passed by a stationery store, and an old Cantonese song "If the Sky Is Love" was playing, which sang "Youth, please come back and stay with me for a while." ". At this time, Bai Xiao thought that it was not love, but Zhang Chen who he saw when he came out of the office that day.

Bai Xiao couldn't sleep, so he got up at 6 a.m. He finally stayed up until 8 a.m., and immediately I sent a message to Zhang Chen, “Let’s have a supper together at ten o’clock tonight. ”

From eight o’clock in the morning to nine o’clock in the evening, 13 Zhong Baixiao kept browsing the news, looking at job information, thinking about what to say to Zhang Chen tonight, as if writing an article. A paper with more than 10,000 words.

There were about twenty people at the late-night snack stall. Bai Xiao and Zhang Chen had just sat down and drank a few beers. It seemed that everyone’s energy had been exhausted this month. Almost like that, there is a slight sadness on his face.

Two streets away, there is a row of nightclubs. People who come from nightclubs are used to having late-night snacks here, and they make noises. The sound at the late night snack stall was louder and quieter.

After another glass of beer, Bai Xiao smoothed the hair on his forehead and said to Zhang Chen:

"On your hand, Is there an offer? ”

“No, the interviews didn’t go well. ”

“Oh, are you still looking for something better?” "

"There is a similar person, waiting for news. "

Bai Xiao obviously couldn't beat the circle with his words, and he didn't want to say any more words in the scene.

"I won't beat you in circles. I am here to tell you something serious today. But if you don’t think it’s okay, just treat it as a serious joke. "

"Brother, if you have anything to do, just ask. "Zhang Chen changed his expression, trying to stay focused and not think about the delicious food and wine on the table.

"That day, we were interviewing at the same company. Did you interview for the R&D manager position? ? ”

“Yes. We won't be interviewing for the same position, right? ”

“It’s the same one. Bai Xiao was silent for two seconds, "Your brother and I need... need this job." "Just after he finished speaking, he looked directly at Zhang Chen. The muscles on Zhang Chen's face froze for half a second. "Oh, forget it, that's all I said. It's embarrassing to say it. I'm the big brother telling you this. ..."

"Brother, I understand, I understand, brother, it is not easy for anyone these days, it is indeed not easy. "

"Fuck, there was a popular sentence on the Internet a while ago called 'Modern people's collapse is silent', fuck, who wants to be silent, I will say it right now, Brother, please don't mind. In the face of pressure, I really couldn't help my humble words. If I said it out loud, you would just treat it as a joke. ”

Bai Xiao rubbed his hands together. It was the first time in his life that he had done such a disgraceful thing to ask for help. He felt sad, but fortunately, others did not agree, otherwise his face would have been lost here. The last time he was so sincere Asking for help is better than asking someone to borrow money in college.

"Brother, let me tell you this, my girlfriend has contacted me again. If I don't have a job, I can't explain it... So, this matter, I really want to fight for it. "

"It's okay, we all have our own difficulties, and we all want to strive for it. It's okay to say it out loud, but it's not certain that this position is the best in the world. ”

“Brother Bai, don’t say much else. Let me toast you first.”

"Zhang Chen gulped down a glass of wine and a few strings of kidneys. He just emptied his stomach and filled it with some food.

Bai Xiao waved to the boss, "Boss, here's a bottle of white wine. . I want your best liquor. ”

Fortunately, life is hard, otherwise the wine would not be able to go down the throat to cheer up.

It was obviously two people and four hands dancing on the table with the wine and barbecue, and they made it hard. The atmosphere of a large table of people.

"I really want to take off this head and crack it open to see if there are only a few copper coins inside. It makes a clanging sound... Come on. Knock it for me..." Bai Xiao shook his head and hit it with chopsticks.

"Brother, don't talk about your head. When I shake my head, it's all the sound of copper coins. An empty jar. When I go to work, I usually pretend to be thinking about work, while the other half pretends to be clanging copper coins. Hahaha~" Zhang Chen touched his chin. The unshaved stubble made him look older. When he smiled, he looked a bit like a security guard at the door.

"Hey, let's talk nice. , is engaged in technology, is the power of scientific and technological progress, damn, he is not just trying to make money. In the end, we cannot handle finance. If the direction of this capital changes, we will be in trouble. "

"Haha, don't tell me, brother, we live a glamorous life, but we can't do the work of our hometown farmers. Last time I went home for the Spring Festival, my neighbor’s boy was a man in his twenties. He could do anything. He was a professional in killing chickens and cooking vegetables. He had several acres of land dedicated to growing vegetables at home, and a big pig pen. Earn more than 200,000 yuan a year. I stayed at home during the Chinese New Year, like a useless person with all limbs. "

"Hey, stop talking, we are all small wheels in this city. One more is not more, one less is not more. If you can turn it, there will be people to ask you. If it spins fast and has many small wheels, others will pay a higher price. It's nothing more than this. ”

“I used to watch Young and Dangerous movies and felt that the world was sinister and that they might die suddenly. But now this wave of promotions has made people very depressed. It’s not as good as Young and Dangerous.” There is a lot of fighting and killing inside, as long as you can fight hard. ”

“Yes, after following the big boss, I still have some status in the world. Now I help the big boss to make a living, and I can't fire him with just a word. I feel like there are time bombs hidden everywhere for the sake of profit. Too insecure. ”

“As a man, I don’t feel safe anymore. How to give your family a sense of security? Just pretend, it will get better, it will get better, just say it..."

"Brother, it's okay, your smart brain can take care of many people. Come, give you another drink. "

"Drink! Damn it, I didn’t succeed in the interview, I can’t drink anymore~”

“Drink! Bro! ”

The two of them were getting more and more noisy. Their clothes were a bit old-fashioned among a group of young people, and their momentum of drinking wine was not lost at all. The cheap drinks made people come out of the nightclub and come on the street. There was a lot of sadness for these two people.

Finally, after taking a nap on Friday, Bai Xiaogang received the good news of the recruitment.

The first thing that came to his mind was not celebration. How to tell Zhang Chen.

After hesitating for a while, he decided not to talk about it yet.

When he went to work on Monday, he met Zhang Chen and exchanged information. , It turned out that Zhang Chen was recommended by a headhunter to another company in the same building.

So they became known as "colleagues in the same building" and began to work overtime frequently and occasionally all night.