[Life] 2012: Stepping onto the Job Search Path Again

Author: JEFFI CHAO HUI WU

Time: 2025-7-07 Monday, 3:53 PM

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[Life] 2012: Stepping onto the Job Search Path Again

The year 2012 was the year when the "Mayan prophecy of the end of the world" was rumored. Although the apocalypse did not come, I felt an unprecedented coldness—not from the weather, but from the economic environment and psychological pressure of reality.

At that time, my logistics company had been operating for several years, and I had built quite a few websites. Although the customer base was stable, the overall business did not show significant growth. The profit barely covered living expenses, and the money earned each month could only just cover the cost of living. What was even more difficult was the lack of hope. The websites were not making money, the logistics were in a downturn, and even the Australian dollar exchange rate was falling; almost every direction was heading downhill.

I sat in front of the computer, looking at the gradually aging device, and suddenly remembered a saying: "What to do when you can't hold on anymore?" At that time, the answer was just one word—find a job.

I reorganized my resume, condensing all the skills, project experiences, and educational background I could possibly include. At that time, I already had an IT degree, website development experience, and many years of logistics operation management skills, which should have made my resume quite strong. However, the reality was that 90% of the emails I sent out received no response. Of the 10% that did reply, most were just to arrange a meeting, exchange a few pleasantries, and then... nothing followed.

While I was submitting my resume, I couldn't help but doubt myself: Am I too old? Is my background too complicated? Does the Australian job market not accept cross-industry backgrounds? Maybe it's because I'm too "versatile."

Finally, after a few weeks, a big company contacted me to arrange an initial interview. The whole process went very smoothly; during the technical interview and project Q&A, I answered fluently. They expressed their satisfaction on the spot and said they would be in touch further.

Sure enough, a few days later, a senior manager scheduled a second interview with me. He was very direct and said, "Your qualifications are excellent, and we are very satisfied!" He mentioned that the company has four teams and is in need of a key team leader, "Your background makes you suitable for any of the teams."

Then he looked at me, pondered for a few seconds, and said something that left me stunned for a long time: "No, I should say, your abilities are such that even I might be replaced by you... Where do you think I should place you?"

I gave a wry smile, really not knowing how to respond. He smiled too, his tone slowing down: "This is exactly the dilemma I'm facing right now. You're too strong; there isn't a single position in our company that can truly match you—if we were to bring you in, you wouldn't fit any of the existing roles."

The interview lasted for more than an hour, and we talked a lot. He kept praising my clear thinking and rich experience, even saying that the company actually needs a versatile talent like me. In the end, he stood up and shook my hand, saying, "You can go back and wait for news."

I nodded, but suddenly felt a wave of emptiness in my heart.

Yes, I have once again been kept out by being "overly excellent." After interviewing with so many companies, I almost always get stuck on the same reason—too capable, too difficult to manage, too hard to arrange. This reason sounds like a compliment, but in reality, it is a form of "subtle elimination" in the workplace.

I have very mixed feelings. It turns out that looking for a job in Australia, being too capable is not necessarily a good thing. So I started to work on the existing website project, continue to take on some small logistics orders, and keep interviewing.

Until July 2013, an opportunity finally came.

At that time, a friend recommended my logistics company to a major client who was considering switching suppliers. I immediately arranged a meeting. The other party was a straightforward manager, and we hit it off very well. He was very interested in my systematic management approach and highly automated operational processes, but when he heard that I was from a small company, he hesitated a bit and cautiously asked me, "What is the maximum order volume you can handle now? For example, thirty containers a week, would that be a problem?"

I was stunned after hearing that! Thirty containers? That's not a small order. But I didn't hesitate and said, "No problem, we can take orders at any time."

To be honest, I also thought he was just asking casually at the time. After all, back then, a client with a stable weekly volume of thirty containers was very rare, and I had already mentally prepared myself for yet another empty conversation.

Little did I know, a few days later, I really received an email from him. He called me and said, "I’ve sent you dozens of emails, each one is an order for a container. You can start picking them up and give it a try."

I answered the phone while opening my email, and sure enough, a flood of order emails came pouring in, densely packed. I was momentarily stunned; was it really raining pies from the sky? But I quickly steadied my emotions, immediately began mobilizing my system, arranging order processing, coordinating with the shipping containers, and adjusting the workflow.

During that time, I worked more than sixteen hours a day almost every day. I personally monitored the quoting system, transportation routes, customs documentation, and even went back to write code to optimize system parameters. Fortunately, the system I had built over the past ten years finally came in handy. From customer orders, inventory accounting, price calculations to shipping arrangements and customs documents, I managed to handle a workload that would typically require a large team, using just an old laptop.

After multiple revisions and upgrades to the system, it has finally become the intelligent, efficient, and precise logistics system we have today. The working hours have been greatly reduced, allowing me more time to update and upgrade the system.

All of this seems like a continuation of fate.

In July 2013, it was not only the beginning of my engagement with a major client but also the moment when my intelligent logistics system truly came to life in practice. Since then, I have not actively submitted a single job application, nor have I felt anxious about "whether I can make it."

That period of being "too outstanding to be rejected" in my job search experience was actually a kind of training for me. It made me clearer about who I am, what I am suited for, and which path I should take.

I still remember that in 2005, when I established the first QR code inventory warehouse system in Sydney, almost no one understood what I was talking about. At that time, Taobao was just starting out, and I was already managing real-time inventory with a webpage; many people were still using Nokia phones to read text messages, while I had already begun using cloud email to forward system emails and scanning QR codes for automatic customs declaration.

In 2008, when I first used the presentation system, even the clients were taken aback, thinking it was the R&D system of a listed company. In fact, it was something I had developed over a few weeks in my own bedroom.

So when this major client finally came on board in 2013, everything just fell into place naturally.

Some people say that what entrepreneurs fear the most is "reaching the end." But I believe that as long as you are willing to keep going, even if the direction is temporarily unclear and even if there is no one beside you, the path will be forged.

In 2012, I experienced confusion, disappointment, and those moments in the deep of night when I asked myself, "Should I give up?" But looking back today, it was that year that truly made me see—I wasn't abandoned by the world; I had simply gone too far, and the world just hadn't caught up yet.

Source: https://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696738