After returning to the past, Lee Hyun-woo was gradually turning his imagination into reality.
At first, there were doubts.
Would there be limitations with a small development team?
However, when 【Single】 first started the mobile operating system ‘Droid’, there were only four people.
The development team later grew by a few more, but it still didn’t reach ten people.
The same went for the free email service.
There were concerns about the limits of servers and equipment, but they overcame all the server downtime challenges.
Therefore, he believed they could also accomplish the MP3 project.
Naturally, he had to keep an eye on the development speed.
‘By the way, initially, we were supposed to announce the idea and start simultaneously with the building relocation. Why has the situation unfolded this way?’
Perhaps it had something to do with the team leaders’ passion.
Here, Lee Hyun-woo realized once again.
The fact that overworking subordinates and making them stay longer at the company doesn’t increase work efficiency.
Instead, he confirmed the truth that it’s better to explode energy in a short amount of time.
That’s why he made a bombshell announcement during a meeting with the team leaders the next day.
“From now on, our company will implement a five-day workweek.”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
An endless array of exclamation marks spread across the faces of the team leaders.
It was understandable because they couldn’t even imagine how much change would occur if the five-day workweek, which only benefited those who worked at night, was expanded.
“Naturally, night shifts will be reduced from five days to four days a week. Just to ease your worries, there will be no change in salary.”
“Ah… No, CEO. It’s good for us, but are you sure it’ll be okay?”
“There’s no reason it wouldn’t be. The company is currently experiencing explosive growth. Moreover, the development team hasn’t even split yet, and the team leaders are already proposing ideas and dedicating themselves to research. They’re surely working on it from home.”
The team leaders were momentarily speechless.
Seeing that they didn’t deny it, Lee Hyun-woo’s guess seemed to be accurate.
“And if gaps appear here and there, we can hire more people. As you know, this time, we have an overwhelming number of applicants. Let’s think of it as an opportunity to secure even more outstanding developers.”
For reference, this is Jungle’s first public recruitment, and email applications are accepted until today.
Applications not submitted via email are not accepted.
This means they want to exclude people who can’t handle computers.
As the era increasingly centers around computers, the idea of learning after joining is unimaginable in a thriving IT company.
It’s akin to hiring someone who can’t speak a foreign language for an overseas branch.
“The interview is not far off. I’ll only observe this time, so please select candidates who match your preferences. Keep in mind, your choices will influence the team for years to come. Choose wisely.”
Seeing the team leaders nod cautiously, Lee Hyun-woo smiled gently.
‘With such a warning, they won’t pick just anyone during the interview, right?’
A few days later, Woo Sang-won conducted the first interview for his team, and Lee Hyun-woo, who observed, could hear the extremely tough questions firsthand.
“Recently, online auctions, shopping, and portal sites are emerging continuously. Those of you here could have applied to those places. Please tell us why you chose to apply to 【Jungle】 specifically. You have 30 seconds each.”
Despite having seen and heard Lee Hyun-woo’s freewheeling interview style, Woo Sang-won conducted a very formal interview.
Lee Hyun-woo thought this wasn’t bad either.
If all developers pursued the same style, wouldn’t that be more uniform?
Therefore, he was curious about the people’s answers.
Most gave standardized responses.
“【Jungle】 is a place that has set the standard for information and communication companies in Korea. I couldn’t not choose it.”
“Other places still seem haphazard, so I applied to 【Jungle】.”
“Honestly, I heard that the working environment and conditions at 【Jungle】 are the best in the industry.”
A few interviewees were a bit different.
One answer, in particular, made Woo Sang-won’s eyes widen.
“I noticed something lacking at 【Jungle】. If I join, I’d like to improve it.”
Even though it was a short answer, it captivated both the CEO and the team leader, making them want to give high marks just for that.
Naturally, that candidate had to be asked more questions before those who gave ordinary answers.
“Can you tell us what you found lacking right here?”
“Of course. But rather than explaining, I’d like to show you. Is that possible?”
This meant he had prepared something.
Lee Hyun-woo smirked and looked at Woo Sang-won, who had asked the question.
The decision was naturally his.
The issue was if they gave this opportunity to the interviewee, Goo Ja-sung, they’d have to give it to others as well, requiring careful thought.
Woo Sang-won’s decision was quick.
“Convince me with words. I won’t fail to understand. Then, if you make it to the final list after all interviews, I’ll see what you prepared.”
This meant that if he couldn’t persuade with words, they wouldn’t see it.
Interviewee Goo Ja-sung, seemingly prepared, didn’t hesitate.
“I think having games would be good.”
“Games?”
“Not complicated ones, but very simple ones like Minesweeper. If such games were available on the portal, it would bring more joy to many people.”
“Not bad. So, what you were going to show me, is it a game?”
“Yes, it is.”
“I’m curious. But I’ll restrain myself and hear just that. Next person.”
Lee Hyun-woo liked Woo Sang-won’s cold, precise approach.
When drawing a line, he didn’t deviate from it.
Compared to other team leaders, he seemed less creative but looked like someone who could bring structure to the otherwise freewheeling Jungle.
Also, the game idea from Goo Ja-sung was something he wanted to adopt no matter what.
‘If it were me, I’d pick Goo Ja-sung. But I’m not sure about Woo Sang-won.’
Curious but refraining from asking after the interview, Lee Hyun-woo didn’t want to seem intrusive.
Should he call it luck?
Or did Woo Sang-won notice the question marks on Lee Hyun-woo’s face?
Before leaving for the day, Woo Sang-won approached and said:
“There was an interviewee named Goo Ja-sung earlier. Do you remember? The one who talked about games.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“I’m going to hire him. I’m too curious about what game he has. And besides curiosity, he clearly stated what our portal needs. It would be a waste to send him elsewhere.”
“The decision is yours, Team Leader Woo. I also liked him.”
“Then I’ll contact him right away.”
“Go ahead. Are there others you’re planning to hire?”
“Yes, I’ll contact them too.”
This interview method was quite unique.
First, interview candidates were selected via email. Lee Hyun-woo and all team leaders discussed this step.
Second, they took turns interviewing the candidates. Interestingly, all team leaders conceded the first turn to Woo Sang-won.
Third, the team leader who interviewed first chose candidates, and the remaining ones were selected by the second, third, and fourth team leaders. If a candidate remained unchosen until the end, they were considered failed.
This interview method was structured by Lee Hyun-woo, with additional ideas from others to complement it.
Lee Hyun-woo had lived a previous life.
He believed that no interview could be perfect.
Therefore, using the same interview method every time didn’t make sense.
If job seekers knew about it and prepared in advance, they could only give uniform answers.
Thus, Lee Hyun-woo concluded that it was better to use fresh interview methods to select talent, even if a bit lacking.
“But I’m taking all the good talents, which puts other team leaders at a disadvantage. Tomorrow it’s Team Leader Jang’s turn, followed by Team Leader Lee, and then Team Leader Oh.”
“If there’s a similar opportunity, we can reverse the order next time. Don’t worry too much.”
That might explain why Woo Sang-won was more cautious.
Judging by the questions, it seemed he was more focused on picking people essential to the team, rather than impulsively hiring anyone.
‘I’m curious how the other team leaders will handle it.’
Fortunately, there wasn’t long to wait.
The next day, Jang Yoo-chul showed off his style without reservation.
“Does anyone here like music?”
This was his question before the interviewees even introduced themselves.
Even Lee Hyun-woo, who had seen him all year, didn’t expect this approach, but on reflection, it was very Jang Yoo-chul’s style.
Unlike other team leaders, he is very emotional.
‘Well, I’ve been diligently interviewing candidates myself. Was there even a need?’
Watching the interviews over two days, each person interprets it their way and selects accordingly.
Eventually, he even threw in this remark.
“I consider myself lucky. If I hadn’t worked at 【Jungle】, I’d be a university student on a break. Meeting the CEO and gaining valuable experience and opportunities just shows my luck. If I tried joining after 【Jungle】 had established itself, I probably wouldn’t have passed. In that sense, I’d like to say to all of you: Even if things don’t work out here, seize opportunities at the emerging internet-based companies. Who knows? You might be as lucky as me, growing with a company from the ground up.”
Naturally, the interviewees were confused by this different approach compared to the previous day’s sharp interviewer.
Watching this, Lee Hyun-woo had a face that couldn’t hide his amusement.
‘This isn’t bad either.’
Four team leaders, four different methods, increasing the likelihood of selecting diverse talents.
But Lee Hyun-woo was once again surprised by Jang Yoo-chul’s unexpected choice.
After the interviews, Jang Yoo-chul’s chosen candidates weren’t those who gave the most satisfactory answers.
His reason was astonishing.
“Some people seemed better suited for data storage technology. There’s no need for me to bring them. They’ll have better opportunities with Team Leader Lee and Team Leader Oh.”
“But wouldn’t it be better if you brought them? Even if their focus is different, MP3 also needs compression technology.”
“That’s already implemented.”
“Oh, really? Already?”
“I told you we’ve been working on it. Especially with recent joint efforts with Team Leader Woo, the speed has increased. You’ll see it by the end of the month.”
Not only was he impressed with Jang Yoo-chul’s forward-thinking approach to selecting candidates, but he was also excited to hear that the MP3 project was progressing quickly.
‘This might all come together perfectly.’
