(Editor's Note: Yang Ya-Ching changed her name to Flower Ya-Ching in 2020)

It's probably most appropriate for me to share my older sister's career journey, as I doubt anyone outside our family understands her this well.

"I've never seen someone love their job this much," is what my family and I think about my second sister, Ya-Ching. A few years ago, she graduated as the top student in the HR program at Taiwan Tech's Graduate Business School, but her job search hit wall after wall. Companies like Acer, Taiwan Cement, and HTC—about ten major corporations in total—rejected her, many even reaching the second round where she had to film videos and give presentations. I even used my own media background to help give advice and film videos, but these companies still turned her down. She lost confidence, becoming increasingly dejected and lost, until she interviewed at Sinyi Realty.

"The interviewers gave me the feeling that they were willing to wait for me." Because she had just graduated with no experience, and nearly 10 companies had rejected her, she was actually terrified of interviews. But when she interviewed at Sinyi Realty, Ya-Ching said, "They asked questions with real depth—questions that required thinking before answering. They wanted to understand my perspective." Unlike other companies that only wanted to know if I could be useful immediately and how I'd keep up without experience, "even when I said HR was a very specialized field, the manager actually laughed." The laughter wasn't because they found her cute or earnest, but because they thought, "How is HR even considered a profession?" The manager was belittling their own department, which made Ya-Ching feel very uncomfortable.

But when she shared the same sentiment with Sinyi Realty's interviewers, they nodded in agreement. At that moment, Ya-Ching felt validated. Their values aligned so well, and they didn't care that she lacked work experience—they valued personal qualities instead. Like me, my sister got into a national graduate program through the evening division, except hers was through the vocational system. "I felt like Sinyi saw me—the effort and drive during this whole process," and it was because of this difference that Ya-Ching was eager to join the company right after the interview.

That year, she began working as an HR specialist managing the attendance of five thousand sales agents. I happened to be studying abroad in Korea at the time. By the end of that year, I remember she received a small bonus because "her hard work was recognized." I thought that was quite special at the time. Getting a bonus and certificate after only six months of work, and even having to lead group dances at the store manager's monthly meeting—it seemed the company truly saw her performance.

After I returned home, my older sister often mentioned that Ya-Ching really loves her job. Our family lives near Danfeng MRT Station in Xinzhuang, while her company is across from Taipei 101—essentially at the start and end of the Taipei Metro line. The commute is about an hour each way, so two hours total. With official work starting at 8:30 AM, many people under such a long commute might just barely make it on time, but Ya-Ching wakes up at 6 AM, arrives at the office around 8 AM, finishes breakfast, gets organized, and then starts working seriously at 8:30 AM without any fooling around. As someone lazy about commuting, I would have given up after two months, but she maintained this routine for about three years.

We all found it strange at the time—why be so diligent? She said "because the 'senior' does it this way." In your first job, your supervisor's work attitude and standards definitely influence your own actions. So she used the "senior" as her role model. But the term "senior" piqued our curiosity—does the company have a serious seniority system? However, after calling the office many times to find her, I discovered that employees call each other "senior" or "senior colleague" regardless of who they are—there's no "junior" or hierarchical language. It's mutual respect. Even when they encounter the chairman, everyone calls him "Mr. Zhou."

As a specialist, Ya-Ching once reported directly to "Mr. Zhou," but what left a deep impression was that her report had some blind spots. "Mr. Zhou" didn't directly point them out in the meeting and demand corrections. Instead, he asked her what she thought about the issue, why she felt that way, and how it could be adjusted. He guided her to see the blind spots herself, letting her figure it out rather than killing employee initiatives at the start or blocking development. Instead, it was two-way communication, pushing both toward better outcomes. Of course, these stories make people think Sinyi is a great company, but this still doesn't fully show how much Ya-Ching loves her job.

Let me give an example that still seems outrageous to me. One evening before bed, I walked into her room and saw a green-covered book on her desk with bookmarks. Out of curiosity, I flipped it open and looked at the cover: "Trust Brings New Happiness—The Story of Sinyi Realty." Just seeing the title, I was floored. How could someone read a book about their company at home after work? And on top of that, the chairman's autobiography. I picked up the book to tease my sister, and she seriously replied, "No, I'm just reviewing!" "Reviewing?" Turns out she wasn't just reading the autobiography—she was reading it for the second time. I was completely defeated.

(Below: This April, she read the chairman's second book...)

Then there was the "Rookie Goes Big" recruitment event the company held a couple years ago, asking applicants to watch a movie, with someone dressed as a large bird mascot in front acting as the rookie. Many people would decline, thinking it was silly, but she excitedly took the job, saying she wanted to contribute to the company. On her way home, I asked why the company didn't hire a model for a better appearance, and she said it was because of budget constraints. Then she seriously said, "If I go on a diet and become the model myself, the company won't have to spend money!" After hearing that, I had another moment of "how can someone love their job this much?"

I believe that aside from her being naturally stable, the company also gave her space to develop and preserved her individual qualities. Whether in training, company philosophy, or values cultivation, they follow the principle of appreciating talent and retaining it through care. From my observations, I've never heard her say a single criticism about the company. In this "disillusioned generation," people who don't complain about their company are rare, and finding a good company is precious.

(Photo: Ya-Ching and colleagues leading dances at the monthly meeting)

Usually, people who've worked in offices long enough get lazy about going out, but a year ago, my sister had the opportunity to transition to the sales unit as a real estate agent. However, Ya-Ching wasn't a real estate professional, so she hesitated a lot before switching, even though the company would retrain her. The longer work hours and need to relocate closer to her branch kept her thinking for a long time, because in her 30 years, she'd never lived away from home for an extended period.

Housework like cooking, taking out trash, laundry, dishes, and cleaning the bathroom—she'd have to handle everything herself after moving out. Additionally, my sister is naturally shy and not used to how people perceive her changing from "a person" to "a real estate agent," developing a defensive mentality. Real estate also requires sales skills, negotiation, and mediation—all of which gave her a tough time during her initial transition to sales.

With all the pressure and sales targets, she was under tremendous stress. We often heard she cried at the branch, and she hated going to empty properties alone because she had some mild claustrophobia. All of this went against her naturally easygoing and stable personality. However, the growing pains of stepping outside her comfort zone were partly why she wanted to transition to sales in the first place—to force herself to grow.

(Photo: Just transitioning to sales, struggling to adjust, yet persevering)

(Below: Each conversation is an opportunity)

At that time, she described it as, "Just treat it like I'm going abroad to language school!" Because of the job and environmental changes, her personality had to adapt too. Though she had countless moments wanting to give up, her supervisors were always by her side, giving encouragement, helping when things went wrong, and genuinely caring about her emotionally. They supported her on a personal level, unlike many companies that just want employees to catch up quickly without dragging everyone down.

Eventually, after some self-reflection, she set a goal to get promoted and win an award. She started visiting every household in her territory door-to-door every day, organized detailed visit records, sent out hundreds of self-introduction letters, and tackled this challenging job with utmost dedication, treating her work as a business to build. Just six months later, she won the "Rookie Award," an honor only available to agents within their first two years in sales—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Note: In Ya-Ching's territory, no one had won the Rookie Award for four years.

(Photo: Door-to-door visits)

(Below: Asking security to let her post promotional materials)

Of course, she maintained her love for the company. When I work on news pieces, I sometimes need to ask her about housing prices. One day I asked her about "actual price registration" and where to find the information. She gave me a website, and then I asked, "So the prices on there are definitely real?" She said she wasn't completely sure, "But if you buy through Sinyi Realty, it definitely is!" I asked again, stunned, "So you're advertising?" My sister seriously replied, "No! It's real! Ours are all real." Oh my goodness, I was just trying to joke—don't take it so seriously!

(Below: After winning the Rookie Award, she was invited to many branches to share her story.)

Later, at the Rookie Award ceremony, she was no longer the shy young girl leading group dances, but stood on stage at the monthly meeting, sharing her story with thousands of more senior agents. She even caught the attention of managers from other branches who invited her to share this life experience with their sales teams, expressing their appreciation with "palms down" recognition.

(Photo: The Rookie Award trophy)

Now, after a year in sales, beyond her growth, she also wanted to save money to help her mom move to an elevator building. While it's too early to say if she'll achieve that goal, her desire to help her family, her love for her work, and the way she builds her career as a long-term business—from administrative HR to front-line specialist, navigating through confusion to find her place in her profession—speaks volumes.

(Below: The longer you do it, the more you understand the life meaning a job brings)