As I mentioned in part two, this third installment dives into my final interview at Diana, and why, despite passing, I chose not to take the job.

The Final Round

Having aced the IQ test and the interview with the marketing director, I found myself sitting across from CEO Đỗ Anh Tú—a figure no less prominent than the general director of Eurowindow’s real estate company, especially after his high-profile sale of 95% of Diana to Japan’s Unicharm last December.

My first impression of Mr. Tú was striking. He’s a slender man, around 50, but his fair complexion and graceful demeanor—both in conversation and body language—made him seem far younger. After a brief introduction, his opening question caught me off guard: “Are you someone who values discipline? Give me an example.”

A Conversation That Challenged Me

I rattled off examples of my disciplined habits, and he nodded thoughtfully. Then I mentioned my love for writing. He leaned in and warned that the brand executive role (I still don’t know the Vietnamese term for it) was far from glamorous. “It’s monotonous,” he said. “No room for writing or daydreaming. You might spend a week shuttling between the factory and the product team, filing reports. That’s it.” Undeterred, I insisted I was passionate about marketing. He raised an eyebrow and asked if I knew the 4Ps of traditional marketing. I nailed the first P—Product—but flubbed the other three spectacularly. He gave me a subtle, knowing smile, clasped his hands, and nodded. “Alright, I’ll give you a chance. You said you love writing, right? Tell me a story involving three characters: you, Nguyễn Phương Lâm, the interviewee; me, Đỗ Anh Tú, the CEO; and the marketing manager (whose name escapes me).”

That one stumped me, so I pivoted. Here are some other questions I recall:

• What subject were you best at in high school?
• If you were with a group at a busy intersection, how would you grab attention?
• Imagine your family has an orange orchard ready for harvest, but a massive rain is forecast tomorrow. Your home is near a raging river, and a flood could sweep the orchard away. How would you minimize the risk in just one day?

The Broken Pen Moment

The final exchange left a mark. He looked at me and said, “Someone as bright and creative as you would thrive at an advertising agency, not tied to a single product like ours. If you find a mentor willing to guide you for five to seven years, you’ll soar—quickly and brilliantly. But finding that mentor isn’t easy. Why do you want this job?”

I replied, “I’m fresh out of school. I want a stable place to grow, a big company where I can spread my wings and mature.”

He shook his head. “A job won’t make you mature. For that, your heart needs to be steady. Try yoga. A job just piles on pressure—like I’m doing to this pen. It doesn’t get stronger; it breaks.”

With that, he snapped the ballpoint pen in half right in front of me.

Reflections and Choices

This interview happened over a year ago, just after I left my first job at Afamily.vn. If you’re reading this and feel a pang of regret for my youthful naivety, I get it—I’ve felt that too. But who knows? Staying with Diana might not have given me the experiences I have now.

A mentor once told me before my Gameloft interview today: “Working together is about fate. If you don’t get the job, it’s not because you’re not good enough—it’s just not the right connection.”

Maybe Mr. Tú wasn’t the mentor I was meant to find.

P.S. Part four will dive into salary and related matters 🙂