Since August, Emma Li has sent 300 job applications to companies in China. She has had four interviews.
The 26-year-old, who will graduate from one of the top business schools in Europe next year, has struggled to find a job that meets her expectations during the “golden fall” recruitment period in China’s labour market, lasting from September to the end of the year.
She sometimes missed calls from recruitment managers back home – complications caused by the time difference and jet lag while in Paris.
In another clear disadvantage, most firms she applied to no longer accept online interviews, as with the end of pandemic restrictions, companies now prefer to evaluate candidates in-person.
“College degrees have depreciated so much in China,” Li said. “And companies set high thresholds for fresh graduates to do rather simple work.”