Recently, Sina Education, one of the most visited Websites in China, has released a ranking of the Top 100 enterprises’ favorite universities for recruitment. Wuhan University, as the choice of 64 enterprises, ranked first among all the top universities in China.
WHU tops Sina Education’s ranking list
Due to the coming graduation season, job fairs and posters are everywhere on campus, and students in suits hold their CVs proudly at campus events. Let us take a closer look at them, and figure out why WHUers are preferred by so many employers.
Job Fairs
From March to May, over 600 enterprises have come to Wuhan University for their spring recruitment. Each week, over 10 recruitment talks were held on campus. On May 20th, the 2017 job fair for graduates was held in the Engineering Gymnasium, attracting students from different majors seeking their dream jobs.
Lo Jun is a student from the Economics and Management School. This is the third job fair he has participated in over the past two months. Each time he brought a folder with him which contained his personal profile (CV), individual works and interview schedule. On the schedule, he carefully marked the time and place of three coming interviews next week: one for a sales assistant position, one for an assistant customer executive position and one for an insurance agent position. Though they were different positions in an enterprise’s structure, they were all linked with Lo’s major— marketing.
Lo Jun carefully filling application forms at the job fair
“I always believe that the earlier one settles his career path, the quicker he will grow in the future. So I started my internship in the sales department of Media Group Co. Ltd., gained some experience in the field of marketing, and sent my job application to related positions.” Lo said. “For my first job, I wish to find a place where my capability will be enhanced, and as a new entrant, payment is not so important.”
One of the companies he applied for was the China Taiping Insurance Group Ltd. The human resources executive from China Taiping told us that every year they would come to WHU for their spring recruitment. In 2016, over 20% of their new employees came from Wuhan University, and all of them passed the probation appraisal. “Generally speaking, these youngsters performed well and learned fast. Some of them have participated in commercial competitions while in school, which helped them gain the general concept of business negotiation, customer management and team cooperation. These campus experiences made them stand out from other candidates,” said Miss Gu, the HR of China Taiping Insurance.
Students interviewed at the HR’s desk
Another company Lo applied for was China Life Insurance Co. Ltd. At their information desk, apart from economics majors like Lo Jun, students from various other majors also sent their applications. The HR from China Life Insurance seemed quite welcoming to this situation: “Last year we employed a student from the aquiculture major, which seemed so far away from the field of insurance. However, when we were dealing with a customer from the restaurant industry, he was able to perform a risk assessment on their import of seafood,” said Mr. Cheng. “Therefore, don’t confine yourself to your major. A diploma from Wuhan University already demonstrates advanced education and the capability of self-study. What you need now is to break the routine of campus life and try your best to show that you are suitable for the position,” Mr. Cheng gave his advice to the new graduates.
Teach For China attracted the attention of many
Besides big enterprises and stable jobs, some students also have their own choices for the future. At the job fair, a non-profit organization—Teach For China—has attracted the attention of many passersby. This organization aimed at providing teaching programs for children in China's rural areas, and was recruiting volunteers to teach in Yunnan, Gansu, Guangxi and some other provinces for at least one year. Wang Huixin, a student from the College of Life Sciences, has signed up for the program. When asked about whether the decision would conflict with her career plan, Wang said: “I think there are multiple ways for us youngsters to make contributions, and being a volunteer makes me feel the most valuable. Through the program I can gain unique experience with outstanding co-workers. Working in a poor condition may also foster my ability to deal with problems, which will be useful in my future career.”
Career Salon
On May 23rd, the first Wuhan University Career Salon was held in Wanlin Cafe. 40 students were carefully selected as participants, and given a chance to have a face-to-face talk with the guests. Zhao Suoze, director of the Marketing Office in the Wuhan University Career Development Center and Jiang Yanli, McDonald's Marketing Manager of Hubei and Shanxi Province attended the salon, providing advice to graduates on their career development and future choices.
Director Zhao Suoze and Manager Jiang Yanli are listening to students’ debate
The afternoon started with a debate: “Which is better for graduates, starting their own business or working as employees?” Six students from the Economics and Management School gave their opinions. “Starting a business is challenging but rewarding for new graduates. It gives us more freedom to build our career life out of our own interests,” said the first debtor. “Now that the government has launched a series of policies to support young entrepreneurs, it is worthwhile to put our ideas into practice.”
However, many agreed that finding a suitable position is better for new graduates: “As a freshman in society, new graduates lack the experience of running businesses and managing companies. According to the big data analysis, there is only a 5% success rate for graduates to run their own business. However, working in a mature company could be a shortcut for new-starters to learn about the industry, and plan for their own development in the future,” said the opponent debtor.
Students raising signs to show their opinions
In the end, Mr. Jiang Yanli, the Marketing Manager of McDonald’s shared his opinion. In his eyes, what matters most is not the choice but the action. Whether one chooses to start their own business or not, to achieve a successful career, they need the quality of both a leader and an employee: the creativity and passion as a business runner, and the patience and sense of responsibility as an employee. “Students from Wuhan University impressed me with their critical thinking and quick response. I am looking forward to their participation in our commercial teams,” said Mr. Jiang.
In the following session, Mr. Jiang made a brief introduction to McDonald’s corporate culture, staff training programs and recruiting plans. They wish to find the suitable students at the scene for McDonald’s management trainee programs.
“I really appreciate the opportunity to talk with enterprise managers and learn about how their companies work. I wish there will be more chances like this in the future,” said Li Mingyu, a student of the audience salon.
The event was held by Wuhan University Career Development Center, an institution set up to offer students guidance on job application and career development. Each week they spread information on internship recruitment, employment ads and enterprises’ campus talks. This was the first time that they used the form of salon to bring students and managers together for direct communication.
photo by Shi Weimin
source: http://edu.sina.com.cn/gaokao/2017-02-01/doc-ifxzuswq2924288.shtml
Edited by Liu Li, Edmund Wai Man Lai & Hu Sijia
