On November 24, the 2017 Winter Career Fair for graduates was held in the new gymnasium of the Weijin Road Campus at Tianjin University. 298 enterprises from all over the country participated in the Career Fair, and nearly 5,000 graduates from Tianjin University and other universities and colleges came to apply for jobs.
This year, the number of enterprises registered for recruitment exceeded that of the same period of last year, and the number of private enterprises and small-and medium-sized enterprises also increased. Not only many central enterprises and key scientific research institutes like the China North Industries Group Corporation, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the China National Nuclear Corporation, the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, the China Railway Group Limited, the China FAW Group Corporation, the Tianjin Construction Engineering Group Corporation, and the National Supercomputing Center, but also some well-known foreign enterprises and technology-based private enterprises like Schneider Electric and Tianjin YiLike Energy Technology Development Co., Ltd participated in the Career Fair.
The number of 2017 graduates at Tianjin University is up to 8,761 so far, including 4,074 graduates with Bachelor’s degrees, 4,367 graduates with Master’s degrees, and 320 three-year College graduates. The large-scale Career Fair provided a two-way selection platform for many graduates and enterprises.
Tang Jingya, from the Career Center of Tianjin University, explained: "Comparing the number of recruitment positions of this year with that of last year, we find that there is no big change in enterprises’ recruitment demand. But more and more small- and medium-sized private enterprises are becoming enthusiastic about the career fairs. 1,075 companies have come to Tianjin University to hold recruitment lectures and job fairs since September.”
Xiao Shuhu, Director of the Career Center of Tianjin University, said in an interview: "As for the career choices related to the employment regions, the proportion of graduates choosing to work in China’s central and western regions has increased. Besides, Tianjin University is always encouraging its graduates to go to the places where China needs them most. At the same time, many students are gradually realizing that there are many great opportunities for achievement in China’s central and western regions.”
A graduate commented: "I am currently preparing for the national civil service exam. Today I also applied for some state-owned enterprises’ administrative job positions.” According to Wei Zhilong, a 2013 undergraduate student from School of Electronic Information Engineering at Tianjin University, “I was born and grew up in a rural area in Ningxia, and I clearly know how difficult the life is for people living in impoverished areas. So I’m eager to change the current situation of my homeland by virtue of my endeavors. Besides, I also hope to link my career with the country's overall development.”
In recent years, "the most difficult graduation season in history" often becomes the hot topic focused on by media during the employment season. To solve the problem, Xiao Shuhu said, “At present, China’s economic situation is gradually developing in a good direction, and the industrial structure is being constantly improved and upgraded. The overall number of college students is also increasing every year. If students can have comprehensive development and the quality of schools’ personnel training projects can be guaranteed, it’ll make these students more competitive in the job market. To a large extent, employment difficulty of college students is not exactly the problem of the difference between the demand and the supply, but a problem of ' matching job hunters and job positions'. The graduates can’t find a suitable job and the employers can’t find right students, which puts forward a new requirement for employment: taking target measures in employment services.
Rezak, a 2017 graduate from Xinjiang, came to the Career Fair to obtain some information related to recruitment and employment training. "This semester, I received a lot of special counseling, and the teachers from the Career Center of Tianjin University also gave me much personalized advice. Now I am confident I can find an ideal job.” he said.
In respect of the employment guidance, Tianjin University sticks to taking target measures to aid its students to find jobs. For example, the "Career-to-the-Future" Employment Competitiveness Enhancement Program, provides a series of group counseling sessions about ways of thinking about the workplace for its postgraduates, setting up the Cosmetic Etiquette Courses for female students, etc., are all beneficial to these graduates’ job hunting. In addition, Tianjin University also sets up a “Special Fund for Job Hunting”, which aims at giving students from poor families some necessary financial support.
