Lulu caught up with four senior year Chinese students to find out how they feel about their prospects. Lixing Xie, Zhiyong Xu, Tao Lu, and Linxi Chen will complete their first degrees from elite Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong province this year. The university was founded by former Chinese President Sun Yat-sen and is ranked eighth in the country.

Lixing Xie

Lixing Xie is from Zhongshan, Guangdong province. He wants to be a civil servant, and is still hunting for a job. He turned down an offer from UnionPay, the only domestic credit card company in China.

So, how hard is it to find a job at the moment?

Particularly tough. But that doesn’t mean everyone finds it hard... many students have lowered their expectations, which helped them get hired for less ideal positions. Popular sectors [such as financial services] are extremely hard to get into... but other sectors are more resilient to the financial crisis.

How many jobs have you applied for?

Five.

What's the worst job you've applied for?

A job at a real estate firm. I wasn’t even interested in... and I knew I wouldn’t like it.

What's the craziest thing people will do to get a job?

Spending hours preparing for interviews, sending CVs like crazy: 100 applications a day for ten days in a row.

If you don't find anything what are you going to do?

Buy the lottery every day. Start my own business.

Do you hate anyone who does get a job?

I hate those opportunistic people who found a job simply because of good luck.

How desperate are you?

I’m not.

Zhiyong Xu

Xu is from Shenzhen, Guangdong province. He’s joined the Shenzhen Traffic Police after passing several rounds of selection.

So, how hard is it to find a job at the moment?

It’s very hard if you’re not truly outstanding or if you don’t have personal contacts.

How many have you applied for?

Three.

What's the worst job you've applied for?

At a human resources company. I didn’t like the position and the company was very small.

What's the craziest thing people will do to get a job?

I heard that some female students have tried sexual bribery.

If you don't find anything what are you going to do?

Stay at home and wait.

How desperate are you?

Not at all.

Tao Lu
Lu is from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. He landed a job in a medium-sized liquefied gas company.

So, how hard is it to find a job at the moment?

Extremely hard. Many of my friends haven’t found jobs. You almost never get replies by applying online. The positions on offer at career fairs are really bad [low salaries]. It’s not really worth going to career fairs.

How many jobs have you applied for?

I interviewed at four to five firms and applied for dozens of positions.

What's the worst job you've applied for?

A position at a company selling dishwashers. The monthly salary was only 1300 Yuan (US$190), which is equivalent to a low-income waiter.

What's the craziest thing people will do to get a job?

I’ve seen job-seekers having fights with interviewers, arguing that the standards are too high and most graduates from non-elite universities don’t stand a chance.

If you don't find anything what are you going to do?

Go back home for farming.

Do you hate anyone who does get a job?

I hate myself most for not getting recognized for my talents and unable to get hired.

How desperate are you?

I smoke too many cigarettes. One pack of cigarettes used to last for several months but now it only lasts me a week.

Linxi Chen

Chen is from Jiangsu province. He hasn’t been looking for a job and recently gained admission to Fordham University in New York City to study international political economy.

Do you resent people with jobs?

My friend has found his job and asks us to hang out with him all the time. But people like us who have not found jobs… really are not in the mood for chilling.