CAREER BUILDER - ON CRI
Whilst most of the enterprises have finished their campus recruitment, the graduate employment has become one of the most popular topics in the current recruitment market. With the release of Recruitment Insider Q2 Report, RMG has specifically focused on the Problems of Graduates’ Employment.
- When it comes to the starting salary level of new graduates, how big of a difference does their education level make?
- The survey result from RMG’s latest Recruitment Insider Q2 Report suggests that the starting salaries for new graduates have remained in accordance with their education level. 47.4% of bachelor graduates could only get monthly incomes from 3k-5k, while only 22.2%/17.5% of master/PhD graduates were getting this amount of commencing salary.
- In the 2015 China campus recruitment, most of the graduates with PhD degree could get a starting salary level from 8k-10k, and 40%-50% of Master graduates can get a salary from 5k – 8k. Not surprisingly, it is true that the higher education background you get, the better chance you will get a higher starting salary.
- So does it means the individuals with higher education level could always get better jobs for granted?
- According to our survey result, the top 2 aspects of candidates valued by employers are Professional Knowledge/Skill (64%) and Communication Skill (48%). These are the two factors that really differentiate you from other candidates when you are applying your first job as a new graduate.
- People do business with people they like, this will always remain unchanged. It’s fair and reasonable for people to have expectations about their starting income that will match their education level. However, since the increasing amount of majors we have today as well as the declining difficulty of getting high levels of education, there is a trend for employers to emphasize more on job seekers’ skill and working competency and less about the education background.
- There is a limited amount of job categories which are truly requiring a really solid education background. Frequently, people with higher education backgrounds often end up in an awkward position because of their over qualification for most of the job opportunities.
- What should the graduates with relatively lower education level do to acquire better career development in China job market?
- Make your campus life count. A diploma from higher education might be a guarantee for specific knowledge in a major, but it is also significant how the students spend their time during the study. This actually makes huge difference! Use your spare times on gaining relevant experience that could be helpful for your later career, such as taking internships, managing a project or getting a higher academic performance. Those are the experiences you MUST have to justify your ability and future behavior with authentic facts.
- Work HARD to gain your own future. Companies in China are likely to pay new graduates a relatively lower starting salary, yet you are often given the opportunity to demonstrate what you are capable of and whether you deserve a more important role. Go prove it if you think you are qualified for a better career development. In return, those young professions who have proven themselves will also end up with much higher salary raises.
- Always be confident. An attitude that is neither too humble nor too pushy is also essential or job interviews.
- What other suggestions would you give to the new Chinese graduates for their career development?
- Lower your expectations. No one could get a dream job without any relevant working experience. As a rookie, you need to go through the necessary dark days to steel yourself to get to the light at the end of the tunnel.
- Be Prepared! Doing your research to your interview company and the job you are applying for. It is important to find if there is truly a fit between you and the company you intend to apply.
- Persistency is always a key element for everyone’s success. I had 10 interviews until I got my first internship, and I am convinced it isn’t unusual for any of the young graduate to spend a long time before getting their first desirable job.
- Give up the idea of pursuing a higher degree of learning if you are doing that for the sake of a better starting income. But do not hesitate to keep on studying if you are pursuing better education background for the aim of learning more in your field.