Must have experience: impossible catch for pressured Chinese students seeking internships

Young Chinese hoping for a top job after graduation meet increasing competition and pitfalls on the way to building an eye-catching resume

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Published: 6:00am, 12 Sep 2024Updated: 7:51am, 15 Sep 2024

In the first of a four-part series on China’s universities and campus life, Alcott Wei investigates the fierce competition for intern placements that can make or break future employment prospects. To read the other stories in the series, click here.

David Ji’s internship ended before it had even started.

Ji, who is expected to graduate from university next year, had passed an interview for an internship at ByteDance, which owns TikTok and is one of the country’s top social media companies, but did not receive an offer.

When he contacted the company’s human resources department to ask why his recruitment process was halted in its system he was told the firm had cancelled the internship.

The 21-year-old, who was studying communication at a non-elite university in China, was surprised – and desperate. He had applied for the internship and secured interviews before the holiday season, but now his hopes were dashed.

“If you don’t intern, it will be very difficult for you to get a job at a big company later,” Ji said.

04:32

What is the gaokao? A look at China’s daunting university entrance exams

SCMP Series

China’s universities and campus life

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