Warum wurde ich nach einer Empfehlung durch einen Alumni angenommen, obwohl ich 300 Bewerbungen auf der Jobbörse abgeschickt habe?

36Kr's "Career Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)

On the recruitment side of the talent market, an unspoken truth is that most companies have their own preferences for certain universities when selecting candidates.

On the one hand, companies value the common characteristics of students from certain universities, and many universities also have their own specialty majors. On the other hand, the alumni relationship is a label with a bonding nature. In the article "Following Them, Holding Up Half of China's Chip Industry | Talent Map Series", "Career Bonus" once mentioned this kind of alumni culture of "mentoring and passing on".

However, we are surprised to find that among domestic students, not all top - tier universities have the habit of maintaining a close - knit alumni circle. In most Chinese universities, the bond among students from the same school almost fades away the moment they leave the campus. After becoming real members of society, the key to social interaction has long changed from "Which university are you from?" to "You also worked in this company before?"

In an environment where employment is under pressure, alumni resources deserve to be taken more seriously. Having one more channel to expand one's network often leads to unexpected information gaps and opportunities.

Meeting Alumni at a Cocktail Party ╱ 01

Global Talent with an Understanding of China and a Global Perspective ╱ 02

Incorporating Innovative Self - Marketing into Job - Hunting ╱ 03

Meeting Alumni at a Cocktail Party

Chen Longyi once studied law at Communication University of China. After graduating and entering society for two years, he worked in the drama business department of a well - known long - form video platform.

He was excited to come to the event after seeing the notice in the alumni group. At the bar and by the floor - to - ceiling windows on the 23rd floor of Vanke Metropolitan NAVA, he met his senior schoolmate Ding Xiaoyin. During the free - exchange session at the cocktail party, they talked about the alumni stories of Communication University of China and their experiences in overseas film and television distribution. After the pleasant conversation, they exchanged contact information.

Roselle and Wang Yutong, both graduates of Beijing Language and Culture University, were strangers before. When they mentioned their alma mater, the sense of distance between them disappeared instantly. Wang Yutong shared that she once gave up a 985 - level university and chose Beijing Language and Culture University due to insufficient understanding of the university information, but unexpectedly, she gained an environment for free development and a group of kind and lovely teachers and classmates. Roselle deeply agreed with her. "The alumni from Beijing Language and Culture University are of good quality," she often unexpectedly finds her alumni among the guests on stage at various events.

"Most of the time, we lack such a bridge. We can only work hard on our own and recognize each other at the peak," she joked. "It would be great if we could have met earlier."

In China, the lack of alumni interaction is not just the regret and blind spot of students from a single university. A recent survey by the Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily (involving 1,146 people) shows that many interviewed students said they have little impression of their alma mater and even think that their relationship with the university is "just a transaction."

Alumni activities in China are very similar. They mostly take the form of meetings, are led by the school, and have a one - way output.

Meanwhile, most alumni rely on departmental/local branches, and the online system is in name only. There is even less in - depth service for introducing alumni resources offline.

"This cocktail party has a refreshing form," said Roselle, who once went to Europe for further studies. She told "Career Bonus" that alumni activities in European and American universities are more diverse. For example, Cornell University invited two industry - leading alumni who won Emmy Awards in March 2023 [1] to carry out a two - day "Unplugged Art" series of activities to give back to teaching.

Special session settings in the "Unplugged Art" series of activities:

1. Hold a "From Fame to the Red Carpet" themed speech to analyze the core role of producers and share nearly 40 years of industry practical skills;

2. Set up a "Red Carpet Reception" to provide opportunities for selfies with Emmy trophies and face - to - face communication to narrow the gap between students and industry leaders;

3. Screen their representative works and hold a Q&A session. Ferguson specifically mentioned that Cornell's Roman history course helped him understand the power - game theme in "Succession".

AI may bring information equality, but in reality, networking still creates resource differences among professionals. Making good use of alumni resources can also provide an alternative way for job - hunting. In a previous report of "Career Bonus", there was a practitioner in the AI field who never let his resume enter the job market in decades. He only got job opportunities through referrals from his senior and junior schoolmates.

[1] Two industry - leading alumni: They refer to Scott Ferguson (Class of 1982), the producer of HBO's "Succession", and Michael Kantor (Class of 1983), the executive producer of PBS's "American Masters" series.

Global Talent with an Understanding of China and a Global Perspective

● What are the booming overseas - expansion sectors in the eyes of headhunters?

Jason from the headhunting company CGL is an outstanding alumnus of Renmin University of China. His years of work experience have given him unique insights into the direction of overseas - expansion talent.

From the perspective of a headhunter, Jason found that the shift of enterprise locations from foreign - owned enterprises to overseas - expansion enterprises has always provided opportunities for more people. Many years ago, enterprises such as IBM and Coca - Cola entered China and offered high - paying jobs to a large number of excellent talents. Now, from traditional energy giants like PetroChina to emerging Internet companies like Xiaohongshu, emerging overseas - expansion enterprises are attracting more domestic talents with both language and skill abilities.

As a headhunter, Jason suggests that language - major students learn a second foreign language to increase their competitiveness in the global market. Language - major students don't need to worry about being replaced by AI. AI can only do basic translation, but it won't surpass humans in understanding the context and semantics of language for a long time.

It is worth mentioning that for professionals who are interested in overseas expansion, following large - scale enterprises (especially those backed by the state) may provide more reliable support and guarantee. In PetroChina's overseas project, a group of R & D personnel were sent to work in Algiers, the capital of Algeria in North Africa. Although it sounded a bit risky, 30 PetroChina employees successfully joined the project and were transported there by a special plane. They were also protected by the military after arriving.

36Kr's "Career Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)

Besides finding the right company, finding the right industry is even more important for overseas expansion.

There is a strong demand for overseas - expansion talent in fields such as new energy, e - commerce, and intelligent manufacturing. Among them, e - commerce benefits from the tariff reduction under RCEP and the digital dividend in Southeast Asia. In the first half of 2024, the newly issued overseas - expansion job positions in the e - commerce industry accounted for 13.13%, ranking first among all industries [2].

As enterprises shift from simple export to "localized operation", they need compound - type talents with technology, compliance, and market knowledge. For example, when SHEIN established a local team in Southeast Asia, it required candidates to be familiar with local payment habits and religious cultures and have experience in supply - chain digitization.

"Our overseas expansion should be based on the understanding of China and a global perspective," Jason believes. Overseas expansion is not only a means for enterprises to expand their markets but also a new opportunity for talent development. "In this era full of opportunities, each of us should bravely take that step to embrace change and new opportunities."

[2] According to the "2024 Recruitment Demand Report for Overseas - Expansion Talent of Digital Technology Enterprises" released by Lagou Recruitment, in the first half of 2024, the newly issued job positions in the overseas market of the digital technology industry accounted for 1.75%, a year - on - year increase of 43.97% compared with the same period in 2023. In terms of the industries of the newly added recruitment positions, the e - commerce industry had the highest proportion of newly issued job positions, reaching 13.13%. In addition, intelligent manufacturing, short - video, gaming, and new - energy vehicles are also industries with strong overseas - expansion - related recruitment demands.

● Cultural adaptation for overseas expansion: Have a global perspective and be yourself

"I may be one of the few 80s - born people who don't like to prepare PPTs. However, I think it's also a good thing to inspire young people by sincerely sharing my personal experiences," said Ding Xiaoyin, an alumnus of Communication University of China, who has the casualness and frankness of a film and television practitioner.

As someone who has worked in a pure foreign - owned enterprise for some time, Ding Xiaoyin was far from the core business at the beginning of her career and even never met her colleagues from other regions. When she first started working, due to company restrictions, she didn't have the opportunity to travel on business for the first two years. Later, when a new CEO took office, she was sent to the United States on a business trip, but the CFO gave her a very low budget for the air ticket, which meant she had to make multiple transfers during the journey.

But after that business trip, Ding Xiaoyin's career got better and better. "At that moment, I realized that we are no worse than others. In foreign - owned enterprises, as long as you have the ability, being yourself will make you more popular. They won't discriminate against you because of your race."

Although she had a tough time, during her years in a Hollywood film company, Ding Xiaoyin accumulated rich experience in film sales and distribution and witnessed the ups and downs of the international film market.

Around 2010, a group of co - produced films were made in China, such as "Iron Man 3" and "The Great Wall". Although these films didn't have good reviews and box - office results, they brought new opportunities to the Chinese film industry: a large amount of Chinese capital flowed into Hollywood.

Ding Xiaoyin graduated in 2014 when the Chinese film industry was at a critical development stage. With the rapid development of the Chinese film industry, she saw the great potential of Chinese films going overseas. In 2019, she left her job and started her own business, aiming to promote Chinese films to a broader international market.

36Kr's "Career Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)

At the beginning of her business, everything seemed to be going as planned, but the outbreak of the pandemic put traditional film distribution in trouble. Cinemas closed, and offline activities came to a halt. Ding Xiaoyin realized that she had to find a new breakthrough point.

At this time, online movies came into her sight. In 2020, she watched 600 online movies in a week, dug out the highlights and selling points of each film, and exported them overseas.

"Overseas - expansion entrepreneurship not only requires seizing opportunities but also daring to break through traditions." The success of online movies not only brought stable cash flow to the company but also laid a solid foundation for Ding Xiaoyin's subsequent entrepreneurial journey. In August of the same year, she took on the overseas distribution of the film "The Eight Hundred". Eventually, "The Eight Hundred" was screened in more than 20 countries and regions.

● Learn from Japan: The silver - haired economy and the health - care economy are future overseas - expansion trends

"The Japanese market presents both opportunities and challenges for Chinese enterprises," said Zhang Xingchen before starting his sharing. He first understood the audience's concerns about Japan. "There is a huge gap in the Japanese labor market, especially in 19 industries such as construction, IT, and accommodation." On the other hand, "Japanese society is relatively cautious about foreign immigrants and investments."

Zhang Xingchen, the executive director of the Renmin University of China Alumni Association in China and Japan, works for Beijing Zhongyi/E&K Co., Ltd., which focuses on real - estate development and operation in Japan. Its homestay brand "Chuan HOUSE" has an absolute leading position in the Kansai region and has formed extensive cooperation with Spring Airlines and local business associations. From the perspective of enterprise overseas expansion, he shared the overseas - expansion cases of companies like Heytea and Yang Guofu with the audience.

"Chinese enterprises need to fully consider cultural differences and the characteristics of the local market when going overseas, especially in a mature market like Japan that has experienced a complete economic cycle. They need to find their own positioning and development path."

36Kr's "Career Bonus" (ID: ZhiChangHongLi)

As an overseas Chinese who has achieved certain success, he believes that China can learn a lot from Japan's development experience in many aspects.

He thinks that in the future, China can refer to Japan's current situation: solidified industry profits, labor shortage, and a super - aging society. This also means a relatively certain market for enterprises and job - seekers, such as talent output based on the huge labor - market gap, upstream and downstream businesses related to the silver - haired economy, and the market guided by the national tourism policy. These are all highly certain opportunities, and he welcomes job - seekers interested in overseas expansion to Japan to pay attention and communicate.

● Overseas expansion has become a "red - ocean" market. Take the initiative in job - hunting

Although Roselle has relatively little work experience, she still firmly chose to join a cross - border company. For professionals like her, overseas expansion requires not only professional knowledge but also the spirit of active exploration and innovation.

After graduating from Beijing Language and Culture University, Roselle went to the south of France to complete her master's degree and then switched from the traditional financial industry to overseas - expansion business. Initially, she was responsible for cross -