Interns get a leg up in job hunt

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Candidates with internship experience during their college years have a distinct advantage among the 7 million graduates hunting for jobs.

"When we go through resumes, those who have internship experience are more attractive to us," said Liu Lei, human resources manager at Sensata Technologies in Jiangsu province.

Statistics provided by the Ministry of Education show job openings are down by 15 percent year-on-year.

By the end of May, usually the peak time for job offers, only 20 percent of graduates in Shanghai had received full-time offers. The rate was 40 percent in Beijing and 30 percent in Guangdong.

FESCO Adecco has been running internship programs in cooperation with the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League since 2010.

This year, there will be about 200 university students from Shaanxi province taking internships at call centers for two major State-owned commercial banks in Shanghai and Kunshan. The internship will last about six months and interns will probably be offered jobs when it is completed.

"If the students are not offered jobs after internships but still willing to look for jobs in Shanghai, we will introduce them to other companies. If they would like to go back to their hometowns, we will provide internship certificates co-authorized by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and the companies where they interned, as well as certificates provided by our company," said Yang Kai, director of the Business Process Outsourcing Center of FESCO Adecco.

"The call center is an emerging industry in China that has a large demand for employees. Fresh college graduates will have more chances to be given full-time job offers when an internship ends. It is the candidate's communication skills that call center employers stress the most. It does not matter which subject the candidate studied at university," he added.

As for the basic salary, the average for the students doing internships at the call centers is about 3,000 yuan ($500) per month. A bonus will be paid based on performance.

"College graduates nowadays seem to have a higher salary expectation which few jobs in the market can meet. But the salary of the internship positions we offer is quite competitive.Internships can give them the chance to know the society and themselves well. They can get to know how much they can be fairly paid," he said.

Wang Bo has just finished his six-month internship at the credit card center of a State-owned commercial bank in Shanghai.

"I will be working as a customer service representative at the center. The salary is also quite good, at about 4,000 yuan a month, which is way better than in my hometown Shaanxi," said Wang, who majored in marketing at Shaanxi Youth Vocational College.

About 200 students in Shaanxi applied for this internship program. Only 50 of them passed the interview and got the chance to intern in large organizations in Shanghai. About 20 of the students were given full-time job opportunities and decided to stay here.

Questions:

1. Liu Lei is the human resources manager at which company?

2. When is the usual peak time for job offers?

3. What is the basic salary for interns working at call centers?

Answers:

1. Sensata Technologies.

2. End of May.

3. 3,000 yuan a month.

About the broadcaster:

Lance Crayon is a videographer and editor with China Daily. Since living in Beijing he has worked for China Radio International (CRI) and Global Times. Before moving to China he worked in the film industry in Los Angeles as a talent agent and producer. He has a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington.