Online approach helps job seekers work it out

They are there but not there. The audience is invisible. They are somewhere in cyberspace. Zhang Kun, a human resources manager of electronics company Xiaomi, felt a little nervous while speaking to the camera, explaining the jobs being offered and the selection process schedule on March 5. On that date Xiaomi launched its spring campus recruitment via Rain Classroom, an interactive mini-program on WeChat, and video-sharing platform Kuaishou.

"With the lack of instant feedback, it is not easy to know if your message is passed on," Zhang says, adding that lack of eye contact is the hardest part for him.

University graduates across the country have started their job hunt in this virtual way to reduce people-to-people contact amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

He says while the information that can be conveyed over the internet is limited, his company wants to provide students with as much job information as possible.

"Through the event, we try to answer the questions which, we assume, concern most students seeking jobs," Zhang says.

Xiaomi will provide more than 100 positions during its spring recruitment season. It is among more than 130 companies expected to hold online spring recruitment events with Tsinghua University.

In the three weeks from Feb 24 to March 15, the university held more than 30 campus recruitment events on Rain Classroom and Kuaishou.

Following government suggestions for avoiding gatherings to curb further infection, the ongoing public health crisis has made it impossible to hold traditional public recruiting activities, such as job fairs and on-campus recruitment events. As a result, companies and colleges are turning to the web and social media.

Spring is a peak season for recruitment, with many companies traditionally holding briefing sessions and job fairs on campus where graduates meet prospective employers. But this year, most colleges have kept their doors closed with students stuck at home due to the delay of the spring semester.

Zhang Chao, director of Tsinghua University's Career Development Center, says the recruitment procedure is moving online.

"The epidemic outbreak has accelerated the digitalization of the recruitment sector. In the future, e-recruitment will play a bigger role as an alternative to traditional job-hunting," Zhang Chao says.

He adds that in term of costs, online recruitment is much cheaper than physical job fairs, which need to organize traffic and factor in accommodation and venue costs. Simply put, potential employers can reach a bigger audience on the internet, wherever they are.