It had been more than a week since I last updated the blog, and last Saturday morning I arrived in Shanghai. This was my first time here. To be honest, I had barely traveled far from home before, and coming to Shanghai was really my first time leaving my province—unless you count the place where I was born, since I was born away from home.
When I first got here, I definitely had that small-town newcomer feeling. The traffic was nonstop, the roads were confusing, and the crowds were overwhelming. Even so, although I came here alone, I’ve always adapted pretty quickly. After a short while, the city didn’t feel quite as unfamiliar.
The main reason I came to Shanghai was not to see the Expo, but to look for a job. It had been almost a month since graduation, and at home my days were mostly spent online, sleeping, and wasting time. My family had their opinions about that, and I felt the same way myself—I couldn’t just stay at home indefinitely. So I came out here.
Shanghai is a stressful place, and that much is obvious, but I also believe it offers more opportunities. The important thing is whether you can find them. Once you step out and come into direct contact with society, you grow in ways that just don’t happen at home. At home, most of what you know comes from what other people tell you. Being here in person is different. You get to see people and situations for yourself, and that experience is far more direct and complete.
Before coming, I had submitted several résumés through Zhaopin. Only one company in Shanghai responded; the rest led nowhere. So I came here because of that one lead, only to discover that it was basically a scam company. That was incredibly frustrating. Right at the start of the interview they began talking about salary, painting a grand picture, and then finally came the catch—they wanted a deposit. The moment that came up, it was obvious something was wrong, so I left immediately.
That experience left me deeply disappointed with Zhaopin as well. Not just any company should be allowed to post job listings simply because it paid for them. There should be some kind of review process. If money is the only standard, then it ends up misleading job seekers and damaging the platform’s own credibility. At least for me, I know I won’t trust it again. Maybe that sounds extreme, and maybe some people would say I’m generalizing from one bad experience, but that’s honestly how I feel.
As for job hunting, especially for people like us who have just graduated and have no real work experience yet, I think in-person job fairs are a better option. Face-to-face communication is more straightforward and more reliable.
After ruling out that fake company, I went to several on-site job fairs and submitted a few résumés there. Then it was the usual process: first interview, wait for a call; second interview, wait for a call; then finally an offer. Overall, things went fairly smoothly.
Next Monday I officially start work. This will be my first real job, and I’m heading into it full of energy and expectations.
Yesterday I went back home for a bit to pack up some things, and this morning I returned to Shanghai. Tomorrow is my official first day at work. To be honest, I’m a little excited.
From now on, this is where I begin—making my way in Shanghai. Another new starting point. All I can do is keep pushing forward, and then push a little harder.