In recent years, China’s economy has been on a downward trend, and the employment environment is deteriorating. It has become common for university graduates to face unemployment upon graduation. A recent job posting from a hot pot restaurant in Shenzhen targeting graduates from prestigious 985 and 211 universities has sparked widespread discussion on the internet about the challenges of finding employment.
On April 19th, a netizen posted a picture of a job advertisement at the entrance of a hot pot restaurant, which read “Calling all 985/211 graduates.” The position being offered was for a reserve store manager, open to recent graduates from 985/211 universities with no restriction on major. The base salary is 5000 RMB, with additional performance bonuses and holiday benefits.
The job posting mentioned that candidates would start as service personnel and after successfully passing a 6 to 12 months special assessment, they could be promoted to store manager. Store managers could enjoy monthly bonuses ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 RMB, with unlimited potential based on performance.
According to reports by “Extreme News,” the brand behind this recruitment advertisement is Ma Chang Lao Hot Pot Restaurant in Chongqing.
On April 20th, journalists from the media learned from store management that the job listing is genuine. The recruitment is taking place at a store in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, with two branches currently hiring. While they are targeting 985/211 graduates, regular undergraduate students can also apply for the reserve store manager position. Despite the base salary of 5000 RMB, there are bonuses for managers. So far, eight management trainees have been recruited, including graduates from prestigious universities.
In response to questions from netizens about the necessity of recruiting 985/211 graduates for serving dishes, the management mentioned that it has been the brand’s training system.
The topics titled “Hot pot restaurant claims to have 985 graduates on staff” and “Hot pot restaurant responds to recruiting 985/211 graduates” have become trending on Weibo.
Netizens expressed concerns like, “What if the eight people recruited don’t become store managers, will their monthly salary still be 5000 RMB?” and “There are only a few stores, only a few people can earn high salaries.”
“People cannot understand the current job market environment; even hot pot restaurants are specifically targeting graduates from prestigious universities like 985 and 211. The base salary is 5000 RMB, starting as servers and dishwashers, yet the dream they paint is of a future million-yuan income.”
“They dedicated years to education just to serve dishes? The current job market reality is too harsh.”
“If these 985 or 211 graduates had other choices, would they choose to work as service staff? What’s wrong with the system?”
“People can’t help but feel that even the catering industry is competing for highly educated talents, indicating the severity of the job hunting environment. It also reflects the intense competition and internal pressure faced by current graduates.”
“The current job market environment is tough. Do hot pot restaurants really need to recruit 985/211 graduates? The feeling of being unemployed right after graduating is becoming increasingly real.”