Huawei Technology, PWC Information Technologies Shanghai, and Tesla were just a few of the more than 100 companies on campus last month as part of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s annual spring career fair.

The largest in XJTLU’s history, the career fair attracted more than 1,600 students and alumni eager to find job opportunities and explore future career directions.

Professor Qiuling Chao, Vice President of Student Affairs and Information at XJTLU (pictured below, right), was on hand at the event to talk to employers and students. She said having companies from a diverse range of industries attend had contributed to the event’s success.

“This year’s career fair has been the best yet in terms of scale, quality and diversity,” she said.

“More high-tech companies were involved this year and as the pharmaceutical technology industry continues to develop rapidly in Suzhou, we were honoured to have several pharmaceutical companies come along as well.

“From talking to many of our guests, we’ve found that companies increasingly place value on students’ all-round abilities, including leadership, active learning and critical thinking. As a university, we are always striving to adapt our curricula to meet market demands and improve our graduates’ competitiveness.”

Yaoliang Qi (pictured above, middle), Deputy General Manager of Suzhou Dushu Lake Science and Education Development, was impressed by the size and quality of the fair. She said XJTLU helps nurture top-level talent in Suzhou and she hopes that more XJTLU students will put down roots in Suzhou Industrial Park to facilitate its development.

International students were among those who attended the event. Romain Czymniewski, from France (pictured below), is a Year Two student studying electrical engineering. He took the opportunity to talk directly to employers about their needs and the skills they look for in job applicants.

Photo by Zhao Xiaoxuan

Ziwen Wang, a computer science and technology student, attended the fair to find an internship related to his major. He said he had received an admission letter from Duke University but given the pandemic, he planned to intern first before studying abroad.

“Getting work experienced related to my programme major will help me understand how different industries operate,” he said.

XJTLU alumnus Yifei Sun, now a hardware engineer at Huawei Technology, returned to his alma mater to assist in Huawei's recruitment. The 2019 graduate said XJTLU students generally demonstrate all-round abilities and are fast learners.

“There is a great demand in our company for fresh graduates like this,” he said.

By Jinke Feng and Yadi Chen, translated by Yadi Chen