LookAtVietnam – Every year, 400 universities and colleges across Vietnam “produce” several hundred thousands of new graduates.

University graduates are looking for jobs

Fierce competition

Hung knows that it is very difficult to find a job in his field and thus has also sought jobs in related areas. He was told that a big online newspaper was seeking reporters and editors, so he decided to apply. Still, as Hung states, he dares not hope that he will get a position.

“When I went to the newspaper’s head office to submit my CV, I saw tens of other people there applying for the same job,” Hung explained.

N.T. Thu, a graduate of the Finance and Banking department at Hanoi Economics University, is also finding it hard to get a job even though finance and banking is considered a “fashionable” career.

“I see too many new graduates queuing for jobs at every place I go,” Thu remarked. She explained that each bank just needs two or three employees, but every one receives hundreds of applications.

“I was told by one bank receptionist that it would be better to give up, because every candidate has to compete with 200 others,” she recalled.

Interview skills crucial

Luckier graduates reach the interview phase of the application process, but they encounter problems when facing employers directly.

N.T. Nhung, Head of the Personnel Division of CMC Company, noted that many candidates are so flustered that they cannot introduce themselves clearly.

“Some of them had a quiver in their voice, which made them less attractive to employers,” Nhung offered.

In other cases, students are overly self-confident. N. T Phuong from FPT’s Human Resources Division related that some new university graduates demanded very high salaries, arguing that they have good degrees and experience from part-time jobs.

“One student from Hanoi Foreign Trade University demanded seven million dong a month,” she stated. “Maybe he is very qualified, but he will be able to succeed only if he knows himself and other people well.”

Some students did not even know to which positions they had applied or if they were qualified.

One student from the biology department of Hanoi University of Natural Sciences applied for the post of marketing officer of CMC Company. When asked what kind of characteristics a marketing officer needs, the applicant replied: “The only thing I know is that marketing means to introduce products to people and persuade them to use them.”

During their interviews, many graduates tell employers they do not care which job they receive, they just want one.

VietNamNet/VnMedia