As the new semester begins, the fall recruitment season for 2026 graduates has gradually commenced. Recently, human resources service provider 51job, based on long-term observation and extensive research of the campus recruitment market, released the "Fall Recruitment 'Pit Avoidance' Guide for 2026 Graduates" to help graduates understand trends, avoid risks, and stand out in the upcoming campus recruitment competition.
Mass Resume Submission May Not Increase Success Rate
Many students believe that "blanket resume submissions" can improve success rates, but this is not necessarily true. Data from the previously released "51job Campus Recruitment White Paper 2025" shows that the top three intended employment industries for fresh graduates are IT Internet/E-commerce, Electronic Technology/Semiconductor/Integrated Circuits, and Communications/Telecommunications/Network Equipment. These popular industries have extremely high concentration, leading to more intense resume competition. For example, computer-related positions can receive hundreds of resumes per position on average. Blindly following trends not only makes it difficult to stand out but may also result in being buried in the sea of resumes.
51job recommends that graduates precisely target positions that match their professional backgrounds and capabilities, conduct in-depth research on target companies' job descriptions, and optimize resume and cover letter content accordingly. Additionally, AI assistance tools can be utilized for resume matching optimization. In the 2025 campus recruitment, 79.1% of fresh graduates used artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enhance their job-seeking competitiveness, with 51.3% using them for resume optimization, 48.9% for interview simulation practice, and another 35% and 33.3% respectively for career counseling and job-seeking skills.
Graduating from Prestigious Schools Does Not Guarantee Job Offers
While graduates from prestigious schools have certain advantages in employment, they are not "invincible." 51job's survey data shows that graduates from "Double First-Class" universities are concentrated in engineering and science disciplines, and popular industries such as internet, finance, and manufacturing also mainly demand these disciplines, making the competition intensity self-evident. Therefore, for prestigious school graduates, this does not mean they can coast to success.
Relevant students should have a relatively clear understanding: prestigious schools are not protective shields; capability and fit are key. Furthermore, during interviews, they should highlight project experience, internship experience, and problem-solving abilities, which is also a way to escape homogeneous competition based on quality educational backgrounds.
At the same time, graduates need not blindly pursue "famous enterprises." On one hand, the number and positions of famous enterprises are limited, and competition is inherently fierce. On the other hand, a considerable number of small and medium enterprises can provide greater development space, especially startup companies in rapid development stages, which offer more relaxed work and learning platforms to help graduates quickly get started and improve relevant experience.
Quality Offers Are Not Just About "Salary"
The "51job Campus Recruitment White Paper 2025" shows that among employer information that graduates care about most, "compensation and benefits" ranks first, followed by "work environment and atmosphere," "specific job descriptions," and "talent development planning." However, in reality, many graduates only focus on salary figures during interviews, without deeply understanding the company's stability, growth space, and values.
In actual work, high-paying positions may involve high-intensity overtime, vague performance indicators, or opaque salary structures, which many graduates may not be able to adapt to. Additionally, blindly pursuing high-paying industries (such as finance and internet) may ignore industry cyclical fluctuations. When industries enter adjustment periods, lacking core competitiveness may make one more susceptible to layoffs or salary cuts.
Besides salary, graduates should try to understand the real internal situation of companies through campus recruitment presentations, employee review platforms, or social media, particularly the firsthand work experiences of current employees. If corporate values do not align with personal beliefs, long-term work can easily lead to career burnout or even forced transformation. Moreover, growth potential is an aspect that young employees cannot ignore. If companies lack systematic training systems and promotion channels, personal abilities will be difficult to continuously improve, potentially leading to early career ceilings.
Presentations Are Not Just Going Through the Motions
In annual campus recruitment, most companies complete 70%-80% of their annual campus recruitment positions through fall recruitment, making fall recruitment the main battlefield for corporate recruitment, while spring recruitment serves only as a supplement and is more competitive. 51job's survey shows that most campus recruitment companies in recent years complete their main resume screening and interview processes from October to November. Therefore, once fall recruitment is missed, graduates relying solely on spring recruitment to "turn the tables" will face dramatically increased difficulty and pressure.
Graduates planning employment should seize the golden period of fall recruitment (September-November) and avoid procrastination to prevent passive situations. At this time, winter and summer vacation planning for juniors or second-year graduate students becomes particularly important. Graduates should fully utilize this time to prepare resumes and interview skills, seizing opportunities like "early batches" and "winter/summer internship conversions."
Among various campus recruitment activities, "whether it's necessary to attend presentations" has sparked debate. Data shows that 67.3% of graduates actively pay attention to employers, with an even higher proportion among students from Double First-Class universities. However, many students still ignore the importance of presentations, considering them a waste of time.
In fact, campus recruitment presentations are often the first link in corporate "pre-selection," and students who have attended presentations are more easily identified and prioritized for screening. The "51job Campus Recruitment White Paper 2025" shows that among all campus recruitment channels for employers, offline campus presentations rank first. Smart and pragmatic students often actively participate in presentations, ask HR questions, and establish initial connections. Additionally, some presentations often come with "internal referral codes" or "fast tracks." Once graduates can seize these opportunities, they gain a head start in competition.
Only Targeting Big Cities - Is Returning Home a "Failure Option"?
Although Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou remain the most favored employment cities for graduates, with rising living costs and increased competitive pressure, "new first-tier cities" have rapidly attracted attention in recent years. The "51job Campus Recruitment White Paper 2025" shows that Chengdu and Hangzhou even surpass Shenzhen in graduates' intended employment city rankings. Particularly driven by IT, manufacturing, and cultural creative industries, the "regional clustering effect" has significantly strengthened.
Meanwhile, with the implementation of various local "college graduate hometown employment" policies (such as "Three Supports and One Assistance," Western Region Program and other grassroots project recruitments, tuition compensation), the proportion of graduate return migration is also increasing.
When determining employment destinations, graduates need to conduct more careful comprehensive considerations based on their own conditions: while first-tier cities certainly offer greater opportunities, they also mean facing high survival costs and increasingly competitive environments, which places high demands on young people's ability to "endure hardship." Local development or hometown employment does not equal lying flat, but may instead offer stability and happiness. These two choices have obvious differences in work intensity and life pace, but there are no superior or inferior options; the key lies in matching personal values, career goals, and life expectations.
Casually Breaking Contracts Affects "Career Credit"
Although news of companies "standing up" graduates during campus recruitment has been persistent in recent years, the situation of graduates unilaterally breaking contracts is also quite common. According to 51job's data statistics, as popular industries, the graduate contract fulfillment rates of campus recruitment companies in computer/hardware, communications/telecommunications/network equipment, and finance are concentrated at 70%-80%, while the graduate contract fulfillment rate in the fast-moving consumer goods/retail industry is even lower, mainly concentrated at 50%-70%.
Such casual contract-breaking behavior may have negative impacts on continued job seeking and personal interests: on one hand, if breaching contracts, graduates must negotiate with original job-seeking units to retrieve signed tripartite agreements and exchange them for new agreements. If original units do not cooperate, this will likely affect graduation assignment; on the other hand, employers incur high costs in organizing recruitment and hiring employees. Once graduate breaches occur, it brings work passivity and economic losses to companies, and graduates must pay corresponding compensation or breach penalties.
It is recommended that graduates clarify employment intentions before cautiously signing contracts, carefully read agreements when signing, and pay attention to whether offers contain breach clauses. If breach is truly necessary, they should communicate with original units in advance, bear breach responsibilities, and maintain personal credit records.
When college students break contracts with companies after signing, it produces multiple adverse consequences (legal responsibilities, employment impacts, and economic costs). In the fiercely competitive employment market, integrity and reputation are also important factors for college students to stand out. Therefore, arbitrary contract-breaking behavior will undoubtedly damage their long-term career development.
The 2026 graduating class stands at the threshold of transformation, with new technologies and industries continuously emerging and employment structures continuously evolving. As a leading human resources service provider, 51job (including its graduate job-seeking app) provides graduates with full-process campus recruitment services from on-campus internships, employment guidance, and ability assessment to campus recruitment information acquisition, resume submission, online and offline presentations, written tests and interviews, safeguarding the achievement of high-quality employment for graduates.
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