Sitting opposite a panel of interviewers, Yan Yang did a good job. For the first time in months he got an offer.

“The location is good, the salary is OK, the staff look nice,” said the 24-year-old automation major from Beijing University of Technology. “But signing up for five years?”

He explained to the HR manager that he had not yet decided in what direction to pursue his career, so he would rather join on a two-year contract and see how everything turns out. The HR manager never called back.

Yan’s concern is shared by many graduates who don’t want to “sell” themselves to an employer right after their graduation. Instead, many prefer short contracts, one or two years, before committing to a business or company for the long term.

But experts warn that changing jobs too often is risky. Graduates had better know what they want before they start looking for a job.

According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, this year will witness a record-high of nearly 7 million graduates entering the national job market.

“The pressure of finding a job is still very high,” vice-minister Wang Xiaochu told Xinmin Evening News.

Not sure about career

Although facing a grim market, students are still reluctant to accept long contracts from employers.

“Our company needs to build a stable team for its projects,” said Yang Xiaolin, HR manager at a Xi’an-based engineering company. “But four out of every ten candidates we offer a five-year contract turn us down.”

Zhang Shuli, 24, a management major at Guangzhou University, explained her peers reluctance to accept long contracts: “Although we did researches on possible careers, we’re still not sure if the first job we take is the ideal one. What if things don’t work out? We would waste the most important five years of our career.”

Zhang Rui, an information major at Wuhan University, agrees. The 25-year-old recently turned down a four-year contract as an IT technician at a Wuhan-based company.

“All I want is to accumulate some experience of working in the software industry so that I can decide what I really want to do,” said Zhang.

Zhu Yuguo, a senior HR manager at an international corporation based in Beijing, said that the first three to five years are vital for one’s career. But he also suggested students should stay in a company for at least three years to really learn how things work.

銆?/p>

“A five-year-contract doesn’t mean you will be doing the same thing for five years,” explained Zhu. “But switching from one job to another means you always start at an entry level, which can be risky for one’s future career.”

Zheng Gang, from the student employment office at Chongqing University, said it’s typical for students to be afraid of long contracts.

“Nowadays students aim very high throughout their lives, they want to avoid any setbacks,” said Zheng. “So they’re afraid to choose a job because they think that another one could be better.”

Zheng therefore suggest students to do internships and part-time jobs to further explore their interest and future plans.