COVID-19 makes life tough for job hunters

Editor's Note: This summer, many new college graduates will be looking for work against the backdrop of millions of applicants and the epidemic, both of which will make the task more difficult. Below, China Daily speaks with three young people who are just about to enter the world of employment to learn about their lives, ambitions and concerns.

Cheng Feifei, a 22-year-old student who is deaf, plans to continue learning sign language when she finishes her bachelor's this month because the COVID-19 epidemic has hit the job market hard.

Set to graduate from the Special Education College of Beijing Union University later this month, Cheng is currently on an internship program with Microsoft. She feels grateful because none of her colleagues has commented on her disability or her work.

"In August last year, I was seeking an internship when I heard that Microsoft was looking for a hearing-impaired intern to work in a computer-related post. Despite that, I thought there was little chance that I would get the opportunity as I major in visual design," she said.

"However, the company invited me for an interview after my teacher recommended me to their human resources department. I remember that I went to the interview in September and was offered the internship the day after the interview." She said her work involves designing posts for the company on social media and helping organize a number of activities. "I've also been invited to teach the company staff members sign language every Friday," she added.

She said she loves her internship and the working environment because of the feeling of diversity and inclusiveness.

"I get an allowance of 2,000 yuan ($300) per month from the company. Even though it's not a big sum, it covers my basic expenses because I still live in the school dormitory," she said.

"My internship finishes on Thursday. I'm sad that I can't become a full member of staff because the program is only open to interns. I've followed recruitment information on various platforms for some time, and I'm also preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam at the same time. In fact, I have sent resumes to companies in Shanghai and did their online interviews but have received no further replies."

The optimistic young woman was born in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, to hearing-impaired parents. In 2018, she was admitted to Beijing Union University to study visual design as a result of her hard work and artistic talent.

She said it's quite difficult for people with disabilities to get admitted to universities, and her family members were so excited that they cried when they heard the news.

"I feel very lucky that I've never met discrimination from my peers or teachers. I have been warmly welcomed since my first day on campus," she wrote in an interview with China Daily via WeChat.

As an enthusiastic participant in school activities who wants to get on with the job of organizing her career, Cheng has joined several national competitions that focus on entrepreneurship and startups.

"In my third year at college, around March last year, I joined a national entrepreneurship competition with nine of my schoolmates. Our program was to design sign language, subtitles and product information for deaf livestreaming anchors," she said.

"The team leader and my peers all wanted more people to learn about sign language and hearing-impaired people via the competition."

Joining the entrepreneurship competitions was a period of growing socialization for Cheng as it boosted her self-confidence, and she helped change stereotypical views of deaf people through competing.

"Deaf people can do everything, except hear," she said.

She added that while it won't be too difficult for her to find a job on the strength of her abilities, the COVID-19 epidemic has made job hunting more complicated.

"In fact, the large number of college graduates－about 10.76 million people－shocked me and my peers. It's not easy for a nondisabled person to land a job, let alone deaf people," she added.

She said that though she will keep looking for suitable jobs, she will continue to learn sign language.

"I've found that sign language is part of my beliefs and mother tongue as a deaf person, so I'm happy to pay more attention to studying it," she said.