New HR magnets hit pay dirt beyond metropolitan areas

Landing a decent job in Beijing isn't as easy as adapting to smog. That is the first lesson I learned as a jobseeker three years ago.

I was one of Beijing-based universities' 81,000 postgraduates, the 2015 batch, all vying for a foothold, hoping to somehow land a decent job, zero in on a soulmate and live happily ever after.

Armed with a master's in journalism, I hung on in Beijing, convinced the capital was one of my best options, if not the only career launch pad in sight.