Over half of respondents value salary, industry prospects in choosing first job: survey

BEIJING - Good salary and promising industry prospects are valued when choosing the first job, over half of respondents said in a recent survey.

The survey published in Thursday's edition of China Youth Daily had polled 1,533 respondents -- 30 percent fresh graduates and over 36 percent less than two years into work.

Other factors influencing their first job choices are job stability (35 percent), whether the job suits one's interests (29.2 percent) and whether the position requires working overtime (13.1 percent).

As for what is expected from their first job, 66 percent believe it is the experience of dealing with business affairs and people.

Bai Miaodan, who graduated in applied statistics, used to work as a data analyst at an internet company in Beijing. "I chose my first job in the internet industry because I want to learn more while I am young. I found the job very stressful and time-consuming afterward, so I quit and now I work in a bank," she said.

Bai acknowledges the help she gets from the experience of her first job though she is in a different industry now.

Long-term career development planning (58.3 percent) and industry skills (55.3 percent) are also among the things respondents wanted most from their first job.