To further broaden graduate students’ career horizons, enhance their competitiveness in the job market, and help graduates clarify their career paths and master job-hunting skills, the School of Mechanical Engineering, in collaboration with the Jiangsu University Student Party Committee and Hongjiang College, organized a career experience sharing session titled “Reflecting on the Path to Employment: Leading the Way with Role Models” on May 21. The event was held in the lecture hall on the seventh floor of the Mechanical Engineering Building, with support from Jiangsu University’s “Yiyou” Counselor Studio and “Yiyou” Science and Technology Innovation Station. The event featured presentations by six outstanding graduate student representatives and was attended by graduate students from the school and the college.
When it comes to preparing for the job search, a well-crafted resume and professional, composed interview skills are the two key factors that enable students to successfully secure their dream jobs. Dong Guanqian focused on resume-writing techniques, providing a detailed explanation of key points such as layout, content refinement, and highlighting key strengths. He emphasized that resumes must closely align with the core requirements of the target position, precisely matching the job qualifications with the applicant’s professional skills and practical experience, while highlighting their suitability and unique strengths. Zhou Haoyu, meanwhile, delved deeply into practical interview skills, proposing a new job-hunting philosophy that “an interview is a two-way, in-depth dialogue.” He systematically broke down the core logic and high-scoring techniques for self-introductions and behavioral interview responses, guiding students to move beyond the traditional mindset of “passively answering questions.” By focusing on the core principle of matching the individual to the role, he helped them confidently showcase their comprehensive qualities and fully highlight their competitive advantages in the job search.
Choosing a location for job hunting and selecting a company are critical decisions that shape graduates’ long-term career development and have a profound impact on their career paths. Drawing on the current state of the machinery industry, Zhao Zhenhao provided an in-depth analysis of the development patterns, industry characteristics, and employment prospects of the machinery sector across different regions of the country. He advised students to focus on long-term development by comprehensively considering a city’s industrial strengths, growth potential, personal career plans, and family circumstances, so they can make rational and informed career choices and avoid a haphazard approach to job hunting. Zhang Yang provided a detailed overview of the differences in job-hunting strategies across various types of companies. He systematically compared the development models, recruitment cycles, talent selection criteria, and corporate cultures of central government-owned enterprises, state-owned enterprises, foreign-funded enterprises, and private enterprises. By clearly outlining the advantages of applying to each type of company and the candidates best suited for them, he helped the graduate students in attendance precisely define their job-search direction and clarify their priorities in career selection.
Broadening one’s job search horizons and consistently reflecting on and reviewing experiences are key pillars for scientifically planning one’s career path and continuously strengthening one’s competitiveness in the job market. Guo Jing focused on the education sector, sharing her experience with the entire process of applying for and securing a teaching position at colleges and universities. She provided a detailed breakdown of key aspects—such as subject-specific trial lectures, research capability assessments, and important considerations during the job search—offering students aspiring to enter the education industry a comprehensive and practical guide. Zhang Yifan, on the other hand, approached the topic from the perspective of self-management in the job search. She shared her original “Personal Job Search Journal” management method. By consistently documenting her job search progress, summarizing successes and failures, reflecting on challenges, and consolidating lessons learned, she fully illustrated her journey of growth—from initial confusion and a lack of direction to clear goals and steady advancement—offering students a replicable and practical framework for self-discipline and personal development in their job search.
This career experience sharing session fully leveraged the guiding and exemplary role of peer role models. By focusing on the pain points, challenges, and needs of graduate students in their job searches, it provided current students with detailed and practical job-hunting skills as well as a scientific and clear approach to career selection, effectively broadening their horizons in the job market. Moving forward, the School of Mechanical Engineering will continue to leverage platforms such as the “Yiyou” Counselor Studio, closely align with students’ core employment needs, and regularly organize a series of high-quality, targeted career guidance activities. We will continuously improve our career services system to comprehensively empower graduate students’ professional development and help all graduates from the school achieve higher-quality and more fulfilling employment.
