Goodbye to guanxi in the job market

Tang Jun, a famous professional manager in China wrote part of an open letter to 7 million college graduates this year, saying that no matter whether for work or in life, people can't do without relationships, or guanxi, in China, which means one's social networks are of the upmost importance for one's personal development. So for students, using the referral from social acquaintances can be a good way to get a job because such guanxi is a person's unique resource.

Although he wrote less than 100 words of the 1,000-word open letter, it was not wise for a motivational idol like Tang to promote tacit rules in public, and it went against his intention, which was to encourage those young students who have a low starting point to be successful.

In recent years, especially with China's economic growth slowing nowadays, the competition for jobs has become increasingly fierce. With the college enrollment expanding over the last 15 years, the number of college graduates has risen sharply year by year, and it approaches 7 million this year, seven times the number 15 years ago.