Competition of Civil service exam is stiff in China
By admin on 2014-12-22

Competition on the nation's civil service exam is so fierce this year that in some cases over 4,000 candidates are competing for one government job.

According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 1.35 million candidates have passed the qualification evaluation and 1 million are expected to take the exam.

More than 130 central government departments and subordinate agencies will recruit 15,000 civil servants this year, the ministry said.

That means too many people chasing too few jobs.

The ministry said 230,000 people applied for positions directly under the Central Government and its institutions above the provincial level, and 800,000 applied for positions at the county level.

One job vacancy at the European Office of the International Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology attracted 4,080 applicants.

Jobs at railway public security and weather departments proved to be much less attractive. Thirty job vacancies were left open by the application deadline Saturday.

Huang Juan, 26, who works for a foreign company in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, sat for the exam a fifth time without any preparation. She said there was no point in cramming for the exam because it mainly required speed-reading and quick responses on a broad accumulation of knowledge.

"Several of my friends passed the government exam without preparation," she said. "The odds of passing the test are higher than the lottery. But I would like to take a chance anyway. Maybe I can win it with my relaxed and positive mind,"she added.
A graduate of Renmin University of China surnamed Xing said he crammed for the exam for an entire year and beat out 40 other candidates.

"I also read extensively since the test mainly evaluates your ability to react and solve problems quickly," he said.

In the end, he turned down an offer from a renowned US investment bank and chose to work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"I am a Party member and used to initiate all kinds of campus activities, so the job suits me," he said. "My father is also a civil servant, the family tradition is here."

Nikki Feng, who holds a Party position, told the Global Times that many candidates applied without clear goals and plans, simply because they were not satisfied with their current condition, "Once they enroll in the exam, they may get disappointed," she added. She said her pay and benefits are not as "ideal" as people expected.

She said it was not possible for her to get the free apartment promised with the job, and she had sacrificed her health for the department after her bosses insisted she accompany them on dinner meetings that involved heavy drinking.
Even for those who passed the cut-off line, the risk is still high, as some say they have to use guanxi or social networking to win the final interview.