Salary, prospects key factors in first-job choice, poll shows

A good salary and promising prospects are highly valued when choosing a first job, over half of respondents to a recent survey say.

The survey, published in China Youth Daily, polled 1,533 respondents－30 percent of whom are fresh graduates, while more than 36 percent have less than two years of work experience.

Other factors influencing their first job choice are 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 with a qualification in applied statistics, used to work as a data analyst for an internet company in Beijing. "I chose my first job in the internet industry because I wanted to learn more while I am still young. I found the job very stressful and time-consuming, so I quit and now I work in a bank," she says.

Bai acknowledges the help she got from the experience of her first job, even 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 key things that the respondents want most from their first job.