My Shenzhen Trip: Just GOTTA Get This Off My Chest!
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Alright, no problem! I'll help translate your diary entry into English in a way that maintains your style while adding some useful tips for foreign friends who want to understand it better.
August 25, 2024
- Around five o'clock in the morning, I arrived at Shenzhen!
- Before getting off the train, I was unprepared; I hadn't rented a place or booked a hotel. My only hope was a place called "Youth Shelter," which provides free accommodation for job-seeking young people, but my application was only effective starting on August 26, so I had to find a different place today.
- To be honest, I felt relatively calm during the train ride to Shenzhen. But once I stepped out of the railway station, a feeling of confusion and anxiety hit me—"Who am I? Where am I?" I didn’t know where to go and just stood there turning around in circles, feeling lost.
- With no option left, I quickly booked a standard youth hostel (the affordable accommodations frequented by backpackers) using my phone.
- However, too early for the subway lines to be operating, I waited at the station for more than an hour.
- It turned out to be very inconvenient to drag my suitcase along, so I called the hostel owner to confirm if there was any chance of early check-in. The owner politely refused to accommodate my request.
- As a result, I had to drag all my belongings outside the station and wander aimlessly until the afternoon when I managed to get inside the hostel finally. Sigh!
- Expenditure for Today: Hostel Accommodations $46 + Water $20 + Lunch $24 + Transportation Fees $7 = Total: $97
️ Tips for First-timers Arriving in Shenzhen ️- Make sure to book your accommodation ahead of time! Especially if you arrive at odd hours like midnight or early morning.
- "Youth Shelter" is a great program: This government initiative offers free accommodations for fresh graduates, but remember that the time indicated when you apply is when you'll actually be able to use it.
- Early Subway Operates: If you arrive at very unusual hours, check the first train schedules, or else you might find yourself waiting at the station like me again.
August 26, 2024
- Second day in Shenzhen! I packed my things and headed off to the free "Youth Shelter" I applied for previously.
- The location was special; located within what they call a scenic area—like a park or scenic spot visited by tourists. Thus, the roads were made up of bricks rather than smooth concrete.
- Let me tell you, pushing a suitcase over that type of terrain was exhausting—hard enough that it could break one’s arms!
- I made it to the reception desk, expecting some relief. However, the receptionist said, "Your room is just around the corner." By then, I was so exhausted that I just wanted to lie down right there.
- However, one must acknowledge that the accommodation itself is decent—a silver lining amidst my struggles!
- Expenditure for Today: Transportation Fees $6 + Weekly Utilities Payment to the Youth Shelter $21 + Delivery Order $16 = Total: $43
️ Suitcase Nightmare ️- Pay Attention to Road Surface! If the accommodations are located in old town zones or “scenic areas,” brick roads may cause great hardship for wheeled suitcases. It might then be more practical to take a backpack!
August 27, 2024
- Third Day in Shenzhen, finally started my daily routine—Job interviews.
- Plan for the day: Morning interviews followed by job applications in the afternoon.
- Lunch time calls for delivery orders while a simple instant noodles for dinner will do.
- Expenditure for Today: Transportation Fees $11 + Delivery Order $14 = Total: $25
August 28, 2024
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Fourth day in Shenzhen, the life became the same routine as before.
- Morning interviews, afternoons spent applying for jobs online. Lunch taken care of with delivery orders, instant noodles suffice for dinner..
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Expenditure for Today: Transportation Fees $12 + Delivery Order $14 = Total: $26
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Arranged for another interview appointment set for tomorrow morning. After every interview, the interviewers always instruct me to wait for a message. Up till now, no feedback whatsoever from these companies. So the search continues.
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Although it has been only four days in Shenzhen, the thought of living every single day repeatedly like this feels somewhat hopeless.
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Frankly speaking, after receiving feedbacks on my first interview, I realized how inadequate my interview skills were. So, no matter what, whenever I see a company's invitation on apps such as "Boss Direct Hiring" (a popular recruitment app in China), regardless of the specifics, I tend to accept. Practice makes perfect; I hope repeated attempts can gradually improve my interview abilities.
Tips for Job-seeking Friends - The Subtext for “Wait for a Message”: In the Chinese job market, many times when an interviewer tells you to wait for a message, they may never get back to you. Do not waste time waiting and continue searching.
- Practice Makes Perfect: When feeling inexperienced in job interviews, participating in more interviews can certainly help familiarise oneself with the process and improve performance over time.
#NotWantingToWork #UniversityStudent #StruggleInJobHunting #DailyRoutine #Ranting #MakingMoney #JobHuntingInShenzhen
- Around five o'clock in the morning, I arrived at Shenzhen!
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Be careful with the comments here, and watch out for scams. Many scammers are trying to take advantage of people like us who are desperate to find jobs and make money. Don't trust others too easily!
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I'm also a 2024 graduate. Have you found a job yet? I just arrived in Shenzhen three days ago.
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Kid, when I came to Shenzhen 20 years ago, I spent three months navigating crowded job fairs just to land a few interview opportunities. Every day, seeing those thick stacks of resumes on every company's desk made me want to give up. I had no idea when my chance would come, but I stuck with it. During my interview, I was relaxed and humble. I sincerely told the boss which department I wanted to join to learn more, even offering to work the first month for free, just for the experience. He'd probably never met anyone so eager to learn who'd offer to work unpaid! Even though that department wasn't actively hiring, he immediately asked when I could start. I said, 'Tomorrow.' He said, 'Okay.' And just like that, I joined that foreign company – and they paid me a full salary from day one. Maybe it was luck, maybe it was boldness. So, if you've decided to do something, be persistent and patient. You can do it!
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I'll keep at it. After all, I've come all the way to Shenzhen, so I definitely need to push myself.
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Is finding a job really that hard? I'm trying to hire people and can't find anyone. It includes food and accommodation, with a comprehensive salary of 6,700 to 10,000!
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Doing what?
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Young people these days... they come out to work and expect to be treated like royalty. The slightest bit of hardship, and they act like their world is ending.
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What's wrong with young people today? Are you one of them? Do you even understand them?
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Quick question: where can I find youth hostels? Can I book them directly on Meituan?
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Yes, there are plenty of youth hostels around these days.
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How do you apply for the Youth Post Stations?
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Through the WeChat mini-program called '青年驿站' (Youth Post Station).
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Found it. Anyone else looking to go together?
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What kind of job is it?
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Consider this trip a 'make-up class' for the lessons school and family didn't teach you; it's perfectly normal to 'pay tuition' for such experiences. Things like needing a reservation to check in, or afternoon-only check-ins, are common sense – though sometimes you get pleasant surprises. Before traveling, a sensible working person researches the destination's cost of living, budgets, makes contingency plans, and maps out routes. If you weren't prepared, or didn't know how, society has taught you a memorable lesson. It's a necessary part of growing up. It gets easier after you've been through it a few more times.
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Well, I guess I'm here for another lesson.
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I'm thinking of heading to Shenzhen to find work too. It's impossible to find any accounting jobs in Dongguan.
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Once you're here, you're a Shenzhener.
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Be careful, Shenzhen has many 'recruit-then-train' (招转培 - zhao zhuan pei) schemes that can be misleading.