A Comparative Study on Different Attitudes towards Job Hunting of Chinese and American College Students

倪中昊 何逸飞 胡红 林云珍

【Abstract】A persons idea about future occupation is deeply related with his/her cultural background and thus the intercultural difference can consequently be revealed in the different choices two culture made when they are facing with their future career. We designed a questionnaire and an interview both to Chinese undergraduates and American undergraduates. It seems that the results suggest that American students turns to be more confident about their future but also flexible in the same time， and Chinese students are more hesitated. We believe that these results can be well illustrated with a cultural perspective.

【Key words】Job hunting； undergraduate students； intercultural difference； future career

1. Introduction

Finding a job not only fulfills the core essence of modern society but also embody the value of a person. For the person himself， a career mainly displays not only his ability， his character and his knowledge， we can even say that what career that person choose nearly decides his whole life.

For sake of easier data gathering， we choose China and America as target culture. By this study， we hope to have a solid and deep-seated result to reveal the culture aspect hidden behind both groups job preference. With this result， we hope to find the better solution of job hunting and career planning， to combine whats best in both cultures essences in the field of occupation.

2. Phenomenon and the Analysis of Reasons

2.1 About career planning – Career Education

The result shows that 27.7% students in China have a rough plan in high school about their future career. However， 58% in America have a rough plan before entering college. In America， related directions and strategies including the establishment of career clusters， and the career education courses are implemented in high schools and colleges. This could facilitate students in their career awareness， exploration， and preparation. In contrast， there are few courses about career education in Chinas high school. Chinese students just learn fixed subjects and use standardized textbooks composed and published by the Ministry of Education.

2.2 About Job Choosing – Individualist and Collectivist Cultures

6% of Chinese investigators decide the job totally by themselves and 16% totally by their parents， while the data of American is 24% and 2%. Cultures fall into two major types： individualist and collectivist. An individualist culture， like America， is one in which people tend to view themselves as individuals and to emphasize the needs of individuals while in collectivist cultures， such as China， usually consider the needs of the group to be more important than the needs of individuals （Don Snow， 2014）. Americans are encouraged at an early age to be independent and to develop their own goals in life. They are given enough freedom. So when compared to Chinese， more Americans tend to choose the job they like independently. The parents in America have no absolute authorities.

2.3 About Whether Starting a Business – Hierarchy and Relationship

The survey shows that for both Chinese and American students， the first choice after graduation is to find a job， but starting a business is more popular among Chinese students. 34.8% have this idea and most of them just view it as a second choice. The differences in position and power in Chinese companies always exists. Everyone has a social rank and all are expected to know where they fit into the hierarchy and to behave accordingly （Dou Weilin， 2012）. To some degree， the hierarchy in Chinese companies causes a sense of repression. So some Chinese people want to start a business and be the big boss of a company. In America， however， it tends to be relatively egalitarian. They try to minimize rank and power differences， and try to place limits on the power of people in authority （Don Snow， 2014）.

3. Reflection

It is clear that China has moved forward to modernization faster than we thought. But what is important is that our college undergraduates still not that ready for job hunting as Americans， whats more， the fact is that our students are still generally confused， they have the intention to be their own god， to make decision on their own， but there are just too many things they cannot get rid of， they cannot ignore their parents will， and the society. The history transaction could not be that fast， but we are witnessing the beginning of it. Our undergraduates， they are not yet turning into individualism， but at the same time they are leaving the past of complete collectivism. Maybe never could they reach individualism， but collectivism， on the other hand， has drawbacks that is almost certain that we should banish， but all in all the data and the intension is promising， we have reason to believe that China is moving towards a new state of its culture.

References：

[1]Don Snow，Encounters with westerners：Improving skills in English and Intercultural Communication（revised）[M].Shanghai：Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，2014.

[2]Dou Weilin，Introduction to Intercultural Communication.[M].Beijing：University of International Business and Economics Press，2012.