How much does it cost to get a job? If you ask this question to today's university graduates in China, the answer may differ from several hundreds of yuan to tens of thousand yuan.

As millions of degree holders pour into the job market every year, competition is getting stiffer. To find a good job, you need to invest in yourself. University graduates in China have learned to dress themselves from head to toe and also to pay for necessary expenses for their job searches.

Fine feathers make fine birds

"I didn't buy a suit in a department store," Zhang Qi winked and said. "It's too expensive. I made my suit in my hometown."

A 22-year-old graduate in English and international journalism, Zhang Qi from Beijing Foreign Studies University has already made preparations for her job hunt. The suit is her biggest investment.

In today's cutthroat job market, a formal suit is almost a must for graduate applicants. Some say a fit suit can let young applicants appear experienced and look like a white-collar worker they want to become.

"This has become an accepted rule," said Zhang. Although Zhang has not attended any job interviews by herself, she knows the rules. "If you go to a job interview in casual clothes while other applicants are all in formal suits, you look like an alien. The employers will think you do not value the job."

Over the October National Day holiday, Zhang went back to her hometown of Hangzhou, the capital of eastern China's Zhejiang Province. The city is famous for its beautiful scenery and fashion industry. Zhang asked her mother to choose a fine fabric for her and they made her suit at a tailor's.

"I only spent 600 yuan for a whole suit. If I bought it at a Beijing department store, it would have cost me over one thousand or even more," Zhang said with a proud smile.

Besides the suit, Zhang also bought herself a pair of high heels in Hangzhou, costing her 200 yuan. The original price was 400 yuan. Zhang bought the shoes at a 50 percent discount when the department store had a promotion during the holidays.

"You should spend money where it is needed, but you should also know how to save your money," Zhang chuckled. "It's experience."

Recently, according to a Xinhua news report, a graduate student from Peking University spent more than 10,000 yuan for suits, shoes, handbags and cosmetics for herself. She calls all these "job-hunting costumes."

"I won't do that. It's too much," Zhang shook her head. Quite surprised by the act, she called the expenditures "extreme."

Just a few days ago, Zhang received a notice from Cartier, the renowned luxury goods maker. The company invited all job applicants who have passed the first test to attend a party in formal dress. Some girls bought expensive evening dress for the party, but Zhang thought it over and finally decided not to go.

"I know my chance to get the job is slim," Zhang explained. "The job is not my favorite either, so why should I spend so much to buy a dress I would seldom wear?"

Wang Mingjiao, a master's graduate from the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University feels the same way. Compared to Zhang Qi, Wang's expenditures in clothes is much higher. She has three suits and an overcoat, all of which cost her more than 3,000 yuan.

Having studied human resources for two years, Wang clearly knows how important image is in finding a job. It is important to offer a good first impression to your employers right away.

"Three thousand yuan is not a small number, but I probably need to wear these suits everyday at work, so it's not a one-time expenditure," she said. Wang considers the costs worth it.

Every penny has its value

It costs money to get a job, but it does not mean one should overspend.

As the competition in job market gets more intense, the costs for finding a job also increase. According to some surveys, the average cost for a graduate student to find a job has surpassed 1,000 yuan.

This year, the number of graduates will reach a record high of 4.95 million, according to the Ministry of Education. As millions of graduates swarm into the job market every year, experts say it has already formed a "billion-yuan market."

Usually the job-hunting cost for a graduate encompasses four main areas: image, including clothes, cosmetics and other necessary goods, resume making, transportation and communication.

Up until now, Wang Mingjiao has spent about 7,000 yuan on her job search. Her mobile bill has surged from 100 yuan to 300 yuan per month since she started job-hunting last October.

Having worked for four years before earning her master's degree, Wang has no problem supporting herself. Even so, her job-hunting costs are relatively high compared to her classmates. But Wang believes every yuan she has spent is worth it.

She didn't go to job fairs, believing them a waste of time and money. Last November, during a job fair held in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan province, an escalator was bent out of shape due to overcrowding. It was reported that over 30,000 students participated at the job fair, but only about 260 companies had job vacancies.

Wang think those students have no aim in their job-seeking process. "They just spread their resumes and hope the more the better," she says

As graduates from Tsinghua University, one of the top universities in China, Wang and her classmates seldom go to job fairs held off-campus. They send their resumes directly to the human resources department of the big companies they want to work at.

As for resumes, Wang has never prepared any "luxury versions," deeming it pompous.

She has also learned from the media that some students have asked professional companies to design the cover and layout of their resumes. Filled with well-shot personal photos, those resumes look more like magazines. Wang has never found such acts appeal to her.

"Spend dozens of yuan to make a resume? No! None of my classmates would do that," Wang said with certainty. Like most of her classmates, her resume is quite plain, just two pages, one page in Chinese, the other page English. The average cost? Less than one yuan. "What's really important is things inside. The employers look for your experience, not the look of your resume."

Besides the 3,000 yuan in clothes, Wang's other big expenditure was a roundtrip flight to Shenzhen, a city in southern China's Guangdong province. She went there for an important job interview. The company only provided train tickets for applicants. Wang thought it over and finally decided to buy plane tickets for herself. She didn't want to wear herself out before the interview. The trip cost her more than 2,000 yuan.

"Before that, I also had interview invitations from other companies in the south, but I didn't go. I didn't want to pay a high price for jobs that weren't worth it," she said. Wang and her classmates have learned to examine the costs and gains in their job-hunting. "Every penny you spend should be worth it," she added.

As for the job in Shenzhen, this was different. Wang really wanted it.

Her cost finally paid off. Wang got the job offer with a salary of 100,000 yuan per year.

Meanwhile, Zhang Qi is preparing for her first job interview this Saturday. She has passed the 2007 national civil servant recruitment examination and received a job interview from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

"The job sounds nice and my suit finally got its use," Zhang said with cheer.

(CRIENGLISH. com January 13, 2007)