1. Introduction
As we reach the end of July, the fall recruitment for ICERs has entered the internship and early application phase. I am an ICER who just went through the fall recruitment in 2024, and last year at this time, I was overwhelmed with applications and interviews. I would like to share my job-seeking journey and reflections from last year, hoping to help the ICERs of 2025.
2. About Resume Preparation and Interview Experiences
With the sudden rise of the IC industry from 2020 to 2022, the recruitment and preparation model has gradually become similar to that of major internet companies. First, apply for internships, then for early applications, followed by the formal fall recruitment, winter supplementary recruitment, and finally, the spring recruitment of the following year to catch any remaining opportunities.
The first step in job hunting is to prepare a Word resume. There are many templates available online. I recommend that students with the means have their resumes reviewed by seniors who have gone through the fall recruitment. Alternatively, consider paying for advice from experienced job seekers or HR professionals. Sometimes, job seekers need to think from the employer’s perspective: how would you filter through a massive number of resumes if you were the boss or HR? Therefore, the first step must be the resume. Besides stating educational background and major, it is crucial to package skills with the right keywords. A poorly crafted resume may receive low scores from automated systems, leading to many closed doors right at the start of the job search. Thus, I believe the resume deserves careful and detailed polishing.
While organizing the resume, we should carefully study the job requirements for the positions we aim to apply for, such as what are the must-have items and what are the bonus items. A resume is not about quantity but about how well it aligns with the employer’s standards. This requires looking for standard answers in the employer’s recruitment brochure. Once the resume is ready, it’s time to prepare for the fall recruitment projects and interview experiences. This tests students’ information-gathering abilities; as long as the projects can be logically explained, they can be included in the resume, even if the student hasn’t personally worked on them.
3. Timing for Fall Recruitment
After preparing the resume, ICERs should start applying for internships around March to April. Generally, students in first-tier cities have more companies around them, and the atmosphere for internship job hunting is more intense. In contrast, students from second- and third-tier cities may find themselves in information silos. I remember my mentor telling me to prepare for fall recruitment in September and receive offers in November. However, the reality is that in the current market, preparation must begin as early as March of the fall recruitment year. September is the harvest season. Starting preparation in September likely means selecting from the remaining positions and opportunities. Therefore, while projects may belong to mentors, one’s future career is one’s own. I advise students not to be isolated from information and to explore the world outside the ivory tower.
After applying for internships, there are two possibilities: one is securing an internship, and you need to consider whether to accept it. We can view internship interview opportunities as free trials for the fall recruitment. If you do not plan to convert the internship into a full-time position, the value of the internship may not outweigh the time spent preparing for early and formal interviews. The second possibility is not securing an internship, in which case you should apply the experiences and reflections from the internship applications to the early and formal interviews.
Early applications generally occur from June to August, while formal applications take place from September to December. Early applications typically yield offers only for those with top academic credentials and outstanding projects, so students without advantages in education or fewer projects should not lose heart; persistence until the end is crucial. As the formal application period progresses, as long as you keep applying and refining your resume, unexpected opportunities will arise. This process can be grueling, and students may doubt the meaning of their years of study. However, it is essential to believe that national policies are aimed at ensuring employment. Therefore, the job market must have opportunities for various levels and majors. The more you persist, submit resumes, and attend recruitment presentations, the more likely you are to change your career path and gain better opportunities!
4. Private Enterprises (Large, Small, Startups) vs State-Owned Enterprises and Military Industry vs Government Positions
These three employment choices are often a source of confusion for ICERs. The IC industry has experienced a boom from 2020 to 2022, followed by a wave of consolidation and closures. High-paying positions still exist, but the difficulty of securing them has significantly increased, and opportunities for job-hopping have greatly diminished. Generally, students engaged in digital and analog design primarily seek employment in large companies. FPGA and embedded systems also offer many opportunities in military enterprises and quasi-government organizations. In this era of seeking stability, many peers consider more stable options in the military and civil service.
To be honest, everyone’s family background and personal aspirations are different; there is no right or wrong choice, only what suits you. I will only discuss what I believe are the pros and cons of these options.
I remember my supervisor telling me during my internship that regardless of the type of enterprise, if it loses its profitability, the outcome will inevitably decline. Some state-owned enterprises have reduced salaries, and salary cuts in the civil service also illustrate this point. Therefore, I believe that choosing a company with a core competitive advantage and stable profitability is crucial. For example, a monopoly state-owned enterprise has its monopolistic business as its competitive advantage. The government’s revenue (land finance model, taxes) is the revenue model for civil servants. The financial reports of private enterprises and the projects that the government focuses on in the future determine whether employees can have stable and continuous income. Choosing the best platform that suits one’s capabilities should be the goal of every job seeker, rather than feeling compelled to become a civil servant, as that may not guarantee stability.
5. Conclusion
The competition in fall recruitment is not only about project experience and academic qualifications but also about our ability to analyze and integrate information and make judgments about the future of enterprises. Follow Xiaoxia, who will continue to update information on the development of the IC industry and job-seeking information.
