Sitting opposite a panel of interviewers, Yan Yang did a good job. For the first time in months he got an offer.
面对一众面试官的提问，晏阳（音译）表现得很出色。几个月以来，他第一次得到了一份工作机会。
“The location is good, the salary is OK, the staff look nice,” said the 24-year-old automation major from Beijing University of Technology. “But signing up for five years?”
“工作地点、薪水都不错，同事看上去也都很友善，”毕业于北京科技大学自动化专业、24岁的他说道，“但要签一份五年的合同？”
He explained to the HR manager that he had not yet decided in what direction to pursue his career, so he would rather join on a two-year contract and see how everything turns out. The HR manager never called back.
他对该用人单位的人事经理解释说，自己还没有决定职业发展方向，所以更希望签一份两年的合同看看一切是否顺利。而他却再也没有接到该人事经理的电话。
Yan’s concern is shared by many graduates who don’t want to “sell” themselves to an employer right after their graduation. Instead, many prefer short contracts, one or two years, before committing to a business or company for the long term.
很多毕业生都有过晏阳这样的担忧，他们不想一毕业就把自己“卖”给某家用人单位。相反，在决定长期投身一份事业或一家公司之前，他们倾向于签订一两年的短期合同。
But experts warn that changing jobs too often is risky. Graduates had better know what they want before they start looking for a job.
但专家警告称，频繁跳槽存在风险。毕业生最好在求职前想清楚自己想要什么。
According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, this year will witness a record-high of nearly 7 million graduates entering the national job market.
据人力资源与社会保障部统计，今年将会有近700万毕业生加入求职大军，创历史新高。
“The pressure of finding a job is still very high,” vice-minister Wang Xiaochu told Xinmin Evening News.
“就业压力仍居高不下，”（人力资源与社会保障部）副部长王晓初在接受《新民晚报》采访时表示。
Not sure about career
职业规划不明确
Although facing a grim market, students are still reluctant to accept long contracts from employers.
尽管面临严峻的就业形势，学生们仍不愿接受用人单位的长期合同。
“Our company needs to build a stable team for its projects,” said Yang Xiaolin, HR manager at a Xi’an-based engineering company. “But four out of every ten candidates we offer a five-year contract turn us down.”
“我们公司需要组建稳定的项目团队，” 西安一家工程公司的人事经理杨晓琳（音译）说，“但40%的求职者拒绝与我们签订五年的工作合同。”
Zhang Shuli, 24, a management major at Guangzhou University, explained her peers reluctance to accept long contracts: “Although we did researches on possible careers, we’re still not sure if the first job we take is the ideal one. What if things don’t work out? We would waste the most important five years of our career.”
就读于广州大学管理专业、24岁的张舒丽（音译）道出了同龄人不愿签订长期合同的原因。“尽管对可能的职业都做了调研，但我们仍不敢确定第一份工作是否就能称心如意。如果不合适怎么办？我们很可能因此浪费掉职业生涯中最重要的五年。”
Zhang Rui, an information major at Wuhan University, agrees. The 25-year-old recently turned down a four-year contract as an IT technician at a Wuhan-based company.
就读于武汉大学(微博 招生办)信息专业的张睿（音译）对此表示赞同。25岁的他不久前拒绝了武汉某公司提供的信息技术工程师职位，因为合同期长达4年。
“All I want is to accumulate some experience of working in the software industry so that I can decide what I really want to do,” said Zhang.
“我只是想积累一些软件行业的工作经验，这样我才能确定自己到底想做什么，”张睿说。
Zhu Yuguo, a senior HR manager at an international corporation based in Beijing, said that the first three to five years are vital for one’s career. But he also suggested students should stay in a company for at least three years to really learn how things work.
北京一家跨国公司的高级人力资源总监朱宇国（音译）说，最开始工作的三到五年对一个人的职业生涯至关重要。但同时他也建议毕业生至少在一家公司工作三年，真正了解这份工作。
“A five-year-contract doesn’t mean you will be doing the same thing for five years,” explained Zhu. “But switching from one job to another means you always start at an entry level, which can be risky for one’s future career.”
“五年期的合同并不意味着你要在这五年时间里做同样的工作，”朱宇国解释道，“但频繁跳槽就意味着你一直要从入门级做起，这可能给一个人的未来职业发展带来风险。”
Zheng Gang, from the student employment office at Chongqing University, said it’s typical for students to be afraid of long contracts.
来自重庆大学(微博 招生办)就业指导中心的郑刚（音译）表示，谈长期合同色变的现象在学生中极具代表性。
“Nowadays students aim very high throughout their lives, they want to avoid any setbacks,” said Zheng. “So they’re afraid to choose a job because they think that another one could be better.”
“现在的学生总是好高骛远，想避免一切挫折，”郑老师说。“他们害怕择业，因为总想着还有更好的机会。”
Zheng therefore suggest students to do internships and part-time jobs to further explore their interest and future plans.
因此，郑老师建议学生参加实习和兼职，进一步发掘自身的兴趣和未来规划。