For China’s elite graduates, career dreams take a back seat to stability in coronavirus-hit job market

When Hermione Zhang graduated with a master’s degree in Beijing last year, the 25 year old had high hopes of working at a commercial bank or securities firm in one of China’s biggest cities.

But after her two-year programme was put on hold for nine months due to the pandemic – preventing her from networking or interning, which would have given her valuable face time with employers – she was forced to set her sights a little lower.