Graduate’s Subway Résumé Ad Generates Buzz in Guangzhou, Leading to 30 Job Opportunities

A post highlighting a unique job-seeking method recently went viral on social media platform Xiaohongshu. Xiang Yaohan, a graduate from Xiangtan University in Hunan province, gained attention by posting his résumé on an advertisement display in Zhujiang New Town Station on the Guangzhou Metro from April 13th to April 17th. By April 29th, a post about the advertisement had garnered over 1,000 likes and led to more than 30 companies contacting Xiang.

The subway advertisement featured a message stating, “It’s not easy for everyone to find a job or a partner,” along with some of Xiang’s awards. His WeChat QR code was located in the bottom right corner, and a photo with his face obscured was placed on the left. Xiang explained to Hongxing News that he chose not to show his face in the ad, stating, “I am not comfortable with showing my face in public like this.”

The idea to advertise in the subway came from a friend of Xiang’s, who specializes in personal branding and marketing. Xiang chose this method after careful consideration, citing the subway station’s high foot traffic and cost-effectiveness. According to him, there are many personal promotion advertisements in Guangzhou’s subway system, and he felt that this approach would help him get his name out and find a job. Additionally, he found that subway advertising was relatively affordable, with 1000 RMB allowing him to advertise for 5 days.

He also noted that while there are many personal advertisements in the Guangzhou subway, he had never seen anyone post their résumé before.

This post triggered heated discussion online.

Most people praised Xiang for his courageous behavior, leaving comments like “I’d just be making a fool of myself by putting my résumé up” (凹靡伽憨皮), or “The price seems reasonable, but I’m not confident in my résumé” (E3cape).

However, others didn’t think putting a résumé in a Metro station was an effective way to get a job. One netizen (文钦的墨尔本) commented under Xiang’s post, “Why don’t you consider a headhunter company, which is cheaper and more efficient?”

Xiang, who previously worked as a senior data analyst at a grain company and later as an AI instructor, decided to seek opportunities in data analysis due to perceived limitations for his career development in AI. His unconventional job-seeking method has attracted interest from various companies, mostly small to medium-sized enterprises, with whom he is currently discussing potential job opportunities.

As of the morning of the 19th, Xiang Yaohan had been contacted by HR representatives or bosses from around 30 companies. He had expressed interest in about a dozen of these companies and already attended an interview with one of them.

All images via Hongxing News.