Under the panic of the Internet layoff wave, where do 35-year-old workers go?

Image source @ Visual China

Text | Phoenix Network "Wind Eye Dialogue", author | Jiang Fan, Editor | Yu Hao

News of layoffs in the Internet industry has been heard endlessly, and uneasiness has spread.

Recently, it is reported that Tencent and Ali two major Internet giants will be sharply laid off, Tencent is expected to lay off about 20%, Ali is expected to be 30%, it is possible that the entire business line will be cut. Prior to this, ByteDance, iQiyi, Meituan, Kuaishou, Didi and other Internet manufacturers also reported layoffs.

The frequent news of layoffs, superimposed on the background of the previous plunge in Chinese stocks, for a time the Internet industry to cool the voice appeared, which also made many professionals and job seekers shiver.

Some employees of large factories said that "the 35-year-old has not yet been promoted to management, and I am afraid that the next person to be laid off is myself." There are also many job seekers who are worried about whether there will be a wave of Internet layoffs next. Fresh graduates are concerned about whether it is still suitable to enter the Internet industry.

On these issues, Fu Haifeng, vice president of the recruitment division of Lianmai Maimai in the "Wind Eye Dialogue" column of Phoenix Network, talked about the Internet recruitment trend in 2022 and how individuals should do a good job in career planning.

Every year in March and April is the adjustment period of the personnel of the big factory

Phoenix Network Technology: Ali and Tencent two major Internet companies came to the news of layoffs, and uneasiness spread. Many people are worried that it will be difficult to find a job this year, is the wave of layoffs really coming?

Fu Haifeng: In fact, every year in this season, it is a critical period for the strategic adjustment and strategic planning of various companies, and at this time, some businesses will definitely do some optimization and adjustment, or do some personnel inventory, which is a very normal phenomenon.

Especially in some high-speed development of mid-waist Internet companies, this kind of personnel adjustment is relatively common. Job seekers do not have to panic, and are associated with the wave of layoffs on the Internet, which will have a very big impact on themselves and will make irrational decisions when making job search decisions.

Phoenix.com: Compared with the previous two years, the internet manufacturers are becoming less and less attractive to job seekers. Some netizens said that the Internet manufacturer has gone to the charm. What do you think of this view?

Fu Haifeng: There will be such a phenomenon, in the past few years, the entire Internet industry did have an aura. For professionals, Internet companies are a very good platform, with good salaries and a relatively high starting point, which is very helpful in the accumulation of professional experience, including the accumulation of skills.

But now the workplace people, generally in the job search choices become more rational, more comprehensive consideration of which company they are suitable for, which business, which development can be more in line with their career requirements. Instead of just paying attention to the blessing of the external aura of the Internet factory on its own profession.

Phoenix.com: Why is there such a job search transformation in the Internet industry?

Fu Haifeng: After the 90s or 00s, he may pay more attention to his own feelings and the display of his own value. Rather than attracting high salaries, they pay more attention to the workplace environment, including whether the individual likes the job or not, including what kind of person the workplace superior is. Derived, it can actually be called a form of anti-inner volume.

We found a very big change. In the past, the top three people in the workplace paid the most attention to when looking for a job, the first was salary and benefits, the second was personal development, and the third was the balance between personal work and life. In terms of weight, the original salary and benefits are very high, which is definitely the most important factor affecting job search. But this year, our survey found that the weight gap between salary and benefits and personal development, work-life balance, and the three is getting smaller and smaller.

Behind this reflects that the current professional will consider more comprehensive factors when seeking employment.

35 years old is the "transition period" of people in the workplace, not a node with reduced cost performance

Phoenix Network Technology: After the news of layoffs in large factories broke, many people in the workplace began to be anxious, especially those employees of large factories aged 35 and above. 35 years old seems to have become a node where the "cost performance" of professionals has begun to decrease, what do you think?

Fu Haifeng: It should be said that before the age of 35, it is a critical moment for us to accumulate career-related experience and skills. By the age of 35, professionals need to have an upgrade or change in their future career plans. Not only rely on the accumulated skills and connections, but also to be clear about their core strengths and what they are better at, including the project management ability and business experience that have gradually been honed.

In fact, 35 years old is a period of career transformation, whether it is now or before. However, now the changes in the transformation and upgrading of the Internet have made the requirements and needs for everyone's workplace transformation more urgent. Under this urgency, professionals should take a good look at their future career development.

Phoenix Network Technology: Under the panic of layoffs, there are still many Internet workers or job seekers who are confused. What advice do you have for them?

Fu Haifeng: I would like everyone to look at the layoffs of large factories more calmly and rationally, which is a normal phenomenon. You may see that there will be uneasiness in the media reports, but from the perspective of the trend of recruitment, we actually see emerging industry opportunities, and we can not only focus on the Internet industry.

While the external environment is changing, job seekers should calmly and comprehensively look at the emerging industry opportunities in the post-mobile Internet era. For example, smart driving, driverless driving, new energy, including the technology industry of financial reform, as well as the biomedical and information technology industries, there are plenty of opportunities in these industries. Of course, you will find that there are also new businesses and business transformations in the Internet, in fact, there are also opportunities.

There are a large number of employment opportunities in quasi-first-tier cities such as Wuhan, Nanjing and Hangzhou

Phoenix Technology: In addition to the several industries just mentioned, which specific positions are more popular this year?

Fu Haifeng: I said two aspects, some cities and industries that have opportunities. In fact, from the perspective of the city, in the past, we often said that the north, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, now chengdu in the west, Wuhan and Nanjing in the middle, Hangzhou, Suzhou and so on in the east, there are many good opportunities.

These quasi-first-tier cities and emerging industries are more closely integrated, such as some industrial automation, new energy fields, chips and other high-tech industrial layouts, all in these cities. These are some of the key projects that the country is tackling, and they are also a very important reference direction for us as professionals to choose opportunities.

Phoenix Network Technology: It is said that it is difficult to find a job, how do you see the job search situation in the past two years?

Fu Haifeng: In fact, while the big factories have shrunk in some businesses, they have also released a large number of job demand. For example, JD.com and Ali are expanding in large numbers in 2021 and 2022. Then, the emerging technology industries that the state is concerned about are also booming, unleashing a lot of opportunities.

At the same time, job seekers are no longer limited to the Internet, but can choose a more promising industry. For fresh graduates, the scope of the entire job choice has been forced to broaden, which is a good thing.