Why did the "replacement" of large factories become the new favorite of job hunting?

Recently, Maimai's latest "Job Performance Era-2024 Spring Recruitment Talent Job Preference Insights" found that more and more professionals are beginning to gravitate towards those companies that can provide higher value in key dimensions such as growth potential, working atmosphere and life balance. The so-called "large factory replacement" refers to enterprises that can provide satisfactory career development opportunities while avoiding fierce involution competition. "Replacement of large factories" has become the new favorite of job seekers, reflecting some changes in the current labor market and the mentality of job seekers.

Point 1

A new path for job seekers to take ownership of their choices

In today's workplace environment, a new tendency to find a job is gradually emerging—more and more job seekers are beginning to choose "big factory replacement" as a new starting point in their careers. This phenomenon is not accidental, but a reflection of the active exercise and control of choices by job seekers in an increasingly complex and diverse job market.

When Ms. Lin applied for the position of product manager of a well-known Internet company, she went through several rounds of interviews and took several months, but finally failed to join the company. After that, she turned to apply to an innovative company focusing on online education, and the interview process was simple and efficient, with the direct participation of the company's senior management, and the two parties clarified each other's needs and expectations in an in-depth exchange, and Ms. Lin received an offer of employment in a short period of time.

Through the comparison of her interview experience between enterprises of different sizes, Ms. Lin told reporters that "large factory replacement" enterprises often pay more attention to two-way communication with job seekers during the interview process, giving job seekers the opportunity to fully express themselves, ask questions and understand the company's situation. This efficient and user-friendly interview experience often enhances the candidate's initiative in the interview process. "For example, the company's business model, team atmosphere, promotion mechanism, and other key information can be directly communicated in the interview," Ms. Lin revealed, so that she can take the initiative to assess whether the job meets her expectations and whether it can provide a satisfactory career development environment during the job search stage, and then make more rational job search decisions.

On workplace social platforms such as Maimai and Zhihu, some professionals shared their experiences of this spring recruitment. Among them, job seekers who choose "flat" companies say that they have more initiative in the negotiation of entry conditions when entering such enterprises.

"Compared with the fixed salary system and welfare policies of large factories, many 'flat' companies are more willing to flexibly adjust according to individual needs," one job seeker shared, including but not limited to salary structure, work model, career development support, etc., so that job seekers can strive for more satisfactory working conditions at the beginning of employment.

Point 2

Break through traditional ideas and examine the value of work

For a long time, "Dachang" has become an ideal destination for many job seekers with its strong strength, broad platform, generous salary and benefits. However, with the development of the economy and the diversification of personal values, job seekers' perception of work is no longer limited to the superficial glamour and material rewards, but pays more attention to whether the work itself can meet the professional ideals and realize personal values. The emergence of "large factory replacement" enterprises is just in line with the multi-dimensional examination of job seekers' work value.

Xiao Liu, a fresh graduate, also dreamed of entering a major Internet company before graduation. However, after an in-depth understanding of industry dynamics and self-career planning, he finally chose to join a small and medium-sized company in Shanghai focusing on big data information services. Although the salary is lower than expected, the company's cutting-edge technology practices, in-depth project participation opportunities, and close communication with senior management make Xiao Liu believe that it will bring greater value to his professional skills and personal growth.

According to Maimai's latest "Career Performance Era-2024 Spring Recruitment Talent Job Preference Insights", the core of the phenomenon of "large factory replacement" lies in job seekers' in-depth examination of the value of work. They no longer simply use salary and corporate reputation as the only criteria to measure the value of their work, but pay more attention to the long-term benefits of career development, such as skill improvement, project experience accumulation, and personal influence expansion.

At the same time, job seekers are no longer limited by the traditional mindset of "big is good" and "famous enterprises are guaranteed", but dare to challenge the routine and actively choose companies that can better meet the personalized career needs and fit personal values. In the eyes of job seekers who choose a "flat" company, the essence behind this decision is to actively weigh various work elements, abandon a single "big factory worship", and make a career decision that best meets their personal needs according to their actual situation and long-term planning.

Point three

Respond to industry changes and diversify employment risks

In the face of increasingly fierce competition in the workplace, job seekers are becoming more and more aware of the risks that a single career path may bring. This phenomenon not only reflects the deep thinking and rational planning of job seekers' career choices, but also reflects how they skillfully use diversified employment strategies to ensure the stability and development of their careers in the face of an uncertain economic environment.

Taking the new energy vehicle industry as an example, although leading companies such as Tesla and BYD have attracted much attention, start-ups such as NIO, Li and Xpeng have also attracted the attention of a large number of job seekers. Although these companies are relatively small in scale, they show strong development potential with their innovative product concepts, cutting-edge technology research and development, and keen insight into the new energy market. Job seekers choose to join this kind of "big factory replacement" to participate in the forefront of industry change, gain valuable practical experience, and avoid the risk of industry volatility caused by over-reliance on a single giant.

Xiaolong, an engineer who used to work in basic R&D at a large technology company, chose to jump to an AI start-up earlier this year. He said that although large companies can provide a stable working environment and generous compensation and benefits, it is difficult for ordinary employees to access the most cutting-edge R&D projects. In this start-up, he can not only devote himself to the research and development of AI technology that he is interested in, but also obtain equity incentives with the development of the company, realizing the deep binding of personal value and company value.

Although there is a certain amount of entrepreneurial risk, Xiaolong feels that this is an excellent opportunity for him to realize his career ambition and share in the dividends of corporate growth. At the same time, he believes that this choice is undoubtedly an effective risk diversification strategy, which not only ensures the continuity of career development, but also reduces the dependence on a single employer to a certain extent.

Point 4

Investing in employee well-being is a key step in making talent more attractive

The report "The Era of Job Performance - Insights into the Job Preferences of 2024 Spring Recruitment Talents" points out that in the trend of "large factory replacement", job seekers pay more attention to the deep-seated needs such as individual value realization, work-life balance, and career growth space, rather than just superficial factors such as high salaries and the halo of famous enterprises. They look forward to working in an environment full of respect, support and motivation for both individuals and businesses. This shift in demand requires companies to shift from focusing on external conditions to focusing on intrinsic value, which is to invest in the well-being of their employees, when attracting talent.

Lin Fan, founder of Maimai, pointed out that this phenomenon has also made enterprises realize that they need to re-examine their talent strategies, and realize that traditional advantages such as scale and brand alone are no longer enough to attract and retain outstanding talents. Instead, investing in employee well-being and building a positive and healthy culture is a key step in making talent more attractive. For example, we should create an open and inclusive corporate culture, provide a variety of career development opportunities, optimize work-life balance, and establish a fair and transparent incentive mechanism.

To sum up, behind the phenomenon of "large factory replacement", whether it is "large factory" or "replacement", only by deeply understanding the changes in employee needs and effectively investing in the happiness of employees can enterprises stand out in the fierce competition for talents, attract and retain high-quality talents, and inject inexhaustible impetus into the long-term development of enterprises.

Post-90s perspectives

Young people should shape their own view of job search

Is it because the big factories have lost their attractiveness, or is the replacement more cost-effective? In recent years, the term "replacement" has become all the rage in the field of job hopping. According to the survey report of Maimai, when it is difficult to enter a large factory, 81.93% of people said that they would consider working in a "large factory" company.

Leaving aside the discussion of whether the "replacement of large factories" is caused by the tight employment environment, or whether it has indeed become a new way of thinking about employment in the minds of young job seekers, this phenomenon became unexpectedly popular in the early spring of this year, and it is important for young people to know that they have a choice in the job market and can exercise this right.

In the traditional concept of employment, entering a well-known company, especially an industry giant, is often regarded as a sign of success. However, with the diversification of the social economy, the job market is unprecedentedly rich and complex, providing young people with a wide range of choices. They can choose not only large factories, but also potential start-ups, small and medium-sized companies, and even non-traditional forms of employment such as freelancing and entrepreneurship.

Young people must recognise that they are not passive recipients in the job search process, but are agents with active choice. Break away from a single success criterion and consider a variety of employment options based on your interests, values, career plans, and life needs, so that you can make the most suitable career choice for you.

Post-70s perspectives

Flat is not lying flat

Job hunting for a large factory is gradually becoming a choice for people in the workplace.

The so-called "replacement" is, on the one hand, that job seekers pay more attention to the cost-effectiveness of their work. After all, high-intensity work is not something that most people can do, and to become a replacement employer, it must be one with good strength, not low salary and low intensity. This diversity of workplace choices should be recognized.

On the other hand, for the workplace, choosing a flat unit does not mean lying flat. Compared with the head enterprises have a complete set of mature human resource management and development systems, working in the replacement unit, the workplace needs to be more responsible for themselves.

For example, we should continue to improve our professional skills, rather than "waiting" to train you, and we should pay more attention to our work, whether we will develop in the direction of technical backbone or take the management route.

Header image source: Diagram worm