Internship experience top Chinese employers' main criteria

28% ranked it as main priority, while educational background and communication skills were considered least important.

As the economy continues to grow, more than seven out of ten companies say they plan to hire fresh graduates in 2012. But in a country that produces over six million new graduates every year, there will be stiff competition for jobs.

Research carried out for managed workspace provider Regus sheds some light on the skills and attributes considered most important by employers for fresh graduates. Top of the list is internship experience, with 28% of respondents rating it as their top priority.

But experience is not the sole attribute graduates need to give them the edge. Personality and foreign language skills are also much in demand: each is named as the top priority by 21% of companies. Indeed, among large companies, personality is deemed to be on a par with intern experience, with each rated most important by 29% of large enterprises.

Surprisingly, educational background features relatively low down the list, particularly large employers: only 9% say it tops their wish-list. Communications skills are also a low priority: just 14% of businesses of all sizes rated it as their most important attribute in a potential recruit.

"These findings are a valuable insight into businesses' recruitment priorities in 2012," said Hans Leijten, Regus's vice-president, East Asia. "They are also more or less in line with what we ourselves look for. Regus plans to recruit a significant number of graduates in China as part of our rapid expansion. Experience and personality traits, such as a commitment to learning and progressing, are at the heart of what businesses expect from their employees. But companies themselves must also be ready to adapt and improve. As in anywhere else, adaptability is one of the keys to business success."

The survey was conducted in early 2012. It asked 335 business decision-makers to rank the hiring criteria they considered to be most important in a fresh graduate.