A WOULD-BE graduate from Hunan Province, who has been trying to land a job in Shenzhen since the beginning of this year, recently became a minor Internet celebrity after asking for an annual salary of 1 million yuan (US$129,366) in his resume which he uploaded to a popular recruitment Web site, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported Thursday.

The report said the man, only identified by his Web handle "zmjhnlgxy," wrote in his cover letter, posted on www.wingoon.com Tuesday, that any company willing to pay him 1 million yuan annually should contact him.

A chemistry major from Hunan Institute of Science and Technology, "zmjhnlgxy" will graduate in July. The report quoted him as saying that he started looking for a job in January. But all his applications were rejected because he didn't have work experience. "All companies are asking for applicants to have years' of work experience, as they don't want to spend on the training of a graduate just out of campus. They want their employees to bring in profit immediately," he said.

Although he is yet to graduate and still has no work experience, "zmjhnlgxy" said he has confidence in his knowledge and skills. "I am sure I will contribute a lot to my potential employer, justifying my request for an annual salary of 1 million yuan."

The labor market for fresh graduates has become increasingly difficult in the past few years since the Ministry of Education expanded the quota for tertiary education enrollment. Every year, millions of students graduate from universities and flood the labor market, competing for limited vacancies.

Statistics from the ministry show that 4.95 million students will graduate from universities in July, 820,000 more than last year. The large number of fresh graduates will make the already tight employment market even more competitive.

Meanwhile, competition has driven small- and medium-sized companies to cut costs, resulting in employers pursuing experienced applicants.

Editor: Wing