Since the Beijing 2008 Olympics Preparation Committee made
announcements to recruit 56 talented Chinese people from both at
home and abroad, 3,691 persons have registered applications with an
average of five dozen candidates applying for each opening for
China's first ever Olympics. Forty-eight percent of candidates hold
a master degree, further increasing the competitiveness of the
recruitment process.
Zhang Zhiwei, deputy director of the committee's Personnel
Department, said that in addition to a written examination which
was held on November 24, the committee would arrange another
written examination for overseas candidates, saving commutation
time from foreign countries. The Beijing 2008 Olympics Preparation
Committee will interview those who excel during the written exam
and make their final selections accordingly. According to Zhang,
since September the committee has been inviting experts to design
questions in areas such as quality assurance, professional skill
and practical capability.
If
the recruitment process fails to engage appropriate talent, the
committee will continue to repeat the procedure until such time as
suitably qualified professionals can be employed. The Supervision
Committee for the 29th Beijing Olympics will follow up and
administer the recruitment practice to ensure openness, fairness
and transparency throughout the process. The recruitment exam on
November 24 is a prelude to the committee's recruitment drive.
Zhang said that around half of all candidates hold a master degree.
The recruitment assembly was surprised to see that as many as 80
candidates had taken tests in both English and French languages,
the official languages of the International Olympics Committee. The
Beijing 2008 Olympics Preparation Committee has an especially
urgent need for bilingual talent.
Zhang said that it is the dream of many young people with noble
aspirations to become a member of the Beijing 2008 Olympics
Preparation Committee, and be part of history as China hosts its
first ever Olympics. The committee is currently composed of 100
people. As the committee begins to roll out its various
undertakings, the number of staff will increase. By 2008, the
committee will have over 4,000 employees. The competition for an
opportunity to serve as a member of the committee is so fierce that
some candidates can't help drawing parallels with university
entrance exams, post-graduate selection exams and even postdoctoral
selection exams. China's university entrance examinations are
notoriously strenuous for both students and their families.
(china.org.cn by Alex Xu, November 30, 2002)