If you have three to five years of professional experience, you have probably lived through this cycle more than once: the hiring season arrives, you update your resume, you apply to dozens of roles, you go through interviews, you hear nothing back from most of them, you start doubting yourself, you lower your expectations, and you accept an offer that feels like settling.

Emma (a pseudonym) graduated from a top-tier Chinese university with a marketing degree. At the end of May, while her classmates debated whether to start applying now, she made what seemed like the most rational decision: