LIANG LUWEN/FOR CHINA DAILY

Graduation's lush green landscape of hope has been scorched by the blistering heat of reality. Dreams that seemed realistic and achievable just a few short months ago have been consigned to another world, to a time when the phrase "social distancing" had not entered the lexicon and people wearing face masks were few and far between.

"I've got zero offers this year."

"Me too."

"Have you all taken the entrance exam for graduate school?"

"I have, too."

This is an actual chat history from a WeChat group－the eighth job-seeking one－that Yang Anting, a college senior student, joined this year. Majoring in publishing at Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, the 22-year-old has been looking for a job since the fall.

In the group, 488 college students set to graduate in July post information, ask questions and share their experience of how tough it is to secure a job.

Yang doesn't know them in person, but she checks these groups daily, grabbing every chance for something that might lead to an ideal job, while at the same time consoling herself that she's not alone.

The COVID-19 outbreak has brought many difficulties for graduates across the country hoping to find jobs. But help is at hand. Initiatives to boost the job market have been launched by the government.

In the past few months, Yang has applied for more than 200 jobs, taken more than 20 written tests and attended nine interviews, but hasn't found her ideal job yet.

She has received offers, but missed the opportunity to actually start a job due to the outbreak. Before the Spring Festival holiday, a company in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, asked her to join them as soon as possible, but then COVID-19 hit.

"It didn't work out for me," Yang says, accepting her fate.

In July, around 8.74 million college students will graduate－a record number.

They will meet unprecedented challenges in finding a job－a slowing economy, a global pandemic and lasting trade tensions between the United States and China.

A report by BOSS Direct Employment, a Chinese online recruitment platform, showed that within 10 days after Spring Festival in early February, the number of new job offers had decreased by 49 percent compared to last year.