Chinese tech company Tencent is ramping up efforts to recruit young talent through its largest-ever campus hiring project, aiming to offer 28,000 internship positions over the next three years in a bid to support high-quality employment and strengthen its technological workforce.

The move, which is Tencent's largest employment expansion for graduates in history, comes as the country anticipates a record 12.22 million university graduates this year, and as the economy undergoes restructuring amid geopolitical tensions.

"Employment is the foundation of people's livelihood," said Luo Haibo, Tencent's global head of recruitment. "As a platform company, we see it as our responsibility to contribute to job creation, especially in such a challenging environment."

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Tencent plans to hire 10,000 interns in 2025 alone, with a strong focus on converting successful candidates into full-time hires, Luo said.

Qiao Zijiang, a computer science student from Xi'an University of Posts and Telecommunications, is among the new recruits. Long fascinated by internet firms such as Tencent, Qiao joined the company's campus ambassador program during his sophomore year.

That experience helped him secure an internship this March with Tencent, where he is training for a technical product and business role.

"In our department, the training integrates real-world sales simulations and client interactions," Qiao said. "We're assigned dual mentors — one for industry insight and one for business skills — which has really helped me transition from school to the workplace."

While Qiao's background in programming would typically lead to a software development path, he said he values the broader skills his current role requires, from market research and technical product knowledge to cross-departmental coordination.

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"The team gives us a full-cycle development path — from simulation to shadowing client meetings to handling business independently," he added. "I'm looking forward to diving into real-world practice."

Zhang Jie, a computer and software major at Shenzhen University, is interning as a product manager for iOA, Tencent's in-house zero-trust security platform aimed at protecting small and medium-sized enterprises.

"My job is to translate client feedback into product features," Zhang said. "It requires a deep understanding of cybersecurity concepts, as well as the ability to anticipate and respond to customer needs."

Zhang hopes to secure a permanent role and is receiving guidance through Tencent's mentorship system. "My mentor regularly helps me solve problems and improve. I feel I'm growing every day."

The hiring drive is part of Tencent's broader efforts to reinforce its technical backbone, especially in fields such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing and game engines.

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"Tencent is committed to long-term AI development," Luo said. "Our strategy combines self-developed and open-source models to build practical AI applications across all our business lines."

More than 60 percent of the new positions in this campus hiring campaign are technical roles, especially for some emerging businesses like artificial intelligence large models, to suit the growing tech world.

The company has also launched a recruitment program named Qingyun, targeting elite students for AI research and leadership development through mentorship from senior executives and participation in cutting-edge projects.

As of March, Tencent had more than 55,000 full-time employees, 73 percent of whom are in tech-related roles. Over 27,000 are directly involved in R&D.

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Tencent said it is pairing its hiring push with robust training and internal mobility programs to help new hires thrive. The company's "dual-path" career system allows employees to pursue either technical or management tracks, with flexibility to switch between them. An internal talent circulation program, known as the water plan, helps match employees to suitable roles across departments.

"Our philosophy is that investing in young people is investing in the future," said Luo. "Beyond internships, we will continue to launch campus recruitment programs and work with partners to create more opportunities for high-quality employment."