If you still want to take the civil service exam within two years of graduating, before signing a job or transferring your file, check how the exam announcement defines a “fresh graduate” (应届生): for the national exam, your file and household registration must stay at the school or a talent service institution

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Many positions in the national civil service exam mainly recruit fresh graduates. Someone within two years of graduating who has not settled on an employer, and whose file and household registration (户口) are still at the school or a talent service institution, also counts as a fresh graduate. Provinces differ: in Fujian, signing a contract and paying social insurance still counts. So before you sign a job or transfer your file, read the announcement for the exam you want to take.

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Getting into the government system is not only about the civil service exam: finish two years of a grassroots service program and you can apply for a targeted recruitment plan with 10% of openings each year

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 31, tip 17. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer