On August 17th, Meituan-W officially kicked off its campus recruitment campaign for the class of 2027, targeting domestic and international graduates expected to finish their studies between November 2026 and October 2027. The company is opening up over 100 distinct job categories across 10 major fields, including technology, product management, business analysis, operations, retail, and sales, with positions spanning dozens of cities globally, from Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen to Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Riyadh.

This year, the company's strategy is firmly anchored in the "Retail + Technology" model, and its hiring efforts reflect a deep focus on AI capabilities in potential candidates. Meituan is not just looking for technical talent; it is actively seeking individuals who can apply AI in real-world commercial scenarios. A significant number of frontline roles in retail and sales are available across its core local commerce and grocery retail divisions. For instance, the Grocery Retail Management Trainee program is designed to cultivate high-potential retail leaders, with a fast-track career path where trainees can become store managers in as little as six months and progress to city managers, leading teams of a thousand people, within 36 months.

On the frontier of technology, Meituan continues its year-round hunt for elite tech talent through dedicated initiatives like the "LongCat" and "Beidou Plan" programs. These aim to fill positions in cutting-edge fields such as foundational large models, large model applications, autonomous driving, drone technology, embodied intelligence, and intelligent decision-making. Additionally, the company has set up a special track for its international operations, recruiting global talent for businesses like Keeta and Keemart, as it expands into markets including the Middle East, Brazil, and Hong Kong, China.

Compared to previous years, Meituan has introduced over a dozen new "AI-native" roles this year, such as AI Full-Stack Engineer, AI Product Manager, and Intelligent Business Analyst. This expansion is backed by a significant increase in research and development spending. Company data shows that its R&D investment for the first quarter of 2026 reached 7 billion yuan, a 22% year-over-year increase, underscoring its commitment to advancing AI in the physical world. When it comes to the candidate profile, more than 80% of job descriptions explicitly require some form of AI-related skill. A company representative involved in recruitment noted that they are particularly focused on finding talent with an "AI Native" mindset—people who proactively think about leveraging AI to solve problems, enhance collaboration, and improve service capabilities while also engaging directly with business operations to identify and resolve real-world issues. To make the process smoother, Meituan's campus recruitment website has also introduced an AI assistant to provide real-time answers to candidates' questions.

Meituan has long prioritized the development and growth of its campus hires, establishing a comprehensive and systematic training framework. This includes the "Sprout" onboarding program, a 100% mentor assignment for new joiners, and access to over 30,000 learning courses designed to ease the transition from university to the workplace. Through internal mobility and job rotation mechanisms, employees gain hands-on experience that aligns with their personal interests and strengths. The company also offers diverse and international work settings, providing graduates with the flexibility to choose their preferred city and plan their careers. Building capabilities for the AI era is a new focus of this year's talent development strategy. The recruitment lead stated, "We want to help newcomers gradually build habits of human-machine collaboration in real work scenarios." To support this, Meituan will provide a wealth of AI tools and resources, encouraging graduates to test their boldest ideas in practice. Furthermore, employees will have access to a vast internal knowledge base and an online learning platform with tens of thousands of courses, fostering an environment for extensive self-directed learning.

The positive impact of this approach is echoed by past graduates. Xiaoda, a 2022 campus hire who joined through the "Beidou Plan," works on AI algorithms and became a project lead within just over a year of joining. He credits the company for giving campus recruits the chance to participate in core projects and encouraging them to make independent judgments and solve problems in real business contexts, which he says has been immensely beneficial for his professional growth. Similarly, Bai Yang, another campus hire, has been promoted multiple times in three years and now serves as a mentor and interviewer for new employees. Reflecting on his experience, he said, "When I first joined, my mentor was very communicative and helped me get familiar with the business. Now, I want to pass on this tradition of nurturing young talent that Meituan so carefully cultivates, helping more young people successfully transition from campus to corporate life."

Meituan's recruitment leadership sums up the company's philosophy: as a tech-driven retail enterprise that actively embraces AI, they are committed to growing together with their campus recruits for a better future. The goal is to ensure that new graduates can start their careers in a supportive environment and develop rapidly within a space that offers vast opportunities for growth.