Shanghai World Expo starts volunteer interviews

Over five hundred people that have signed up to become Shanghai Expo volunteers experienced their first interviews for the positions on Sunday, the Oriental Morning Post reported.

A volunteer shows her painting of a tree, which is a part of the Expo  volunteer interview process. The organizer of the Shanghai World Expo  held the first interview to enroll volunteers on Sunday, September 20, 2009  in the city. [Photo: the Oriental Morning Post]

80 percent of the total are undergraduates while the others include retired employees and freelancers. Most of them have got work experiences as volunteers, including some who served last year's Beijing Olympic Games.

Besides relevant experience, an applicant's state of mind is another essential factor in the recruitment process. All candidates have been required to draw a picture of a tree through which psychological experts can find clues about personality and character.

The candidates being interviewed have been selected out of 400,000 people who initially applied to help out at the 2010 World Expo. As the future first group of Expo volunteers, they are expected to be the backbone of the volunteer army, which will not only help visitors in the Expo Park but also help enroll even more volunteers.

Since the Expo organizer started receiving volunteer applications on May 1st, thousands of people including foreigners and seniors have showed great enthusiasm towards the international fair.

The names of the first batch of Expo volunteers will be announced on October 13, which will mark the 200-day countdown to Shanghai World Expo.