Job hunters with Olympic experience got a positive reception at a large-scale job fair here, Monday's China Youth Daily reported.

The fair on Sunday, the first after the Games, drew as many as 30,000 applicants.

More than 5,000 positions were offered by about 600 companies, including many big names such as China Life Insurance Company, Lenovo and Yum! Brands Inc.

Although not stated as a requirement, applicants with Olympic service experience were preferred by employers, the newspaper said.

An employee from Yum! who declined to be identified said that Olympic volunteers had a better sense of service, which companies needed.

China's Hainan Airlines Co. Ltd and Grand China Air Co. Ltd will recruit 300 Olympic volunteers as stewards and 50 as managers, said Zhu Yimin, President of Hainan Airlines and Grand China Air last week.

He said Hainan Airlines and Grand China Air will introduce an "Olympic air crew" on selected routes, carrying forward the "Olympic spirit and offering service of high quality to customers".