Graduating into a Tough Job Market: What Korean Employers Want
Tuesday, March 15, 2016 – The Asia Society Korea Center’s March Luncheon provided those in attendance with valuable career lessons on Tuesday as Mark Sungrae Kim talked about “Graduating into a Tough Job Market: What Korean Employers Want”. Mr. Kim is Partner-in-Charge of Heidrick & Struggles’ Korea office, and an expert in the recruitment and employment industry. He has more than 24 years of experience in the field having worked with both Korean and multinational companies, successfully placing more than 100 CEOs, country managers and senior executives in sectors including sales, marketing, finance, human resources, supply chain, medical, legal, regulatory affairs and public affairs. Student participation in the event was high and they were able to take away expert advice on what employers are looking for in a candidate and how to give yourself the best chance of being hired.
Mr. Kim started his presentation by emphasizing the importance of self-promotion in order to differentiate yourself from others. Even having all of the necessary qualifications and “specifications” does not guarantee success with many HR managers actually hiring based on if they like a person, rather than what is on the C.V of the candidate. Mr. Kim highlighted the issue of youth unemployment and how many industries and chaebols are currently restructuring and reducing their workforce, making the competition even fiercer. What companies are looking for now are people who are trustworthy, have integrity with C.V’s that are honest and truthful.
Other important qualities that employers are looking for are confidence and diverse experience. Mr. Kim believes that in Korea, there are too many specialists and people with very similar experiences. Rather than going abroad to study English, taking up volunteering or unpaid work in unique countries such as the Czech Republic or Mongolia would be far more beneficial in the long run. Global experience is so important for this generation and companies would rather hire someone who has worked in a global environment than someone who has a 4.0 GPA from a top university. Regardless of family ties or education experience, Mr. Kim believes that you should be confident and not hide any part of your background.
Mr. Kim concluded his talk by encouraging job candidates to ask who will be interviewing them and to research that person in addition to finding out as much as possible about the company. One interview question that is likely to be asked is “why should be hire you?”, and it is crucial to have a well thought out answer that shows passion and motivation. His final piece of advice was for people to worry less about what is on their C.V and think more about their values and goals, and what they really want out of their career. Following his presentation, Mr. Kim took questions from the audience providing a very practical event for student members of the Korea Center.