92 foreign firms to recruit 250 jobseekers

Jobseekers wait at booths of foreign companies for interviews during the Job Fair for Foreign-Invested Companies 2016 at COEX, southern Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of KOTRA

By Lee Hyo-sik

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) is holding a two-day job fair for jobseekers wanting to find positions at foreign companies operating here.

About 250 people are expected to be hired by 92 foreign firms taking part in the Job Fair for Foreign-Invested Companies 2016 at COEX, southern Seoul, Oct. 17 and 18, according to the agency Monday. Companies attending the event include Siemens, ABB, Denso, COSTCO and 3M.

Jobseekers can visit booths set up by each participating firm for interviews, as well as attend lectures and tailored job consulting sessions, organized by KOTRA.

“We expect more than 14,000 job seekers will attend the two-day event,” said KOTRA manager Yoon Byung-eun, who organized the fair. “It offers good opportunities for those looking to find jobs at non-Korean firms. Foreign businesses can also more easily recruit talented employees.”

In 2015, 103 foreign firms participated in the fair, according to Yoon, who said this year the agency had to limit the number to 92 because of the lack of space at COEX.

“We were able to secure space for only 92 companies this year. So we had to turn down applications from several firms seeking to take part in the fair,” the manager said. “Last year, foreign businesses hired 244 people. This year we expect them to add about 250 jobseekers to their payrolls. Non-Korean companies account for about 6 percent of the country’s employment, generating many decent jobs.”

According to a survey of human resources managers at participating firms, 50 percent said they will hire entry-level employees, with 38 percent looking to recruit those with less than five years work experience.

Most managers stressed the importance of fluency in English and other foreign languages. In particular, those seeking jobs in sales and marketing are required to speak and write in English like a native, and be fluent in a second foreign language, they said.

A personnel officer at Schneider Electric Korea, the local unit of the French energy management company, said that “Foreign firms prefer to hire those fluent in foreign languages. But the level of fluency varies in accordance with job descriptions. They are also looking for jobseekers that are ready to contribute to the development of their organizations, not those studying to get high test scores or obtain licenses.”