For Korea's young and jobless
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By Chang Se-moon
Let me give you some advice in your job search. I know that you are a special person. The problem is that your potential employers do not know that you are a special person. Further, everyone who is looking for a job is special in his or her own way. This means that you somehow have to show that you are different.
The difference has to be shown in your attitude and your ability to communicate, verbal as well as nonverbal. Once I was eating at a very popular restaurant. Someone dropped paper napkin on the floor. Many waiters and waitresses walked by but no one picked it up for about 15 minutes. I was thinking to myself that if I were their employer and saw what was happening, I would probably let all of them go. Attitude shows but usually in ways you can never imagine.
Large companies usually have their own rigid hiring process, leaving you not much room to differentiate yourself. This does not mean that there is nothing you need to do. Large companies are always looking for people who are smart and innovative. Before any job search process begins in these large companies, you need to do in-depth research about the company and the position you are applying for. In the application form, there might be a space where you can show that you did research about the position and state that you are personally interested in the position. The worst thing you can do is to give an impression that this is the same application form that you are sending out to all other companies.
If you are willing to work at small to medium size companies that do not have a rigid hiring process, my advice is that you go and visit these companies personally, and ask for an employment application to complete. You have to dress neatly, and be very polite. Let me stress that you need to be polite, showing good attitude and personality, to everyone, including front desk receptionists and cleaning people. Believe me when I say, you never know.
Again, you need to make sure to do a lot of research about the company and the position you are seeking before and after the initial contact. This becomes even more important if you have an interview lined up. One of my former students got a job at a forecasting firm when she cited, during a casual meeting at the airport, stories about competing firms that she learned from my lecture.
When you prepare your resume with cover letter, make sure again that you prepare it for that particular company where you are applying. The worst thing you can do is to send out a cut and dry resume that applies to many other companies.
Networking is especially important in Korean society. Networking includes friends, relatives, school alumni, Church people, and more. You are many times more likely to be hired if you are referred by an employee of the company where you are seeking an employment than if you apply without knowing anyone there. I am mentioning networking, because you may be a shy person who hates networking in job search. If you are one of those persons, remember that once you find an employment, no one cares or even remembers whatever you did during networking.
Websites of the company to which you are making an application, if available, can be a valuable source of information. Those sites may have a link to careers, jobs available, or currently hiring. These websites may also allow you to sign up for emails on the availability of jobs in the future.
If you currently have a job and are looking for another job, there are other factors that you need to keep in mind. In this case, it is usually better to hold onto the job you now have until you find another job. Also, you may want to keep quiet about your job search, because you may be fired before you find another job. Your employer will, and should, be looking for another employee as soon as your employer finds out that you are in the job market.
Also, do not criticize your current employer not only while you work there, but also after you move to another employer. There is a saying that you should not cut something that can be untied. You never know.
Finally, let me comment on social media. Well-known social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other job boards may have a link to available jobs to which you may or may not have to pay for an access. If these are your primary avenues for job search, you better wake up. These social media are good places to find out which companies are hiring, but chances for actually obtaining a job through these social media are slim at best because there will be many, perhaps too many, candidates who respond to those listed openings. Let me know if you have any questions. I always keep all my communications totally confidential.
Chang Se-moon is the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies. He can be reached at changsemoon@yahoo.com.