Future Carrer Women Meet CEOs
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Today's female students can compete with the opposite gender in society but still lag behind in professionalism, a business leader said.
The School of Business at Ewha Womans University organized a special dinner event at the Millennium Hilton Hotel in Seoul on Nov. 7 for its seniors and graduate students who are on the verge of taking their first step into society as career women. A total of 11 business leaders in various industries were also present at the event to hand down skills and know-how regarding job hunting, interviews and concerned issues to the aspiring students.
``The service industry will decide the national wealth in the near future. Many female students prefer to work in fields such as finance, design, fashion and the art industry. It is very desirable trend,'' said Kim Kuk-kil, president of KK Consulting, a local headhunting company. ``But women employees need to develop professionalism. I have seen many female workers leaving the office with a task half completed, citing household affairs, private meetings and even unclear reasons.''
Noting that fierce competition and self-sacrifice are the recipe for being a successful career woman, Ha Yung-ku, CEO of Citibank Korea, said ``woman should share household affairs with their spouse in order to concentrate on work.''
Kim Hae-ryun, head of IF Network and the only female business leader among the CEOs participating, called on female students to have high ambitions and clear vision and also set long term career goals.
``Once employed, male workers usually set a long-term career plan but women usually do not. But it is a crucial factor in order to succeed,'' she said.