Pick Promising Job; Upgrade Specs; Delay Graduation

By Yoon Ja-young

Staff Reporter

Salary is still a very important factor in choosing a job, but the emphasis seems to be shifting. More people are beginning to think that working conditions matter more, and this is especially true for female jobseekers.

Here are a number of notable trends to consider in Korea's current job market.

Working Conditions rather than Salary

According to a survey of 3,084 jobseekers by Job Korea, a job market information portal, 30.8 percent indicated the welfare or the location of the company are the most important aspects of working conditions. Those putting their top priority on salary came next at 29.5 percent.

Working conditions mattered more for female jobseekers, with 35.6 percent picking it first, while 34.1 percent of male jobseekers said salary still mattered most.

``I think I made the right choice,'' said Kim Mi-sun, who quit the nation's largest conglomerate where she had worked for years at an entry level job at a bank. ``You have many things to take into account other than salary when you get married and have a baby. The benefits are much better here,'' she said.

Those with graduate school degrees, meanwhile, put more emphasis on the recognition of the company in the society, with 22 percent selecting it as the most important criterion.

Avoid Visionless Firms, 'Scrooge' Firms

Jobseekers picked companies where no vision as the ones that should be avoided. This meant they were worse than companies with poor benefits or working conditions or those that paid small salaries.

The survey by Job Korea showed that jobseekers especially hated 'Scrooge' companies that demanded too much from employees while paying small salaries.

Companies where one has to work overtime, or where the corporate culture is authoritarian and those located far from their residence were also picked as the ones that should be shunned.

SMEs Are A Reality

Conglomerates generally provide better salaries and benefits than small and medium sized businesses (SMEs). Jobseekers, however, come to compromise, lowering their targets. According to a different Job Korea survey of 1,961 jobseekers, 46 percent are targeting small businesses, while 26 percent plan to get jobs at large firms and 15.7 percent at state run enterprises.

``Over 80 percent of wage earners are working for SMEs,'' said Kim Hwa-su, CEO of Job Korea. "Boosting small businesses is key to creating jobs. The government and large companies should also make efforts to help small businesses grow," he added.

Upgrade SPECs

When the country was going through a period of rapid industrialization, it was relatively easy for college graduates to get a job. A manager at Hyundai Corporation, who graduated from Seoul National University in the mid-1990s, with a grade point average (GPA) below 3, recollects that he got job offers from a number of conglomerates.

This is no longer the case. He would never pass the first round of screening with such a poor GPA even if he had a Seoul National University diploma.

College students are busy upgrading their 'SPECs,' short for specifications they should be equipped with to get a job. It includes a good GPA, a good TOEIC score, internship experience and language training overseas.

According to a survey by job market portal Incruit on 1,025 workers of diverse ages, over half of those in their 20s had prepared official foreign language test scores to gain employment. Among those in their 50s, only 10.2 percent said they had this.

Some are attaining special licenses or participating in volunteer projects in related fields for their resumes, as there are too many competitors with good GPAs and TOEIC scores out there.

Delay Graduation

College students are supposed to graduate after four years, but this isn't always so with Korean students. According to the education ministry, over 1 million students have not graduated after attending the full four years, or full two years for junior colleges, as of the end of 2009.

The phenomenon stems from the students' belief that recruiters prefer candidates in their last semester at college rather than those who have already spent a year looking for work. They fear that the latter could be seen as less competitive.

Meet Recruiters' Needs

However, seven out of ten recruiters said they put more weight on jobseekers' characters and attitude rather than job skills and other SPECs.

Sometimes, diplomas from top schools worked negatively. According to a survey by Incruit, seven out of ten small and medium sized businesses stated that they had avoided applicants with diplomas from prestigious schools on purpose. Asked why, 61.3 percent said they are likely to quit soon. 12.8 percent said they are likely to require higher salaries, and 8.9 percent said they seem to be less loyal to the company.

Asked to gauge their capability, only 13.9 percent said there was a meaningful difference between those with prestigious diplomas and those who graduated from less reputable schools.

English Still Matters

Korean college students spend a lot of money to raise their TOEIC and other English tests scores. According to Job Korea, three out of ten businesses have English scores required as a qualification for candidates. It's smaller than the last year's 40 percent, but it still matters. The average cutoff score for these companies was 717.

It is notable that only 21.3 percent of foreign businesses list TOEIC scores as a qualification.

Half of the companies require an interview in English, and foreign businesses tend to prefer an English interview rather than test scores.

Helicopter Moms in Job Market

Another trend to pay attention to in the job market is 'helicopter moms.' A survey showed that about half of parents were exerting influence over their children's job searching activities. They scrapped recruitment information, or told them which companies they should apply to. Some helped their children to write their resume, and others even accompanied their children to the job interview.

Some make complaints to the company when their children fail to get a job there. Kim Kyung-hee, who had applied for a teaching position at a private high school, was embarrassed when her father insisted on calling the school to ask why they picked the other applicant over her.

``I told him it wouldn't help, but he seemed so disappointed and couldn't understand why a straight 'A' student like me should fail in her job search," she said.