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PART 3. If you're a third-year university student: 'Language study abroad / Certifications / TOEIC... Building your credentials'
Before you know it, it's the third year—ta-da! The friends who used to binge-drink with you are gradually disappearing, and loafing around at home is starting to feel awkward. Everyone's talking about 'credentials' so you feel like you should do something too: should I sign up for a TOEIC academy, get a certification, join extracurricular activities belatedly? But no one tells you where or how to build your credentials!!!! Same-old credentials as everyone else? Stupid!!! Super great ways to build your resume! Ta-da!
You built your credentials like everyone else, and now the trend is blind hiring.
Youth unemployment has long been considered one of the nation's biggest problems, and as of September 2017 the perceived youth unemployment rate reached a record high of 21.5%. As youth unemployment increased, the door to employment narrowed, and young people had to accumulate more credentials for longer periods than others to pass through that narrow door. As excessive credential-building for employment continued, the government stepped in to protect job seekers and introduced 'blind hiring' andIt became mandatory for public institutions and state-owned enterprises from this July, and many large corporations are also changing their hiring methods to blind recruitmentThis is the trend.
*Blind recruitment : It refers to hiring that excludes information such as alma mater, grades, major, and family relationships from job applications based on the National Competency Standards (NCS) for public institutions. It also excludes the kinds of career items (credentials) previously emphasized, such as contest awards, TOEIC scores, and extracurricular activity experience accumulated during university. This was introduced to reduce the burden of credential-building for young people exhausted by the process, and for companies to reduce losses that occur when actual job performance differs from a candidate's credentials; recruitment is carried out with a focus on the 'job'. |
'They told me to be active in extracurricular activities in my second year of college and now they say extracurriculars aren't necessary—what the heck?!?!' To those saying this: please think of extracurricular activities not simply as a way to build credentials but as diverse experiences to help set your career path and direction. And if those experiences help you find the career path you truly want, build tailored credentials that fit that career.
Whereas previously simply showing 'I did many activities as a student' was considered a credential, now a credential is showing how much ability you have developed that matches the 'job' you want to enter. When companies carry out blind recruitment to hire the right people for the right positions, they provide the job's core content, required knowledge, and basic abilities through a 'job description.' SuchAfter carefully checking the job description, prepare certifications, English skills, portfolios, etc., according to the job you want.You can do that! If the company you want to apply to does not yet have a job description prepared, you can check the NCS (National Competency Standards) website to find the job-related skills, knowledge, and attitudes required for each occupation, and prepare accordingly!
Rather than how many certifications you have, it is more important what you can actually do with those certifications; rather than your TOEIC score, it is more important how good your business English is when actually working. That's why deciding your career path and direction early—during your first and second years—through diverse experiences is very helpful for building job-related competencies, so be sure to have many experiences. AndIf you didn't gain many experiences in your first and second years and feel anxious now, it's not too late—focus on finding a career that suits you through diverse experiences rather than on building credentials.Do it!
Actually, I once opened a TOEIC book during the summer break of my third year thinking I might try the TOEIC, and I also thought certifications were important so I obtained a computer-related engineering certification. I even went on a month-long language and cultural exchange to Malaysia during the winter break through a school-supported program. However, the jobs I wanted (I even changed careers twice) didn't require a TOEIC score at all, and the computer certification had no impact. Of course, my fear of speaking English still remains.
Looking back, I sometimes think I should have spent the time studying practical English rather than TOEIC and certifications. The trip to Malaysia through the school program was my first time traveling abroad and it was quite a shock. I had thought my domestic credentials were not bad, but after meeting many people overseas I strongly felt like a frog in a very small well. And even now English still holds me back! (Most office workers will probably relate—what we need is usable English, not exam-oriented English.)
Even if it's not English, learning a language related to the job you want can itself become a great asset. For art majors like fine arts or music, a European language centered on culture and the arts; for those interested in marketing or business, English to read global trends; for those dreaming of working abroad, the language of that country. Materials and translations available in our country are limited, so if you really want to become an expert in that role,prepare the language early while you still have time as a university student. The language you learn then will certainly help you after you get a job!
PART 4. If you are a fourth-year university student: 'Internships / Practicums'.
I thought the final year of high school was the toughest in life, but being a college senior is even tougher. At least in high school you have a fixed exam date, know the subjects and scores you need, and parents and teachers cheer you on. What about a fourth-year university student about to graduate? You can't see the end of job hunting, no one tells you what you lacked that caused rejection, and psychological pressure increases with comments like 'so-and-so's son got into a large company' or 'so-and-so's daughter became a civil servant.' On top of that, at school you still have exams, reports, group projects, and graduation exams (thesis), plus you must prepare for each company's hiring requirements.
Everyone seems to be moving forward busily, but in factforty percent of fourth-year university students are wandering without having decided their career paths(according to a 2017 JobKorea x Albamon survey), and employed seniors often say 'work is tougher than being a fourth-year student' and, told to enjoy their last vacation, sometimes suddenly go on trips. So what should I do here?
Those who have found a career path VS Those who have not
Both students who have found a career path and those who haven't responded that they want to work in a field they are interested in and enjoy. If both want to work in a field they like, why are there students who have found a path and those who haven't? Most students who found a career cited their usual thoughts/what they wanted to do and part-time job experience as the biggest reasons for their career decisions.
As mentioned earlier, you should first find the field you are interested in and enjoy through various experiences, then strengthen the job-related skills and prepare for employment. But since no one properly taught this, many people followed others and reached this point without finding a career. It's okay; you can start over step by step. Even now, find the field you like and are interested in through diverse experiences, then enter the job market. Is it too late?
In a survey of office workersWithin 1–2 years after joining a company, 97% of employees have thought about resigning or have already resigned. And of these, 76%...reported feeling depression or depressive symptoms (2017, Incruit survey).
It is said that Confucius once said:
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
If you already know very well the field you like and are interested in and have chosen a career path that matches it, I want to sincerely congratulate you! (Applause) I also recommend trying an internship or practical training during the remaining vacation period. Through internships or practicums, you can often actually be hired by that company, and having entered a company and learned real work can increase your chances of entering the place you want when you use that experience in job preparation. Also,through internships or practical training, you can indirectly get a sense of the actual tasks of the position you wanted and the company atmosphere of the firm you hoped to join, so use prior experience to check once again whether this role and company suit you!
Another point to watch carefully when doing internships or practical training is what tasks you will actually be assigned to perform during the internship or on the job. In other countries, internships are often treated as a process to learn real work and allow you to experience everything from educational curricula to direct practical tasks, but in some cases in our country, interns are considered simple assistants and are given copying, document organization, or unrelated menial chores. Therefore, instead of blindly applying for an internship, it is advisable to check what the intern will actually do before applying. Recently,they even specify the direction of internships as 'recruitment-linked interns' or 'job-experience interns'and are recruiting interns that way, so take note!
In my case, I had already decided on the broad career direction of 'education,' but because my major was public administration, I completed the 'lifelong education' program alongside my major, which allowed me to take education-related classes regardless of major. I had to do a practicum during vacation, but even after the break started, no one guided me about the practicum. It turned out that I was the first in the public administration department to take lifelong education classes, so they assumed there would be no public administration students and I was omitted. Because I had to find a practicum site later than others, the popular places were already full, and after calling around I barely managed to find a place. Even that place said, 'A university student practicum? We've never done that. Just come and see,' and the two months of vacation passed with both the supervisor and me wondering, 'What on earth should we practice?'
Looking back now, I'm glad. That person did their best to teach me so I could experience everything from the beginning to the end of the work, and I worked harder than the staff, offering ideas and even volunteering for overtime. As a result, after the practicum ended I was offered a formal position to work with that company, but I declined because at the time smartphones were not yet widespread and the company's focus on online interactive education did not suit me. Based on this experience, in job interviews I honestly spoke, using concrete experiences, about why I became interested in the education field, the kinds of work that fit my tendencies, and how I would maximize my abilities if hired for this role, and as a result I was able to enter the place I wanted!! (Of course, after joining I later left because the company's atmosphere did not suit me—company atmosphere is important, everyone!)
As mentioned earlier, recently public institutions and large companies have been conducting blind recruitment, selecting many applicants in the document screening stage and making more determinations at the interview stage. It would be ideal to intern or do a practicum at the place you want and have it lead to employment, but even if you can't do an internship or practicum at your desired place, learn actual work and gain experience at similar places where you can try the job you want! And use that experience in interviews toemphasize how interested you are in the job, that you have developed job-related competencies, and that because you have experience, you will be able to get the work done even if placed in the actual role!
▶︎ If you still haven't found a career that perfectly fits your aptitude, 1:1 consulting (click)
So finally, to summarize:
1) Clearly identify the direction of your career through diverse experiences (part-time jobs, travel, extracurricular activities, etc.).
2) Build the skills required for the job you want.
3) Finally, use internships or practicums at places you want to join to understand the actual work and company atmosphere.
4) If, after actual job experience, you feel it doesn't suit you, it's not too late! Go back to step 1.
5) Start working in a role you like within a field you're interested in. That way, most of the time you spend at work will be filled with joy!
Final small tip If you have to earn living expenses with part-time jobs and have a lot of expenses and feel overwhelmed about extracurricular activities, actively make use of the school you currently attend. It's not that schools lack offerings — if you look a little, you'll find that there are a huge number of benefits the school provides for students. In my case, I received free support for things the school ran, like mock TOEIC tests, overseas language study programs, funding for skills-enhancement learning, interview study group fees, and the lifelong education instructor certification and practicum! In fact, there were many more programs the school offered. Even though it was a regional university over ten years ago! I wasn't a particularly smart or outstanding student, but I was able to receive these benefits because most students didn't know about them and there were few applicants. When the semester began, I'd check notices from the department office, student affairs, the career support center, the international exchange center, etc., to find out which programs they'd run in recent years, and I'd go in person to ask several times which programs they'd plan to run that semester. I even visited other departments' offices, not just our own! So put in the effort and do the legwork! Your university life will clearly change depending on what you do! |
By Editor Dongne Unni
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