Career Expo Attracts 15,000 Job Seekers

A recent major career expo attracted 15,000 job seekers even though it was held on a weekday. Above all, User-Created-Content (UCC) resume services and online cell phone video interview services between job seekers and recruiters who are unable to come to the expo drew the attention.

Those who visited the UCC resume section stood in front of a camera and talked about their careers, school life and the amount of salary they want. An applicant was satisfied and said, “I can rehearse a job interview here.”

As soon as the UCC resumes were created, they were uploaded on the recruitment homepage www.openjob.or.kr. Recruiters will pick applicants from this list and send them text messages informing them of interview dates.

Many job applicants also visited online cell phone video interview booths. KTF, a cell phone service provider, supplied video conferencing services to six companies, including Woori Bank, GS Construction and Daewoo Electronics.

Even though cell phone interviews were only test interviews, many job seekers seemed to be embarrassed when they were asked pointed questions such as “What do you think about the Six Sigma methodology?” and “Which comes first, environmental protection or development?” Won Jun-hee, 27, a senior student of Sejong University who had a test interview, said, “It was no different from a real interview.”

Hong Seung-gab, a manager of Daewoo Electronics who conducted video interviews through a cell phone, said, “If some technical problems are addressed, such as voice delivery quality, I think it is worth trying to use for one-on-one interviews. However, it remains to be seen whether the service will be introduced for overseas applicants.”

The organizer of the expo explained, “The companies unable to participate in job expos could recruit people through online cell phone video interviews, cutting time and cost.”

Companies disappointed at applicants without commitment-

Job applicants at the expo were busy randomly handing out their resumes to many companies without considering their aptitude or their wishes. A majority of them said, “I came here because my friend came,” or, “I am searching for any company.”

Recruiters who were at the expo were frustrated at the attitude of these applicants. A recruiter for Shilla Bakery bitterly said, “Many applicants just give us their resumes and go away. They are more interested in the salary rather than the vision of the company or the work.”

Han Jun-gi, a director of Nivea Seoul, said, “There are many applicants, but it is hard to find those who can contribute to the company. Recruiters are more attracted to those who are prepared with the ability to work at an industry rather than those who just turn in their resumes filled with high GPA and English test scores.”

The expo also showed polarization among applicants. While the booths of conglomerates and foreign companies were crowded with job seekers, those of small and medium-sized companies were relatively empty.

About 100 companies took part in the career expo hosted by Gyeonggi Province and Career, a recruitment company. These companies plan to recruit around 900 people from the expo after a resume screening and interview process.

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