Your Future - It Is up to You
The Chonnam Tribune started this column, titled “Be a Challenger,” as a yearly series to inform CNU students looking to get a job. Under the depressing atmosphere of the current job market, the Tribune would like to provide CNU students with tips for getting a job.
For the first feature, we selected Kim Young-gyun, vice president of Human Resource Management Team in Samsung-Gwangju Electronics Corporation, to ask about the talents required in the contemporary job market. Besides, he graduated from CNU in 1986 and then went to Samsung where he has worked for about 20 years.
Reporter: It is a fact that there have been big changes in terms of the job environment since you joined the company. Would you make comparisons between the past and present? Moreover, tell me your personal opinion on the future circumstances of the job market.
Kim Young-gyun: Actually, there have been big changes since the company employed me. Many business enterprises still want to choose those who like a challenge, and who have originality and positivity. A difference, compared to the past, is the way of selecting new staff members. Before, the company employed new members by using a fishing net strategy. In other words, once the company hired them, it trained, and then distributed them, to different divisions. On the other hand, contemporary enterprises use a fishing rod, which will hook ready-made talent in every occupational category whenever they require new members.
In the near future, I think, core competence is one of the most important qualifications for seeking a job. Anyone who has core competence will be needed in all companies. In addition to this, the era of outsourcing professionals will come. Considering the average cost of a new member’s training amounts to approximately 200 million won, it is a heavy burden to the company. If the enterprises adopt the outsourcing system, they will reduce the additional training expenses enormously.
Reporter: I heard that world-famous multinational companies such as Microsoft Corporation and Amazon.com currently think intellectual powers, including logical thinking, reasoning and creativity, are the most important factors in hiring their employees. Because they believe only the intelligent can comprehend the tuition, as well as cope with the difficult problems. How about Samsung Gwangju Electronics? Is it the same with above companies?
Kim: We place an emphasis on the candidate’s human nature as the most important factor. The reason we think highly of human nature is that good nature is essential to enjoying the organizational collaboration. There are several stages to select employees. After screening candidates by examining their papers, we give the successful candidates the test named SSAT (Samsung Aptitude Test). This test is composed of two sections: academic intelligence and practical intelligence. The final barrier to become a Samsung employee is to pass the job interview. All the stages of testing are related to human nature.
Reporter: I remember you said that persons of talent are anxious to work at a company where the work environment is great during the presentation at CNU last month. This applies not only to Samsung but to all companies. Although to select talent is difficult, I think, to prevent them from leaving requires much more considerable effort on the side of companies. Are there any special tips for managing the organization in the case of Samsung?
Kim: To do this well, we pay attention to giving them a fair evaluation on their accomplishments, proper rewards and a vision for the future. If employees feel unsatisfied with one of these, they will not hesitate to leave their workplace. To prevent this, we enforce assessment twice yearly. According to the assessment, they are to be properly rewarded for their evaluation. As you know, the incentive system of Samsung Electronics ranked among the most remarkable of companies offering incentives in Korea. Moreover, we strive to keep abreast of global companies such as Electrolux of Sweden, and Whirlpool and General Electronics of the U.S. It is our vision for the future and we are trying to raise the working conditions of Samsung to global standards.
Reporter: Would you give helpful remarks to CNU students -- for example, to accumulate various experiences, to enhance the foreign language skills or to broaden their international horizons.
Kim: I think that the list you mentioned above is some of the most important factors to help CNU students to get a job. However, I want to indicate that university students have a tendency to overlook the importance of setting a goal. When I observe their patterns of behavior, as the vice president of the Human Resource Management Team, I notice that they do not have any specific plans. Most of them put an emphasis on GPA (Grade Point Average), TOEIC score, such and such because surrounding students spend their university life doing this, regardless of their different goals. There is a Korean saying, “To know the enemy and then yourself, you will make all the battles yours.” You should keep this in mind. First of all, set your goal. Compared with the university students of the national capital region, local university students are weak at doing this.
Lastly, I would like to request CNU students to knock on Samsung’s door. The company relocated the factory from Suwon to Gwangju a few years ago mainly to use local talent. However, during the past 5 years, the ratio of hires from local universities is merely 30%. Let’s make the future of Korea bright at Samsung.