According to a recent survey of undergraduate students and graduates conducted by Saram-in, a recruitment platform, 53.9% of respondents replied that the cause of their stress is getting a job. College students and college graduates are worried about trying to join a corporation these days. There are many job seekers who don’t know how to prepare for finding a job. In the first half of this year, Lee Ho-jun (’13 Dept. of School of Business) joined a corporation in the face of intense competition. CBT interviewed him to get some advice about finding a job.




1. Please introduce yourself.

  Hello. I’m Lee Ho-jun, and I was finally accepted by 2 of the top 5 major corporations this year. I worked hard to hone my specs, my resume, my character and my aptitude tests, and I went to many interviews. In the end, I was finally accepted by two corporations despite the 150-300:1 competition. I joined one corporation, and I’m currently in a probationary period. Recently, various media outlets have been covering the current difficulty of getting a job, and the manufacturing industry, which is a key industry in Korea, has been decreasing its hiring. Also, the new conditions for recruits that some corporations request have become pickier. In this difficult situation, I hope that I can help others a little through this interview.

2. You got a job in this hard situation. How do you feel now?

  At first, I was really surprised and happy when I saw the results. However, everything is strange now, and it has been a lot harder to adjust since I joined this corporation 3 weeks ago. Before I first joined the company, I thought the most important factors were the most basic things like greetings and diligence. However, now I think these things are expected of every employee and that trying hard to improve knowledge and presentation ability are more essential.

3. How did you prepare for acquiring your job? Please give some tips for finding a job.

  I won a grand prize twice in national conventions related to accounting, and I was an intern in a famous accounting firm for 3 months. My main tasks were checking the financial statements, such as statements of financial position, statements of profit and loss, cash flow statements, and statements of changes in capital, and sorting, sending out, retrieving, and managing some bond debt references. I think interviewers viewed these experiences as beneficial. I think experiencing the duties of a desired occupation, even in the short term, and meeting people who work in the industry that you want to work in are very important.

4. When you felt frustrated while looking for a job, how did you overcome the frustration?

  I felt frustrated when I saw the poor results of my character and my aptitude tests. I studied for my character and my aptitude tests for a week without sleeping, but I failed the tests 3 times. Nevertheless, I overcame that frustration due to my continuous effort and confidence. I said to myself ‘Let’s try and be proud enough to say that I tried hardest to join this corporation among these interviewees. I’m the best among them.’ Like this, I encouraged myself so that I overcame stress. In the end, I was able to overcome my mental anguish owing to the people who have always supported me.

5. Do you have anything to say to students who are looking for a job?

  In situations around me, the person who wins the final round is not always the person who is superior to others; the person who wants to work together efficiently is. The corporations don’t just hire outstanding people but that they hire people who want to work together efficiently. Don’t forget this. Also, you should showcase your strengths to the interviewer instead of your specs. It is so difficult to get a job, but I hope you are faithful to your present life so that you won’t be ashamed of yourself in the future. I hope you all have good results!

By Ahn Min-joo
mj40@cbnu.ac.kr