The Story is Victory

The Story is Victory

-       Climbing the Himalaya, 100+ blood donations, all in order to get a job

The global recession has greatly impact many people particularly young graduates who are eager to work, who received a fatal blow. It is only 30 years since their parents from the ‘baby boom generation’ lived in a time of relative plenty. In comparison to their parents who were guaranteed to get a job after university, many youngsters nowadays struggle to find a career.

Normally questions on application forms ask for 1000 words stories of crisis in the applicants’ life, their motivations, or similar. In the end, applications can add up to more than 3000 words. [1] Many Korean companies use their own style, compared to other countries; for example graduate in Britain can use their CV several times when they applying because it only requires mention of factors which are ‘relevant to the job’. Applicants need to rewrite all the answers on applications, so they must rewrite from the beginning which can seem like a waste of time. One of my friends, who is a graduate in Korea said he was actually a writer instead of job seeker during the recruiting season.

During the recruiting process, HR managers receive tons of applications. They only spend a minutes or less to read all stories on an application. Everyone in this battle field already fulfills 3,600 formula;  TOEIC Test mark (full - 990) times GPA (full 4.5) 'HAVE TO BE' over 3,600. The point of this formula is that this number does not guarantee job, but 'indispensable condition' for job seeker.

To stand out from a crowded field, applicants strive to make unique, authentic stories to catch the eyes of the manager. Some of them are backpacking Europe (Entry level), India (Intermediate level), or Africa/South America (Advanced level) with no money (Proficient level). Some of them focus on internship/work experience, so their diary is filled with schedules of work like full-time job interviewee[2]. Blood donation and volunteering have already become clichéd among young generations.

   The point is that, all applicants are ‘entry level’, not glorious heroes like Tony Spark and Steve Jobs. They are only on their twenties just finished their studies and are about to stand at the starting line. Companies, however, seek ‘ready-made supermen’, who are able to be an ‘obedient’ officer just a few months later. The story may be spectacular in movies, in Korea however, every story ends up with tragedy of the young passionate job seekers who are not able to find work.

---

[1] In Korean Characters, it is equivalent to 1100-1200 words in English

[2] Work Experience programs are being pinpointed as exploitation of young generation, since bad conditions of work.