SpecUp, Dokchisa, and Other Job Cafes Explore Rooms on YouTube
Companies Create Rooms and Visit Universities to Distribute QR Codes
Psychological Warfare, Disruption, and Rumors Among Examinees Also Cause Side Effects
#Mr. A, who took the Samsung Job Aptitude Test (GSAT) in the second half of the year, checked the job posting and then searched for a KakaoTalk open chat room for job preparation. Through the Naver job community SpecUp, he found a room related to Samsung Grade 3 (university graduate) open recruitment. Already, about 1,400 people were connected. Except for the room owner and co-owner, most were examinees. They shared information about when the GSAT results would be announced and whether their scores would be enough to pass.
In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the daily lives of job seekers. Job seekers no longer go around asking for employment information from seniors and juniors in their university departments or affiliated clubs. It has become natural to first look for KakaoTalk open chat rooms for job preparation at the desired companies. It is not an exaggeration to say that job preparation is done through KakaoTalk. They enter well-known job communities like SpecUp and DokchwiSa (People who are determined to get a job) to check recruitment schedules and search related open chat rooms. After watching YouTube videos featuring anonymized HR personnel from companies who provide document, aptitude, and interview guides by business unit and job type, they follow links in the comments to join study group open chat rooms. Although they can search company names like 'Samsung' or 'SK' in the KakaoTalk search bar and enter any room, such rooms are generally considered less reliable.
Some companies even create open chat rooms specifically for job seekers. HR personnel who visit campus recruiting events create open chat rooms and share QR codes. Mr. Choi, who has been preparing for employment at a large company since 2021, said, "If you scan the QR code provided by recruitment officers at campus recruiting events and enter the open chat room, you can get information through one-on-one Q&A with HR personnel."
The phenomenon of gathering in groups of three to five at study cafes near major university areas or transportation hubs like Konkuk University, Sinchon, and Sadang (in Seoul) ? once the 'mecca' of study groups ? has disappeared since the late 2010s. The scene of group members pooling money to pay a month's fee for a study cafe has also vanished. Online job preparation is now recognized by job seekers as efficient because it saves time, cost, and energy. Face-to-face study groups require spending money and time every time they meet, and conflicts often arise during group management.
On October 21, 2018, candidates are seen leaving Dankook University High School Affiliated to the College of Education in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where the Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT) was held. This was before the transition to online testing in the first half of 2020. Nowadays, both exams and job preparations are conducted online. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@
The culture of practicing interviews by meeting university seniors and juniors and role-playing as interviewers and examinees has disappeared. Many examinees conduct interview study groups remotely via Google Meet, Zoom, and other platforms. Those who pass the written exam recruit interview study members in open chat rooms by sharing basic information such as their residential area and the business unit they applied for. When one examinee suggests, "Let's do an in-person interview study for Samsung Electronics in Daegu," another counter-suggests, "Let's do it remotely." After deciding on the study group's operating region, number of participants, and method, they create a new chat room to set specific appointment times and places.
Companies also actively use group chat rooms during recruitment. HR personnel from recruitment companies as well as other firms participate in popular community or campus recruiting open chat rooms. HR team employees say that having open chat rooms has made their work easier. Mr. Kim, an HR team employee at a large company affiliate, said, "Many HR personnel quietly listen in by joining group chat rooms."
A preliminary gathering for the Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT) held on the 21st of last month at the Samsung Electronics Human Resources Development Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. [Photo by Samsung Electronics]
There are side effects as well. Many people in open chat rooms disrupt the atmosphere by engaging in psychological warfare and stirring up trouble. Mr. Choi said, "There is someone who claims to be an HR personnel acquaintance and spreads rumors like 'They are hiring a certain number this year,' 'Anyone below a certain academic background is automatically disqualified,' or 'People without specific certifications should give up,' thereby disturbing the atmosphere." Mr. Jung, who prepared for employment for four years from 2019 and then joined a large company, said, "There are frequent cases of quarrels or disputes in rooms with over 1,000 people, often involving academic background or regional issues."
False rumors also spread. Unverified information such as incorrect company salaries or exam result announcement dates is shared, confusing examinees. Mr. Kim, an HR team employee at a large company, said, "I often see absurd and incorrect information being shared among job seekers in open KakaoTalk rooms as if it were true," adding, "Job seekers lack the experience and ability to filter information, which is concerning."
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