[Report] 'Lotte Job Cafe' That Doesn't Check Specs... Attracts 1,500 Job Seekers

Lotte Group Recruitment Consultation Event Held
Expanding to Daegu and Jeonju after Seoul and Busan
Over 2,200 Participants in First Half of Year, 'Record High'

"Is having more overseas experience better when applying for overseas marketing positions?"

"How does Lotte's artificial intelligence (AI) level compare to ChatGPT?"

On the 24th, at the 31st floor of Lotte World Tower in Jamsil, Seoul, the '2024 Lotte Job Cafe' job consultation venue was bustling with questions from job seekers. The 40-minute Q&A session was not enough, and during breaks, lively conversations continued at tables throughout the venue.

Lotte Group held the '2024 Lotte Job Cafe' on this day. The Job Cafe is a customized recruitment briefing session held twice a year by Lotte Group. This year's Job Cafe underwent a major overhaul to align with Lotte Group's recently introduced new recruitment method called the 'IM (I Am) Screening.'

The IM Screening is a recruitment method aimed at securing practical talent, consisting of story evaluation, on-site auditions, and internship programs rather than focusing on applicants' credentials. In the story evaluation, applicants' job experience is assessed based on the portfolios they submit. The on-site audition deeply verifies job competencies through tasks revealed on the day of evaluation. Particularly, the internship is a 4 to 8-week program per job category, involving mentoring by job experts and collaborative projects with practitioners for in-depth evaluation. It is used when hiring for positions where practical skills are highly important, such as research and development (R&D), data, marketing, and design. This month, 10 affiliates including Lotte Department Store, Lotte Hotel, and Lotte Innovate are selecting new employees through this screening.

The recruitment briefing was also revamped to focus on job roles in line with the IM Screening. Until last year, consultations were held between HR personnel of each affiliate and job seekers, but this year, job consultations conducted by current employees were added. Job consultations took place at a total of 15 tables covering various fields such as marketing, finance, management support, technical operations and quality control, as well as artificial intelligence (AI), real estate development and management. Job seeker Kim (26) said, "I had no one to ask about job-related matters unless it was an acquaintance, so being able to ask someone working in the field directly was very helpful," adding, "Through the job consultation, I was able to specifically check what I need to prepare when applying for a job."

Especially during the job consultations, many questions were raised about the IM Screening, which does not consider credentials. A Lotte Distribution representative said, "Since credentials are not considered, many participants were curious about the certifications or qualities needed for the job," adding, "Because the IM Screening does not look at credentials, it is more important to show 'why I am the right person for this job category' than to write a self-introduction stating which school you attended or where you are from."

After the job consultations, job seekers had one-on-one interviews with HR personnel from each affiliate in an adjacent conference room. Until last year, multiple job seekers were consulted at once, but this year, two HR personnel conducted about 15-minute interviews with one job seeker at a time.

On this day, one applicant asked during the interview, "Does participating in the 'University Student Mentoring' conducted by affiliates help with recruitment?" In response, a Lotte Distribution HQ HR representative said, "Simply participating in affiliate events does not have a big impact," and added, "It is better to appeal what you gained from the event and what differentiates you from others." Job seeker Lee (25) said, "I came thinking only about the job consultation, but when I heard that one-on-one interviews with HR personnel were possible, I applied for an interview on site," adding, "The customized explanation about the talent Lotte wants based on my situation was helpful."

Lotte Group is conducting rolling recruitment in March, June, September, and December. Thirty affiliates participating in this Job Cafe are conducting recruitment in September and December. About 1,500 job seekers attended the event, an increase from about 1,400 last year.

Until last year, Lotte held Job Cafes in Seoul and Busan, but as the number of participants increased every year, this year they were also held in Jeonju and Daegu on the 20th. The Busan Job Cafe will be held on the 27th. A Lotte Holdings official explained, "Considering reservations in Busan, about 2,200 people are expected to attend in the first half of this year," adding, "As the number of participants increases every year, we have expanded the regions where the Job Cafe is held."