[NE Coffee Chat] CEO Jaehun Lee: "Jikhaeng Will Lead Recruitment Services in the ChatGPT Ecosystem"

AI-Based Recruitment Platform “Jikhaeng” Aims for a World Beyond “Hell Joseon”
A “Platform of Platforms” Aggregating Scattered Rolling Recruitment Postings
“ChatGPT First” Strategy at the Core... Accelerating Technological Optimization

The domestic job market has undergone rapid changes in recent years. The trend has shifted from regular open recruitment to rolling recruitment, which focuses on hiring practical talent immediately. Office workers preparing for job changes and young job seekers now have to search through dozens of recruitment platforms to find job postings. The process has become so time-consuming that people joke it takes forever just to find a posting. The AI-based recruitment platform “Jikhaeng” has emerged, attracting attention by aiming to eliminate this inefficiency. Jikhaeng, an abbreviation for “Making Office Workers Happy,” is an integrated information service that aggregates scattered job postings in one place. This startup, consisting of six university students with an average age of 23, recently moved into the Seoul Startup Hub in Mapo-gu, Seoul, marking the start of its journey to become the “hub” of the recruitment industry.

Jaehun Lee, CEO of Jikhaeng. Jikhaeng

On October 30, Jaehun Lee, CEO of Jikhaeng, addressed the deeply rooted “Hell Joseon” perception amid the employment crisis, stating, “Korea has developed so much from the barren times of the 1960s to now, so I don’t believe it’s right for so many talented people to say ‘Korea is finished.’” He added, “I want to connect more young people and job seekers with companies to help create a society where everyone prospers together.” Lee is determined to grow Jikhaeng into a company that serves not just as a recruitment intermediary, but as a bridge supported by the pillar of social value. He said, “Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, once said, ‘If you focus on customers, you can become number one.’ I want to listen more to our users, help solve youth employment issues, and contribute to the nation.”

Jikhaeng’s business model was inspired by the flight comparison platform “Skyscanner.” Just as Skyscanner displays numerous flight options at a glance, Jikhaeng aggregates scattered rolling recruitment postings in one place. Job seekers can apply directly for positions through seven recruitment platforms partnered with Jikhaeng, including Wanted, without the hassle of searching through each one individually. When an applicant who entered through Jikhaeng is successfully hired, Jikhaeng receives a portion of the performance fee that the partner company earns from the employer. Rather than directly competing with existing recruitment platforms, Jikhaeng aims to be a “platform of platforms,” helping these platforms attract more job seekers. The company plans to steadily expand its partnerships and solidify its position in the market.

Jikhaeng is also accelerating the advancement of its services through AI technology. The company has adopted a “ChatGPT First” strategy, building a structure optimized for the ChatGPT environment. CEO Lee said, “OpenAI is creating a new recruitment ecosystem centered on ChatGPT. Just as companies that aligned their strategies with the growth of the Apple App Store succeeded in the past, Jikhaeng aims to become the most widely used recruitment service in the ChatGPT ecosystem.” To achieve this, Jikhaeng is focusing on developing “Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)” technology specialized for generative AI. The goal is to ensure that Jikhaeng’s content is prioritized and cited first when ChatGPT generates answers to user queries. This is a strategic move to prepare for a future where job seekers start their search not from recruitment platforms, but from ChatGPT itself. Additionally, Jikhaeng is developing AI-based automatic resume writing and application automation features, aiming to help job seekers manage their application process more efficiently.