Helpful Resources for Making it Big in Korea
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Looking for an Internship/job for this winter/spring
Dear KBC Community,
My name is Alexander Claesson and I'm looking for an internship for this winter/spring in Seoul. I am currently a student at Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki with Marketing as my major subject and exchange studies at Hanyang University as my minor subject. I will receive my Bachelor’s Degree in February and have already been accepted to pursue with my Master’s studies. I'm also trilingual; I speak fluent Finnish, Swedish and English. I also have a basic knowledge of the Korean language both spoken and written.
However, before I start with my Master’s studies I aim to earn relevant working experience within the field of international business or marketing. I have long been fascinated by Asia and by South Korea in particular. Coupled with the fact that the East Asian economies have become increasingly important in an international context I chose to apply for exchange studies in South Korea for the spring of 2012. The experience at Hanyang University made me realise that I want to spend more time in Seoul.
So, If you know of any internship opportunities or if you have any info that would help me in my search for an internship/job for this upcoming winter/spring; Please contact me.
For more info please see my CV and list of courses which can be found below or contact me via mail.
Sincerly,
Alexander Claesson
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Permalink Reply by Alexander Claesson on -
Still looking!
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Permalink Reply by Martijn Bontenbal on -
Too bad you didn't find anything yet Alexander. But bearing with you here, we are still in the same boat!
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Permalink Reply by Satnam Jassal on -
Hi guys. It would be good to hear about the challenges you are facing. What steps have you already taken in your search?
I am sure you have seen this report and its probably also another good place to post comments/discussions: http://www.koreabusinesscentral.com/forum/topics/a-map-to-a-career-...
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Permalink Reply by Alexander Claesson on
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Well, the biggest problem is to actually find companies that are looking for staff. If I do find one, they will most likely require me to speak fluent Korean, which I unfortunately do not do yet, or already be a student in Korea. The report that you linked is very useful, however it does not help me in actually finding the opportunities. I guess networking while in Korea is the key to find more opportunities.
So far, I have only found 3 internship opportunities during my 3 months of search that I would qualify for. Of these I have received negative response from two, while one is still under discussion. I check kopra.org, seoul.craigslist.co.kr, mytoctoc.com, google and this website weekly, plus that I have sent mails to a number of companies located in Seoul asking if they have any internship-positions open.
I will arrive in Korea in 1 month, and while I still hope to get a positive response from the one that is under discussion, the options are very limited. However, I hope my arrival to Korea will help my search, and if you have any tips regarding finding more opportunities, please let me know.
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Permalink Reply by Satnam Jassal on
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Okay, it appears the competition for getting an internship is strong, I have noticed the increase in new member activity on KBC and the other websites you mentioned. I reckon the trend will only grow further next year especially for young foreigners wanting to come to Korea (and because of the media attention from a certain "rapper" and other hallyu aspects). I know I am stated the obvious, but you must develop a strong motivation to succeed and demonstrate you are different/better than all the other internship hunters.
I am not sure if the lack of current opportunities you are describing is also a seasonal factor - with winter/new year approaching maybe companies are not focusing on new intern additions? Somebody more informed can comment on this.
It definitely will help being on the ground in Korea, and having the opportunity to network, visit potential companies, press some flesh, etc. I would recommend being prepared to put in a few months graft, focusing your energy on promoting yourself and trying to distinguish yourself from the crowd.
A couple of suggestions to try and generate opportunities before you arrive:
- Build up your LinkedIn profile with more information. I see you have joined some groups already, but use it to promote yourself. You may not have the business experience yet, but use this channel to network and politely reach out to potential new employers.- I would say you need to demonstrate on your resume/cover letters/introductions What your connection to Korea is. Why you want to come here? What have you done/are doing to develop a career in Korea?- Step up your enquires with the companies you think fit your plans - find multiple hiring managers/decision makers and contact them direct. I always feel phone calls are better than emails.- Now is the time to exhaust the website searches: When I was looking for jobs I had a list of at least 10 websites to check regularly - the Korean job sites also occasionally post for internships: e.g. Seoul Global Center, JobKrunch, Koreajobs77, ContactKorea, Koreajobfinder, AND also the English teaching sites had some non-teaching internship opps: Work&play seems proactive.I hope this is helpful.
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Permalink Reply by Alexander Claesson on
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Good news! I actually got a positive response from the internship-position I hoped for:)!
And thanks for your effort Satnam!
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Permalink Reply by Satnam Jassal on
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Excellent, well done. Good luck for 2013!
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Permalink Reply by Martijn Bontenbal on
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Nice work Alexander! I'm also going to Korea in 1 month, it would be nice to meet you there.
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Permalink Reply by Martijn Bontenbal on
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Satnam, thank you for your post.
Regarding the challenges, I agree with Alexander that one of the key challenges is to find positions that do not require advanced or fluent Korean. Another challenge I'm facing it to develop a new network focusing on Korea. As my current network only has a limited reach into Korea. Through the few contacts I had, I did get a positive response for an internship and had an interview. After the interview, the company told me that I did well, but that based on my Korean skill they could not let me go to the second round. Thus, in the end it was again the problem of finding a position which doesn't require advanced Korean. Nevertheless I take the interview experience with me.
Besides the online efforts, I'm networking within my current position as volunteer at a Christian youth hostel. Here I meet many Koreans who are travelling through Europe. This way my network also entails people who I've also met in person. As you say Satnam, this will really get a boost once I'm in Korea.
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