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| Illustration by Cho Sang-won |
By You Soo-sun
While many companies in Korea are rushing to implement the "background-blind hiring system," it is still uncertain whether it will have its intended effect of eliminating discriminatory practices or if it will only serve to distort the job market.
The system was implemented for all public sector jobs as part of the Moon Jae-in administration's drive to root out malpractices such as asking for an applicant's family background and the names of schools they attended as well as checking their physical appearances.
Consequently, it is spreading not only in the public sector, but also in the private sector _ including the chaebol, the large family-owned businesses _ setting off both anticipation and concern among recruiters and jobseekers.
If it goes well, it is expected bring about a major transition in the Korean job market, from one that emphasizes titles to one that values experience and professionalism. If it doesn't, however, it may lead to competition in the currently hidden areas and cause ambiguities in the hiring process.
Shaky beginning
The heated competition in the job market has led both companies and jobseekers to focus more on credentials, such as English test scores and other certifications, and less on the actual skills needed to do the job. While the blind recruitment system purports to do away with the old ways, many companies are rushing to adopt the system without fully taking into account its possible side effects.
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, for example, partially implemented the system this year. Yet, the people who ended up being hired were all from the so-called elite universities in the country, reflecting the widespread concern regarding the efficacy of the system.
"We adopted it just for the interview part of the process this year. The interviewers were not given information on the applicants' background such as which school they graduated from or their grades," the human resource manager at the chamber told The Korea Times. "I think the ones to apply to our organization generally have a solid background to begin with," he said.
But this time, all the applicants called for interview had gone through a screening process beforehand. "We will likely need to discuss about putting the system into full effect, seeing how this is a trend."
Another company which recently took to the practice is CJ Group. It is currently in the process of recruiting employees through a blind hiring system, which it coined "CJ Respect."
"The purpose of the system is to provide an opportunity to all the applicants without the typical credentials getting in the way. The applicants should be able to explain how they will be a good fit for the company as well as the specific position they are applying to," the group's communications manager told The Korea Times.
While the company plans to hire around 20 percent of new employees through the system, this may change depending on the situation. She was not certain how this will exactly play out. "It's difficult to say anything about the system at the moment, as we are only in the first year of trying it out," she said.
Positive outlook
While hiccups are inevitable down the road, some analysts believe its benefits outweigh the costs, especially in the long run.
"Big businesses are fully aware of the need for change. Accordingly, they are seeking different kinds of answers from applicants," Kim Deog-won, CEO of a recruiting platform Korea Recruit, said.
"Previously, they would ask the applicants to write about how they grew up and other things irrelevant to their actual skills. Now, the questions are framed much more elaborately, such as asking for relevant experiences and respective achievements they have gained during the last five years."
Because these changes are only beginning to take place, confusion is pervasive among interviewers, colleges and job-seekers, according to Kim. But he held an optimistic view of how the system will come to affect the labor environment.
"It is no longer about which company or a conglomerate one gets into that matters. And graduating from a top university no longer guarantees success. It's about who has the expertise in a specific field," Kim said. "It's just a matter of time before the confusion settles down. But change is happening already, and this is the right way to go."
