South Korean companies no longer see knowledge of Chinese characters and Korean history as necessary skills to include in resumes, a poll showed Monday.

Obtaining respective qualifications concerning knowledge of Chinese characters and Korean history had been considered by local job seekers as quintessential specifications for employment for decades.

The research, conducted by job researcher Saramin, involved 385 local firms.
 

Of the surveyed firms, 73.2 percent acknowledged there were qualifications they deemed as outdated or unnecessary.

About 48.2 percent pointed to certifications for Chinese characters and Korean history as those they no longer consider when hiring, while 46.2 percent chose to overlook applicants’ list of “unique experiences.”

About 64.2 percent of respondents claimed such skills were useless when it came to handling actual tasks, while 60.6 percent cited “irrelevancy with the work.”

Meanwhile, 52.4 percent said the applicant’s college major is a mandatory qualification and 39.9 percent said they seek applicants with internship experience. About 29.6 percent highlighted part-time jobs and 26.8 percent picked having a strong grade point average.

By Jung Min-kyung (mkjung@heraldcorp.com)