Foreign companies popular among 20-somethings seeking benefits and challenges


A 29-year-old office worker who has been working at a South Korean conglomerate for about four years recently turned in his C.V. to Google Korea. It was not that sudden a decision ― he has been networking with people working at foreign companies and attending study groups for a while. 

“The welfare or pay (at the company I am currently working at) is not bad. But as it is such a big group, there is little that an individual can do, and I often felt that I am going nowhere, tied up doing the same thing over and over again,” said Lee, who did not wish to reveal his full name.

“A foreign company is usually smaller in size, so I think there will be more opportunities for each employee to really show what they can do. I heard that there is a lot to learn from at Google Korea as everyone working there is so talented, and the welfare or the working environment is of course known to be great.”

Lee is not alone. Many in their 20s and 30s ― young office workers who are seeking to change jobs as well as university students who are applying for their first job ― are knocking on the doors of foreign companies. 

In a recent survey of 560 job seekers in their 20s and 30s by Job Korea and Job & Joy, Google Korea ranked as the top foreign company respondents wanted to work for with 26.3 percent. Apple Korea followed with 12.9 percent and BMW Korea with 11.8 percent. Some also named Yuhan-Kimberly (9.8 percent) and Starbucks Coffee Korea (7.1 percent).

Google and Apple are probably the most talked about brands among young people all over the world. Google is the world’s No.1 search engine and Apple’s iPhone, iPad and Mac Books have long been must-have items.

“I want to work for market leaders because they promise a good working environment and I would have a lot to work from. Besides, the first job you get after university is very important,” said Park Jun-hyung, a 21-year-old university student interested in working at both top companies.

Over 5,500 applications are sent to Google worldwide every day. Google Korea’s office situated in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul is well-known for its colorful interior design, massage stations and excellent restaurants that add to young people’s desire to work at the U.S. company.

One should be “Googley” to work at Google, said a PR official at Google Korea.

“At Google we believe being Googley is about being able to work effectively in a flat organization and in small teams, able to respond to a fast-paced rapidly changing environment. Googley Googlers are passionate about their work and are great colleagues. They are inclined to solve problems creatively, roll up their sleeves and simply get things done.”

Other companies included in the top five are also market leaders.

Established in 1995, BMW Korea marked total sales of over 1 trillion won ($870 million) in 2010. Yuhan-Kimberly, which was established in 1970, has long been loved for its clean and upright reputation. Starbucks Coffee Korea, though sometimes mired in controversy about expensive coffee prices, is still the biggest coffee chain here. It opened its first Korea store in 1997 and currently runs more than 350.

Nearly 40 percent (38.9 percent) of the survey respondents found the companies’ welfare system attractive, as well as frequent opportunities to work abroad (22 percent). As for the capabilities they should have to enter such companies, 60.5 percent answered foreign language skills and 15 percent overseas experience.

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldcorp.com)