Foreigners Describe Korean Resume Requirements as “Shocking”

[theemii.livejournal.com]

Some may be surprised to learn that there are requirements in some Korean resumes that would be considered shocking in other countries.

Many companies require a photo, height, weight, and even family backgrounds of the applicant as part of the application process.

The photo taking is a huge stress to those looking for a job. Park Eun Mi, a young applicant, said, “It costs a lot of money, since you would probably get your hair and makeup done professionally for those photos. Even as I’m getting the photos taken, I think I wonder why exactly I have to do this.”


On the Internet, tips as to how to take a good photo just for application purposes are everywhere.

Of course, this type of resume is hard to understand for many foreigners. American Santana described the practice as ‘shocking,’ saying, “In America we don’t put our picture or our birthday, things like that on our resumes. It lays the groundwork for discrimination whether it be on age, gender, or appearance.”

Since 2007, the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor is recommending a standard resume that forgoes pictures and family backgrounds to try to stop employers from focusing more on looks than skills; however, not many companies have adapted the standard resume.

In fact, motion to make photos and physical appearance requirements illegal on resumes was made, but it has not gotten much attention and has been on the back burner for three years.



Article: Foreign countries don't have this... 'Korean resumes' requiring applicant photos

Source: SBS via Naver

1. [+9,492, -251] It was made a law three years ago that resumes aren't allowed to ask for pictures or other physical traits but it's being ignored.

2. [+7,454, -447] It's because the old farts want to pick young, pretty kids so they demand that pictures be a requirement

3. [+5,940, -199] I still don't get why my private life is of interest to them?

4. [+5,301, -256] I want them to stop asking useless questions about my life. I want to be judged purely for my skills related to the job.

5. [+4,949, -168] A looks-oriented society...

6. [+1,192, -31] Yeah, I don't understand why a potential job should know my height, weight, blood type, my parent's education, name, and social security numbers... are they going to give me a blood transfusion if I need it?

7. [+1,135, -24] I can put up with having to put my picture on resumes but why do they need to know my parent's jobs and their wealth??

8. [+847, -27] Give me back my resume if you're going to reject me!! It costs a lot to print out my photos, I want to recycle them!

9. [+696, -18] I can understand to a certain extent needing photos for service related jobs... but I will never get why jobs want to know my parent's jobs..

10. [+660, -28] They ask for your parent's jobs so that they can accept your application if your dad is some high position job

11. [+398, -20] America has a Title IX law where you're not allowed to ask for race, age, sex, etc in an interview and you can file a lawsuit if you do get asked these things. Resumes are only about your experience and the reason you're applying for the job. For extra stuff, they care more about professional recommendations and related networks in your field of work. Basically, your personal skills and network are more important..

12. [+392, -24] There's no other country more looks obsessed than Korea. Even in the service industry, your looks don't correlate with how well you serve someone but they're still the strictest when it comes to looks.

13. [+339, -23] I hate putting my picture on resumes

14. [+315, -13] A result of a looks obsessed society

15. [+298, -17] Job interviews should be like Voice Korea, interview people with their backs turned to them


Source: Soompi sbs & Neitzenbuzz naver

Comments

[torontok.livejournal.com]

A standard resume should be made mandatory, not just recommended.Seriously,wtf does a potential employer need to know your parent's educational background.
Although it should be noted that no-picture/race/gender/sexuality resumes aren't 100% effective at preventing discrimination.They did a research study where they sent off several applications, one with a Mexican name (Manuelo) and an anglicized version (Manny) with all the other details the same.Guess who got more callbacks?

[jeliza]

Those resume studies have been replicated so many times, on so many factors, it's ridiculous. Pretty much any non-white ethnicity (and a few that are considered white in the U.S. now, like Italian), and gender trips the effect. But "we live in a post-racial, post-feminist society!" Not.

[hongaerin.livejournal.com]

Wait, italians were not considered white in the US ? How come ? Honestly, as a European, I find it really difficult to understand the notion of "white" that is used in the US. Then I guess Spanish and Portuguese, or maybe Greek, wouldn't be considered white either ? Is it more something directed to people from Anglo-Saxon decent ?
I'm genuinely asking because it's a notion that is really difficult to understand for me.

[hongaerin.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for the explanations. I think it is even more complicated than I thought.

[lainmyownworld.livejournal.com]

my grandma got into the US through canada xD

[phililen3.livejournal.com]

High five to your grandma

[jeliza]

It's difficult to make sense of because it isn't based in anything like reason or logic-- it's a historical immigration/class issue (i.e. when a lot of poor people of a group immigrated all at once), more than an skin color.

There is a fabulous book called "How the Irish become white" that goes into historical detail. There used to be "no irish" signs, particularly for hiring, the way that "no blacks" could still be seen in, say, the 50s. And I guess part of the lingering effects are that there are communities of Italian-Americans, that have maintained a strong ethnic identity rather than homogenizing into the "melting pot" and can be a little darker-skinned than the English/German descended -- though it could also be that people read the Italian names as Latin@.

[lainmyownworld.livejournal.com]

I had an Italian professor, who lokks white, but is very tanned, and has a moderate italian accent and he said when he went to the south (in the US) he felt like an outsider

[4minutesluts.livejournal.com]

iirc white-sounding names with felonies got about the same number of callbacks as black-sounding names with equivalent qualifications and no criminal record, which is more fucked up

I wonder if not being able to submit names would actually change anything, or whether employers would be just as racist after interviews (and I guess email addresses could give it away too)

[treaclyena.livejournal.com]

i hate my surname honestly because it sounds so foreign and telling that i'm of southeast asian descent. i'm considering slightly changing my last name on my resume but idk how the repercussions for that would be in the future.

[timetobegin.livejournal.com]

Having to add a photo isn't that uncommon in the part of Europe where I live... I would be rather startled by it too, though, as I'm rather conscious about my looks (uhum) and I'd be like "WELL guess who isn't getting hired any time soon.". People ask for photo's for a reason and it's seems obvious which it is.

[yakuniku-8.livejournal.com]

At least pictures are personal, I was shocked to see a Korean CV requiring parents' name and their job. What's the point?

[modestgoddess79.livejournal.com]

legacy for powerful families, must make it even harder for the poor or unconnected to get jobs

[prlsb4swiine.livejournal.com]

*gatsby voice* old moneeeeehyyy

[kanbinayume.livejournal.com]

lmfaooo

[bunica1990.livejournal.com]

lol

[prlsb4swiine.livejournal.com]

Holy shit I would never get in anywhere if people were just looking at my face. I rely on the fact that my name is in a dead language and people can't even place my gender often times.
Honestly job applications are so exhausting even without all the things mentioned in this article, these people must be practically traumatized by the process

[princetabi.livejournal.com]

for real. I imagine that if there is a hell, it would consist of writing cover letters for all of eternity

[yolleh.livejournal.com]

For real, looking for a job can be a job in itself.

[princetabi.livejournal.com]

i am so unphotogenic tbh i'm so glad these aren't required for most jobs in the U.S. I would hate to be looking for a job in Korea. My parent's jobs are respectable and decent but i'm not an heir to a fortune or anything

[bri-and-red.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine having to put height, weight, and parents' occupations on my resume and include a photo...how would any of that affect someone's ability to do the job?

And netizen number 11, I'm pretty sure you're thinking of something other than Title IX...

[fabulousdoll.livejournal.com]

Good timing. This weekend I saw a lot of people that I didn't see in a long time and after saying I'm jobless, I got tired of hearing that I should have a job because I have "good presence". Obviously the looks being an important point it doesn't only happen in Korea.
But the part about family background it doesn't even make sense, why?

[fabulousdoll.livejournal.com]

Seriously?! People can be really disgusting.
I'm the kind of person that one day can go with full make up and the next day goes all clean without a reason and thinking that someone has that in count to give you a job is scary.

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

i feel like they want to judge potential employees before knowing them irl
if they want your picture i feel the next step will be ask your height or weight
who cares so much about looks?? is this a model agency?
your office would end up full of handsome but useless people

[mad-nux.livejournal.com]

resumes here require pics but they pick ppl based on the college they attended or graduated from. im an undergrad from a top uni so I get picked over those who graduated from nugu schools, sad but im thankful lol

[yolleh.livejournal.com]

Same here. For the most part, I'm told that people look at which uni you graduated from first and foremost. Then what you got, and what experience you already have.
Here's to hoping it works the hell out for me!

[atopworld.livejournal.com]

Just even thinking about the job process in general makes me nauseous and my nerves bad, lol.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

eh, in my country (germany) most of these things are mandatory. photo of yourself and your parents names and jobs are a must. same with your degree, you have to list the schools you attended and your average degree when you graduated from all of them.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

you can exclude them, but i was taught in school that you should list them on your CV. but thats already like 5 years ago.
a "decade" is, however, exaggerated.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

i only know that you shouldnt put your belief on your CV anymore because thats outdated. and that you are allowed to lie when they ask you if you're pregnant. but thats it.

nowadays companies ask for online applications on their sites anyway

[djeedjes.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately this is happening in my country too.

I work closely with HR Dept, and I have been interviewing some people, and yes, those information affect us in making decision.
I do think this is related with Asian way of thinking and prejudice, because this practices mostly happen in Asian countries.
If your parents had good education, company assumed you have been brought up at least decently.
Also, we do sorting based on the college/uni of the candidates graduated from. This is unfair, I agree, like in some companies here would immediately hire anyone who is overseas graduated (even from bad uni) just because that they assume he/she can speak English better than local graduates. Companies also willing to pay more for them.
I graduated from top uni with higher than average grade here in my country, but when I started I was paid less than someone who was graduated from uni in some English speaking country with lower than average grade.

Regarding to the picture for resume, IMO, that requirement can be applied to vacancy for front office people, for instance, who has to meet their costumers face to face, so it is understandable that the company is choosing people who can represent their 'image' by sorting from the applicants' pics first.

[donutism.livejournal.com]

I remember applying for Software Dev jobs in my home country (Taiwan), and they asked for height, weight, picture, parents names, relationship status, gender etc. I was like dafaq why do you need my picture and all this information to know if I can code or not.

[lastbestwest.livejournal.com]

In Korea ID pictures are incredibly photoshopped. They whiten skin, clear blemishes, just make everything look 'smoother'. I was shocked when I've seen my friend's pictures, they literally look nothing like them in real life.

[keki7.livejournal.com]

But really, if you hire people based on looks, what do you do once they start working and are not productive/efficient/able to get the job done? From a management perspective that doesn't seem very smart.

[layna.livejournal.com]

First reaction: I am a grown ass woman. I'm married with kids, my parents' info should not matter.

That being said I do photograph well so in that category, I'd have an edge albeit one I wouldn't want.

I wonder what I'd put down for my dad's job, or which dad they'd want (biological vs my mom's exhusband who claimed me on taxes for a decade) so that'd be a thing.

I am unemployed now, looking for a job sucks. My last one was part time and I got laid off after a 8 week leave of absence since I wasn't offered maternity leave. My position was eliminated 12 days before I was to return. The job itself was one I was over qualified for and I wasn't paid well but they worked with my schedule and were 5 minutes from my house. I'm probably not going to find anything in my line of work and when I did a reemployment session with a career counselor, I was told I was a good candidate for additional training. The person who handles that works three days a week and the career counselor assumed she'd called me already as I did all the legwork to find a program that would suit their requirements. She hadn't, so that's awesome.

[redhandedjilll.livejournal.com]

Oh jesus, I'm a short, chubby woman with parents that dropped out of highschool and worked blue collar jobs. I would be so fucked.

[devjacaiora.livejournal.com]

Geez I love my job! I'll we have to do is going to ask if they need someone, if you have experience you're fine but if you don't you just need to tell them that you're ready to learn, that you don't care working long hours knowing what time your starting but never know when you gonna be done and having to comeback later for work sometime finishing after midnight knowing that you'll have to be back for work early in the morning...

ahhh no need to bring your resume... don't care what you looks like or your weight or race or anything they just want people who love what they do... geez I love my job =D

[annhh.livejournal.com]

" never know when you gonna be done and having to comeback later for work sometime finishing after midnight knowing that you'll have to be back for work early in the morning..."

gurrl are they treating you allright? :D what do you do?

[devjacaiora.livejournal.com]

lol yes =D

I work with racehorses =D We never know what time we gonna finish cause everything can happen... When your horses train he can be on the track twice, in a big barn maybe the trainer gonna take someone else horse before yours, sometime you have to wait for the vet to show up, wait for the blacksmith all kind of stuff and when your horse you're taking care have to race later you have to comeback and sometime you have to leave freaking early cause the racetrack may be 1 or 2 hours away... lots of time I cameback at home around 1am to be back for work at 5am... When you work with horses you really need to love horses or you'll never gonna be happy with this job XD eheheh

[annhh.livejournal.com]

aah makes sense now. oh the importance of loving your job! but stay healthy though, do you have a back up person if you get ill?

[devjacaiora.livejournal.com]

not really =D

I work with only 2 boss ( husband and wife) so if I can't be there they are alone with 15 horses so far I'm lucky except working with high fever and a bad cold I didn't got to sick.. yet lol

[annhh.livejournal.com]

I can't believe how intrusive those are! Weight and height and parents, like there are people whose parents aren't even in their lives..? Individualism isn't quite there yet.. And do they really need all that "professional makeup and hair done" (watch a tutorial). I feel sorry for job hunters who have to squeeze personal info like a product description, I think Surplus Princess showed SK's job market pretty good.

MAKES ME GLAD THO. My _interview_ for my current job of 3 years was pretty much all focused on skills, and how promising I was for that position. I say promising because almost anyone can learn whatever the job requires (if they know what they're getting into). Most jobs if not every job or position w/e have training of some sort because companies use different programs, different ways. Everyone just wants people under them that they can be proud of.

I actually had my school documents ready and previous recommendations and shit but the HR was like "we don't need those".