Top Graduates Vie for Jobs in Entertainment Agencies

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

When management agency JYP Entertainment, whose stable includes manufactured bands 2PM, Wonder Girls and Miss A, interviewed for new staff last week, five of the six finalists were from Yonsei University and one from Korea University.

"These days when we recruit new staff, a lot of graduates of prestigious universities apply. We seem to attract young talents who would normally go to large corporations," a staffer said.

YG Entertainment, which manages Big Bang and 2NE1, has a similar story to tell. The company quietly advertised one vacant job on an employment portal, and 322 people applied. "Even though we specified that the job requires just certain level of foreign language skills, most of the applicants attached transcripts of near-perfect TOEIC, TOEFL and JPT scores," said a staffer.

The status of entertainment agencies has grown thanks to the Korean Wave, and this is reflected in current trend in the job market. Until a decade ago, most showbiz agencies hired staff through close-knit networks within the industry. But open-competition recruitment has become more widespread with emergence of big corporate agencies with sophisticated management expertise.

The rising status has led to explosive interest in the industry among jobseekers as well as aspiring entertainers, with many highly qualified young people from prestigious universities competing to join major agencies.

SM Entertainment, an industry leader with Super Junior and Girls' Generation under its wing, is concerned about the trend. It hires an average of 20 to 30 new staff a year, and has a policy of not taking educational background into account in recruiting staff. But a staffer said, "We're worried that people will get the wrong idea about our recruitment procedure that educational background matters simply because the level of applicants has improved so much."

SM said the A&R team, which is in charge of finding musicians and getting songs for the artists, and the IA team that coordinates overseas tours and copyright issues, are especially popular, drawing competition from 500 applicants for one position. Nearly 30 percent are graduates of six leading universities -- Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University, Ewha Womans University, KAIST and POSTECH -- and 20 percent are from elite foreign universities such as Beijing University, Tsinghua University and UCLA.

One CEO of an entertainment agency said, "The improved status of showbiz played a role, but the free and creative image of the showbiz industry is also an important pulling factor. The competition will only intensify because the future of the content industry is bright."

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

I wonder how many of these top graduates just want to get job there in order to increase their chances to land a date with their favourite idol?

Comments

[bestsama.livejournal.com]

how do i get a job working for girls' generation?

[vizallati.livejournal.com]

lmao mte

[minyquai.livejournal.com]

house geisha

[anconeous.livejournal.com]

I graduated in one of the top universities my country. I'll gladly throw away my degree just to work in SME, even just to be Yunho's (pervy) stylist.

[naj-mahal.livejournal.com]

SM, I will give you my dumb American Ivy degree to become a stylist noona and tie Yunho's shoelaces.

[mao246.livejournal.com]

Nah.. I'd rather just get my Bachelors in Accounting..

And be responsible for the Financial Statements for SM 8D (with some mild stalking on the side)

[suzieeq-luv.livejournal.com]

Definitely more money on the business side than being an actual idol.

The cartoon is hilarious by the way. Can't tell if the guy in front is bowing or kissing ass tho. I prefer to believe the latter.

[rinareechan.livejournal.com]

I'd love to work on the management side of things idol-wise. It's the only K-pop related fantasy I have. I wouldn't want to be an idol at all haha.

If I won the lottery I'd totally start my own company just because I could XD

[naj-mahal.livejournal.com]

And sleep with all my employees.

[grapewhine.livejournal.com]

I'd work for them, there is forever money in hormone exploitation.

[naj-mahal.livejournal.com]

Can I work here? I have foreign language proficiency and go to a prestigious university.

The only Korean I know though is wae...

[count0nme.livejournal.com]

i guess working behind the scenes in showbiz will always sound more fun than working 9-5 in a cubicle even if you're only tying shoes/wiping sweat for idols

[crowleyd545.livejournal.com]

i'd like to know the deets man~ how'd you find the internship, if you don't me asking? my dream job is to work for an entertainment company as a designer.

[crowleyd545.livejournal.com]

ohh, is it for a korean company or american?

[lydzi.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you'll be awesome in your branch mate. Your comments always appeared to me very level-headed. I hope you'll get it *thumbs up*.

[jela-ow.livejournal.com]

If my plan of creating my country's version of SME won't push through, I'll be applying as a manager an entertainment agency in SK lol

[scubajr.livejournal.com]

I wonder how many of these top graduates just want to get job there in order to increase their chances to land a date with their favourite idol?
My thoughts exactly.

[frostedpopcorn.livejournal.com]

I wonder how many of these top graduates just want to get job there in order to increase their chances to land a date with their favourite idol?

Might as well go for it. I would! Makes it more interesting than normal 9 - 5..

_{Hey YG, I have just finished my dissertation yesterday, anything going in the media, culture and identity area of your company? I can write fantastically researched essays and speak European languages you don't care about..}

[cher-ex3.livejournal.com]

...five of the six finalists were from Yonsei University...

Does this mean I have a chance? *o* /delusional

[jetaime-pyon.livejournal.com]

i am a yonsei student too!! ^^

[cher-ex3.livejournal.com]

:o Really? Do you live on campus or off?

[jetaime-pyon.livejournal.com]

off campus, i rent an apartment with a friend~

[cher-ex3.livejournal.com]

Oh nice! What year are you?

[jetaime-pyon.livejournal.com]

i'm 2nd year student. what about you??

[cher-ex3.livejournal.com]

Ohh nice! I'm a 3rd year student atm

[modestgoddess79.livejournal.com]

where do I apply to wax TOP's knob?

[zero82591.livejournal.com]

NNOOO bitches stole my idea!!!