Korean Job Discussion Forums

[katydid]

When you go through a recruiter for a job, I understand they want proof of graduation from a 4 year school, a picture of yourself, transcripts, visa photos, the picture page of your passport copied, the whole nine yards. I imagine most of this is to facilitate the visa process so that when the agency finally places you somewhere, they can expedite the hiring process.
But what about if you are already in Korea, and trying to get some job leads on your own? I have an offer to meet with a hagwan later this week, and while I'm not sure if the school will even be hiring for the time I need (something got lost in the translation, and the man's overeagerness), I certainly do not want to be unprepared and show up without all the documents I might need.
I was currently thinking of just handing in a resume. Do you think the person I talk to will want to see my passport, transcripts, and other stuff right away? Can anyone else who did the cold-calling thing let me know about their experiences?

[Mr. Pink]

Bring photocopies of the stuff they require...i would suggest NEVER give out original copies until AFTER a contract is signed and you are 100% sure the school won't keep your documents.

[Austin]

This might be too long ago to be relevant, but I once called a cram school about an advertisement that they had placed in one of those free "Korean want ads" that you see placed all over Korea (most foreigners do not check those advertisements). Anyway, the owner said he wanted to meet outside of his institute (long story). I did not bring any documentation to the meeting, as I was mainly wanting to get a feel for the owner.

Opinions will vary, but I strongly believe that their impression of you will carry more weight than any documentation that you may or may not be able to provide on your first encounter.

Try to put it into a pragmatic perspective. What does it matter if you have all of your paperwork at the first meeting when the employer has a poor opinion/impression of you? On the other hand, if the employer is impressed by the way you present yourself, do not you think that he/she would be understanding of your lack of documentation (many believe that the person/relation is more important then their papers)? Obviously, if you are confident that you are going to make an amazing impression, you might as well bring your documentation.

Not sure if any of that was helpful, but you might consider doing your search in person, rather than on the phone.

[crazylemongirl]

I disagree with austin on this. As a former employer one of the things that will make a 'good impression' on me is that you have your act together. Having at hand some of the documents needed (remember they only need photocopies) shows that your someone that is prepared to work. Granted it's not the be all and end all, but when you find a good employer you want to be ready to go, not mucking around with paperwork as they can find candidates who already have their acts together to fill the position.

CLG

[katydid]

OK...I'm going to have to take a deep breath here, and I will say this just once, and I don't like saying these words, but:

Austin may be right.

A coworker of mine, a veteran of the Korean hagwan/uni system says that for some reason, bringing in your stuff to a place that is hiring makes a FAR better impression than just sticking it in an envelope and just waiting for the response.
And yes, while it's very good to have your act together, of course, if you bring what it is they tell you to bring, and then make a good impression, there doesn't seem to be any reason why the employer can not say "I'd like to see if I can hire you, could you please submit a copy of your diploma/transcripts/etc. by X date?"
I've done the job search before many many times. I'm not going to be one to stare blankly at The Person Who Has The Power To Hire Me and say "Resume??"
But I have to do at least some part of the search by phone as I live far from the downtown area, which is ideally I want to relocate to, and I at least need to find out WHEE these hagwans/unis are.

[Austin]

CLG,

What does whether you agree with me or not have to do with trying to offer helpful advice?

I never said anything about not having "your act together."

If you reread my post you might better understand what I had written.

I have been responsible for hiring English teachers as well, and the concern was more about their appearance, attitude, aptitude, age, and energy than anything else (because my employer wanted the "right" look and "feel" for his English camp). The documentation only mattered in so far as they qualified for the visa.

Would you want a job were the employer felt that a different person could do the job just as well as you?

[kylehawkins2000]

I believe that the vast majority of Hogwan owners will not care if you have the documents with you or not. Of course, if they offer you a job they will expect to see this documentation promptly. If you have your qualifactions listed on your resume and the qualifications are not fabricated it makes little difference if you have the documents there or if it requires a trip back once it has been agreed that you will be hired by said employer.

[crazylemongirl]

[rapier]

Wrong: they don't need to see a four year degree. A 3- year one is good enough. I'm living proof.

[crazylemongirl]

[Squid]

I did it.

Mostly they were impressed because I took them a disc with my details, everything they could want to know. Of course to open it there and then took a few minutes fo effort, during which time I took note of appearances, setup, just general pointers as to how smartly the school was run.
For a few minutes in a PC bang getting the scans loaded and a few copies it was a worthwhile exercise.
I now have a pretty good job.

Squid

[jaebea]

The CD is a nice touch. Considering how cheap they are to burn, and how much data they can hold, it's a good way for them to have a copy, and you can literally give them out without hurting your hip pocket too much. :)

You can fit all sorts of crap on there, like several photos, scans of all your necessary documents (in colour) and certificates. High resolution scans of references, softcopy resumes and everything else.

Very neat.

jae.

[katydid]

I have one of those already made up!