The Beginning of Hyper-Personalization Platforms: 'Injaeyeongip'

BankSalad, the Reason Behind Large-Scale Hiring of 200 Employees

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] Despite the hiring market freezing due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), a startup conducting large-scale ongoing recruitment of around 200 people has become a hot topic. This is Rainist, which operates the data financial platform 'BankSalad.' Currently, Rainist's workforce is about 100 people. The company announced plans to double its existing workforce this year. We asked why they are taking a more aggressive approach at a time when hiring could have been delayed due to COVID-19.

On the 31st, Dahye Jung, the manager in charge of recruitment at Rainist, said, "BankSalad is at an important stage where it needs to prepare solidly to fully launch the 'MyData' service, so we prioritized recruitment and proceeded aggressively." MyData allows individuals, as data subjects, to request the opening of their own data, enabling companies to provide and utilize the data they hold. This became a reality after the amendment of the so-called 'Data 3 Laws'?the Personal Information Protection Act, Credit Information Act, and Information and Communications Network Act?passed this year. BankSalad, which manages data scattered across financial companies, can now develop new services such as recommending personalized products based on this data. The recruitment proceeding despite the COVID-19 situation is focused on finding talent for the MyData service. Rainist plans to build a hyper-personalized platform together with MyData talents.

Since the recruitment is taking place amid the spread of COVID-19, there are many aspects that require attention. The process consists of a first-round phone interview and a second-round face-to-face interview, with the face-to-face interviews conducted in small groups to avoid gathering many people in one space. Manager Jung introduced, "Since recruitment schedules vary by job category, interviews are conducted via video calls according to the availability of interviewers and applicants. Even in cases where there are concerns about COVID-19 or interviewers are working from home, video interviews are conducted." Because video interviews are new, both interviewers and applicants initially felt awkward, and there were some embarrassing moments such as interviews being interrupted due to internet issues, but it has stabilized over time, she added.

Rainist's 'External Recommendation System,' introduced during this recruitment, is also attracting attention. This system expands the existing internal employee referral program to outside the company, allowing external recommendations. If a candidate recommended by an external referrer is finally hired, the referrer receives a reward of up to 20 million KRW per person. Manager Jung explained, "We created an environment where talent can be recommended from outside to broaden the talent pool and recruit better talent. In startups, each individual talent is very important, and understanding and participating in the company's vision, values, and direction is not an easy decision, so we introduced the reward system."

Since Rainist is recruiting more personnel than before, it is also putting effort into creating an organizational culture that encompasses them. Manager Jung said, "We created a system that allows self-evaluation by dividing items by job category. We conduct evaluations focusing on growth rather than years of service and are building an organizational structure that enables work to be performed according to core values by job category." Additionally, Rainist established the 'XD (Experience Design Division) team' based on the premise that internal experience ultimately increases employee satisfaction.

Regarding the type of talent Rainist seeks, Manager Jung emphasized, "The company creates and provides an environment where individuals finding answers for customers and the process of creating them can ultimately help their personal career growth. They must take initiative in their work, collaborate with other departments, and ensure that their work is delivered to customers with impact."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.