LG "Completely Changing Recruitment Methods"... Transition to Continuous Hiring and Internship Talent Selection

Immediate Securing of Talent Needed On-Site
Proactive Response to the 'New Normal' in the COVID Era

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] LG will change its new employee recruitment method from the existing regular recruitment to a year-round continuous selection system starting in the second half of this year. LG plans to secure the necessary talent in a timely manner through this recruitment method transition.

On the 9th, LG announced that from the second half of this year, it plans to select more than 70% of new employees through recruitment-linked internships under the continuous recruitment system. Although there are differences among affiliates, this is more than three times the previous scale, where recruitment-linked internships accounted for 20-30% of the total.

Through the continuous recruitment system, LG allows the field departments to post job openings at the desired time and directly select the necessary talent. The recruitment process is led proactively by the field, with the HR organization supporting it. This enables more detailed talent supply and demand management compared to the previous method where recruitment numbers were selected by affiliates and departments were assigned accordingly.

LG explained, "By transitioning the recruitment method, we will promptly secure field-centered necessary talent and place them appropriately to respond agilely to changes in the business environment and technology."

The company also expects that this recruitment method will help reduce the turnover rate of new employees within one year, thereby lowering social costs. They believe that the continuous recruitment method, where applicants apply for desired positions based on their majors and experiences, combined with recruitment-linked internships, can resolve the issue of job mismatches after hiring. Additionally, applicants can focus on acquiring the competencies needed for their desired roles, reducing unnecessary time spent on 'spec building.'

Those selected through recruitment-linked internships undergo an average four-week training course. During this period, the company can preliminarily assess applicants' suitability, and applicants can experience the company and their desired job roles. LG plans to further expand the proportion of recruitment-linked internships by affiliate in the future, while also conducting selections through various recruitment programs such as industry-academia cooperation and contests.

The aptitude test, which was conducted offline, will be fully transitioned to an online format starting in September. The number of personality test questions will be halved, and the types of aptitude test questions will be optimized for online, significantly reducing the test duration from the existing three hours to about one hour.

From September, the integrated recruitment portal site 'LG Careers' will be equipped with a counseling chatbot service to provide applicants with real-time information on recruitment, including various job-specific talent profiles, competencies, and progress status.

LG plans to actively secure excellent talent from a mid- to long-term perspective, not just for immediate manpower supply, as part of growth preparation after the COVID-19 crisis. Starting this month with LG Chem’s recruitment-linked internship announcements for the Battery Business Division and Life Sciences Business Division, LG will secure talent through continuous recruitment in the second half of the year, including recruitment affected by COVID-19 in the first half.

An LG official said, "We have transitioned to a speedy recruitment system where field departments can immediately hire the talent they need to match the rapidly changing business environment and demand," adding, "The transition in recruitment methods is a proactive response to the ‘new normal’ in the post-COVID-19 era."

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