The New Normal of Recruitment Briefings: 'Online'... 2020 Retail Public Recruitment Trends

Offline Meetings Become Difficult
Expansion of Online Recruitment Briefings
Vlogs and Vertical Videos Cater to MZ Generation
Pre-Interviews Conducted Remotely

Screenshot of Shinsegae Group SSGPLAY '2020 SSG.COM Real-time Online Recruitment Briefing'

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Despite the challenging distribution market, some companies are conducting open recruitment for new employees, drawing attention to the changed procedures and evaluation factors. In particular, due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), online recruitment briefings have been increasingly introduced, and some companies have adopted non-face-to-face (untact) interview methods.

The New Normal of Recruitment Briefings: 'Online'

The real-time online recruitment briefing video of SSG.com, an e-commerce company under Shinsegae Group, was uploaded on its official YouTube channel on the 7th and recorded 17,278 views within four days as of the 11th. It received 271 likes. During the live briefing, interactive Q&A sessions were held through the chat window. The video also included interviews with key positions such as Merchandisers (MDs), marketers, and service planning partners, as well as vlogs from current employees.

Binggrae TV '2020 Recruitment Q&A Vertical Cam Relay Answers' Screen Capture

Binggrae introduced a new type of recruitment briefing that breaks the traditional format called '2020 Recruitment Q&A Vertical Cam Relay Answers' through 'BinggraeTV.' Vertical cam refers to videos optimized for the 'vertical' smartphone screen size, a platform familiar to the MZ generation. In the video, five current employees took turns answering recruitment-related questions posted on the 2019 recruitment video. Each answer was given within one minute, followed by shouting 'Binggrae' as a random mission. This gave a game-like feel, making it enjoyable even for those who are not job seekers.

GS Retail's convenience store division also held an online recruitment briefing through its own GS25 YouTube platform, which has 270,000 subscribers. The video included introductions to GS Retail and convenience store GS25, an overview of the main position of sales management (OFC), and short interviews with three current OFCs. A frequently asked questions (FAQ) section related to the second half recruitment was also covered. Additionally, BGF Retail, Heineken Korea, Yuhan-Kimberly, and KT&G conducted online recruitment briefings in collaboration with specialized recruitment platforms.

Unable to Gather Large Numbers... Expansion of Non-Face-to-Face Interviews

GS25 'GS Retail Convenience Store Division Online Recruitment Briefing' Screen Capture

In the case of SSG.com, the non-face-to-face (untact) interview method, which was introduced in the second half of last year, will continue this year. In September last year, SSG.com was the first to adopt an 'online pre-interview' method at the first interview stage. This year, three interviewers conduct a 30-minute interview with one applicant. Dress code is casual, and in case of internet connection issues, the interview URL is resent via mobile phone to prevent interruption.

GS Retail replaced the existing personality test with an artificial intelligence (AI) competency test. The online AI competency test evaluates organizational and job suitability as well as growth potential. Due to difficulties in gathering large numbers of people, the first and second interview stages are also conducted as non-face-to-face interviews. For the first interview, unlike the on-site presentation (PT) method, candidates are given a pre-assignment and then conduct a real-time video PT. Additionally, the GPA standard was changed from a 5.0-point internal conversion scale to 4.5 points.

Do Kyung-mok, Senior Partner (CP) of the HR team at SSG.com, advised in the video, "A laptop or PC equipped with a camera and microphone is necessary," adding, "Applicants can freely conduct interviews in a comfortable space, but it should be a noise-controlled environment so that both interviewers and candidates can focus on the interview."

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