Employment for Middle-aged and Older Adults, "Prepare at the Jungjangnyeon Naeil Center"

Jungjangnyeon Naeil Center, 3,051 Job Seekers Successfully Employed This Year
"Many Suitable Jobs for Middle-Aged in SMEs... Share Information and Participate in Job Events"

Jang Young-hee (55), who holds a social worker certificate but had a 5-year career gap, recently succeeded in reemployment as a social worker at a home welfare center.

What was the secret to Jang’s success after repeatedly being rejected by every company she applied to? Following the advice of a counselor at the Middle-aged Tomorrow Center to "learn interview skills," Jang actively participated in the center’s training on job-seeking and interview techniques, regained her confidence, and was hired after an interview in September through the center’s recommendation.

After completing a recruitment briefing session for a company at the Jungjangnyeon Naeil Center last May, company practitioners are conducting on-site interviews for applicants who wish to apply. Provided by Jungjangnyeon Naeil Center

Park Seol-hwa, a counselor at the Middle-aged Tomorrow Center, said, "Many middle-aged job seekers without job-seeking and interview skills often fail interviews," adding, "Those who prepare in advance by taking life career design and employment competency training offered by the center have a higher success rate in reemployment."

Increase in Middle-aged Job Seekers... Middle-aged Tomorrow Center Bustling

As the number of middle-aged people seeking jobs like Jang increases, the number of job seekers visiting the Middle-aged Tomorrow Center is also rising every year. This year, about 9,000 job seekers registered through the center, a 17% increase compared to the previous year, among whom 3,051 succeeded in finding employment. Notably, 660 job seekers succeeded through job matching services, a 16% increase from last year.

The Middle-aged Tomorrow Center, which provides employment counseling, education, and support services to anyone aged 40 and above, is located in the Seoul Employment Welfare Plus Center (3rd floor of Seoul Employment and Labor Office) and is operated under consignment by the Korea Management Innovation Small and Medium Business Association (MainBiz Association).

Kim Myung-jin, president of the MainBiz Association, stated, "There are many suitable job categories for middle-aged people in small and medium-sized enterprises," and added, "The association will actively strive to ensure that excellent talents with years of practical experience and capabilities are hired by SMEs."

Since its launch, the Middle-aged Tomorrow Center has been selected as the best operating institution for four consecutive years in the nationwide Ministry of Employment and Labor evaluations over six years. The most important point in the reemployment know-how shared by the center for middle-aged job seekers is 'participation.'

Participating in life career design and employment competency training, which the center operates for long-term career planning and management of middle-aged job seekers, is very helpful. Among 1,341 people who completed these trainings this year, 519 (39%) succeeded in reemployment.

Want to Find a Job? ... "Participate to Gain 'Information.'"

The Employment Welfare Plus Center houses several job-related institutions such as the Middle-aged Tomorrow Center, Seoul 50 Plus, and local governments, sharing job projects and information and jointly conducting events. Simply coming to the center means gaining a lot of information. The Middle-aged Tomorrow Center regularly holds job meeting days with resident institutions, and this year alone, 130 people were hired by 15 companies.

Job seekers can receive recommendations from the center and learn various employment information and how to apply for jobs. Interview training also provides a great opportunity for job seekers to learn how to respond to interviewers’ questions.

In May, the Jungjangnyeon Naeil Center held a company recruitment briefing session for middle-aged and older job seekers. Provided by Jungjangnyeon Naeil Center

Jo Hye-yeon, a counselor at the Middle-aged Tomorrow Center, said, "Middle-aged job seekers often have few interview opportunities even after submitting resumes, but those who actively visit the center or participate in its events gain a lot," adding, "Job seekers who attend company briefings or on-site interviews through the center report high satisfaction and low turnover after employment."

When middle-aged people seeking employment visit the employment center, they first register their job search on the 'Employment24' computerized network. Since it is a nationwide network, it means they can request employment beyond their local area. It is important to publicize one’s employment information nationwide, such as hiring a resident from Jeju Island while in Seoul.

Detailed writing of one’s resume and career is necessary. For example, if applying for a security position, specifying whether it is building security or apartment security, what kind of certificates and levels one holds, and whether driving is possible makes it easier to get a job.

"Don’t Give Up, Compensate for Weaknesses and Reapply"

The application process can be complicated for stable jobs. Many middle-aged applicants give up during this process, but it is essential to complete it with the help of a counselor. Since only parts of the form need to be modified when applying to other companies, the first time is the hardest.

Some tend to become passive or give up on job hunting after one or two failures. Heo Jeong-i, a counselor at the Middle-aged Tomorrow Center, explained, "If you have a target company, apply up to three times, and after each failure, find the cause through counseling, then acquire relevant certificates, revise job documents, or supplement weaknesses through interview clinics before reapplying to similar jobs," adding, "Providing psychological support to maintain a positive mindset about employment possibilities is a key point."

Kim Sang-yong, director of the Seoul Employment Welfare Plus Center, said, "The number of middle-aged job seekers who want to work is increasing every year," and added, "We will prepare various services annually to provide more reemployment opportunities for middle-aged job seekers."

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