Yoo Hongsang/ Final draft of Oral History/ Tue 11

My friend, giving up going to Samsung      Since I am a senior, I am seeking a job now. I decided to interview one of my friends, who is also preparing for getting a job. First, I made an appointment with him to interview him for the purpose of getting useful information in relation with job markets. We met in Jongak, and went into the restaurant nearby for lunch. After a meal, we went to a cafe for the real purpose of the meeting.     Since we are very close, I prepared for the list of questions in advance in order not to be distracted during the interview. First, I asked him about how many companies he applied for and how many he passed. He said that he applied for about 20 companies, among which he passed document screenings and the aptitude tests in 5 companies. He already went through interviews in some companies and now waits for the result. This is amazing because many other friends failed even in most of the document screening.     However, the most amazing thing was that he gave up the final interview of Samsung Electronics. Actually, he did an internship there during the summer vacation, and more than 50 percent of the interns are expected to be turned into the regular position, and all of those interns only have to take the final interview, not having to go through all screening process from the start. I asked him why he gave up on the interview.     He said, ''I want to balance between work and my private life. Samsung Electronics is surely a very good company, but many employees work overtime for the company's profit.''     I thought that it was such a difficult decision. I also inquired him about what his priority is in choosing the companies. He replied, ''I want to go to the company that guarantees the working years until the retirement age.''     It is getting more and more difficult to enter the big companies due to the bad economy. I think he is doing very well in spite of all the unfavorable conditions. I believe that he will be able to find the work where he will feel more satisfied than he would feel in Samsung.