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Finding Employment in Cyberspace: 2021 SNU Metaverse Career Fair

The ‘2021 DREAM ON SNU Metaverse Career Fair,’ hosted by the SNU Career Development Center and the SNU Alumni Association, was made public online this September. This event was open to current students and alumni looking for employment opportunities. This year, more than sixty corporations specializing in diverse job areas took part in the three sessions (held September 1 - 2, 8 - 9, and 15 - 16), with as much vigor as a regular offline job fair.

Poster of the 2021 Dream ON SNU Metaverse Career Fair
Poster of the 2021 Dream ON SNU Metaverse Career Fair

Job Fair Transformed Into a Room of Exploration

The word ‘metaverse’ is a compound word of ‘meta (meaning transcendence)’ and ‘universe,’ signifying an imaginary world beyond reality. Metaverse is a sort of augmented reality (AR) based on bidirectional communication, therefore enabling the emulation of social activities happening in the real world. In this respect, this online platform is especially welcomed by the youth, who are accustomed to online communication. This job expo also presented this AR feature of a metaverse; participants first had to create their own characters to be used in the ‘Gather town,’ an imaginary job fair venue. On accessing the ‘venue’ as characters of their taste, with customizable skin color, clothes, and accessories, an imaginary hall resembling an actual job fair venue unfolded. Participants could freely wander the ‘venue’ to have face-to-face conversations with others through the screen, and personnel managers of each business held briefing sessions in cyber presentation rooms. During the second session of the fair (September 8 - 9), about twenty-five companies participated, including Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Heavy Industries, and POSCO. About forty businesses, the most representative ones being LG Electronics, GS Caltex, and Netmarble, partook of the final session (September 15 - 16). A list of participating corporations and the schedule of the event was on the online noticeboard for the fair. Further professional one-on-one consultation was provided on the corners of the ‘hall,’ by human resources officers of each company or current employees.

A Booth Set by a Corporation Participating in the 2021 Dream ON SNU Metaverse Career Fair
A Booth Set by a Corporation Participating in the 2021 Dream ON SNU Metaverse Career Fair

A Room for Mutual Communication Between Companies and Jobseekers

While recruitment fairs generally feature companies unilaterally providing students with information, this career fair provided opportunities for mutual communication. Participants were able to ask questions during the fair, utilizing the chatting function. A function displaying frequently asked questions prevented duplicate inquiries and allowed organizers to grasp the jobseekers’ interests in one fell swoop. At the cyber consultation center, human resources directors themselves assisted potential applicants with various employment preparations, ranging from cover letters to interviews. “There is no one correct answer to employment, and applicants need not adjust themselves in accordance with the model answer; adequately showing their own competence and fidelity will lead to a desired outcome,” advised one human resources manager. “A number of students regard recruitment as a unidirectional system led by corporations. Recruitment is, however, a process of mutual cooperation between employer and applicant and an opportunity for businesses to attract competent human resources,” another director said. “It was the first time for me to intimately share my job concerns with actual recruiters; it was another joy to wander around the fair in my own avatar, just as in a game,” Lee Junho said, a junior in the Department of Korean Language and Literature.

This novel metaverse career fair, which was a platform for close communication between recruiters and students, is especially meaningful in that students were able to ease their mental burden regarding the job search process and prepare for job application with a light heart. Further details for the fair can be found on the online notice section of the SNU Career Development Center (https://www.snucareerfair.com/Home).

Source: https://www.snu.ac.kr/snunow/snu_story?md=v&bbsidx=133195
Written by Seunghwan Oh, SNU English Editor, ascendhwan@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Professor Travis Smith, Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations, tlsmith@snu.ac.kr