[Finding the Shape of My Place] #4. Building a Signal Board for Companies I Care About
Meeting My Graduation Project Partner.
Since it was my final semester, I had to complete a graduation project for the Computer Science department. Most of my close classmates had graduated last year, and I hadn't really gotten close with anyone in Computer Science throughout my time at school, so I was wondering what to do. Then, I decided to team up with a junior I'd gotten close to through a club, who was double-majoring in Statistics and our department. It seemed tough for just two of us, so while looking for another member, I found out a junior from our department was also graduating this year. We decided to form a team of three. I was lucky to meet these smart, kind juniors who had much better grades in computer science than I did. Just completing the graduation project was a relief, but these friends also became my invaluable job-hunting partners. I had thought about getting a job after returning from India, but I still felt awkward labeling myself a 'job seeker'. Then, one day in late August, while having dinner at the school cafeteria, one of my graduation project teammates solemnly declared: 'Sis, I really need to get a job this fall semester.' Another friend and I were just thinking about casually building up our resumes and focusing on our graduation projects, but when she said it so solemnly, somehow all three of us felt like we had to get jobs. And all three of us succeeded in landing jobs that fall semester.
What if I don't have a company I want to work for?
Anyway, since we decided to get jobs in the second semester with my graduation project buddies, I had to apply somewhere… but honestly, there was no job I really wanted. After failing my first-semester internship and the shock of the chatbot project, I was mentally reluctant to apply for developer positions. Because of that, there were no suitable roles. Should I apply for management support or technical sales? Should I apply to Hyundai Motor or LG CNS…? I just couldn't muster the will to apply. In early September, I'd gather almost daily with my graduation project friends in the study room on the first floor of the engineering building to work on our projects or write resumes together. When other friends mentioned they'd already written and submitted several applications, I'd just say, "Oh yeah, I'm working on mine too…" but in reality, I hadn't written anything. (I don't know how it is now, but) typically, announcements for the second-half public recruitment start around late August, and by early September, the document submission period is over. While I was procrastinating, the number of new announcements was steadily decreasing. I remember lying on my living room floor one weekend, staring at Hyundai Motor's "What makes you move?" essay question. What really moves me…? Would they accept me if I wrote honestly…? (I ended up not applying;;)
When will the green light come on for companies I'm interested in?
I listed companies and positions I was somewhat interested in on a table in Evernote. I listed the job titles, fields, application deadlines, and selection methods, then added an 'Interest Level' column at the top. I marked mediocre places yellow, somewhat interesting ones green, and places I really didn't want to apply to red. There was nothing left. I decided it was better not to apply to the red ones. While I was coloring all sorts of companies red, my slacker friends were already zipping around on quick motorcycles between exam venues, frantically rushing to second-round tests. That's how the third week of September was passing. One day during that week, I was mindlessly scrolling through job postings on JobSite.com like any other day. A new Nexon recruitment notice had popped up. Scrolling down, I spotted postings related to service planning and game planning. Reading further, I realized they seemed similar to the work I'd been doing. I added Nexon to Evernote, and finally, a company had earned my green interest flag. Hmm, maybe I should apply here? My job-hunting season restarted in the third week of September.