[Finding the Shape of My Place] #5. I Want to Be Someone Who Makes Things
Previous Story > I had ambitiously resolved to find a job in the second half of the year with my graduation project comrades, but somehow I couldn't find a company I wanted to work for. While pretending to prepare for employment, I discovered the role of 'Service Planner at a Game Company'… And so began the chaotic days of writing resumes, taking tests, and going through interviews.
I wanted to be someone who creates things.
After seeing Nexon's job posting at the library, I was on the subway heading to a study session with my graduation project buddy #1. I told him, "I think I'll apply for Nexon's service planner position." He said, "Huh? Out of nowhere?" and then added, "Hmm, but it kinda suits you." I thought so too. But was it really? I started researching the job. As I organized my thoughts, it felt like all the projects I'd worked on—the project brief, the Beautiful Store Big Game, the Save Our Space webpage—could be categorized under 'service planning.' I left this note in Evernote: > "Third week of September. Seeing Nexon's job posting, I realized 'service planning' was something I could do. I didn't want to develop, and I didn't even want to plan—but I wondered if 'service planning' might actually be the right fit for me. I prepared hard for Nexon. I truly believed I could show them my genuine passion, not just empty words." > "I wanted to be someone who creates things. What I'm good at is accumulating writing, gathering information, and I'm also very good at organizing and understanding that information. I enjoy meeting people and get along well with them. I'm good at making people feel comfortable, and I'm especially good at asking people questions."
Studying the role of a service planner, writing my resume, and preparing for every stage of the selection process was essentially the act of unraveling my innate talents and abilities one by one. I can't say I enjoyed every moment—writing documents while eating hastily made rice balls in the library, preparing for interviews on the small bed in my mom's hospital room—but it was undoubtedly a meaningful time for me, a time to rediscover myself.
Passing the Application Stage at the 3N Game Companies
After seeing Nexon's service planner job posting, Netmarble and NCSoft followed suit. Since I was equally interested in e-commerce alongside the game industry at the time, I submitted final applications to a total of six companies: 11st, SSG.COM, and Descente. The result? I passed the document screening for all three game companies, but failed the document screening for all three e-commerce companies. While the job roles differed, I think it shows I had a decent fit with the game industry itself. Filling out each section of the job-hunting board I created in Evernote was a mix of fun and pain. The very first company I applied to was Nexon, and their application was incredibly difficult. I had to write six questions, each 2,000 characters long, and submit a portfolio. I invested two full weeks, and on the final submission day, I stayed up all night chugging three bottles of Hot Six, which I rarely drink. Netmarble had six questions, each requiring 1,000 characters, and some questions demanded new ideas, making it challenging to write. NCSoft had the fewest requirements: three questions, each 1,000 characters. Since NCSoft was the last company I applied to, and it had the fewest characters and questions, I read my answers aloud multiple times, carefully revising each sentence. I worked hard to craft clean, polished sentences. I also refined the sentences by showing them to many acquaintances. To exaggerate a bit, I read and reread the NC Soft application over ten times per question before submitting it.
My First Interview: Nervous and Sweaty
I passed the first round of document screening at Nexon, the company I applied to first—and perhaps the one where my application was the messiest. Unlike other companies, Nexon had no test phase; it went straight to interviews. While I'd been to interviews before, this was my first for a full-time position, so I was nervous and tense. I prepared methodically, recalling both failed and successful interview experiences one by one. The trembling I felt walking into the Nexon Korea headquarters building for the interview – the same place I'd attended a job fair a few weeks prior – is still vivid in my memory. They asked me what I would do if I submitted a proposal and the development team said it couldn't be implemented. At the time, I answered that if it was truly technically impossible and the development team's request was unfeasible, I would accept that and revise the proposal. But if it wasn't actually impossible and it was just a communication error, then we need to talk. I think we need to solve the problem, whether over a meal or drinks. I think he answered something really difficult in a simple way. (This is still a difficult thing to do…) Another common question I got in interviews was, 'You majored in computer science, so why did you apply for a planning position instead of development?' To which I answered, 'The initial reason I went into computer science was 'because I wanted to create something.' As I studied, I realized what I truly wanted wasn't the act of creating itself, but the process of thinking about 'what' to create and concretizing it. That's why I studied philosophy and applied for planning." Thanks to this well-crafted answer… I passed the first interview and received schedules for the second and third rounds.
I knew I'd become Nexminppo (Nexon, hire Minseok!)
Following my first document screening pass, the first interview pass came so quickly I barely had time to breathe, making it hard to collect my thoughts. Still, I didn't let my guard down and kept preparing for other companies, which was a relief. I even had two selection processes in one week. On Wednesday, I had Nexon's second and third interviews (lasting a full three hours…), and on Saturday, I took NCSoft's aptitude test + job evaluation. The record of this time is vividly captured on the 3030 board. > "On Wednesday, I had Nexon's second and third interviews, and today, Saturday, I took NCSoft's aptitude test and job evaluation. I'm breathless. That's the perfect word for it. Breathless… Starting around the second week of September, I've been running nonstop without a moment's rest. And it's not over yet. " > "During the Nexon interview, the answers I prepared and the studies I brought along were certainly my foundation, but more than that, I honestly shared my values and thoughts on work. I spoke candidly about how I handle situations when working with people. If I receive a rejection notice, it truly means that team and I weren't a good fit, so I won't be too discouraged. I said it calmly, but honestly, I desperately wanted that Nexon job. I wanted to feel the thrill of achieving what I truly desired. I wanted to make some money. Since I had to work anyway, wouldn't it be a little less miserable to work at a company I liked, doing work I enjoyed, doing what I was good at? "
I wanted it so badly, but in the end, it didn't happen. On the day all my graduation project comrades got final offers from S Electronics, I got rejected by Nexon. When I got that final rejection, it felt like the whole world was collapsing. I still had the results pending for Netmarble's test phase and NCSoft's first interview round, but I didn't hold much hope for either. Yet, as always, the world didn't collapse, and I shook it off quickly. I was attending the 'Planner School' back then, which wasn't lonely, and I had the solid strength to pull myself out of my own depression. After congratulating my graduation project comrades, I cried a little, then suddenly sprang up. I played Mami Son's "Boy Jump" on my iPad and danced wildly in the empty house. "You think I'm gonna fall here, you little bastards?! Even if I fall, I'll just scrape my knees! I won't die!" Dancing like a madwoman lifted my spirits a bit. That's why my life is fun. I did the dishes and hung up the laundry, thinking, "I'll get hired by Netmarble or NCSoft." Then I roughly tied my hair back, threw on some clothes, grabbed the materials I needed for the interview prep, and headed down to Starbucks.
A few days passed like that, and then I got a call from NCSoft asking me to come in for the final interview.