Chapter 335: Large-Scale Campus Recruitment
On January 15, 2022, at DM Entertainment Plaza.
Having just concluded its company annual meeting and year-end summary, DM Entertainment launched a new round of project activities.
Jiang Shu had proposed the concept of campus recruitment as early as 2019. Each year, DM Entertainment would offer a few job openings to recent university graduates as an investment in nurturing new talent. However, as DM Entertainment's scale gradually expanded, the single-digit job openings each year could no longer meet its growing personnel needs.
Therefore, in 2022, DM Entertainment officially launched a large-scale campus recruitment event at DM Entertainment Plaza, providing on-site recruitment for interested university and graduate students.
Students could participate in this event with their graduation certificate, degree certificate, and ID card.
The scale of this campus recruitment event was the largest in the industry's history. Many newspaper reporters arrived early in the morning, especially after hearing that Chairman Jiang, the helmsman of DM Entertainment, would also be present. Some news agencies that had not initially planned to attend also dispatched additional personnel to the scene.
On the morning of the fifteenth.
When Jin Zhongting and another reporter from D Agency arrived at the scene, they were immediately stunned by the sight before them.
Five long queues had formed in front of the security checkpoints, with students lining up in an orderly fashion to undergo entry security checks.
“Brother, did we come to a concert to queue?” Jin Zhongting poked the senior beside him and asked.
“Concerts don’t have people as highly educated as here,” the senior reporter said, already picking up his camera and snapping away.
Seeing this, Jin Zhongting also raised his camera and took photos of the large-scale campus recruitment fair from various angles.
“Get out your press pass, let’s go.”
“Understood.”
Reporters only needed a press pass to enter and did not have to queue with the students.
Jin Zhongting and his senior quickly arrived at the inner area of the job fair.
The job fair was located at the main entrance of DM Entertainment, on the other side of the parking lot.
As a top-tier industry giant, Jin Zhongting and his colleague had often come to DM Entertainment to shoot material. Seeing the familiar plaza now replaced by temporary recruitment department booths, they both felt a sense of novelty.
South Korea does not have a campus recruitment culture. As an extremely competitive society, the employment rate of Korean graduates is shockingly low.
Most university graduates can only engage in low-skilled work. Office jobs often see dozens of people competing for a single position, let alone other better positions.
Companies with generous salaries do not look at fresh graduates; they prefer to seek out experienced veterans.
This creates a vicious cycle.
Fresh graduates want jobs, but companies want work experience. What to do?
This has fallen into a vicious cycle.
As for not recruiting fresh graduates, it is also easy to understand.
These people are consumables. In a competitive society like Korea, there are plenty of consumables, so why would I need newcomers?
Veterans are also easier to control, easier to handle, and more pleasant to work with.
Most companies accept newcomers, but they only recruit a few each year, which is not enough. This situation might be acceptable in other industries, but in the entertainment industry, it's a complete disaster.
The entertainment industry is an industry that heavily relies on connections and resources, which means, in plain terms, it relies on background.
Aside from highly specialized positions like music and dance performance, most jobs can be done by anyone with a little learning, which opens up possibilities for people to be inserted by connections. If one person can insert two, then ten people can insert twenty, leaving no positions for fresh graduates.
A large-scale recruitment like DM Entertainment’s this year is an unprecedented first.
Jin Zhongting looked at the nearest recruitment position, a sign next to the booth read “Administrative Department, Field Office.”
The Administrative Department, ah, the former head of the Administrative Department, Kang Wentai, became quite famous last year.
“Brother, why do you think DM recruits fresh graduates?” Jin Zhongting turned to the senior, who was still taking photos, and asked.
“Putting aside personal connections and insertions, freshly graduated university students are cheap and easy to use; they do whatever they’re told.”
“Besides that, it can provide fluid employment opportunities and contribute to the employment rate of schools, facilitating cooperation.”
“And then, it can also contribute to the government’s employment population efforts, allowing for good relations with the government.”
“That sounds like all benefits, so why don’t other companies do it?” Jin Zhongting asked, somewhat puzzled.
“The chairmen of other companies aren’t foreigners.”
Jin Zhongting suddenly understood.
This was Jiang Shu paying protection money.
Is DM Entertainment powerful?
Undoubtedly.
Is Jiang Shu glorious?
The Godfather of K-pop girl groups, a unique figure.
But what does that matter? It doesn't change the fact that you are a foreigner. If you want to develop steadily here, you have to pay protection money.
“Tsk, doing business in a foreign land is just not good,” Jin Zhongting couldn't help but sigh.
“It’s the same everywhere. We have K-pop here, but China doesn’t. If he weren’t here, he might not have achieved such great success,” the senior shook his head and said.
“You’re right,” Jin Zhongting agreed, nodding.
“Let’s go inside and take a look. The press conference is about to start, so let’s scout it out beforehand.”
“Understood.”
...
The job fair was very detailed; every department of DM Entertainment was present, with each sub-department recruiting separately. Each sub-department recruited at least one person, and even Jiang Shu's secretarial office recruited one position, with Choi Ji-yeon, the Head of the Office, personally overseeing this quota.
This was also the most popular position at this job fair. From eight o'clock until now, the secretarial office staff had already reviewed nearly a hundred resumes, many of which came from the three prestigious SKY universities.
However, fewer than ten resumes were qualified to be kept and later sent to Choi Ji-yeon by the staff.
“Chairman Jiang is here!”
At this moment, someone shouted, and whether it was students queuing or students and reporters wandering around the job fair, they all looked towards the source of the sound.
After looking around, they finally saw Jiang Shu talking to Choi Ji-yeon at the press conference podium.
“Chairman Jiang!!!”
The students excitedly waved in Jiang Shu’s direction.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Shu also turned around and waved back with a smile.
The simple response made the students incredibly excited.
“Reporters, please take your seats, the press conference is about to begin.” Choi Ji-yeon picked up the microphone on the table and broadcast her voice throughout the entire plaza through the speakers.
Hearing the commotion, the reporters quickly brought their photographers and rushed over. Jin Zhongting and his colleague, who were interviewing students, also hurried over with the photographer who had arrived later.
If it hadn't been for the announcement that Jiang Shu was holding a press conference, D Agency wouldn't have bothered coming to see this campus recruitment.