Watching my inbox get ignored while everyone talks about AI hires

Getting lost in the sea of public recruitment notices

I spent half of yesterday refreshing the careers page for a few major construction firms, including SK Ecoplant, just to see if anything had changed. It feels like every time I open a tab, there’s another announcement about ‘record-breaking’ hiring numbers, like the 117 positions opening up at the Korea Technology Finance Corporation. But looking at the fine print, the requirements always seem to shift just enough to make me feel unqualified again. It’s strange because the headlines scream about AI and data talent, yet when you actually look at the job descriptions for a junior role, they want you to have half a decade of project experience anyway. How is a fresh graduate supposed to have a ‘project-led’ background before even getting hired? It feels like the goalpost keeps moving while I’m still trying to figure out if I need another certification to be considered at all.

The weird obsession with expensive interview coaching

I walked past a cluster of buildings in Gangnam last Tuesday and noticed a flyer for an interview consulting firm. Apparently, some people are paying 300,000 won for a single session to learn how to stand out. It’s baffling. Is it really that hard to just talk to someone? I get that there’s this anxiety about AI-generated self-introductions making everyone sound exactly the same—I’ve used those tools to check my grammar, and honestly, the output is so dry it sounds like a manual for a refrigerator. Maybe that’s why people are willing to drop that kind of money, just to sound ‘human’ enough to pass a screening process that’s probably being filtered by another algorithm anyway. It makes me wonder if we’ve reached a point where we have to pay a premium just to prove we aren’t robots.

Finding a job feels like a full-time job that pays nothing

My routine has become incredibly monotonous. I wake up, check the various job boards for updates, realize that most of the listings are for experienced hires or highly niche technical roles, and then try to optimize my resume for the tenth time. I looked into the Samsung C&T recruitment paths, specifically for things like zookeeper roles at Everland, thinking maybe I could pivot if my engineering applications keep hitting a wall. Even those have weird barriers—like specific degree requirements that feel like a gatekeeping mechanism more than a reflection of the actual work. The salary expectations for those roles, hovering around 30 to 40 million won, feel a bit low compared to the effort needed to get through the door, but at this point, the idea of having a consistent commute to an office sounds almost peaceful.

The reality of the manufacturing and construction dip

I keep seeing articles mentioning that 140,000 jobs in manufacturing have just evaporated, and it’s hitting that 7-year, 3-month slump. It’s hard not to feel that icy wind when you’re looking at these sectors. Every time I apply for a role in a construction firm, I’m competing against people who are much more prepared than I am. Maybe the advice to ‘focus on your portfolio’ is correct, but how do I build a portfolio when I don’t have access to the sites or the projects to begin with? It feels like a paradox. You need the job to get the experience, but you need the experience to get the job.

Still waiting for that one email

I don’t know if I’m just being impatient or if the market is genuinely as cold as the news makes it sound. I’m currently staring at a rejection email for a position I thought I was a perfect match for. It’s not even a long email—just two sentences confirming they’ve decided to move forward with other candidates who have more ‘alignment’ with their current needs. I’m starting to wonder if I should just stop overthinking the phrasing in my cover letters and hope that the next batch of recruiters just happens to be in a better mood. I don’t really have a plan for tomorrow other than to check the same three websites again, though I’m not sure what I’m hoping to find anymore.