I thought the interview prep would be easier this time

Sitting in the waiting area for the local job fair

I ended up going to one of those ‘recruitment day’ events held at a community space near the station last week. It was supposed to be a place where public agencies and local companies meet prospective interns. I remember looking at the list of forty-nine participating organizations and feeling like I finally had a shot at something stable. The venue was at the second floor of a community platform building, and honestly, the air was just stuffy. Everyone was sitting in these folding chairs, clutching their resumes, and I kept smoothing out my blazer because I was convinced I looked wrinkled. It was nothing like those fancy office interviews you see in dramas. It was mostly just awkward silences and people checking their phones until their names were called.

The weird tension of being evaluated by a screen

Before I even got to the physical interview, I had to deal with the online competency tests that everyone seems to be using now. They call them AI personality tests or competency exams, and I swear, staring into a webcam and talking to a blank screen feels like madness. You try to keep a neutral, professional face, but you start wondering if the algorithm is judging your blinking or the way you hesitate before answering a standard question about conflict resolution. A few months ago, I tried an online mock interview service that cost around 50,000 won for a three-day pass. I thought it would make me feel prepared, but honestly, it just made me feel more robotic. You realize quickly that you’re just memorizing answers that sound good on paper, not actually showing who you are.

Why these mock interview programs feel off

I keep seeing ads for these expensive consulting sessions where they promise to help you nail the NCS-based exams or public institution interviews. I haven’t spent that much money on them yet, but I did try some free online lectures. The problem is that they all tell you to sound the same—assertive, cooperative, and perfectly aligned with the organization’s goals. I found myself practicing answers about community leadership, but then I’d sit in a real interview room and realize the person on the other side of the table doesn’t actually care about that prepared script. They just want to know if you can do the work without causing trouble. It’s a strange disconnect between what the books say and what the room actually feels like.

Waiting for a call that feels like it takes forever

The waiting is the worst part, and it’s not just the hours spent at the event. It’s the days afterward. I once waited for an update from a small institution, and the uncertainty was nauseating. You keep checking your email every ten minutes, even though you know they probably have a batch processing time. My friend recently told me they got a job at a childcare center and found out the next day. Sometimes it feels like the big public agencies move at a snail’s pace, and you’re just left wondering if you were even in the running to begin with. I still haven’t heard back from a few places I applied to over a month ago, and at this point, I don’t know if I should keep following up or just stop checking.

The lingering doubt about the path ahead

People keep telling me to aim for jobs in administration or public sectors because they offer a certain level of security. It makes sense, I guess. I see all these people my age attending these training camps and workshops, and we all seem to be chasing the same types of positions. It makes you wonder if there’s a secret trick to it, or if it’s just luck. Maybe it’s just about being in the right place at the right time. I honestly don’t know if I’m even a good fit for this, but I have a few more applications to finish by Friday anyway, so I’ll probably just keep going until something sticks.