Survey: Job seekers get little respect

Almost 80 percent of job applicants are asked insulting questions during interviews, said a Career.com survey of 2,496 people.
More than one-third of those polled felt interviewers ask questions that belittle the vocational experience or ability of applicants. A similar number of the job seekers didn’t like the attitude of the interviewers. Interviewees also bristled at questions related to age, appearance and gender discrimination. Some interviewers even asked about the income level of the interviewee’s family.
“I can’t understand why interviewers ask about my boyfriend,” said Jeon Ji-sun, who is now working in the United States, but interviewed at many Korean companies. “If it were about marital status, I would understand, but not about boyfriends.”
More than 26 percent said being asked about privacy is the worst experience of all. “Previously, one company changed what they had offered on the employment ad,” said one job seeker who declined to be identified. “The work I expected was changed. Even the salary was smaller.” About 20 percent had similar experiences.
About a quarter of those polled remember waiting to be interviewed. “At one company, I had to wait more than five hours before my turn came,” said one anonymous interviewee.

By Hwang Young-jin Staff Writer [yhwang@joongang.co.kr]