JOBPLOY is a foreign recruitment platform for foreign job seekers looking for jobs in Korea.
Many companies considering hiring foreigners ask similar questions.
"Will communication with foreign employees be smooth?"
"Will the recruitment process be complicated?"
"Can we work together long-term?"
In this JOBPLOY company interview, we visited DS Soltech, a company specializing in surface treatment of ultra-high voltage power and electrical components, to hear realistic stories about these concerns.
DS Soltech is a company that produces parts related to Hyundai Motor Company and Korea Electric Power Corporation, and currently works with foreign workers with various visas such as E-9, F-4, and E-7.
The person in charge, who has directly recruited and managed foreign workers for a long time, emphasized one thing as the most important throughout the interview.
“The company can sufficiently teach the work. However, basic communication in Korean is necessary for work to proceed safely and for us to grow together.”
From the motivation for starting foreign recruitment to experiences during the actual recruitment process, advantages felt while working together, and advice for foreign job seekers preparing for employment in Korea.
Meet the realistic story of foreign recruitment directly from DS Soltech now.
Upon visiting the company for the interview, various certification plaques caught our eye at the entrance.
Certifications such as 'Incheon Promising Small and Medium Business', 'Excellent Job Creation Company', 'Good Root Company to Work For', and 'Work-Study Parallel Participation Company' showed that DS Soltech not only possesses technology but also
is a company that fosters people and creates good jobs.
Employees working on-site were cooperating to carry out processes, and the company explained that it operates an education system to help foreign workers gradually learn their tasks.
It was impressive to see that a foreign worker who joined through JOBPLOY was also working stably and adapting well to the site.
JOBPLOY Real Company Interview
Q1. Hello. Please briefly introduce yourself and your company.
I am currently working as a manager at DS Soltech, responsible for financial accounting, general affairs, human resources, and workforce management. DS Soltech is a specialized production company for surface treatment of ultra-high voltage connector components. We produce power and electrical components related to Hyundai Motor Company and Korea Electric Power Corporation. In particular, we possess silver plating technology that can withstand high voltages of over 20,000 volts, and we provide various plating technologies as a secondary partner of Korea Electric Power Corporation. We also primarily operate plating, anodizing, and cleaning processes for electric vehicle battery cover components. We have about 42 employees…
Q2. What was the motivation for starting foreign recruitment?
The plating industry is a field where it is not easy to recruit domestic workers due to the nature of the industry. As there are many work environments that use chemicals and repetitive processes, it was difficult to secure long-term workers. So, we naturally started recruiting foreign workers, and currently, E-9 workers and F-4 E7 visa workers are working together.
Q3. What was your biggest concern when you first considered hiring foreign workers?
The biggest concern was, of course, communication.
The first Filipino employee I worked with was able to communicate in Korean, so he quickly learned the work. Later, when an employee who was not fluent in Korean joined, there were difficulties in conveying tasks, but the existing Filipino employee helped explain in their native language, allowing for quick adaptation. Through this experience, I realized that while Korean communication is important on-site, a willingness to cooperate and learn with colleagues is also very important.
In addition, the plating process involves a lot of repetitive lifting and moving of products, so it is a job that requires a certain level of physical strength and condition.
Q4. What was the process of recruiting foreign talent like? Please share any memorable episodes.
"I had various experiences while recruiting foreign workers. What I remember most are the moments when I realized how important it is to build trust with employees. One employee once claimed a personal injury was work-related, but eventually confessed the truth. Through that incident, I felt that accurate communication and trust are more important than anything else.
Conversely, there are also unforgettable experiences. In the past, a serious accident occurred during work at a die-casting site, and an employee unfortunately lost their eyesight.
The company not only processed industrial accident compensation but also tried its best to take responsibility by supporting long-term hospital treatment. Since then, we have invested more in safety education and protective equipment management, and
even now, we prioritize an environment where all employees, including foreign workers, can work safely."
Q5. What do you think is the biggest advantage of foreign workers after actually working with them?
I found that the biggest advantage of foreign workers is their diligence and good concentration. While it may be difficult to assign various process tasks at the beginning of their work, I felt that they have a strong focus on simple tasks as they perform them.
Most of the foreigners I have encountered so far have been diligent.
Above all, I believe that if basic communication in Korean is possible, their adaptation to work becomes much faster.
Q6. What do you check first when looking at a foreign applicant's resume?
The first thing I look at is Korean language proficiency.
I prioritize checking TOPIK scores and the ability to converse in Korean.
Foreign workers who have recently entered Korea often are not familiar with Korean. However, because work instructions and safety education are very important in the production field, we primarily review applicants who can communicate at a basic level.
Q7. What kind of applicant makes you think, "I definitely need to meet this person"?
As I continuously emphasize, I am primarily interested in applicants who can communicate in Korean.
For E-9 workers, rather than expecting specialized skills from the beginning, we place more importance on a diligent attitude to learn. Since work can be sufficiently taught, I believe that someone with a willingness to learn and a sense of responsibility is a good talent. Also, in interviews, we value concentration and work attitude. As safety is important in our work, we are impressed by applicants who focus on questions and show a diligent attitude during the interview.
Q8. Do you have plans to continue hiring foreign workers? Please also tell us what kind of talent you would like to work with in the future.
Of course. We plan to continuously recruit foreign workers in the future, and we actively consider hiring individuals who can communicate in Korean at a basic level and have a diligent attitude to learn, regardless of nationality. Since the company can sufficiently educate on tasks, we prioritize a sense of responsibility and a mindset to grow together long-term.
Q9. If you have any advice for foreign job seekers preparing for employment in Korea, please share it.
The most important thing is studying Korean.
The company can sufficiently teach you the work, but communication is something you need to prepare yourself. The better your Korean skills, the faster you will learn the work and the better you will adapt to company life.
Also, accumulating experience steadily at one company rather than frequent job changes is a great help to your career. I believe that if you work long-term and improve your proficiency, you can certainly get better opportunities.
Q10. Please say a word to other companies considering hiring foreign workers.
Many companies vaguely think that hiring foreign workers is difficult. However, once you experience the recruitment process, it is not as complicated as you might think.
Foreign workers who work long-term continuously improve their work proficiency, which is a great advantage for companies.
By proceeding with recruitment through JOBPLOY, we received guidance on the recruitment process, document preparation, and administrative aspects, which greatly reduced the burden. I think it would be very helpful for companies preparing to hire foreign workers for the first time.
Also, we expect that applicants with experience in the plating industry will adapt to the site more quickly.
Q11. How would you describe JOBPLOY in one sentence?
Unlike general recruitment, foreign recruitment involves many administrative procedures such as visas and immigration declarations. Although there is various information on the internet, it can be difficult for companies to find the exact information they need.
In the past, we actually experienced difficulties in administrative processing because we did not properly understand the immigration declaration procedures. JOBPLOY systematically guides these procedures and manages the necessary parts together, making foreign recruitment more convenient.
After the Interview
In particular, there was a pleasant reunion during this interview. We were able to directly meet Tei, who was featured in JOBPLOY's Success Story, still diligently working at DS Soltech.
Hearing that he is receiving good evaluations on-site and working stably with colleagues, it was a good time to once again feel that a single employment is not the end, but a continuous process of growth for both the company and the job seeker. We once again felt that the connections created by JOBPLOY are not just about employment, but lead to good relationships where companies and foreign talent grow together.
🤝 JOBPLOY is a reliable partner that makes foreign recruitment procedures easy and convenient.
Through this interview, we confirmed that what DS Soltech values most is not brilliant experience or outstanding skills, but a diligent attitude and Korean communication skills.
Work can be sufficiently learned and grown, but the attitude of communicating and cooperating with colleagues is a more important competitive advantage on-site than anything else.
JOBPLOY will continue to provide useful information to both foreign job seekers and companies through vivid recruitment experiences and on-site stories from actual companies.