[THE INVESTOR] Korean startup Aroundus will kick off a public audition and recruitment event #Safejob for job seekers in the art and media industry tomorrow, the company said on Jan. 3.

The firm will select 100 persons who upload authentic applications on the platform and reward them with cybercurrencies worth US$300 to US$1,000, which can be used on the website. It will also provide them on a weekly basis 500,000 won (US$444) to 1 million won worth marketing sponsorship on social media platforms. 

Applicants' profiles on Aroundus (Aroundus)

The event is slated to end on April 4. The employer with the most authentic and open recruitment procedure selected at the end of the event will be awarded a 13-inch Macbook Pro.

According to the company, the event aims to break new ground in the recruitment process for talented applicants, such as actors, TV personnel and singers, who are often underrepresented in the job market. The hiring process for such positions are frequently kept private and informal, a huge drawback for applicants while exposing them to fraud. It plans to continue #Safejob in the future.

“The online audition process is something unfamiliar in Korea. We hope our service solves the problem of information asymmetry between job applicants and employers,” said Aroundus CEO Kim Sung-jin.

“We got the idea of online auditions as we were preparing for our English service targeting the United States. Public auditions are more common in the US, and we are planning to adopt the same process for the English version of the website.”

Interested applicants must make a public profile on Aroundus website (www.aroundus.com), using their real name, email address and picture.


By Choi Ji-won (jwchoikr@heraldcorp.com)