Big conglomerates value creativity and professional skills when they recruit new staff, while small and medium-sized enterprises attach greater importance to punctuality and responsibility, according to a survey. Respondents were allowed to give multiple answers.

In the straw poll of 305 firms, 89.2 percent of respondents said they attach importance to ability and personality rather than brilliant academic records or high scores in language proficiency tests, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Monday.

Some 20.7 percent said they "frequently" prefer ability and personality to grades or language skills, while 59 percent said they "sometimes" do.

Some 39 percent, of firms named punctuality and responsibility as their top consideration when recruiting staff, followed by professional skills (30.5 percent), practical skills (29.5 percent), creativity (29.2 percent), and global awareness and capabilities (25.2 percent).

By type of firms, big conglomerates prefer creativity (36.3 percent), SMEs punctuality and responsibility (42.8 percent), and foreign firms global awareness and capabilities (49 percent).