A Snapshot of the Average Job Applicant

The average jobseeker who landed a full-time job in the first half of this year was 26.9 years old, majored in engineering or science, spent 10.4 months abroad on language programs and held 1.3 internships.

According to a survey by job portal Incruit, successful applicants were between 19 to 34 years old.

Some 76 percent were university graduates, 11 percent finished vocational college, 6.5 percent had no degree, 0.6 percent had Master's degrees and 0.9 percent PhDs.

Almost half of the successful applicants majored in engineering or science, while 19 percent were business or economics majors, 13 percent humanities or language majors, and nine percent social science majors. Only seven percent majored in sports or music.

Some 34 percent graduated from private universities, 24 percent from provincial universities and 20 percent from universities in Seoul.

Among the companies that hired them, 50 percent were small, 21 percent mid-sized and 12 percent big conglomerates. State-run companies accounted for seven percent.

While the average successful job applicant spent 10.4 months studying a foreign language abroad, 24 percent said they have no foreign language credentials. This trend appears to reflect a decreased focus by employers on foreign language skills of applicants unless they are expected to deal with overseas clients.

Lee Kwang-seok at Incruit said, "The survey shows that concrete experience than can be helpful at work is more valuable than language test results. Jobseekers should use that time for internship programs or part-time jobs in industries they are hoping to work in."