HOW MUCH FOR THE FOREIGNER?
By Jennifer Lee

Earlier this year, Hyundai-Kia Motors posted a series of unusual help-wanted ads on its website. The company was recruiting for a variety of positions, from finance and strategic planning to HR and marketing – in all, ten positions across six departments. The first requirement listed on all of the ads: “Foreigner in Korea.”

Hyundai-Kia Motors plans to grow from the world’s sixth-largest to fifth-largest automobile manufacturer by 2010, with half of its production coming from overseas. To do so, it wants to bring more overseas experience and expertise to its home operations. The carmaker isn’t alone. As the pressure on Korean companies to grow abroad intensifies, they are all trying to globalize their workforce at headquarters, says Jonathan Holmes of headhunting firm Korn Ferry International in Seoul. Hyundai’s advertisements reflect “a more planned strategy” than other companies have used, according to Holmes.

Finding middle-management level foreigners already based in Korea is not easy. There aren’t many of them, and they are usually already engaged – either working for another company or studying at a university. So far, globalizing companies have sourced foreign help via word of mouth, poaching from competitors, or meeting candidates through networking. Public recruitment has been sporadic and limited. Even headhunters offer only limited help. Most are expensive and focus on senior positions only.

To lend its companies a hand, the government is trying to make it easier for foreigners to live in Korea. Last October, the Ministry of Justice announced that skilled foreign workers in areas such as IT, science, and engineering can receive exemptions from certain immigration procedures for three years.

Despite Korean multinationals’ newfound enthusiasm for foreign employees, Holmes warns it will be a challenge for a company’s new hires to be successful within the organization. “Foreigners may lack the network, internal skills, and language skills to succeed,” he says.