We’ve compiled the core messages delivered by speakers at job seeker seminars into 3-minute speeches. Quickly access the motivation and advice you need for your job search!

Topic – Opportunity Knocks Only for the Prepared

Hello, everyone.
Thank you sincerely for taking the time to join us despite the cold weather.
You must be feeling a lot of stress these days. They say the quieter life gets, the closer the signs of change are approaching. Like the stillness before the Big Bang. The situation you’re in right now might just be such a time. So today, I’d like us to think together about ‘preparing for the leap’—specifically, how to use this time effectively to achieve that major life goal: employment.
The job-hunting process is grueling for everyone, and it can sometimes make you lose confidence. Uncertainty about the future, fear of repeated failure, and dwindling self-esteem constantly shake us, no matter how hard we try to steady our resolve. But it’s precisely during times like these that mind control—the power to master your thoughts—is more crucial than ever. Of course, I know it’s easier said than done. Negative emotions form a chain, spawning more worries, which then feed into anxiety. Yet the moment we get trapped by those feelings and stop moving forward, opportunities quietly slip past us.
Ironically, they say destiny only points the way to those who yearn for it most. It’s also said that the greater the yearning, the more everything around us begins to subtly support that person. In other words, the ‘opportunity’ we speak of is born from such earnestness. But the crucial point is this: an opportunity only becomes a real opportunity for those who are prepared. For the unprepared, it merely passes by as one piece of information among countless others.
Let’s think about this. Do you frequently check job postings from companies you desire? Right now, because you deeply want it, you likely treasure each piece of information and accept it as a real opportunity. But what if you were a freshman just starting college? They’d see the same job postings, but without preparation, that information isn’t an ‘opportunity’—it’s just a ‘news item’. Ultimately, whether the same information becomes an opportunity or not depends entirely on your level of preparation.
So what should we prepare? You probably have at least one specific company you desperately want to work for. What kind of talent does that company seek? Whether they prioritize foreign language skills, value certifications or practical experience, or place importance on volunteer work varies by company. If you gather this information in advance and build your qualifications accordingly, then when you encounter the same job posting again someday, that information will no longer be fleeting news—it will become a ‘golden opportunity’ that could change your life.
However, preparation alone doesn’t always guarantee results. Losing confidence after experiencing several rejections during job hunting is only natural. Unfortunately, such experiences happen to everyone at least once; it’s certainly not a problem unique to you. What matters is how you accept and overcome that trial. Trials are barriers that test us, but they also become opportunities to grow stronger.
I want to give strength to all of you. Even if you feel a little worn out now, if you don’t give up and steadily prepare step by step, the right opportunity for you will definitely come someday. And that opportunity will only hold true meaning for those who haven’t wasted this time.
Opportunities may seem like chance, but they are actually the fruit that blooms on top of thorough preparation.
I believe your preparation will be the key to your success.
Thank you for listening.

Theme – Challenge Yourself with a Strong Heart

At new employee interviews, a variety of scenes unfold each time. Standing before several executives, anyone would feel nervous. Even with neat attire, a prepared resume, and a presentation memorized through sleepless nights, many find themselves tongue-tied the moment they stand before them. No matter how hard you try to stifle the nervous chatter in your head, you can’t stop your heart from pounding. I often wonder if I could overcome that tension if I were standing there myself.
Yet, talent shines through even in that moment. There are people who clearly reveal their true colors even under pressure. These are the so-called ‘steel nerves’ types. Watching them captivate interviewers with their bold, confident demeanor makes anyone want to work alongside them. Such individuals radiate charm not just through credentials, but as people.
Though brief, an interview is a crucial stage to fully reveal yourself. So rather than fearing that spot, it’s vital to approach it confidently, viewing it as your own stage. Put on a poker face and fortify your heart with confidence. If you tend to get very nervous, consider bringing calming pills or mastering your mind through your own methods like mind control, meditation, or danjeon breathing. Ultimately, the most important thing is to ensure you have no regrets after the interview, knowing you did everything you could.
Nowadays, appearance also plays a role in competitiveness. Here, appearance doesn’t mean plastic surgery or extreme dieting. Small details like a confident expression, good posture, and a smile that doesn’t fade even when not being asked questions leave a much bigger impression. It’s common knowledge that even with the same face, a smiling face is far more likable than a frowning one. A relaxed, smiling expression conveys positive energy and a good impression simultaneously. This is precisely the power that brings good vibes to the company.
Many applicants focus solely on their credentials, but in reality, interviews aren’t decided by those alone. While school grades, TOEIC scores, other foreign language scores, and diverse part-time work experiences can certainly be points of reference, they aren’t the decisive criteria for non-experienced position interviews. Instead, what you show during the interview—your attitude, confidence, and how you convey your authenticity—is far more important.
To all you prospective new employees reading this: everyone feels scared and unfamiliar at first. But don’t get trapped by fear; challenge yourself boldly with a strong heart. Ultimately, what matters most is the power of believing in yourself. Express yourself sincerely, and if you conduct an interview without regrets, good results will surely follow. I sincerely hope you all achieve your dreams at the workplace you desire.

Theme – Let’s Live with Hope and Positivity

2025 was literally a year spent ‘scraping by’. I tried to spend less, eat less, wear less, somehow battling neoliberalism on my own, but the result was, sadly, an overwhelming defeat. By November, I even tried lowering my expectations, calming my mind, and writing a resume, only to slip up in the document screening stage, leaving a deep ‘scratch’ on my pride.
That said, I didn’t starve or collapse. I may not have lived well or comfortably, but I managed to eat and survive. These days, I’m even confused whether this is voluntary or involuntary poverty. Frugality and destitution are often just a hair’s breadth apart, and I teetered precariously between them. Yet, somehow, I kept breathing.
Looking back at resumes and cover letters, I realize that the resolve I made at the start of the year – to become “the oldest cog in the neoliberal machine” – has ultimately brought me back to this keyboard. It makes me think this world is truly terrifying and powerful. How anxious and restless we are, building our credentials, studying, dreaming of employment.
The saying, “You can’t lose by listening to adults,” is, upon quiet reflection, something only adults ever say. Yet, when every adult I encounter tells me, “Shouldn’t you at least get a desk job that pays a three-digit monthly salary?”, I inevitably nod and say, “Yes, you’re right.” In a way, it’s such obvious advice.
But when I chew on it again, realizing I can live without splurging is a big win. Of course, humans are creatures who sometimes get swept up in momentary emotions and splurge impulsively. There was a time when I lived by working long hours, getting paid for those long hours, feeling the heat for that long, and spending a lot of money. Now, I work less, feel less pressure, and since I have less money to spend, I actually live more calmly. Once you get used to it, it’s just okay, manageable enough.
The problem is the surplus time. Where all that time goes, and how to spend it, is my biggest homework these days. I happened to board the 2-line during rush hour, pressed flat between people, and thought: ‘If I end up back in this cycle of commuting to a corporate job, won’t I resent hanging my employee ID around my neck and being chained to an office again?’ Probably.
I recall the late Lee Young-hee once saying, “Being unemployed is a privilege; you must learn to enjoy it,” emphasizing contentment. When I asked how to live in the face of neoliberalism’s threatening voice, which presses down like a threat—“If you don’t have money, you die. If you don’t work harder to earn, you die. If you live like that, you die,”—he answered with just one phrase. “Refuse.” If you dislike a system where you must acquire more to survive, or trample others to get ahead, he urged us to refuse without hesitation.
Of course, the price would be anxiety. Capitalism is a system that judges success and failure by how much material wealth one possesses, and he said he had always lived as an ‘outcast’ under it. But the smile he wore as he spoke those words was never the hollow laugh of a defeated man. Rather, it was quiet and firm—the smile of someone who had overcome. I drew courage from that smile and resolved, “Then I too will become a deserter.” Yet somehow, I completely forgot that resolution and carried on living.
Still, we must endure somehow. I hope we won’t wallow in self-blame, calling ourselves dropouts or failures, locked indoors sighing. We’re still young, opportunities abound, and strength to persevere remains, doesn’t it? We can certainly withstand a few failures.
Today, and tomorrow too, I hope we all find the strength.
Thank you for reading.

Theme – The Weight Behind the Name “Freeter”

Life often forces us to explain our circumstances to others. Each time, words fail us, leaving us awkward and at a loss. Saying “I’m job hunting” might pass the first time or two, but as time drags on, it only grows more embarrassing. I somehow got into grad school but am currently on leave, so saying “I’m a student” feels awkward. Since this year, I’ve been diligently delivering green juice every morning and serving coffee at a cafe during lunch, but it’s merely a stopgap measure.
Adults often ask, “Can you really make a living doing that?” The legal minimum wage is 4,110 won, and the cafe hourly wage is 4,200 won, so working an hour doesn’t even earn enough for a single cup of coffee from that cafe. Selling a 1,300-won bottle of green juice nets me just a quarter of that commission, so every day is tight, and making ends meet is no easy feat. Green juice, cafes, manuscript fees… When it’s too much trouble to list all these details, there is one word you can use: ‘freeter’.
But that’s the one word I absolutely refuse to utter. The problem arises when the other person brings it up first. “Ah, so you’re a freeter?” Especially when seniors, brimming with pride from having worked their bones out to feed their families, say it, their expressions are all the same. That look, subtly mixed with resentment, anger, a strange envy, and contempt. Just to avoid seeing that look again, I’d rather swallow the word ‘freeter’ whole.
That expression already carries subtitles without words: “Do you even know how we built this country’s economy? It’s because our generation worked ourselves to the bone that you can coast through life like this now. Young people perfectly capable of working, yet they just laze around doing this? Kids these days are hopeless. If your parents worked their fingers to the bone to send you to college, shouldn’t you at least do real work? Freeter… Yeah, you’re free, all right. Selfish brats living however they please.“
Seeing that expression, I almost want to speak up first and recite a line like, ”You’re looking at my face right now and thinking that, aren’t you?”
But we’re just as wronged. How many of today’s ‘freeters’ truly chose that path because they craved freedom? Most don’t want to live ‘free’ at all. They’re trapped in a system where society’s high entry barriers and severe bottlenecks mean once you’re ‘free,’ you can never go back. Moreover, living as a freeter is never easy.
Except for rare places like 24-hour bone soup restaurants, most food service and service industries clearly set age limits, like ‘under 25’. Both employers and employees tacitly agree that these are merely “places to stay temporarily,” resulting in low pay, heavy workloads, and jobs treated as little more than “social experience” or “something to pass the time.” Yet, those who actually “stayed temporarily” often find themselves confronting the harsh reality that they can no longer move on to other places.
And this society isn’t even generous in its view of such young people. Those who struggle to break through the barriers and briefly enter the inner circle are labeled “selfish kids who don’t know romance and just build up their resumes.” Those scraping by on grueling part-time jobs are criticized as “a generation of immature kids who just want to live freely as they please.”
In the end, only demands pour down. “Lower your standards. Go to a small or medium-sized enterprise. Work in a factory.” If that were all, it would be fortunate. “You should have that rebellious spirit befitting youth—why are you all so compliant? You need to be politically aware.” And so on—endless demands fly in. But the youth of this era are too exhausted to digest all these orders.
Quietly, yet undeniably, we are growing accustomed to this ‘era of excessive demands’. The 880,000 won generation has now become the ‘generation accustomed to being looked down upon’. Shouldn’t adults learn to pity them too?
Thank you for listening.

Theme – There are no sacred cows in careers

Not long ago, I had to call a telecom company’s customer service center regarding a mobile phone issue.

“Hello, customer. How may I assist you?”

The voice of the agent on the other end was extremely kind and polite, but I was momentarily taken aback. The reason was that it wasn’t the familiar voice of a female agent we commonly encountered, but rather the somewhat unfamiliar voice of a male agent.
‘I’ve heard they’re increasingly assigning male agents to build greater trust with customers these days. So that’s what’s happening here.’ That thought flashed through my mind, and simultaneously, I suddenly realized something. Without even noticing, I had been categorizing jobs by gender. Here I was, someone who had always loudly proclaimed ‘there should be no gender discrimination,’ yet deep down, I harbored discriminatory perceptions. That inconsistency between my words and actions felt both ridiculous and embarrassing.
Truthfully, the gender barriers between professions have long since crumbled. Yet, the stereotypes that solidified over time still linger in people’s perceptions. Perhaps that’s why, even though it’s now a common sight, the change still feels unfamiliar and sometimes even unusual.
Once, at a gathering, while talking with a man of sturdy build, someone asked him:

“What was your dream when you were young?”

He hesitated briefly before answering, and a short silence fell.

“My dream was to be a nurse.”

Everyone present couldn’t hide their surprise, and he too gave an awkward laugh.
That moment made me realize: while we outwardly claim gender role stereotypes have vanished, deep down, such biases still linger. Of course, the prolonged employment crisis may have played a role in breaking down occupational gender barriers. However, at the same time, it’s undeniably a positive change that both men and women now view career paths with fresh perspectives, broadening the range of occupational choices.
Fields like telemarketing, nursing, and kindergarten teaching—once considered exclusively female—are seeing increasing male participation, gradually shifting societal perceptions. Male counselors, for instance, often bring a unique sense of stability and trustworthiness, creating synergy in customer communication. Conversely, there is a steady increase in women challenging and succeeding in traditionally male-dominated fields like security, car racing, and firefighting. The fact that women’s entry into these fields has noticeably increased compared to the 1990s is proof of this.
Nevertheless, deep within our subconscious, prejudice and stereotypes still seem entrenched. Just as everyone was taken aback when the man mentioned earlier said, “My dream was to be a nurse,” we still face a reality where thoughts like ‘This is women’s work’ or ‘What’s a woman doing this?’ unconsciously surface.
Choosing a path that everyone takes for granted can be easy. But challenging a path not yet accepted as natural by social norms is never simple. Only when more people can transcend the gendered boundaries of professions can the possibilities of what each individual can do truly expand. As long as these boundaries remain, we may only be seeing half of the possible choices.
Now is the time to boldly let go of such stereotypes. We must offer unstinting encouragement to those who step beyond the boundaries of professions to take on new challenges. Furthermore, when someone is contemplating their career path or seeking advice, we must guard against our own lingering biases from obstructing their choices. An open perspective and flexible thinking—isn’t that the true beginning of change? I hope we can all cheer each other’s dreams on with a little more open-mindedness.

Theme – The Process of Becoming a Great Tree

To everyone who attended, thank you sincerely.
Today, many modern people live amidst various forms of stress. While moderate stress is said to be the lubricant of life, how many truly experience only ‘moderate’ stress? Rather, most are exhausted by overwhelming stress, gradually losing their life’s balance. Overcoming this requires ‘mind control’ and consistent self-cultivation, but it’s easier said than done.
While working at a company, relationships with superiors, excessive workloads, and frequent overtime disrupt daily rhythms, creating unending stress. Yet quitting doesn’t necessarily improve the situation. Even now, many people are grappling with the uncertainty of job hunting, worries about finding their ideal workplace, and dilemmas about which career direction to take. That stress might even be deeper and heavier than before.
Among those gathered here, some may be the primary breadwinners responsible for their families, while others might be the eldest sons or daughters bearing the weight of someone’s expectations. The desire to meet those expectations is natural, but it can sometimes turn into an obsession with “must show results,” leaving us even more exhausted. Thus, we live bearing constant weight in our respective positions, and perhaps that is why most modern people carry varying degrees of depression within them.
But we must remember this: Without knowing unhappiness, we cannot truly know happiness either. Even if the pain and hardship we are experiencing now feel like misfortune, it is precisely by passing through this process that the depth of our joy can also grow. Without confronting despair, we cannot truly grasp the essence of hope or its radiant meaning. Perhaps the reason we crumble so easily is that we never properly learned to handle emotions like despair or unhappiness, lacking the training to bear them.
There’s a saying: ‘The larger the tree, the more rings it has.’ These rings are proof, etched with the traces of surviving harsh winters. Those rings are not merely records of suffering. They also signify that many warm spring days have passed. Therefore, a tree that bears both the patterns of despair and hope can truly be called a ‘great tree’.
Even now, this moment may be winter for someone. Yet the deeper the winter, the warmer the spring feels. I believe the season of hope will soon arrive, and within it, we will grow once more. So please, everyone, gather your strength.
As we add each new ring to the heartwood of our souls, I hope we all grow into larger, stronger trees. Thank you sincerely for listening to the end.

Theme – This moment is a great opportunity to build your inner strength

Hello, everyone. I’m truly delighted and honored that so many of you have gathered here to share your passion around the common theme of ‘work’. As we go through life, we sometimes encounter familiar faces we haven’t seen in a long time, like a relative who suddenly reaches out or a friend we bump into on the street. There’s one question that invariably comes up in these greetings. “What have you been up to lately?” This question can be subtly perplexing. ‘What have I been up to…?’ My mind gets cluttered. Is there just one or two things I’m doing? I read books, study English, prepare for certifications, attend classes, often volunteer in the neighborhood, can’t skip exercise, and for household chores, I have to set the table too. Even ten fingers wouldn’t be enough to count it all. So why does this question about what I’m doing make me feel so dumbfounded? Like most people in Korea, I live a pretty busy life. Yet, when I hear that question, I strangely get annoyed, and I feel unnecessarily insignificant.
Even so, I often answer, “I’m studying English.” The reason I choose to say “studying English” among countless other things is because it connects directly to the practical topics of ‘employment’ and “salary.” I vaguely sense the intent behind the question, so I choose the most “productive” answer to meet that core expectation. Of course, the reaction is usually bland, and the conversation often fizzles out. The moment they follow up with, “So, any good news?” I inevitably revert to the image of a ‘timid unemployed person’. In today’s society, ‘whether you’re earning money’ has become the yardstick for ‘whether you’re a useful person’. In a world where everyone is frantically busy, those who pause are easily treated like outcasts or exiles. Yet there’s a concept we mustn’t forget during this time: ‘quality time’.
Quality time isn’t merely time that flows freely; it’s time that creates meaning and value in life. Creative, free, useful, and spent sharing camaraderie with others—that is quality time. Conversely, poor time could be described as forced time, devoid of agency, as if being dragged along unwillingly. Ultimately, isn’t the reason we work to secure that quality time we will one day experience? Within life’s vision, time is not merely a tool for earning money, but meaning and value itself. This long and tedious time we’re experiencing now might actually be a precious opportunity given solely to us. True labor is not merely a means of livelihood, but a free and voluntary act, simultaneously a process of creating wealth and joy. Whether people call you unemployed or not, you who are living this time right now might be the ones who can truly enjoy happiness. Because you hold the ‘initiative over time’ right now.
The moment you lift your head from a book you love to the sound of birds outside the window, the leisure of calming your mind and body with a fragrant cup of tea in a quiet home, the warm companionship of holding your mother’s hand on a stroll—all these are beautiful moments confirming your very existence right now. Not working does not make you worthless. Rather, this very time is the perfect opportunity to build your inner strength and lay a solid foundation. Instead of driving yourself with anxiety and stress, try to fully embrace this time by comforting yourself with a positive mindset. Once that time accumulates, we will be able to face the world again, much stronger. Thank you for listening.