[Edaily Reporter SOYEON KIM ] Samsung administered the Samsung Job Aptitude Test (GSAT) over two days, on the 24th and 25th, as part of its open recruitment drive for new employees in the second half of the year. Samsung has maintained this system for 70 years now, having introduced the open recruitment system in 1957—the first South Korean company to do so. It is the only one of the country’s four major conglomerates to continue holding regular open recruitment drives, actively seeking to secure talent in future growth sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and biotechnology.

Nineteen affiliates participated in this second-half GSAT, including △SamsungElectronics △SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION △SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS △Samsung Bioepis △Samsung Life Insurance △Samsung Display △SAMSUNG SDI CO.,LTD. △and SamsungElectroMechanics. The GSAT is a test designed to evaluate applicants’ comprehensive thinking skills and flexible problem-solving abilities.

Samsung began accepting applications last September and is currently proceeding with its second-half recruitment process. Following the GSAT, the company plans to conduct interviews and medical examinations next month before making the final selection of new hires.

Samsung has been administering the GSAT online since 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants take the test using a computer in a private location. To ensure the test runs smoothly, a preliminary briefing was held on the 17th and 18th to pre-check applicants’ computer environments and network connections.

Applicants for software (SW) positions took a separate SW competency test instead of the GSAT. On the 11th, Samsung conducted the competency test via computer-based testing (CBT) at the SamsungElectronics Suwon Campus and the Samsung SDS Jamsil Office. Applicants for design positions are selected through a portfolio review.

Samsung plans to expand hiring with a focus on cutting-edge industries such as semiconductors, AI, and biotechnology. Following the announcement last September of a plan to hire 60,000 new employees over the next five years, the company intends to strengthen its future growth engines through domestic investment and talent acquisition. SamsungElectronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee stated at a meeting with economic organizations and business leaders held last August, “We will continue to make relevant investments so that we can consistently create quality jobs domestically and foster high-value-added industries.”

Samsung has maintained this system for 70 years, having introduced Korea’s first open recruitment program for new graduates in 1957. Currently, among South Korea’s four major conglomerates—Samsung, SK, HyundaiMotor, and LG Corp.—Samsung is the only one that conducts regular open recruitment. With the exception of a few extraordinary periods, such as the foreign exchange crisis, the company has continued its open recruitment even amid difficult economic conditions, including the oil crisis and the global financial crisis. It has expanded its competency-based hiring culture by introducing open recruitment for female college graduates in 1993 and removing educational requirements from eligibility criteria in 1995.