Hello, this is KOWORK, Korea’s No.1 platform for foreign job seekers and employers.
For HR professionals who find hiring foreign talent challenging or distant,
we share success stories and know-how from companies that have successfully recruited global talent.
Today, we spoke with Mr. Sung chul Lee 👨💼, HR Manager at Hotel SKYPARK,
a 16-year-old homegrown business hotel group with locations nationwide,
including Myeongdong, Dongdaemun, Daejeon, and Jeju.
— Hello, nice to meet you. Could you briefly introduce your company?
Hello, I’m Seongcheol Lee, HR Manager at the Management Support Division of Hotel SKYPARK.
Hotel SKYPARK is a homegrown business hotel chain in Korea, launched in August 2010 with our first location in Myeongdong, Seoul, the heart of Korean tourism.
We focus on convenience, safety, and cleanliness, ensuring that all guests from around the world can stay securely and comfortably at any time.
— Hotel SKYPARK has been consistently using KOWORK. What prompted you to consider hiring foreign talent initially?
After COVID-19, there was a noticeable decline in local applicants for service roles due to changing social perceptions and the introduction of self-service kiosks, which made front desk positions less appealing.
In addition, our hotels are located in major tourist areas like Myeongdong and Dongdaemun, where 90% of our visitors are foreigners, making foreign language skills essential.
For these reasons, we began exploring the recruitment of foreign talent proficient in languages such as English, Chinese, and Japanese.
— I imagine you had to be careful when hiring foreign talent. What was the most important factor for you?
One aspect that many foreign applicants overlook is the resume and cover letter, which are among the most important elements for companies.
We consider a resume as the first interview. The format, the level of detail, and the effort put into it help us determine whether the applicant understands Korean corporate culture and is genuinely committed to the role they are applying for.
For example, documents that include a proper resume format, a neat profile photo, a well-written cover letter, and basic research about the company are always highly regarded.
Korean language skills are also crucial. While most of our customers are foreigners, smooth communication with internal staff directly affects work efficiency.
— What has been the most challenging or difficult part of hiring foreign talent?
We’ve only been actively hiring foreign employees for about a year, so we are still building a structured system, but mid-term resignations have been a challenge.
Even though the company goes through complex administrative procedures and supports E-7 visas, it can be discouraging when employees leave for another job or return to their home country for personal reasons.
— Despite the challenges, what positive outcomes have you seen from hiring foreign talent?
The most positive outcome was that, during last year’s labor shortage, we were able to quickly hire more than ten new employees, which also served as a great motivation for our existing staff.
The arrival of young new hires and a diverse mix of nationalities has made the overall company atmosphere much brighter and more energetic.
— Have you noticed any changes in day-to-day operations?
Since most of the foreign employees we hired are newcomers, there are both advantages and disadvantages in terms of work efficiency.
In customer service, which is the most important aspect of hotel operations, being able to communicate in the customer’s native language has significantly improved satisfaction.
On the other hand, when it comes to handling hotel administrative systems like the PMS, their learning curve is somewhat slower compared to local staff.
However, these are skills that can be quickly developed with time, so we are focusing more on internal training.
— Many companies are considering hiring foreign talent, but it still feels unfamiliar compared to hiring local employees.
What should companies pay the most attention to when hiring foreigners?
The key factors are whether the E-7 visa can be supported and understanding the application process.
At our company, we handle the entire process internally, from recommendation letters to the application and issuance of the E-7 visa.
Through various cases, we’ve encountered procedural challenges, which can also become a significant burden in daily operations.
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KOWORK offers visa support services to help overcome these challenges!
We specialize in E-7 visa issuance, boasting a success rate of over 90%.
— Given the nature of your industry, it seems you’ll continue hiring foreign talent. Why did you choose KOWORK among many platforms?
Yes, we are generally positive about hiring foreign employees whenever possible. The biggest advantage of using KOWORK is its overwhelming pool of foreign talent.
Not only is the number of applicants high, but the quality of candidates is also steadily improving. The platform is very convenient to use as well!
In particular, if you want to hire foreigners residing in Korea, we believe there’s no better platform than KOWORK.
— Do you have any interesting stories related to your foreign employees?
Well, I actually married one of the foreign employees we hired. It’s a long story, so I’ll skip the details, haha.
— (Curious, but let’s move to the next question.) Lastly, is there any message you’d like to share with foreign job seekers or customers?
Except for one case, everyone who started as an intern on a D-10 visa successfully transitioned to an E-7 visa.
At our company, we handle all the necessary paperwork for visa changes directly, which allows for faster communication with our employees.
We are confident this will be the best choice to make the most of your valuable six-month internship. We welcome your interest and applications!
Go to Hotel SKYPARK’s job postings →
Got questions about hiring foreign talent? Just reach out anytime!
Any company representative can receive a free consultation.
