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 had a conversation with the hiring manager of Redbricks,
a veteran advertising agency with 15 years of experience. 👩💻
— Hello, nice to meet you. Could you introduce your company?
Hello, this is Jihyeon Jung from the Business Strategy Team, in charge of recruitment at Redbricks.
Redbricks is an advertising agency that handles everything in digital marketing, including SNS marketing, content planning, and design.
In the Business Strategy Team, where I belong, we comprehensively oversee new business planning (management) as well as the recruitment of new talent aligned with those initiatives.
— What led you to first consider hiring foreign talent?
We recently established a Global Business Team and have been continuously expanding our operations. However, there was a shortage of staff to handle the workload, so our CEO was managing almost everything alone.
It became an urgent situation to bring in new talent. Since it involves overseas marketing, we started looking for candidates proficient in both English and Chinese.
— What is the most important factor when hiring foreign talent?
Since we handle both content planning and design, we first prioritize whether candidates have strong capabilities in these two areas.
However, those skills are equally important when hiring domestically. What becomes an additional key factor when hiring foreign talent is proficiency in Korean.
Internal communication with colleagues is important, of course, but as an agency, communication with clients is crucial—so we place a high value on Korean language ability.
— What has been the most challenging part of hiring foreign talent?
This time, since the position we filled was for an intern, the process wasn’t too difficult. But looking ahead, I think visas will be the biggest challenge.
We had never hired a foreign employee before, nor did we have a detailed plan in place, so even the initial immigration reporting was quite difficult.
If we decide to hire full-time employees in the future, there may be cases where their visa status needs to be changed, and that makes us think more carefully about what additional considerations might come into play.
🔍
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🔼 Foreign intern 'CHENG YULU' and 'Jihyeon Jung' in conversation.
— What has been the most positive change since hiring foreign talent?
Since the marketing industry changes so rapidly, it’s always important to try out and test new things.
Foreign employees definitely bring a different perspective and unique insights. Not only in their work, but also in the way they interact with colleagues, their approach feels distinct.
— In what situations did you really notice that? Do you have any interesting anecdotes?
For example, when having meals with our CEO, they create a very relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
In Korean companies, it’s quite common for employees to feel a bit pressured when dining or traveling alone with a superior.
But especially with Yeo-ro, perhaps because they often work directly with the CEO, they seem to approach him in a friendlier, more natural way—which is really nice to see.
— What do you pay the most attention to when hiring foreign talent?
I believe that having the right skills for the role directly translates into the company’s core competitiveness.
For junior employees, practical skills such as content creation are most important, but as experience builds, the ability to communicate and coordinate with clients becomes even more critical.
That’s why we always keep in mind whether a candidate can communicate smoothly with Korean clients when making hiring decisions.
In addition, we also think a lot about employment type. When people hear “hiring foreigners,” they still often associate it with remote work.
However, in the marketing industry, face-to-face collaboration is essential. So we’re exploring ways to maintain flexibility in working arrangements while still maximizing productivity.
— Do you plan to expand or hire more foreign talent in the future?
Since this internship has been a positive experience, we’ll likely keep the door open for more foreign recruitment going forward. We’re also considering hiring local marketers who can work at our Thailand branch.
— Lastly, do you have any message you’d like to share with foreign job seekers or clients?
Redbricks is a well-established marketing agency with 15 years of experience, and we take pride in our professional capabilities—from content planning to production and execution.
For job seekers, it would be great if you could highlight your strengths, such as “I have this perspective” or “I can create this type of content.”
On a side note, if there are any domestic businesses in need of overseas marketing, or overseas clients considering Korean marketing, please feel free to reach out to us! (laughs)
Got questions about hiring foreign talent? Just reach out anytime!
Any company representative can receive a free consultation.
