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| English e-book "How to Work in K-pop Industry" / Courtesy of Conexus Lab |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Landing a job at a K-pop record label has not been a walk in the park for most foreign nationals. There was only little information available in Korean, which could barely help them get a snapshot of secretive K-pop agencies.
But soon, they will be able to gain insight from an English e-book titled, "How to Work in K-pop Industry," an in-depth guide written by the officials of Conexus Lab, a company dedicated to providing educational materials for people of foreign nationality looking for jobs in the K-pop world.
One of the authors is Lee Sang-hwan, the co-founder of the company, who worked in human resources in numerous companies including HYBE ― home to K-pop juggernaut BTS ― CJ ENM and JTBC for over a decade.
"How to Work in K-pop Industry" consists of four main parts. The first part explores the structures of major K-pop labels such as SM, YG and JYP Entertainment and the different positions they offer, while the second part gives useful tips for resumes, cover letters and interviews. The third part talks about ways to find internships and platforms where job hunters can learn more about K-pop, and the last part shares the stories of foreign nationals who successfully got employed at K-pop labels.
"The K-pop industry is growing rapidly, with more than a half of the sales at major entertainment companies coming from overseas," the book reads. "However, the market is still closed and information asymmetry is high. People outside Korea, who want to get K-pop-related jobs, often suffer from lack of access and even if they get into the entertainment industry, there is no way to strengthen their job competency … For the growth of the K-pop industry, we felt that we needed to support people who are essential to this industry, as well as those who are willing to enter the market."
"How to Work in K-pop Industry" will be released in mid-November.
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