19 affiliates participate in two-day test held Saturday and Sunday

Samsung first Korean company to introduce open recruitment, in 1957

A Samsung Electronics supervisor conducts a preliminary briefing for Samsung Global Aptitude Test (GSAT) applicants at the Samsung Electronics Human Resources Development Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 17. [Samsung]
A Samsung Electronics supervisor conducts a preliminary briefing for Samsung Global Aptitude Test (GSAT) applicants at the Samsung Electronics Human Resources Development Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 17. [Samsung]

Samsung announced Sunday that it held the Samsung Global Aptitude Test (GSAT) over two days — Saturday and Sunday — for job applicants seeking entry-level positions.

Nineteen Samsung affiliates participated in the second-half GSAT, including Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung Biologics, Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Display and Samsung Electro-Mechanics.

The GSAT is designed to assess applicants' comprehensive thinking skills and flexible problem-solving abilities as part of the process for selecting top talent.

Samsung launched its second-half open recruitment process in September with the application period. Following the GSAT, the company plans to finalize new hires through interviews and medical checkups next month.

Samsung has administered the GSAT online since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the shift. Applicants can take the test from a private location using a personal computer.

To ensure the test ran smoothly, Samsung held a preliminary session Oct. 17 and 18 to verify applicants' PC setups, exam systems and network infrastructure in advance.

Applicants for software positions took a separate software competency test in place of the GSAT. Samsung administered the offline computer-based test for software applicants on Oct. 11 at Samsung Electronics' Suwon campus and Samsung SDS's Jamsil office.

Applicants for design positions are selected through a portfolio review rather than the GSAT.

Samsung announced last September a plan to hire 60,000 new employees over the next five years, and has been actively working to secure talent for future growth businesses and create jobs for young people.

The company plans to expand hiring in advanced industries — including semiconductors and key components, biotech and AI — to build future growth engines and strengthen the competitiveness of domestic industry.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong said at a meeting with business groups and executives in August 2025 that the company would "continue investing to create quality jobs in Korea and foster high-value-added industries."

Samsung is the only member of Korea's four largest conglomerates — Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai Motor and LG Group — to maintain a regular open recruitment system. The practice marks its 70th year, dating to 1957 when Samsung became the first Korean company to introduce open hiring for new employees.

Through twice-yearly recruitment drives, Samsung provides large-scale employment opportunities for young job seekers. The company says its long-running open recruitment system has become an important pillar of Korea's hiring culture.

Samsung says it has maintained open recruitment through difficult economic conditions — including the oil shocks of the 1970s and the financial crisis of the 2000s — with the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s being among the rare exceptions when the practice was suspended.

Samsung said it plans to continue securing talent across diverse fields through regular open recruitment, role-specific hiring and youth education programs, and to contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of Korea's advanced industries and creating jobs for young people.


jeongwan@heraldcorp.com