Yangcheon-gu is recruiting participants for its working professional mentoring program, with 25 mentors across seven fields — AI, management, finance, insurance, science and engineering, and more — offering one-on-one and group sessions for job seekers and career changers aged 19 to 39.
College graduates are increasingly finding nowhere to turn for work.
The job market has grown even tighter as AI takes over roles once filled by people and automation spreads, driven in part by the growing assertiveness of labor unions.
Amid these conditions, Yangcheon-gu is recruiting participants for its working professional mentoring program, which connects job seekers and career changers with working professionals who share firsthand experience and practical job-hunting know-how.
The program has been running since 2024 at Yangcheon Youth Job Cafe, a youth employment support space. It aims to give young people access to on-the-ground information that job postings and role descriptions rarely convey, helping them build concrete employment strategies based on real workplace experience.
In August, the district screened 44 applicants who responded to an open call for mentors and selected 25 working professionals with at least three years of experience.
The mentors are employed at large corporations, broadcasters, financial institutions, public institutions and other organizations, and are drawn from seven fields: IT and AI, management and administration, marketing and sales, public and state-owned enterprises, science and engineering and manufacturing, media and content, and finance and insurance.
The program is open to young people aged 19 to 39 who are preparing to find a job or change careers. Residents of Yangcheon-gu and those with a concrete plan to find employment within six months will be given priority. Between five and 10 participants are selected on a rolling monthly basis and matched with a mentor suited to their target field.
Sessions are offered in two formats: one-on-one intensive mentoring, where a participant meets directly with a professional to hear about practical experience and job strategies, and group mentoring, conducted with study groups of up to six people in the same field. Through conversations with mentors, participants can learn about day-to-day work, organizational culture and industry trends, and gain a clearer picture of the skills and preparation required in the hiring process.
If participants need additional support with resumes, cover letters or interview preparation during the program, they can be referred to a dedicated career counselor at Yangcheon Youth Job Cafe for personalized one-on-one consultations covering the full job application process.
Young people who wish to apply can download the application form and required documents from the Yangcheon Youth Job Cafe blog and submit them by email to the program coordinator.
Yangcheon-gu continues to offer a range of employment support through Yangcheon Youth Job Cafe, including field-specific job seminars, resume and cover letter consultations, and labor law education. On Nov. 17, the district will hold a seminar on careers in the financial sector, followed on Nov. 24 by a labor law session for early-career workers covering employee rights and key points to watch for when signing employment contracts.
"Twenty-five working professionals active in their respective fields will serve as reliable sunbae for young job seekers," Yangcheon-gu District Mayor Lee Ki-jae said. "I hope this becomes an opportunity for young people to turn vague worries about employment into concrete preparation, build a job strategy that fits them, and take one step closer to the career they want."
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