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  • 기자명 Jung Hyun Ko
  • Tech & Bio
  • Published 2021.06.22 07:14

[Pangyo Startup] Hidden Scout, would help employers in the IT sector find workers as a job search platform

Anyone who works at a company might dream of changing jobs. However, many hesitate because they are afraid of co-workers talking about it in the office.

Hidden Scout conducted a study where 80% of respondents said that they are afraid of other talking about their career switch to a question, “are you concerned about people talking about your changing careers?” It reflected the result on its strategy and developed an AI technology that anonymizes online resumes which provides job search services guaranteeing private information security from September, 2020.

I sat down with Hidden Scout CEO Hyun Bae Bang in Pangyo Techno Valley and listened to what he had to say about Hidden Scout, a job search platform that helps people switch careers without letting other know about it.

Hidden Scout CEO Hyun Bae Bang | photo by Aving News

Q1 Company introduction

Hidden Scout is a job search platform where job seekers can switch careers through AI-based anonymized services.

Q2 Who can benefit from this platform?

The working-age population in South Korea is estimated to be 28 million. And about 13 million college graduates are concerned about others knowing of their career change. 80% of those who worry about others knowing of their career switch that Hidden Scout surveyed among 13 million can benefit from Hidden Scout’s platform. They can receive job propositions from employers through Hidden Scout and apply for a job at a company.

Q3 How he started his own business

I worked for a job search service before. Many job seekers asked me not to let other know about their switching jobs. And the majority of them said that they do not want their current employer’s HR manager to know that they are moving jobs. I believed that job seekers’ personal information being exposed and others knowing about their career switch were a problem of the traditional online job search market which led me to design this platform.

Anonymized career switch by Hidden Scout | provided by Hidden Scout

Q4 Characteristics of Hidden Scout’s platform   

Hidden Scout’s AI anonymizes job seekers’ personal information and makes work experience more visible. For example, name and age are appeared as a man in his early thirties and name of the company is appeared as one of the four large corporations, one of ten large corporations or foreign company(the US). Also, as work experience appears as it is, job seekers can move jobs only with their work experience. Moreover, since their information is not revealed unless there is a permission from the owner when they are given a job proposition, job seekers can switch careers without worrying too much.

Q5 Which country do you want to expand your business into?

A market that seems to be fit for Hidden Scout might be Japan or Taiwan. Many people in those countries move jobs but they are cautious because it can be culturally sensitive. I believe their cultures fit for Hidden Scout’s characteristics. So we need investors who would help Hidden Scout expand business into these countries. And I believe I will be able to find a partner who would work with us. Contracts with more than 100 companies are underway within only a month since Hidden Scout opened a service targeting corporate clients. And each company is in the hiring process through Hidden Scout. Hidden Scout is preparing for attracting investments to expand its business.

Hidden Scout’s promotion poster | provided by Hidden Scout

Q6 Accomplishments and plans

Six months have passed. We have attracted many users thanks to the platform’s strengths. And about 1,000 headhunters are active in our platform. Hidden Scout is only running a service that sends career propositions if a job seeker registered his resume. Also, It is developing a service where job seekers can apply for a job posted by a headhunter instead of traditional job openings. This could lead to more job opportunities for job seekers and companies can put on a recruiting advertising and hire workers through a headhunter at a low cost. The service would allow the company to enter various fields.

Q7 Why it is located in Pangyo

Recently, the IT industry has been struggling to find workers. Many IT companies are located in Pangyo and Hidden Scout has a geographical advantage because it is located in Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation which is also located in Pangyo. Since Hidden Scout is running a platform service, its location could give an advantage in hiring talented people in the IT sector. I believe Hidden Scout, located in Pangyo center of IT in South Korea, can play an important role.  Hidden Scout can provide consulting services about employment and support hiring. That is why it is planning to help companies in Pangyo Techno Valley and it is looking for specific ways to do it.

Pangyo Technovalley is an innovation hub for global companies comparable to the Silicon Valley in the US, Zhongguancun in China, and STATION F in France. It is an Asia tech hub with 1,259 IT, BT, CT, and NT companies that possess innovative products and technologies. Located just south of the metropolitan area, it provides the best environment for Korean companies to do business with great transportation access and infrastructure.

Various high-tech companies are located in Pangyo Technovalley, and it is occupied by 64,000 full-time employees, many in their 20-30s. In terms of industry, the companies are engaged in information technology, contents technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology.

With the support of innovative companies with global capabilities such as Kakao, Naver, AhnLab, Krafton, NCSoft, Nexon, and Hancom, companies in Pangyo Technovalley recorded 107 trillion won in sales last year. Investment and infrastructure growth in Pangyo is expected to continue, with the Metaverse hub entering Pangyo this year.

Source: Pangyo Techno Valley Official Newsroom 

→ Asia Innovation Hub Pangyo Techno Valley 2021 News

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