TOPIK II Core Vocabulary · Work & the Office ③

Getting hired — 계약, 면접, 경력, 담당하다, 협력하다

You use these words to talk about jobs and about working with other people. 계약, 면접, and 경력 often appear together in texts about employment.

01계약gyeyak

contract · a written promise that both sides must keep.

Note A 약속 can be just a spoken promise. A 계약 is a formal agreement, and the law supports it. 계약서 means the contract document. 계약직 means contract employment, as opposed to 정규직 (a regular full-time job).

Examples 계약을 하다 (to sign a contract) · 계약을 맺다 (to enter into one) · 계약서 (the contract document)

다음 주에 계약을 하기로 했어요. We've arranged to sign the contract next week.  |  -기로 하다 = to arrange to

계약 내용을 꼼꼼히 확인하지 않으면 나중에 문제가 생긴다. If you do not check the terms of the contract carefully, problems come up later.  |  꼼꼼히 = carefully · 확인하다 = to check

02면접myeonjeop

interview · a meeting where people ask questions to see if you suit the job.

Note Use 보다 for both interviews and exams, as in 면접을 보다 and 시험을 보다. An interviewer is a 면접관.

Examples 면접을 보다 (to have an interview) · 면접에 붙다 (to pass one) · 면접관 (the interviewer)

내일 면접을 보러 가요. I am going to an interview tomorrow.  |  -(으)러 = in order to

면접에서는 무엇을 말하느냐보다 어떻게 말하느냐가 중요하다. In an interview, how you say it matters more than what you say.  |  -느냐보다 = rather than whether

03경력gyeongnyeok🔊 [경녁]

work experience, career history · the record of the jobs you have done so far.

Pronunciation [경녁]. When ㄹ follows the final consonant (patchim) ㅇ, it is said as ㄴ. You also see this in 동료.

Note 경험 can mean any kind of experience. 경력 is used for work experience and career history in particular.

Examples 경력을 쌓다 (to build experience) · 경력이 많다 (to be experienced) · 경력직 (an experienced-hire position)

이 분야에서 경력이 오 년쯤 돼요. I have about five years of experience in this field.  |  분야 = field · -쯤 = roughly

경력만으로 사람을 판단하는 채용 관행이 바뀌고 있다. Hiring practices that judge people on experience alone are changing.  |  채용 = hiring · 관행 = the usual way of doing it

04담당하다damdanghada

to be in charge of · to have a task given to you as your job.

Note The person in charge of a task is the 담당자. 담당자가 누구예요? means "Who is the person in charge?"

Examples 업무를 담당하다 (to handle a task) · 담당자 (the person in charge) · 담당 부서 (the department responsible)

제가 이 업무를 담당하고 있어요. I am the one in charge of this task.  |  -고 있다 marks something ongoing

담당하는 일이 명확할수록 책임 소재도 분명해진다. The clearer each person's duties, the clearer where responsibility lies.  |  -(으)ㄹ수록 = the more ~ · 명확하다 = to be clear-cut

05협력하다hyeomnyeokada🔊 [혐녀카다]

to cooperate · to work together toward a shared goal.

Pronunciation [혐녀카다]. Three changes happen here. ㅂ becomes ㅁ, ㄹ becomes ㄴ, and ㄱ joins ㅎ to become ㅋ.

Note The person or group you cooperate with takes 와/과, as in 동료와 협력하다.

Examples 동료와 협력하다 (to cooperate with colleagues) · 협력 관계 (a partnership) · 협력 업체 (a partner firm)

다른 팀과 협력해서 진행했어요. We completed the project in cooperation with another team.  |  진행하다 = to carry out

경쟁보다 협력이 더 큰 성과를 낳는 경우가 적지 않다. Cooperation often produces better results than competition.  |  적지 않다 = many; not a small number.

Quick check3 questions

Fill in each blank in Korean. Every answer appears above.

1. __________ 내용을 꼼꼼히 확인하지 않으면 나중에 문제가 생긴다. (the ______'s contents)
2. __________만으로 사람을 판단하는 채용 관행이 바뀌고 있다. (judging on ______ alone)
3. 경쟁보다 __________이 더 큰 성과를 낳는 경우가 적지 않다. (______ over competition)

Show answers

1. 계약   2. 경력   3. 협력

Study tip Texts about jobs often use these words together: 계약, 면접, 경력, 이력서 (résumé), and 채용 (hiring). Learn all five as one group. Then these texts become much faster to read.