Have you ever been surprised to see job postings suddenly flood university boards and job sites in early September? If you're used to rolling recruitment, it's easy to assume you can apply to Korean companies anytime too. But that's only half true. ## Why September is so crowded Many major Korean companies still use "gongchae" (mass hiring). It's a system where they hire new graduates all at once, just twice a year — spring and fall. The second-half public hiring season starts in September and wraps up around December, going through document screening, aptitude tests, and interviews. In the past, it was more efficient to have new employees start on the same day and train together, and that practice has continued to this day. These days, more companies are switching to rolling recruitment, hiring whenever they need someone, but many large companies still use the public hiring system. ## So what's the difference It's not "I can just apply again later" — it's actually "if not now, I'll have to wait until next spring." Rolling recruitment quietly hires whenever a vacancy opens up, but public hiring only opens its doors for a few set weeks. If you miss that window, you might have to wait more than six months for the same company, same position. ## What to check right now Search the name of the company you're interested in along with "recruitment" and "second half" to check the job postings on their homepage directly. You can also check deadlines on job sites like Saramin and JobKorea. Deadlines vary by company, so it's more accurate to trust the official page than what people say.