'I was rejected at my first job interview'

While her peers had a few more months to graduate, Cap Trong Phuc Trang (born in 2001) confidently graduated with a GPA of 3.8 and a Topik 5 certificate - the highest level of the 6 levels in the Korean proficiency test, becoming the valedictorian of the Korean Studies major at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi - USSH).

Coming from the Geography class at Bac Ninh High School for the Gifted and winning Second Prize in the national excellent student selection exam, Cap Trong Phuc Trang has the privilege of being admitted directly to university.

Seizing the advantage, plus having loved Korea from before through movies, the male student decided to pursue Korean Studies, Oriental Studies Department of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Phuc Trang said that this major not only requires in-depth knowledge of the language, but students also learn deeply about the people, history, and culture of Korea.

“If I want to stick with this profession for a long time, I must have other related professional knowledge. Nowadays, science and technology are very developed, they can replace humans in translation. If I want to compete, I must have in-depth knowledge about people, history and culture” - Trang confided.

USSH's valedictorian: 'I was eliminated at my first job interview' - 1 — Valedictorian Cap Trong Phuc Trang at the graduation thesis defense ceremony.

Phuc Trang shared that her initial success came from choosing a suitable learning environment, combined with valuable experiences from early practical exposure.

Trang said that in her second year of university, while her friends had no intention of doing an internship, Trang found herself opportunities at Korean companies to seriously try her hand.

“The first time I interviewed with the employer, despite being well prepared, I was still eliminated from the “parking lot”. This made me seriously think about what I lacked and realize that foreign language skills alone are not enough, I also need to improve my professional knowledge in the field I am interested in as well as practice being more confident.” - Trang confided

Standing up right after falling, Phuc Trang takes advantage of every opportunity to improve her abilities, from studying in class to actively learning soft skills through extracurricular activities.

“At first, I was quite shy and had difficulty integrating, but gradually I learned to open up so that I could communicate with more people. By the third year, I actively sought out friends and teachers, and proactively created many situations to have direct contact with native speakers. Thanks to those opportunities, I accumulated a lot of experience, and my Korean proficiency also improved from there,” the valedictorian shared.

Realizing that the field of study requires communication and practical exposure to improve qualifications, and overcoming shyness due to his introverted personality, the student at that time tried many new learning methods, above all, being proactive, daring to encounter challenges and not being afraid of difficulties.

“I improve my Korean in many ways such as learning through Youtube, Tiktok, proactively going out, working part-time at Korean stores, doing internships,... In addition, I often volunteer to meet Korean teachers such as picking them up when they come to Vietnam,...” - Trang said.

It was those experiences that gave Trang the opportunity to practice her expertise and improve her weak skills.

USSH's valedictorian: 'I was eliminated at my first job interview' - 2 — Phuc Trang actively participates in extracurricular activities at school.

From an introverted, shy guy who was eliminated by the recruiter in the first round, Cap Trong Phuc Trang is now a foreign affairs officer for a Vietnamese labor export company cooperating with Korea, after receiving the good news of becoming the new valedictorian of USSH University with an outstanding GPA of 3.8.

“Working in foreign affairs helps me to be more open, I can communicate with Korean people and participate in Korean language orientation education for workers” - Trang shared.

This Gen Z guy is also the owner of a Tik Tok channel teaching Korean to Vietnamese people with more than 2,000 followers. Trang said: “ During my work, I realized that many people wanted to learn Korean but did not have materials and did not know where to start, so I created a channel and posted videos as a way to help them get acquainted with Korean .”

For candidates who want to try their hand at a language-related major, Phuc Trang advises: “In addition to studying a foreign language, you should study another major to diversify your knowledge. Currently, many universities offer dual degree or distance learning programs, so you should try it, as long as you equip yourself with knowledge other than language.”

USSH's valedictorian: 'I was eliminated at my first job interview' - 3 — The valedictorian emphasized that language alone is not enough.

The road ahead is still long, the valedictorian confided that he wants to study another field, combined with Korean to fulfill his future goals and dreams.

Thu Trang

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