"An intern who landed a European client": Olive International promotes hands-on internships

[Financial News] #. Olive International assigned an intern, identified as A, to a "seeding kit promotion project targeting a European client." The project is typically considered the work of an experienced employee. A turned the project into actual sales. Hired as an intern late last year, A was converted to a full-time employee this month.
Olive International is drawing attention in the beauty industry by running a "hands-on" internship program. According to industry sources on the 27th, Olive International is growing rapidly on the back of beauty brands such as Sungboon Editor, Milk Touch and Mamicare. Last year, the company posted sales of 204.1 billion won.
Looking back on the internship, A said, "I expected to be limited to simple support work, but in reality I led a project targeting a European client myself, and I felt most rewarded when it led to sales."
A also said that the experience of managing data and setting work priorities during the internship became the foundation for work after being converted to a full-time employee. He added, "If you actively propose the work you want to try, the company gives you broad opportunities."
Jeon So-eul, another intern in her sixth month at the company, had a similar experience. Before applying for the internship, she worried it might just involve repetitive tasks to help other team members, but after joining, the scope of her responsibilities was much broader than expected. Jeon said, "I could comfortably suggest campaign ideas, and the team reflected those suggestions in actual projects." She added that she was never sidelined in any part of the work, including agency meetings, simply because she was an intern.
What they both pointed to was the company’s horizontal culture and fast feedback. They agreed that a culture of actively proposing ideas and reflecting them in actual work increased their engagement.
Olive International applies the same benefits to interns as it does to full-time employees, including flexible working hours and meal allowances. After completing the internship, interns undergo a separate evaluation before being converted to full-time positions. A representative from Olive International Talent Strategy Division said, "An internship is the starting point for growing together with the company," adding, "The process of confirming fit through real projects is the most efficient approach for both the company and applicants."
This approach at Olive International also aligns with trends in the hiring market. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) and the Korea Employment Information Service (KEIS), 52.8% of the top 500 companies by sales cited "expertise" as a criterion for hiring young workers. Among the evaluation factors, "experience such as internships" ranked second at 19.1%, after "major field of study."
The representative advised, "When applying for an internship, a portfolio is stronger if it clearly shows the planning intent and problem-solving process rather than just editing polish." He added, "It is effective to describe in detail the purpose behind the content, the basis for target selection and the method used to measure results, while also highlighting short-form content planning skills."
Meanwhile, Olive International is recruiting on an ongoing basis in six areas: content marketing, brand marketing, SNS content marketing, global influencer marketing, U.S. TikTok Shop operations and global IMC marketing.

butter@fnnews.com Kang Kyung-rae Reporter