We hire applicants with the necessary experience and qualifications for each job and function ad hoc.

We do not have any specific educational requirements or mandatory qualifications (such as English language certifications or recognized certification scores).

However, in general, we conduct three rounds of interviews after the initial screening, including one English interview.

Do you have any advice for university students who are interested in joining Novartis (excluding nurses, pharmacists, etc.) We are not actively recruiting new college graduates, but we have had intern programs in the past and it is one of our priorities this year.

We are also planning to organize career fairs to help university students get to know Novartis better.

My advice to university students who are interested in joining Novartis would be to prepare a story about a project or task that they have worked on on their initiative and derived results.

It is important that they have taken ownership and initiative, and that they can tell their own story about a result that they have made from start to finish.

We often call this an 'Elevator Speech', or ‘Elevator pitch,’ for example, it would be good to be prepared to explain your story in a short time, like when you take the elevator from the 1st floor to the 49th floor where Novartis Korea is located, in case you have that opportunity to talk to an influential person in the elevator.

With so many different stakeholders involved in our industry, communication skills are also very important.

It's important to develop a persuasive communication style that brings collaborative synergy.

-What programs do you offer for the employees’ self-development once they are hired?

As part of Novartis' purpose-driven corporate culture, we are committed to creating a workplace where employees are encouraged to think about why they do what they do and how they can take ownership of their work.

First, ‘Make Your Move’ is an initiative that allows employees to explore and experience work across departments.

We have an open internal recruitment system, with opportunities to move to other departments at any time, resulting in an internal hiring rate of over 60%.

Talent Brokering is held monthly globally and monthly in APMA (Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa).

Each country is transparent about open roles or availability of short-term – 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year - projects.

We've created a practical platform for our employees to use as bridgeheads for their careers beyond the local region, and discussions are always ongoing within the platform.

Last year, employees in Korea had the opportunity to participate in more than 6 regional and global projects, and as Novartis Korea rose to become one of the top 10 countries in the world, employees from various regions such as those from the Swiss headquarters have also applied to come to Korea to test their skills.

Incentives are given based on sales targets.

For departments other than sales, there are separate bonuses allocated based on base salary for each job and position, which are weighted by company performance and individual performance.

In addition to the sales awards, Novartis has a reward system called ‘GEM (Go the Extra Mile),’ which looks for gems that align with key pillars of our strategy.

In addition, we have a variety of other recognition programs, including the Star Awards given at the APMA regional level and the CEO Field Awards, for which employees are invited to the Novartis Basel headquarters to meet with Chairman Vas Narasimhan.

We also have a Spark program in place to encourage and reward employees throughout the year.

The reward system utilizes points that can be cashed in to encourage organic collaboration between departments.

- Is there a limit for annual salary increases?

Novartis conducts an annual market wage survey to determine the market value of compensation for each role and job code based on a market-based approach to compensation and recommends a compensation range of 70-130% of the market median, but there is no set limit.

-How is the evaluation process done, since half of the positions are internal positions?

We have eliminated the traditional rating-based personnel evaluation system and have established a feedback-based evaluation culture. At least once every quarter, managers and employees exchange feedback on the employees’ performance and seek ways for improvement.

We offer flexible and hybrid work arrangements so you can choose where you work.

Also, new hires receive a special 5-day paid vacation.

This is to give them time off to rest during the closing period around Christmas to the beginning of the year.

We offer at least 21 vacation days, which is 15 statutory vacation days plus 6 days, which increases by 1 day every 2 years up to 34 days.  Maternity leave is 98 days, 8 days more than the stipulated 90 days, and male employees can also take about 14 weeks of paid paternity leave when their spouse gives birth.

In addition to the leave system, there are welfare programs such as kindergarten support for preschoolers and full tuition support for middle, high school, and university, as well as various family-oriented programs and events.

In addition, the company has several employee-led programs in place, including establishing ‘N-chive,’ a one-stop archive for company policies, internal processes, and in-house programs.