Korean -도록, -고 나다, -은 결과: The Job Interview
Korean -도록 means 'so that / to the extent that' (늦지 않도록 일찍 출발했어요), -고 나다 means 'after finishing' (면접을 보고 나니 후련해요), and -은 결과 means 'as a result of' (열심히 준비한 결과 합격했어요).
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Written by Alvin Lim Certified Korean Language Teacher (Level 2)
Korean -도록 means “so that / to the extent that” (늦지 않도록 일찍 출발했어요 — I left early so as not to be late; 밤새도록 공부했어요 — studied all night long), -고 나다 means “after finishing” (면접을 보고 나니 마음이 후련해요 — once the interview was over I felt relieved), and -은 결과 means “as a result of” (열심히 준비한 결과 합격했어요 — as a result of preparing hard, I passed). This is the lesson where job hunting pays off: the interview, and the moment you find out.
Last time you stated goals with -기 위해(서) and looked into a company with 에 대해서. Now the search reaches its climax. To talk about an interview you need three connectors: one to aim at a result (-도록), one to mark the relief after it’s over (-고 나다), and one to explain what your effort led to (-은 결과). Together they narrate the whole arc from prep to acceptance.
Ten words for the interview
These are the words you’ll hear the day of the interview and the day the result comes.
So that… — -도록
Attach -도록 to a verb or adjective stem to mark the result you’re steering toward — “so that / in order that.” It’s the natural choice for a negative goal (늦지 않도록 = so as not to be late) and for requests (잘 들리도록 = so it can be heard). With time words it shifts to “to the extent / all the way to” — 밤새도록 = all night long.
늦지 않도록 일찍 출발했어요 = I left early so as not to be late 잘 들리도록 크게 말해 주세요 = please speak loudly so it can be heard well 합격하도록 최선을 다하겠습니다 = I’ll do my best so that I pass 밤새도록 공부했어요 = I studied all night long (extent)
The casual everyday twin is -게 (잘 들리게 말해 주세요), but -도록 sounds a notch more formal — perfect for the polished register of an interview. Note how 밤새도록 stretches the action across the whole night: that’s the “extent” sense.
After it’s all over — -고 나다
To mark finishing one action before the next state or feeling, use -고 나다. You’ll almost always meet it as -고 나니 (and then I realized), -고 나서 (and then, in sequence), or -고 나면 (after / whenever).
면접을 보고 나니 마음이 후련해요 = once the interview was over, I felt relieved 시험이 끝나고 나서 여행 갔어요 = after the exams ended, I went traveling 밥을 먹고 나면 졸려요 = after I eat, I get sleepy 답변을 준비하고 나니 자신감이 생겼어요 = after preparing my answers, I felt more confident
The 나다 makes completion feel definite — more “having fully finished” than plain -고. 나니 reports a discovery, 나서 is neutral sequence, and 나면 is the conditional “whenever.” All three live naturally around an interview: prep, the event, and the relief after.
As a result of… — -은/ㄴ 결과
To link a cause to its outcome in one sentence, attach -은/ㄴ 결과 (the past-modifier form + 결과) to a verb: “as a result of (having done).” It sounds analytical and shows up constantly in formal writing and interview answers.
열심히 준비한 결과 합격했어요 = as a result of preparing hard, I passed 노력한 결과 좋은 점수를 받았어요 = as a result of my effort, I got a good score 꾸준히 연습한 결과 실력이 늘었어요 = as a result of steady practice, my skills improved 이것은 노력의 결과예요 = this is the result of (my) effort (noun + 의)
With a noun, use 명사 + 의 결과 (노력의 결과 = the result of effort). With a verb, the -은/ㄴ 결과 pattern packs cause and effect into one clean clause — exactly the kind of sentence an interviewer likes to hear.
After the interview, in one chat
Watch all three connectors carry a conversation from nerves to good news:
One reunion, the full arc: -도록 frames the goal she steered toward (떨어지지 않도록), -고 나니 marks the relief after the event (보고 나니 후련해요), and -은 결과 explains what the effort led to (준비한 결과 합격했어요). That’s how Koreans narrate an interview from start to happy ending.
FAQ
How is -도록 different from -기 위해(서) and -게? All three can express purpose, but the nuance differs. -기 위해(서) states YOUR goal for acting: 합격하기 위해서 공부해요 = I study in order to pass. -도록 sets up a result or condition you steer toward, often for someone or something else: 잘 들리도록 크게 말해 주세요 = speak loudly so (it) can be heard. -게 (잘 들리게 말해 주세요) is the casual everyday twin of this -도록. Two extra jobs only -도록 has: a negative goal — 늦지 않도록 (so as not to be late) — and an “extent” meaning with time words — 밤새도록 공부했어요 (studied all night long).
What’s the difference between -고 나니, -고 나서, and -고 나면? All come from -고 나다 (“to finish doing”), and all mean “after finishing X.” The endings change the flavor: -고 나서 is plain sequence (“and then”): 시험이 끝나고 나서 여행 갔어요 = after exams ended, I went traveling. -고 나니 adds a discovery — after X, you realize/feel something: 면접을 보고 나니 마음이 후련해요 = once the interview was over, I felt relieved. -고 나면 is conditional/habitual (“whenever / once”): 밥을 먹고 나면 졸려요 = after I eat, I get sleepy. The 나다 makes the completion feel more definite than plain -고.
When do I use -은/ㄴ 결과 versus 결과 as a noun? -은/ㄴ 결과 attaches to a verb’s past-modifier form and means “as a result of (having done)”: 열심히 준비한 결과 합격했어요 = as a result of preparing hard, I passed; 노력한 결과 좋은 점수를 받았어요 = as a result of my effort, I got a good score. 결과 by itself is just the noun “result,” so you can also say 노력의 결과 (the result of effort) or 시험 결과 (test results). Use the -은 결과 pattern to link a cause clause to its outcome in one sentence — it sounds analytical and is common in formal writing and interviews.
Next: keeping a diary — written style -ㄴ다/-다 and -(으)나. Previous: job hunting — -기 위해(서), 에 대해(서), 으로부터. Full path: curriculum hub.