Following the previous article Vol.61 – Recruiting, Job Hunting and Media in Japan Until Today, how social media has started to enter Japan recruiting and job hunting market since 2010 is briefly explained in this article.
1. How social media started to being used in new graduate recruiting in Japan?
How social media started to being used in new graduate recruiting in Japan since 2010 diversifying social media use is best understood by looking back the social media related news and announcement made.
First, from October 1, 2010, Recruit Navi(gation), the leading web portal for new graduate recruiting and job hunting in Japan, made alliance with Facebook connection search.
Then in November 2010, a few Japanese IT companies such as CyberAgent that provides online services such as the most popular blogging platform started to leverage Facebook in recruiting.
Also in November 2010, SoftBank Human Capital started providing a programme/content that supports job hunting leveraging Ustream.
In March 2011, En Japan, a leading recruiting agency in Japan and Microsoft Japan announced that they are to start providing an online service supporting recruiting and job hunting leveraging Facebook.
And in May 2011, Facebook announced that “Work for Us”, a recruiting tool, is to be rolled out in Japan, and LinkedIn is to roll out Japanese version soon.
2. How some recent new Japanese graduates started to leverage social media in job hunting?
The author would like to introduce a case of the new Japanese graduates who fully leveraged social media in their job hunting to answer this. Such a case may still be the exceptions in Japan but such cases are likely to become the majority in the future because the Internet and mobile phones have been around future new graduates since their childhood and they would likely be enjoying social media everyday.
1) What is the profile and background of the new graduate of the case?
The case is of a new graduate who landed on a job leveraging social media to the fullest to start working in an IT company this April.
Being a great fan of western music, she had been enjoying social media (SNS) since junior high school, starting with MySpace which she happened to know from looking at website of the artists. She had been enjoying sending messages to the artists and their blogs, and sharing information with members of the online community.
Then she went to the U.S. for nine months to study English and started Facebook to keep in touch with her friends in Japan. Facebook was still not unknown in Japan so she did so by teaching her friends what Facebook is and how to leverage it.
2) Why did she decide to leverage social media in her job hunting?
With such a background, she decided to leverage social media in her job hunting because she was not comfortable in one-way online communication from companies of traditional web portals such as Recruit Navi(gation).
She first accessed to gather information of the companies she is interested in and selected which companies to apply directly instead of making so many entries via web portals applying to attend seminars.
3) What social media did she leverage in particular?
It was Twitter because then she came up with an idea of leveraging Twitter in connecting directly online with company recruiting managers, making two-way interaction and consequently understanding the company better.
She started to follow companies she is interested in and their recruiting managers, and some business persons, to sending messages directly, leaving comments to their tweets and tweeting to express her own opinion, all to achieve her objective in her style of interactive communication with business persons.
4) What was the difficulty in leveraging social media in job hunting?
It was to find relevant companies and business persons to follow. This is because only limited companies had been leveraging Twitter in recruiting when she was job hunting, i.e. in 2009 and 2010.
5) What was the outcome of leveraging social media?
Despite the difficulty of leveraging social media in job hunting, it was worth an effort; she managed to meet face-to-face with some representatives of the companies. And she decided to join a company after having had a fruitful face-to-face communication with the representative of the company.
In the next article the author would like to explain how a few leading, innovative Japanese companies have started to leverage social media in recruiting in earnest.
References:-
“Leveraging Twitter and Facebook in New Graduate Recruiting” by Yoshioka, Mina, from Monthly HRM Materials (July 2011 Edition) – Business Publishing P29-43 (In Japanese)
http://www.busi-pub.com/
Resources:-
Japan had been behind leveraging social media in recruiting and job hunting but it started to take off recently. Social media use in such area drastically started to diversify since October 2010 and although still extremely limited, there is a case in which a new graduate successfully landed on a job leveraging social media (Twitter) to the fullest.
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Monday, 18 July 2011
Vol.61 – Recruiting, Job Hunting and Media in Japan Until Today
Social Media has rapidly started to proliferate to change recruiting and job hunting in Japan since Twitter got hot in 2010 and Facebook in 2011 and thus 2011 is said to be the first year of social media in Japan. Thus a leading job hunting and recruiting agency in Japan predicted that 2011 will be the first year of “social recruiting and job hunting” and recently there was a special article on this topic in a leading Japanese human management magazine.
The author would like to introduce and explain the essence of the article in series of articles, starting with history of new graduate recruiting and media.
1. What was the first media for job hunting and recruiting in Japan
It was a guidebook, later called “Recruit Book” with information about job hunting that was issued in 1962. New graduates applied by sending in hard copy documents (resume etc.) based on the guidebook.
2. When did the Internet emerge in job hunting in Japan?
It was in February 1996 when the web site called “Recruit Book on the Net” opened. The web site name later was changed to “Recruit Navi(gation)”. This marked the turning point in media in job hunting and recruiting, from printed media such as guidebooks, direct mails and hard copy job postings to the Internet.
Such change in media in job hunting and recruiting made anyone interested in the opportunity access the information online and made the job hunting and recruiting web sites extremely popular to become huge portal web sites. There are currently some such portal web sites that to which more than 400,000 students have registered and over 8,000 companies provide recruiting information.
3. How has the Internet changed job hunting in Japan?
Portal web sites and the Internet established a new system of “web entry” that has become something normal today, in which students apply from online application form. With this system, students became free from complicated procedures of requesting company brochures and applying to attend seminars by post cards and telephones, meaning they approach to many companies with ease.
4. What is the primary problem of the job hunting and recruiting leveraging the Internet?
It is inefficiency and mismatch in the beginning phase of recruiting and job hunting.
So many students apply to well known companies, sometimes as many as 100,000. On the other hand, unknown small and mid-sized companies cannot attract candidates even if they post their information online, on such portal web sites.
Moreover, due to such an ease of online application of “web entry”, there are quite a few students who make online application even if they have no real intention of being screened and/or joining the company.
5. What is one possible reason for such problems?
It is the fact that information posted on such portal web sites limit quality and quantity of online information although it is far superior compared with traditional printed media.
It is for this reason that social media is expected to cover ups for such shortcomings of portal web sites.
In the next articles the author would like to explain how social media is recently being used in job hunting and recruiting by some innovative companies and individuals in Japan.
References:-
“Leveraging Twitter and Facebook in New Graduate Recruiting” by Yoshioka, Mina, from Monthly HRM Materials (July 2011 Edition) – Business Publishing P29-43 (In Japanese)
http://www.busi-pub.com/
Resources:-
The first portal web site in Japan that opened in 1996 changed job hunting and recruiting in Japan completely but this also triggered problems of inefficiency and mismatch in the first phase of recruiting attributing to ease of online application. Social media is expected to cover up for such shortcomings.
The author would like to introduce and explain the essence of the article in series of articles, starting with history of new graduate recruiting and media.
1. What was the first media for job hunting and recruiting in Japan
It was a guidebook, later called “Recruit Book” with information about job hunting that was issued in 1962. New graduates applied by sending in hard copy documents (resume etc.) based on the guidebook.
2. When did the Internet emerge in job hunting in Japan?
It was in February 1996 when the web site called “Recruit Book on the Net” opened. The web site name later was changed to “Recruit Navi(gation)”. This marked the turning point in media in job hunting and recruiting, from printed media such as guidebooks, direct mails and hard copy job postings to the Internet.
Such change in media in job hunting and recruiting made anyone interested in the opportunity access the information online and made the job hunting and recruiting web sites extremely popular to become huge portal web sites. There are currently some such portal web sites that to which more than 400,000 students have registered and over 8,000 companies provide recruiting information.
3. How has the Internet changed job hunting in Japan?
Portal web sites and the Internet established a new system of “web entry” that has become something normal today, in which students apply from online application form. With this system, students became free from complicated procedures of requesting company brochures and applying to attend seminars by post cards and telephones, meaning they approach to many companies with ease.
4. What is the primary problem of the job hunting and recruiting leveraging the Internet?
It is inefficiency and mismatch in the beginning phase of recruiting and job hunting.
So many students apply to well known companies, sometimes as many as 100,000. On the other hand, unknown small and mid-sized companies cannot attract candidates even if they post their information online, on such portal web sites.
Moreover, due to such an ease of online application of “web entry”, there are quite a few students who make online application even if they have no real intention of being screened and/or joining the company.
5. What is one possible reason for such problems?
It is the fact that information posted on such portal web sites limit quality and quantity of online information although it is far superior compared with traditional printed media.
It is for this reason that social media is expected to cover ups for such shortcomings of portal web sites.
In the next articles the author would like to explain how social media is recently being used in job hunting and recruiting by some innovative companies and individuals in Japan.
References:-
“Leveraging Twitter and Facebook in New Graduate Recruiting” by Yoshioka, Mina, from Monthly HRM Materials (July 2011 Edition) – Business Publishing P29-43 (In Japanese)
http://www.busi-pub.com/
Resources:-
The first portal web site in Japan that opened in 1996 changed job hunting and recruiting in Japan completely but this also triggered problems of inefficiency and mismatch in the first phase of recruiting attributing to ease of online application. Social media is expected to cover up for such shortcomings.
Vol.60 – Innovative Way of Twitter Use in Japan
Twitter, handy microblogging of 140 characters, can be combined with another communication channel of offline, is now used in an innovative way in a place in Tokyo, Japan that probably the developers of Twitter had never thought of.
1. How is Twitter used in what situation?
Twitter is displayed in an electronic bulletin board located in a large crossroads in Tokyo, owned and managed by a hair cut shop.
Tweets range from news and staff member introduction of the shop to comments on the hot topic discussed in the society and media.
2. What is the benefit of using Twitter in such a way and situation?
It allows many people accessible to the shop read the tweets, which is an extremely effective way of attracting current and potential customers. Allowing people walking in the crossroads where the shop is located is of more ROI than allowing nationwide or worldwide online users who cannot come to the shop read blogs and tweets.
140 characters is optimum to read when people are waiting for the traffic light to turn to green from red, although the volume and content is greater in Japanese than in English due to the difference in the characteristics of the two languages. People have nothing else to do when they are waiting for the traffic light to turn green from red so they would read the tweets thus the “reach” is extremely high and effective.
3. Is there any other organization(s) that use Twitter in a similar way?
Yes, there is. It is a commercial facility used by multiple tenants in Tokyo, reported in a recent article on June 20 by a Japanese newspaper specialized in retailing industry.
When the facility opened in October last year, Twitter accounts for all tenants were created so that tweets of each tenant can be displayed in the electronic bulletin board of the facility.
4. How effective is the new use of Twitter by the other organization?
According to the administrator of the facility, this method allows far more information to be delivered to great number of target customers compared with simply tweeting online.
This is because of the two reasons.
The first is reaching greater number of targets. The number of followers of the tenants is around 400 at the most. But major department stores and others in the neighbourhood attract 13.36 million visitors per year (for the fiscal year ending March 2011), all of them are current or potential customers.
The second is the fact that that still only a small proportion of the target customers still do not use Twitter. Main target of the facility and the neighbourhood department stores are senior people and majority of such people still do not use Twitter.
5. What was the reason for coming up with such an idea/breakthrough?
It was the fact that the two cases are free from stereotype/fixed idea that blogs and Twitter is the tool used to online only.
It is true that characteristics of Twitter include real time, interactive and viral, and they are neglected in the two cases introduced above. What was focused and leveraged is “very simply to tweet, even for extremely busy staff working in the shop floor”, and this was the critical requirement for the two cases.
As a result, in two cases, Twitter is used primarily to deliver information one-way which might be not what it was expected when it was first developed; however, the objective of reaching as many target audience to deliver information is achieved.
Resources:-
Twitter use can be combined with bulletin board function by displaying tweets on electronic bulletin board, to achieve an objective of reaching as many target audience to deliver information, although in this case Twitter is used primarily to deliver information one-way and interactivity and other characteristics of Twitter is neglected. Such an innovative idea attributes to being free from stereotype/fixed idea that blogs and Twitter are used only online.
1. How is Twitter used in what situation?
Twitter is displayed in an electronic bulletin board located in a large crossroads in Tokyo, owned and managed by a hair cut shop.
Tweets range from news and staff member introduction of the shop to comments on the hot topic discussed in the society and media.
2. What is the benefit of using Twitter in such a way and situation?
It allows many people accessible to the shop read the tweets, which is an extremely effective way of attracting current and potential customers. Allowing people walking in the crossroads where the shop is located is of more ROI than allowing nationwide or worldwide online users who cannot come to the shop read blogs and tweets.
140 characters is optimum to read when people are waiting for the traffic light to turn to green from red, although the volume and content is greater in Japanese than in English due to the difference in the characteristics of the two languages. People have nothing else to do when they are waiting for the traffic light to turn green from red so they would read the tweets thus the “reach” is extremely high and effective.
3. Is there any other organization(s) that use Twitter in a similar way?
Yes, there is. It is a commercial facility used by multiple tenants in Tokyo, reported in a recent article on June 20 by a Japanese newspaper specialized in retailing industry.
When the facility opened in October last year, Twitter accounts for all tenants were created so that tweets of each tenant can be displayed in the electronic bulletin board of the facility.
4. How effective is the new use of Twitter by the other organization?
According to the administrator of the facility, this method allows far more information to be delivered to great number of target customers compared with simply tweeting online.
This is because of the two reasons.
The first is reaching greater number of targets. The number of followers of the tenants is around 400 at the most. But major department stores and others in the neighbourhood attract 13.36 million visitors per year (for the fiscal year ending March 2011), all of them are current or potential customers.
The second is the fact that that still only a small proportion of the target customers still do not use Twitter. Main target of the facility and the neighbourhood department stores are senior people and majority of such people still do not use Twitter.
5. What was the reason for coming up with such an idea/breakthrough?
It was the fact that the two cases are free from stereotype/fixed idea that blogs and Twitter is the tool used to online only.
It is true that characteristics of Twitter include real time, interactive and viral, and they are neglected in the two cases introduced above. What was focused and leveraged is “very simply to tweet, even for extremely busy staff working in the shop floor”, and this was the critical requirement for the two cases.
As a result, in two cases, Twitter is used primarily to deliver information one-way which might be not what it was expected when it was first developed; however, the objective of reaching as many target audience to deliver information is achieved.
Resources:-
Twitter use can be combined with bulletin board function by displaying tweets on electronic bulletin board, to achieve an objective of reaching as many target audience to deliver information, although in this case Twitter is used primarily to deliver information one-way and interactivity and other characteristics of Twitter is neglected. Such an innovative idea attributes to being free from stereotype/fixed idea that blogs and Twitter are used only online.
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