Facebook and Twitter have started to become popular among early adaptors in Japan in the last one or two years but LinkedIn has not and Google Plus (Google+) is not yet used even among IT experts even if they have created their account.
In this article, the author would like to outline the popularity of the four social media in Japan.
1. How are the four social media popular in Japan?
Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn status has been explained in the previous articles from Vol.45 throughout Vol.47 when the author summarized the social media situation in Japan to conclude 2010 and predicted the trend for 2011, which turned out to be quite true as in Vol.48 – 2011 Japan’s First Year of Social Media / SNS, which was based on a survey result about social media in Japan executed by a leading Japanese media.
In short, local leading SNS called Mixi and local blog called Ameba had been dominating Japan until the recent popularization of Twitter and Facebook. LinkedIn remains unpopular among the majority of the Japanese, so is Google Plus (Google+) which is still unpopular even among majority of online marketers.
2. How is Twitter?
Twitter was the first global social media that became hot in the summer of 2010, when it was featured in a special article in a leading Japanese business magazine together with introduction of applications and celebrities already using Twitter. Together with the localization (Japanese version) that was already available and the ease of use, Twitter immediately became hot among early adaptors including many popular politicians and companies/organizations as well as general public.
There were some online marketers who had been giving seminars about leveraging Twitter but few seemed to blog and/or write a book about it.
3. How is Facebook?
Facebook had mostly been used by bilingual Japanese mostly to be connected with friends outside Japan but Facebook outbreak came in January 2011 when the movie “Social Networking” started in Japan and Facebook was featured in mass media. This was when the author was convinced that “2011 will be the first year of SNS in Japan”.
Unlike Twitter, Facebook was immediately used by a few innovative companies in their marketing, which was featured in series of online articles of a leading Japanese business media. This together with the movie was the advantage the Facebook had over Twitter.
Now there are some online Japanese marketers who constantly blog and/or wrote a book about how to leverage Facebook in marketing. Also, people who first started using Twitter (online marketers in particular) tend to prefer Facebook
4. How about LinkedIn?
Japanese people living in Japan who are on LinkedIn are mostly in HR/recruiting and IT industry and few are truly active, such as proactively networking, joining group discussions and leveraging Q&A function.
This might attribute to the fact that online community was not really considered to be a platform for business networking, recruiting/job hunting and so forth in Japan. Such perception is still minor in Japan although there is a sign that the situation might change in the future, as mentioned in the previous article Vol.63 – Social Recruiting: Cases and Future of Recruiting in Japan.
Having said that, the fact that Japanese version has not been available is also a primary reason for LinkedIn not being popular in Japan. There was a news that Japanese version is to be rolled out this June but the roll out seems to be behind their original schedule.
5. How about Google Plus (Google+)?
Google+ is still very new yet grown rapidly in western countries (the U.S. in particular); however, it is still mostly unknown in Japan. It was only in August that the author found one of the first online article posted by a leading Japanese media saying how it is growing dramatically in English speaking countries and its benefits that encompass benefits of Facebook and Twitter.
The author, although had the account and was invited from her non-Japanese Facebook friend soon after Google+ invitation was available in July, started to really use Google+ in August to immediately understand that even few Japanese IT experts in Japan are using and active on Google+ and it is only the real innovators that are posting updates and comments. In fact, the author was extremely surprised that a online friend in IT industry (blogging in Japanese about Internet and social media) sent her a message on Twitter as a reply to her tweet saying about her Google+ blog article that he has created an Google+ account but has not yet understood the merits of Google+.
This is why currently the author mainly uses Google+ to obtain up-to-date information about social media and Internet marketing information; therefore, includes in her circles basically English speaking influencers to follow and to friend with people strong in Internet marketing and technology, and not networking with Japanese people.
6. The author’s final thoughts
Facebook and Twitter that was successful in gaining popularity attributing to strategic use of media is likely to strengthen its popularity especially Facebook, which would contribute to making 2011 truly the first era of SNS/social media in Japan.
The author believes in the potential of LinkedIn and Google+, which is why she has been writing some blog posts about LinkedIn and Google+ for her Japanese blog. The fact that social media has been becoming popular in Japan is a positive factor for sure. If they are strategically rolled out in Japan meeting local needs, marketed and promoted by an effective evangelist, they would surely be used by more Japanese people in Japan.
Resources:-
Twitter and Facebook have gained popularity attributing to how they were introduce by mass media and so forth 2011 is said to be the first era of SNS/social media in Japan, but LinkedIn and Google Plus (Google+) remains unpopular in Japan. Twitter and Facebook popularity is likely to remain strong. Regarding LinkedIn and Google+, if strategically rolled out meeting Japan local needs, and marketed and promoted by an effective evangelist, it is quite possible that they would be used by more Japanese people in Japan.
Saturday, 20 August 2011
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Vol.63 – Social Recruiting: Cases and Future of Recruiting in Japan
Following the previous article Vol.62 – Social Media in Recruiting and Job Hunting Spreading in Japan, a few examples of how social media are used in recruiting new graduates by Japanese companies are introduced in this article.
1. Case 1: Honda
When it comes to using social media in marketing such companies as UniQlo are mentioned but when it comes to using social media in recruiting new graduates, Honda needs to be mentioned.
Honda’s case is a good example to show that social media such as Facebook can be an excellent tool to communicate with new graduates around the globe with minimum cost with thorough preparation such as developing and cascading operation guidelines and encouraging employees to regularly participate.
1) What is the stance of the company in leveraging social media?
Honda has posted in their website on March 11, 2011 in Japanese saying that the company is to leverage social media, especially Facebook (and including Twitter, YouTube and UStream), to deliver information about the company online worldwide, thus the company is to open their official account of Facebook and Twitter.
Honda has been leveraging social media before March 2011 in recruiting; the company pened a Facebook Page in December 2010 called “Waigaya” for recruiting new graduates. Waigaya is the term expressing Honda’s corporate culture of everyone freely being able to express their opinion regardless of career, age etc. Facebook is the tool to realize Waigaya online.
2) Why the company decided to leverage Facebook in recruiting new graduates?
Waigawa concept has been implemented offline in the real world a few years ago in recruiting new graduates; employees (recruiters) have been meeting face-to-race new graduates and freely exchanging opinion which helped new graduates better understanding the company. However, the implementation offline in the real world exclusively would limit candidates who can benefit from Waigaya, geologically etc. This is why the company decided to implement it online leveraging Facebook.
Chat function of Facebook is used at a specific time that is decided beforehand in proactive online discussion and information/opinion sharing. The company says that there are few unhealthy comments and constructive discussion is taken place attributing to the fact that basically anonymous user is not accepted on Facebook. The company also says that there are even accesses from Japanese students studying abroad.
2. Case 2: Trenders
Trenders is a Japanese marketing company that recently became hot with the announcement that the company is to adopt “Facebook allocation” in new graduate recruiting for new graduates who are to join the company from April 2012 (i.e. recruiting started in the autumn of 2010 and offer made in Spring 2011), exclusively for active Facebook users i.e. students with over 200 Facebook friends.
1) What is “Facebook allocation” system in recruiting new graduates?
It is a system in which new graduate candidates active on Facebook (with over 200 friends) are allowed to skip earlier processes including attending the first seminar in which company information is provided, resume screening and the first interview. This means that the candidates that meet the criteria can directly start the process from the second interview if they choose to do so.
2) Why the company decided to adopt “Facebook allocation” system?
It is because according to the official announcement made after the adoption, “students with high social competency seemed to have high real communication competency as well”. That is, students with high social media literacy tend to be active in real world communities and/or have studied abroad meaning international experience. In addition, students who proactively obtained information leveraging social media were mostly highly evaluated in interviews regarding proactive self expression.
As a result, the company concludes that they succeeded in recruiting excellent new graduates with the “Facebook allocation” system.
3. Case 3: Gulliver International
Gulliver International is a Japanese leading company specialized in buying and selling used cars. The company has been leveraging Twitter.
The company opened a website aligning/co-related with Twitter called “G!G2012” http://recruit.glv.co.jp/. This is the online community for people whose Twitter accounts are opened to share information and exchange opinions. Such Twitter accounts were opened for multiple HR recruiting mangers, employees who recently joined the company and new graduates who had given the offer.
4. The author’s final thoughts
It is amazing how social media drastically started to spread in the past two years or so and although still only a few innovative, leading companies online, some companies started to leverage social media in recruiting new graduates since autumn 2010, opening the door to social recruiting. The trend is likely to speed up; in an article of Nikkei, a leading newspaper in Japan specialized in business and economy, it was mentioned that some new graduates started to say “we better be on Facebook because it seems that many HR recruiting managers are interested in knowing who are on Facebook”.
The author sees great potential in social recruiting, in recruiting new graduates and mid careers because it opens opportunities for candidates to interact with employees of the companies they are interested in other than HR recruiting managers. Also it allows HR recruiting managers to follow up during the recruiting process and after the offer is given.
Social recruiting requires “openness and transparency” both for the companies (potential employers) and candidates (potential employees), as well as developing and cascading guidelines of leveraging social media (in recruiting) for companies.
Last but not least, it is quite possible that social recruiting may trigger paradigm shift in recruiting and job hunting, and in job market mechanism.
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:-
At last a few innovative Japanese companies started to leverage social media in recruiting new graduates, including Honda that leverages Facebook and Trenders (a marketing company) allowing active Facebook user candidates to skip first few recruiting/screening process. This trend is likely to speed up, opening the door to social recruiting era requiring “openness and transparency”. Social recruiting has a great potential, triggering paradigm shift in recruiting and job hunting, and in job market mechanism.
1. Case 1: Honda
When it comes to using social media in marketing such companies as UniQlo are mentioned but when it comes to using social media in recruiting new graduates, Honda needs to be mentioned.
Honda’s case is a good example to show that social media such as Facebook can be an excellent tool to communicate with new graduates around the globe with minimum cost with thorough preparation such as developing and cascading operation guidelines and encouraging employees to regularly participate.
1) What is the stance of the company in leveraging social media?
Honda has posted in their website on March 11, 2011 in Japanese saying that the company is to leverage social media, especially Facebook (and including Twitter, YouTube and UStream), to deliver information about the company online worldwide, thus the company is to open their official account of Facebook and Twitter.
Honda has been leveraging social media before March 2011 in recruiting; the company pened a Facebook Page in December 2010 called “Waigaya” for recruiting new graduates. Waigaya is the term expressing Honda’s corporate culture of everyone freely being able to express their opinion regardless of career, age etc. Facebook is the tool to realize Waigaya online.
2) Why the company decided to leverage Facebook in recruiting new graduates?
Waigawa concept has been implemented offline in the real world a few years ago in recruiting new graduates; employees (recruiters) have been meeting face-to-race new graduates and freely exchanging opinion which helped new graduates better understanding the company. However, the implementation offline in the real world exclusively would limit candidates who can benefit from Waigaya, geologically etc. This is why the company decided to implement it online leveraging Facebook.
Chat function of Facebook is used at a specific time that is decided beforehand in proactive online discussion and information/opinion sharing. The company says that there are few unhealthy comments and constructive discussion is taken place attributing to the fact that basically anonymous user is not accepted on Facebook. The company also says that there are even accesses from Japanese students studying abroad.
2. Case 2: Trenders
Trenders is a Japanese marketing company that recently became hot with the announcement that the company is to adopt “Facebook allocation” in new graduate recruiting for new graduates who are to join the company from April 2012 (i.e. recruiting started in the autumn of 2010 and offer made in Spring 2011), exclusively for active Facebook users i.e. students with over 200 Facebook friends.
1) What is “Facebook allocation” system in recruiting new graduates?
It is a system in which new graduate candidates active on Facebook (with over 200 friends) are allowed to skip earlier processes including attending the first seminar in which company information is provided, resume screening and the first interview. This means that the candidates that meet the criteria can directly start the process from the second interview if they choose to do so.
2) Why the company decided to adopt “Facebook allocation” system?
It is because according to the official announcement made after the adoption, “students with high social competency seemed to have high real communication competency as well”. That is, students with high social media literacy tend to be active in real world communities and/or have studied abroad meaning international experience. In addition, students who proactively obtained information leveraging social media were mostly highly evaluated in interviews regarding proactive self expression.
As a result, the company concludes that they succeeded in recruiting excellent new graduates with the “Facebook allocation” system.
3. Case 3: Gulliver International
Gulliver International is a Japanese leading company specialized in buying and selling used cars. The company has been leveraging Twitter.
The company opened a website aligning/co-related with Twitter called “G!G2012” http://recruit.glv.co.jp/. This is the online community for people whose Twitter accounts are opened to share information and exchange opinions. Such Twitter accounts were opened for multiple HR recruiting mangers, employees who recently joined the company and new graduates who had given the offer.
4. The author’s final thoughts
It is amazing how social media drastically started to spread in the past two years or so and although still only a few innovative, leading companies online, some companies started to leverage social media in recruiting new graduates since autumn 2010, opening the door to social recruiting. The trend is likely to speed up; in an article of Nikkei, a leading newspaper in Japan specialized in business and economy, it was mentioned that some new graduates started to say “we better be on Facebook because it seems that many HR recruiting managers are interested in knowing who are on Facebook”.
The author sees great potential in social recruiting, in recruiting new graduates and mid careers because it opens opportunities for candidates to interact with employees of the companies they are interested in other than HR recruiting managers. Also it allows HR recruiting managers to follow up during the recruiting process and after the offer is given.
Social recruiting requires “openness and transparency” both for the companies (potential employers) and candidates (potential employees), as well as developing and cascading guidelines of leveraging social media (in recruiting) for companies.
Last but not least, it is quite possible that social recruiting may trigger paradigm shift in recruiting and job hunting, and in job market mechanism.
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:-
At last a few innovative Japanese companies started to leverage social media in recruiting new graduates, including Honda that leverages Facebook and Trenders (a marketing company) allowing active Facebook user candidates to skip first few recruiting/screening process. This trend is likely to speed up, opening the door to social recruiting era requiring “openness and transparency”. Social recruiting has a great potential, triggering paradigm shift in recruiting and job hunting, and in job market mechanism.
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