Students attend a job fair held in Tokyo in December.
PHOTO BY TARO FUJIMOTO

Companies angry over thoughtless students amid economic downturn

As the global economic downturn hammers Japan, Japanese companies have cut back on their hiring of new graduates. Some have retracted job offers and have come under heavy media criticism for it. However, it is actually those in charge of hiring at some companies who are really angry.

“The current job situation is shifting from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market, and students are aware of this,” said a human resource (HR) worker for a major electric appliance manufacture. “You hear a lot about a few companies which retracted job offers, but in the last hiring season, only half of the 200 students to whom we gave job offers, finally decided to work with us. The rest changed their mind.”

In the past few years, college students have enjoyed the so-called “seller’s market” where it was relatively easily for them to get job offers due to the massive retirement of the baby boom generation. The situation, however, has changed and companies are carefully hiring students amid the current economic downturn.

One HR person for a trading company said students these days lack common sense. “Just after we made a job offer to a graduate, he replied to us by email via his mobile phone, saying, ’ I didn’t know I would have to work abroad for a few years at your company. I’m actually not good at English. So I’ll have to decline your job offer.’ His email message ended with an emoticon showing a character bowing.”

Another HR person for an apparel company said some students are arrogant during job interviews. “During an interview, a female student asked the interviewers: ‘Is your company really a fun place to work at? Tell me what staff do for fun.’”

Meanwhile, a worker for the HR department at a food company complained: “A male student arrogantly said to us, ‘How can you understand what I’m really like after a 15-minute interview?’”

Why do some students behave like that? HR consultant Takanori Fujikawa said students don’t take communication seriously due to the Internet. “Since 2000, the Internet has become the standard communication tool for students and companies. The situation, however, has made students take the way they communicate with companies less seriously. In the past two years, the number of students who declined job offer has increased by 20%.” (Translated by Taro Fujimoto)

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Latest 15 of 66 Total Comments Show All

Nessie at 05:15 PM JST - 21st January

how CAN they tell from a 15 minute interview?

If they were looking for inner beauty, they'd have brought the colonoscope. But they save that for round two.
Deepinside at 05:52 PM JST - 21st January

THE TEACHER; yes you can go late at home at any time we are not against this, the estudents: may we see our children only in the weekend,because working 15 and 16 hours per day,there´s no time to see the family?

THE TEACHER: yes,only in the weekend,that was a good idea, let me write it down in a note for the future..

The students: we are happy about you said.Arigato Teacher..
xample1 at 11:24 AM JST - 22nd January

The companies want new hires to act like retarded children but actually be intelligent. No wonder it's so hard to screen them.

Exactly.

I've appeared in many job interviews and those guys want you to answer all questios in standard japanese ways; shout on top of your voice even when the interviewer is right in front of you. It really sucks if you are a foreigner. You are not expected to ask questions related to the working conditions. If I want fun why not ask if I can enjoy myself while working?
PepinGalarga at 12:13 PM JST - 22nd January

Graduates or even non-graduates have a choice now. They can work a "baito" and get paid hourly, low pressure, and work flexible hours, and still make $20,000-$30,000 a year easily. They can still take time off, vacation, etc etc.

or, they can work 70-90 hours a week, with no free time, plenty of unpaid overtime, no sick leave, extreme pressure from, peers, no vacation, no perks, and they can get fired anytime anyway.

I would pick the first option. no need for employers to take things so personally. They need to provide a more flexible work environment.

already the part time workforce is more than 30%. If things dont change this percentage will keep increasing.
tmarie at 02:28 PM JST - 22nd January

She had to knee down like when one needs to beg in front of each of the guys and ask for forgiveness ...

NO she didn't. She could have told them to screw off and walk out. No one forced her to stay there and do that except herself. And it is BECAUSE she did such a thing that they will continue to do it in the future to others.
jonnyboy at 03:58 PM JST - 22nd January

this is encouraging news that the culture of wage slavery might be slowing. hopefully population decline will force employers to actually offer something to their employees rather than expecting a steady stream of drones who will put up and shut up
noborito at 07:26 PM JST - 22nd January

Education in Japan is not designed to let children think. I often call University students children. Never would do this overseas, but all to often do I see children at the station. Perhaps their mothers and fathers will go back to their schools and complain that they didn't raise their children good enough. As that is the job of teachers in Japan to raise their children.
PepinGalarga at 08:58 PM JST - 22nd January

i have been in interviews with japanese companies and the athmosphere was pleasant. Its just that there was a double standard of me having to know more Japanese than even my Japanese peers.

They would expect me to read the Nikkei shimbun, when the average college graduate in Japan cannot even read the Shukan Post.

i do agree with Tmarie on that anecdote. makes no sense to bow down to those idiots. good she didnt work there.
kurisutofu at 10:31 AM JST - 23rd January

She had to knee down like when one needs to beg in front of each of the >>>>guys and ask for forgiveness ...

NO she didn't. She could have told them to screw off and walk out. No one >>forced her to stay there and do that except herself. And it is BECAUSE >>she did such a thing that they will continue to do it in the future to others.

Well, it seems the guy had his hand on her shoulder to "help her" bow ... Off course she should have left without doing that but well ... she's a japanese girl ^_^; (no offense, if one reads that)

Hearing that story made me think of a yakuza movie ... and off course, I don't know what is exagerated, I just report it as I heard it, don't know more details.
tmarie at 10:50 AM JST - 23rd January

She could have left and gone to the police. However that would have taken time and effort so... take the easy way out.
WillB at 07:22 PM JST - 23rd January

Well, it seems the guy had his hand on her shoulder to "help her" bow ...

Well she could have made a great move and finished him with a Ippon !

Seriously I wonder how those recruiters would manage with european students. I heard so many incredible interview stories here ^^ Those two exemples just looks like common things... J companies, it's (really) time to change.
Alphaape at 07:41 PM JST - 24th January

Another HR person for an apparel company said some students are arrogant during job interviews. “During an interview, a female student asked the interviewers: ‘Is your company really a fun place to work at? Tell me what staff do for fun.’”

Here's a memo for the young lady: Sure it is nice to work in an environment that is relaxing and nice to spend 8-10 hours a day; but I have learned that when it comes to fun, that is something that I do at home and with people that I do not work with. Build relationships that are pleasant at work, but keep your private and "fun stuff" out of the office. That way she will not have to worry about her business being office gossip.
airrunwesker at 10:51 AM JST - 25th January

"What does our staff do for fun"? Does not compute! Please re-submit the question...
Mayuki at 02:16 PM JST - 25th January

"Arrogance" and "pride" are words that often get confused with "individualism" and "confidence" in Japan.

Well observed.
kurisutofu at 02:03 PM JST - 26th January

Before I came to Japan, I studied japanese a little in a school and the teacher "trained" us to take interviews in Japan. She told us to never use "I" or even things like "My tasks were ...". She said we should focus on what the companies we worked for taught us and why we were grateful we had the opportunity to be employed there ... At that time, I thought she only had a bad experience in her country ...