(Sankei: November 4, 2015 – p. 2)
It looks like the start date for the corporate screening of university students will be changed next year to June.
The date was just revised this year from April, the traditional month for screening, to August, but this is now being changed again. There must be many students who are confused by these repeated shifts in the job-hunting schedule.
Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) moved the start date to August this year to give students more time to focus on their academic work; however, Keidanren was roundly criticized because “the job-hunting period was actually longer.” It is said that Keidanren is trying to reduce the burden on students by moving the date up to June.
However, companies’ failure to follow the guidelines is what prolonged job hunting. If these “violations of the start date for screening activities” are not addressed, the same thing will happen again. It is unacceptable for students to be further pushed around in this manner.
This time, the business community must work together to ensure all companies comply with the date set for initiating corporate screening activities.
Keidanren Chairman Sadayuki Sakakibara has indicated his intention to quickly finalize the decision to move the corporate screening of new graduates to June, saying that “improvements that need to be made will be made” to the guidelines for corporate recruiting activities. The new guidelines are expected to take effect from next year, which means they will impact students who are currently in their third year of university.
Keidanren moved the start date for corporate screenings, including interviews, to August at the request of the government. The aim was to alleviate the job-hunting burden on students as much as possible and to make it easier for them to have time for their academic work. The aim itself was good.
In fact, however, corporations were very eager to hire as the economy was moving toward recovery, and many companies started interviewing in April as they had in the past. In the end, corporate screening activities lasted until August, resulting in a longer job-hunting season for students.
The upcoming revision must be done to reduce the burden on students. It is critical, however, that all companies comply with the timing of the corporate screening this time.
Not only Keidanren members but also nonmember companies, including foreign-affiliated firms and IT companies, should be urged to comply. With the cooperation of universities and others, publicly posting the names of companies that do not comply should be considered. All of society must join hands to take a harsh stance on this.
We would also like to see companies fully shift from the current practice of mass hiring new graduates to year-round hiring. The reason that so many companies violated the start date this year is because they had a labor shortage and were rushing to nail down agreements with the best students as soon as possible.
To secure the best employees, however, companies should recruit people with a wide range of experience, including those who have studied overseas and midcareer professionals. That will also strengthen companies’ corporate competitiveness. This whole matter brings into question the degree to which individual companies are aware of this truth.
