Social media may be a big part of people’s daily lives in Japan, but it remains the least favoured way to find a new job according to a poll conducted by recruiting experts, Hays.
“Our latest Hays poll reveals that the highest proportion of respondents in Japan (40 per cent) rely on online job boards to find a job while 35 per cent turn to personal networking,” says Marc Burrage, Managing Director of Hays in Japan.
“Japan has among the world’s highest internet connection speeds making ‘job shopping’ online easier than in many countries, but it’s interesting to see that personal networks still rank above virtual networks when it comes to job hunting,” says Marc.
“Research released late last year revealed that nearly 69 million people in Japan have at least one active social media account, but only 25 per cent of respondents in our latest Hays poll turn to social to look for a new job opportunity,” he says.
“Job boards are a great way to get an overview of what roles and skills are in demand, but personal networks offer a way to hear about a job before it’s advertised as well as to learn about the work culture of an employer from someone with inside knowledge.”
“Recruitment consultants should be part of a candidate’s personal networking efforts as they can offer insights on both, market trends and what opportunities are coming to the market. They are also able to share tips about what employers are looking for in their next hire,” says Marc.
Half of the candidates polled in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Malaysia nominated job boards as their preferred job hunting option while in Singapore, the figure was 45 per cent.
Personal networking was the second most favoured option for job hunters in Malaysia (39 per cent), Hong Kong (34 per cent), Mainland China (32 per cent) and Singapore (31 per cent).
Across the region, Malaysia has the lowest proportion of job hunters that use social media at 11 per cent. In Singapore, 24 per of respondents reported using social media to job hunt while in Mainland China and Hong Kong, the figures were 18 per and 16 per cent respectively.
The poll was conducted online at www.hays.co.jp between June and September 2017