Why Use a Recruitment Agency in Japan and How

As a foreigner in Japan, when you are looking to change jobs, you might consider using a recruitment agency to support you. Recruitment Agencies are increasingly popular these days for both companies and job seekers. They work as looking for suitable candidates for vacant positions in companies. They post these job descriptions on their website or network to attract candidates, or keep positions private if needed.

When recruitment agencies have found a potential match between the candidate and the job description, they will plan an introduction to the client company. If the company considers the candidate appropriate for the vacant position, he or she will get the job offer.

There are both general and specialized recruitment agencies. A general one handles various job positions regardless of industry or job type while a specialized one is familiar with certain industries and occupations. With many recruitment agencies available, should you use them, and how to use them?

Benefits of using recruitment agencies In Japan

Free of charge

As recruitment agencies only charge the company side after a successful job recommendation, you can use their service for free.

Introduce a job that suits you

Before any job introduction, recruitment agencies will talk with you about why want to change a job and your expectations of the new career, the new company and the new life, so that they are able to find a job right for you based on this information. Compared with being introduced blindly, you are more likely to avoid failure recruitments such as realizing the new job different from your expectations and so on.

Even there are cases that recruitment agencies may recommend you not to change your job after talking with you. They always think the best for job seekers.

Adjust your resume and Shokumukeirekisho

Unlike resumes in many other countries, Japanese resumes do not include your past job scope and achievements in previous companies. Instead, a Shokumukeirekisho is written to indicate career histories and achievements.

We all know how much a successful resume and Shokumukeirekisho means for finding a job. According to their deep understanding of the target company and rich experience in job introduction, recruitment agencies can help you adjust your resume to look more attractive and more suitable for the position which will surely increase your pass rate.

Do salary negotiation and interview scheduling for you

If you are still occupied with a job, you may hope that there is someone to communicate with the target company and do all the interview scheduling thing for you. Or you may hope someone to negotiate salary with the target company instead as it is always difficult to express your real expectation to a future employer. Recruitment agencies can do all this for you without any cost.

Difference Between recruitment agencies and recruitment websites

There are also plenty of recruitment websites you may make use of. Both are free and convenient services to find a job, however there are clear differences in their mechanism and service content. With knowledge of their differences you can choose to use one or both of them at the same time.

Recruitment agencies In Japan

Recruitment agencies will introduce a suitable job for you. There are not only jobs public on the Internet, but also a lot of private vacancies directly from companies. Especially those vacant key positions, whose exist should be hidden from rivals, usually won't be posted publicly but requested to recruitment agencies instead. So there are chances for you to be introduced to these well-paid positions.

Moreover, Recruitment agencies support you from the beginning to entering a company, including the resume and salary negotiation and so on.

Recruitment websites

Extensive job vacancies are posted and updated on recruitment websites, which are all public vacancies of course. You can search for jobs on recruitment websites and contact the company for application if any interested. You may also receive a scout email from a company if you uploaded your profile to the website. After the application, preparing a resume, interviewing, negotiating should be done by yourself.

How to use a recruitment agency?

The flow of using a recruitment agency to find a job is as follows:

Registration

Choose a recruitment agency and register your profile to it on the Internet. The profile usually includes necessary information such as educational background, work history, and desired annual income, etc. The more details on your work history like what kind of projects you have been in charge of and how you completed them, the deeper the recruitment agency may know you and find a more suitable job for you.

A few days after registration, you will get contact from a career advisor by phone or email, in which a face to face consultation will be scheduled.

Consultation and job introduction

The consultation normally lasts an hour and focuses on your desired lifestyle, career expectations and companies, etc. If you have any doubt about the job hunting, you can also talk with the career advisor on the spot.

Based on all your information, you may be introduced to a public or private job vacancy on the spot or later.

Job application and interview

Once you have decided to apply for the job been introduced, you will come to the process of making a resume and Shokumukeirekisho. As mentioned before, the career advisor will help you revise them and make them more attractive.

Some recruitment agencies may also write a recommendation letter for you to increase the document screening pass rate. Or they may tell you the frequently asked questions of your target company or even do a simulated interview and advise how to answer.

Job offer and entrance

If you passed the document screening and interviews of the target company, you will receive a job offer. From then, the recruitment agency may negotiate work start date, salary and annual income with the company for you.

Some recruitment agencies may also give you advice on how to resign from the current company well.