Magazine Coverage(2002-2003)

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J@pan Inc Magazine - September 2003

“Searching for the Perfect Manager“

Author: “John Dodd”

Foreign companies in Japan need advanced technology, IP assets and, especially, solid employees: bilingual, bicultural and driven to succeed. But does such a "perfect" combination exist?

DESPITE A SHORT POST-IRAQ war market recovery that saw the Nikkei stock index peak at 9,990 (closing level) in July this year, the rally has since faltered, and Japanese consumers continue to keep their purses closed and either pay down their debts or set aside some savings for an uncertain future. Managers of Japanese and foreign companies all over Japan are now faced with the reality that there is going to be no easy return to reasonable profits -- and that improving the business is going to be through single-minded focus on the key internal issues of staff performance, technical assets and execution of the business, plus brand power or intellectual property rights.

Is Japan a basket case for foreign companies, or is there still hope? The answer is that for those companies that understand the changes taking place, the pickings are still good. After a substantial set back two years ago, IT companies are once again starting to see business growth -- particularly in the ERP, CRM, and SCM industries -- so long as they can save their Japanese clients’ money. The typical savings resulting from a small- to medium-sized ERP implementation is about 10 to 20 percent due to the inherent costs of running a company in the Japanese style. Thus, if the client is doing $100 million or more in sales, then even a 10 percent cost saving is a huge benefit to the bottom line and worth the investment in the software.

The key to successful recruiting online is a combination of exposure, brand name (of your company) and proper presentation of your vacancies. As Richard Bysouth, CEO of CareerCross, a leading bilingual Internet job site, points out, "I am often asked what makes the difference between an effective recruitment campaign and an unsuccessful one. Of course, there are many reasons, but one of the most important things to remember is that a well-written job description, posted in both English and Japanese, will generally receive the most appropriate replies. The best applicants, especially Japanese nationals, want to know as much about a position and the company as possible -- after all, if they are good at their job, they are generally well looked after and will only make a move if they feel it will be a good career move."

GAIA Magazine - May 2003 (Japanese Only)

最適な仕事と人材を探せるインターネット求人情報

ギルバート(以下ケントG)
御社はインターネットを利用した求人情報を運営しているそうですね。

リチャード
はい、最近は外資系企業を始め、多くの企業様にとって語学力を持つ人材が必要となっています。ただ実際にそのような人材を探すのは難しく、 コストが高いのが現状です。当社は国内最大のバイリンガルサイトとして、仕事経験と語学力を備えた求職者が多数利用していますので、 効果的かつリーズナブルに採用活動を行って頂くことができます。

ケントG
おもしろいサービスですね。具体的な内容を教えて頂けますか。

リチャード
企業様にお申し込みを頂きますと、即日中に求人情報をHPに掲載します。同時にその仕事を希望している求職者に、Eメールで配信しますので 的確に情報が届きます。求職者が履歴書を公開し、企業様側から直接連絡を取ることができるレジュメバンクも即日から利用して頂けます。 その他にもバナー広告や企業様を詳しく紹介する注目企業紹介などもありますので、求人情報と併せてご利用頂くと効果的です。 またサイトは日英二カ国語ですから幅広い求人が可能です。

ケントG
仲介やヘッドハンティングではないので、企業の利益に左右されない公平な情報が得られますね。

リチャード
私どもは企業様と求職者の意見を基に、ユーザーフレンドリーなサイト運営を心掛けています。経済のグローバル化に伴い、外資系企業を始め 多くの企業様が語学力を持つ人材を必要としています。しかし、現状ではそのような情報は少なく、それは企業様だけではなく求職者にもいえること でしょう。当社独自のマーケティング・PR活動と豊富な経験を生かし、双方の情報不足を補いたいと考えています。企業様は優秀な人材の確保、 求職者は好条件での就職が今よりもいい形で実現できるように、更なる質の向上に努力していきたいです。

ケントG
企業と求職者にとって最良のサービスを提供するキャリアクロスジャパン。今後も頑張って下さい。

J@pan Inc Magazine - April 2003

"Recruiting"

Author: Stuart Braun

Amid a worsening recession, rising unemployment and failed economic reforms, Japan’s recruitment and human resources industry is still finding ways to exploit the world’s second biggest economy.

AMID A WORSENING ECONOMIC recession, rising unemployment and failed economic reforms, Japan’s recruitment and human resources industry is still finding ways to exploit the world’s second biggest economy. A continuing downturn in the Japanese labor market has forced HR companies to reevaluate and improve their strategic approach to staffing and executive recruitment. They are now seeking to transcend domestic barriers by integrating more fully in the global marketplace, forging closer associations with foreign firms and an expanding pool of bilingual candidates.

"Clients are hiring fewer people, so competition in the market amongst recruiting firms is more severe." The point is reiterated by Richard Bysouth, CEO of CareerCross, an online job board, who says that over the last few years "we have seen some big changes" in the job market in Japan. "The global downturn and the events of 9/11," continues Bysouth, "has meant a drastic cutback in hiring, with many companies basically going on hiring freezes. Even though there is still a big need for people with both English and Japanese language abilities and good skill sets, companies are a lot more concerned in finding exactly the right person and doing it as economically and effectively as possible."

CareerCross Japan’s Richard Bysouth similarly describes his firm’s attempt to address a gap in the recruitment market in Japan. "Having worked as a recruiter in Japan for many years, I had first hand experience of how few resources there were available for both direct hiring companies and recruiters to try and find skilled and experienced staff who had fluency in both English and Japanese. The options available were expensive, unwieldy and most of all, not well-targeted. With the rapid increase in popularity of the Internet at that time and the success of other online job boards overseas, creating a web-based recruiting medium that focused on the needs of the Japanese bilingual job market seemed an obvious answer." By staying "very focused" on the bilingual job market -- the CareerCross site is fully bilingual -- Bysouth says CareerCross have been not only been able to stay successful, but have been able to ride out the "dot bomb" phenomenon. "Since we started CareerCross we have grown into one of biggest, if not the biggest, of the online job boards for bilinguals in Japan, which is quite an achievement in this subdued market."

Many, including Bysouth of CareerCross, believe that the recruitment market in Japan is indeed beginning to mature and evolve. "Many of the big name, global recruitment companies have established a localized presence in Japan," he says, "while the shake out among the smaller, homegrown ones has meant that those left over are generally very focused on a particular area or industry." He does not see a return to the days of big expat salaries and almost constant hiring, but believes there will always be a need for good, experienced professionals who have ability in both languages.