Companies should change hiring procedures for new graduates
(From The Japan Times February 13 issue)

新卒一括にとらわれず採用の見直しを

With university graduation ceremonies coming up, at least one-third of graduating students will have little reason to celebrate. Only two-thirds have found jobs, the lowest percentage since 1996, the first year official records were kept. In light of the low number of new hires, companies should take this chance to reconsider their hiring procedures and initiate changes, especially their obsession with hiring only new graduates.

The social and psychological pressure on students to get a job starts too early and lasts too long. Nowadays, students start the rounds of job fairs and resume-writing workshops at the start of their third year of college. The series of explanatory lectures, interviews and exams required by most companies is exhausting and intense.

To keep up, most students have to skip lots of classes and ignore their studies at that point in their education when they should be acquiring higher-level thinking and specialized skills.

Some forward-looking companies have started to shift their attitude. Mizuho Bank, Takashimaya and Dai-ichi Life Insurance have all stated that they will give equal consideration to any student who graduated within three years. If more companies followed suit, students could actually focus on their studies without outside distractions, until they are finished. After graduation, students could mature by acquiring basic work skills and life experience in real-world settings at internships, voluntary work or cultural exchanges. At the very least, companies might consider this a cheap way to outsource their training in interpersonal skills.

Without a broad, varied and extended education while young, meeting the demands of adult employment becomes more difficult. The easily instituted, highly sensible policy of delaying pressure for three years after graduation would benefit companies and students alike.

今春卒業予定の大学生の内定率は1996年以来最低で全体の3分の2。企業は新卒採用へのこだわりを捨て、雇用の改革を進めるべきだ。大学生は3年から企業説明会や就職講座に参加、高次の思考や専門技能を習得すべき時期に学びをおろそかにする。

みずほ銀行や高島屋など一部の企業は卒業後3年間を新卒扱いすると発表した。この流れが強まれば、在学中は勉学に専念し、卒後にインターンやボランティアで基本的な業務能力や人生経験を得られる。企業は対人能力養成を社外で安く済ませる方法と考えられるのではないか。若いうちに奥深く幅広い教育を受けなければ、社会人として雇用の要求を満たすことは難しくなる。就職のプレッシャーを卒後3年まで延ばすという策を採用すれば、企業も学生も恩恵を受けるだろう。