Reading "Job Hunting in Japan" (by Yohei Tsunemi)

A book published by Iwanami Shinsho in late November 2025. The subtitle is "Is New Graduate Batch Hiring 'Evil'?", but from the author's perspective as a recruiter, human resources consultant, and university faculty member, the history of job hunting (especially job hunting agreements) and answers to questions are summarized, and the content was highly insightful.
Although I am not in charge of job hunting or career support, I felt that there are many commonalities through my academic support work.
Below, focusing on Chapter 6: 'Job Hunting Support Diary at a Mid-tier Private University', are the words that particularly caught my attention (〇) and my thoughts (■).

〇 Amused by "highly conscious students" who repeat their self-promotion after saying, "Thank you for your valuable talk today" (known as 'kichohana' gratitude) during company information session Q&A sessions...
■ Working adults and middle-aged people say it too. I don't say it myself because it feels formal and vague. If I were to say it, I would want to point to something specific.

〇 Current means of matching students with companies can be broadly classified into the following four categories: "Media," "Agents," "Scouts," and "Referrals."
■ Passive students and their parents think it's only "Media." I also thought "Agents" and "Scouts" were only for big cities, but I learned about them from students' casual conversations. Furthermore, in cases where students are less active, I have seen instances where they think the university will do it for them. Note that outside of these (and as a preliminary stage), there are also permanent job hunting cafes and dialogue events, which are sometimes run by intermediaries or by one company inviting other companies. I want to keep in mind that things are diversifying and remember how each mechanism works.

〇 Interviewers have a trick for asking inappropriate questions. It is the technique of having the other person talk in a natural flow.
■ Questions like "Who do you respect?" or "What is your favorite book?" are considered off-limits in interview questions as they relate to ideology or beliefs, as is private information such as family relationships. However, if you ask the former as "What was a major experience during your university years?" and the latter as "Who do you consult with about your job hunting?", those answers might come out. As the person answering, it would be better to decide in advance how much you are willing to answer.

〇 (Meaning of career education) It is also a place to teach work rules so that students do not get involved in trouble with part-time jobs, internships, etc.
■ This is truly important. I have seen cases where hardworking students get caught up in exploitative part-time jobs, so this should be taught at the very beginning of their first year.

〇 (Guest speakers) If you are not careful, you end up in a state of "being forced to listen to a talk about a company I'm not interested in."
〇 It is necessary to use that talk as a hook to get them to think about it as their own issue.
■ I agree wholeheartedly. If a class session is a talk by the president of a company you don't know, the difference in what you gain depends on whether you think you don't have to listen properly or whether you think you'll try to take something away from it because they are giving it their all for one session. The talk by the president of Murata Boring at the end of the year is exactly this.

〇 Job hunting consultations sometimes develop into life consultations.
■ The "consultation room for failed credits" was the same, so I feel like, "I knew it." I consider it an opportunity for self-disclosure that they haven't been able to do until now.

〇 (Entry sheets) Even more common are air words like "very," "extremely," "quite," "greatly".
■ I understand the sentiment, but since it's not specific, it lacks persuasiveness and becomes blurry when received. I want to include quantification or comparisons to place it in a recognizable position.

〇 However, everyone has a desire to change and grow. By lighting a fire there, students grow and make career choices they are satisfied with.
■ The academic support I am in charge of is the same. The time when they are feeling confused is the chance (ignition), and I have seen many cases where they take a step forward (spread of fire) after seeing a student who has grown and thinking, 'I want to try that too.' I believe my role is to discern that and create opportunities to push them forward. And once I confirm that their feelings are leaning forward, it is also important to say, 'There are risks like this too' (pouring cold water) to make them resolve themselves.