Hiring New Graduates in Japan and “Character”

Abstract

In Japan, the main recruitment method is hiring of new school graduates. Japanese companies attach importance to “character” when hiring new graduates. Why is “character” so important? This study aims to provide a hypothesis. The reason of the overriding importance attached to “character” in new graduate recruitment is the fact that Japanese companies see new graduates as human resources who can be developed as their companions to work with for the long term. “Character” has two aspects: character as a driving force for growth and character as a driving force for development. Skill can be learned later and anyone can acquire knowledge. However, character as a driving force for growth cannot be developed in a short time. Japanese companies develop new graduates primarily through OJT (On the Job Training). This requires hard work. Hence, new graduates should make their superiors and seniors “feel willing to develop them” even at the cost of time.Repositioning Vol.1(1) 2016: 53-62