University of Tokyo asks firms to stop pressuring job-hunting students

perceived as harassment

You think. What a bizarre way to do things.

Personally speaking here, any person that is influenced into following along with these practices is not the brightest star in the sky. I would also think that just because they were "smart" enough to get into Todai, they are pretty damn "dumb" when it comes to common sense and thinking for themselves.

I'd rather hire someone from a "lower" university who has more initiative and willingness to learn, than someone who thinks they know everything already, just because they graduated from "Todai".

as companies compete fiercely to secure employees amid a chronic salary shortage

In the worst cases, students are ordered to call other companies on the spot to declare that they will no longer consider finding jobs with them or sign a document promising to join a particular company if they wish to receive an informal employment offer from it, according to the experts.

By acknowledging this issue exist Tokyo University step into right direction. Most Japanese universities they have career office that can teach Japanese students to prepare do job hunting. They can give information about this kind harassment to students in order, so students can refuse being pressurize to join those harasser companies.

At the end those harassment come from company recruiters that need to meet their target by doing harassment.

Isn't it just a "brand worship", like collecting Luis Vuitton bags? My take is: those companies give priority to risk aversion through safe choice of new recruits.

The statement also urged companies to instruct their employees in charge of recruitment not to engage in sexual harassment by "taking advantage of the weakness of students wishing to secure jobs."

thats something new! Havent heard about this crazy fact yet! Insane!

would also think that just because they were "smart" enough to get into Todai, they are pretty damn "dumb" when it comes to common sense and thinking for themselves.

well, its easy to judge being born into western world country and being broughtup in the culture of freedom but Japanese culture mostly is narcissistic and abusive and doesnt nurture being wise, brave and secure. its in schools, in universities and most of all in families so i wonder if you would be put in the same life path how would your psyche shaped out or do you claim to be a superhuman?)

getting into Todai takes most of the time memorizing probably, studying and learning, it doesnt necessarily mean you develop in other ways like psychologically, interpersonally wise, spiritually or even culturally. So when cruel life challenges strike very book smart people can easily be like helpless children. Another thing is those hardworking smart young Japanese may be really under pressure to find a job asap due to carious financial reasons so they probably get somewhat swayed.

The pressure takes various forms, such as obliging students who have received informal job offers to frequently attend social gatherings, endure long hours of job training or participate in study trips

if a company is already this bossy when you are not even their employee yet imagine what awaits you further. Run for your life.

Hope young smart Todai Japanese will be wise and careful and discerning enough when choosing a company. its similar to finding a life partner- you choose wisely you get a lifetime of happiness, you choose blindly hastily you live a life of hell.

Japanese companies sadly, do not offer the best opportunities nor the competitive salaries that other foreign companies do.

If companies in Japan feel the need to restrict graduates from better opportunities then they are not the right companies to be employed at.

How about companies compete by offering higher pay, shorter hours, better benefits, and better work-life balance (eg family time, taking care of kids, creating own schedules, leaving when their hours are supposed to end).

History keeps repeating

The place I use to work at back home will NOT allow the opposite sex to interview applying employees, and there must be a minimum of two people conducting the interview, HR staff plus the area general manager.

And this was more than 35 years ago.

The government doesn't make all these dirty tactics illegal so the universities to had to fill the gap to protect their students. But it will fall on deaf ears without any enforcement backing it.

Back in my day, companies would also require a "one per student" reference letter from the universities. They do everything except providing a modern work environment and globally competitive salaries.

antifunToday 08:57 pm JST

The government doesn't make all these dirty tactics illegal so the universities to had to fill the gap to protect their students. But it will fall on deaf ears without any enforcement backing it.

univesrsities can do counseling or seminars dedicated to work hunting dangers.

There is a chronic labor shortage no doubt but Japanese companies really need to come to the realization that there is also a brain drain especially involving Japanese graduates that can speak languages other than Japanese, they’re leaving Japan for higher pay in western countries where work benefits are also considerably better rather than the constrictive, rule-saturated, and sometimes monotonous work environment prevalent in Japanese firms. Many of my own Japanese colleagues that graduated from Kyoto university that were lucky to get jobs elsewhere in Europe and North America couldn’t fathom coming back to work in Japan after experiencing the work culture there.

Personally speaking here, any person that is influenced into following along with these practices is not the brightest star in the sky

@Yubaru - I think you are wrong there - they are playing to human psychology, and the same will influence a student from a top university as a lower ranked one.

If you get an offer from a blue chip or even a mid-tier employer for a graduate job, but they say the offer is only open for five days, you have to make a call - is the bird in the hand worth two in the bush?

Given that humans are naturally risk averse, most would take security. It has nothing to do with being a dimmer star.

If you choose to reject their demand and don't get a job, you're just another unemployed graduate, how "bright" you think that star is.

getting into Todai takes most of the time memorizing probably, studying and learning, it doesnt necessarily mean you develop in other ways like psychologically, interpersonally wise, spiritually or even culturally. So when cruel life challenges strike very book smart people can easily be like helpless children.

In my experience of Japanese who have gone to top universities, they tend to be very talented people, rather than just memory machines.

I was pressured into accepting an informal job offer by the HR drones at my first job after college. They acted like it was a bigger deal than it really was. Their goal was to get as many college graduates to "accept" before they created any offer paperwork. In the HR world, there's some important ratio about job offers/job acceptance that gets used in the "how desirable" metric for a company. They want 100%, if they can force it.

The guy doing the offer work was never involved in anything else the entire time I worked there.

About 3 weeks after I'd started working, another company who I would have loved to work for made an offer. The grass is always greener, I suppose. Both companies had very interesting work, in my field. Most of my work life was pretty great and had interesting projects. I can only imagine what it would have been like had I switched to the other company. Most of their work was "black" and seldom public knowledge.

In my experience of Japanese who have gone to top universities, they tend to be very talented people, rather than just memory machines.

sorry if i expressed my thoughts in a wrong way. I understand Todai people are talented but in my opinion to get there youd still needs lits of time dedicated to studying, like looots of time, and i think it deprives of other important experiences and knowledge.

Well, I didnt mean that all of them are like that, but I think that many are not prepared to face cruel ‘adult world’ reality. Maybe Im wrong, let it be :)

If a company treats you like that before you even start working there, that's quite the harbinger of things to come. It sounds like those kids are in such high demand, it's not like they wouldn't have other options.

If I accepted a job and then they started in with all that crap, that's probably where I say "Mmmmm yeah, I'm gonna have to go ahead and tell you to go F*** yourself, m-kay?"

The statement also urged companies to instruct their employees in charge of recruitment not to engage in sexual harassment by "taking advantage of the weakness of students wishing to secure jobs."

Well, that just sounds like there are some Harvey Weinstein fans out there. Too bad. That's a really stupid way to lose your job.

Anyway, "urged companies"? How about just enforce the law? If they mess up, apply the law!

here today to-dai tomorrow

If a company is behaving that badly towards you before you join them, you can be sure that it will treat you like complete crap for the rest of your working life. Avoid them. A labour shortage means that potential employees have a stronger hand and don't have to put up with such behaviour from potential employers.

stop pressuring job-hunting students

A very quick and easier way to weed out potential hires, every company at every job fair in Japan should post the salaries at their booths.

The salary signs should be large and easy to see from a distance. Then you'll quickly see how short the lines will be at these fairs, and the potential hires won't be wasting their time either.

Labor shortage..............please stop using this term. It's pay shortage, plain and simple.

Companies should not coerce interviewees, candidates, or applicants in any way. They should be honest and open about the opportunity they are offering and allow the person to ask questions and give truthful answers. Salary ranges should be clearly available and accurate. Any company that purposely discourages a person from completing his education or from pursuing further education in order to take a job should be disqualified from the job fair. Graduating students should realize that they are in a seller's market and take advantage of it.

These companies approach hiring like sports drafts. They want informal commitments, so they can know who not to waste time on because they do not want to be embarrassed or understaffed.

This is where a sports agent or header hunter perhaps would be useful for new graduates to help students get the best deal.

Even for really intelligent young graduates, choosing a the wrong first company can really set a person back in terms of life plans.

If your university degree is of real relevance in the economy, you should act like overconfident about your job of choice, my favorite is entrepreneur role because i get to be free to let go what doesn't fit my expectations, calling someone boss? Are you nuts?