There is a high demand for recruiter positions in Japan due to the country’s known labour shortages. Foreign worker recruitment jobs in Japan in particular that require bilingual prowess are widely available.
Interested in working in Japan? A job in hiring, recruitment or staffing is an option available to you. Learn more about recruitment in Japan and how to begin this new career.
First Published: 2021-07-12
Updated: 2024-07-19
Table of Contents
- A Look at Recruitment in Japan
- Working as a Recruiter in Japan
- Requirements of Recruitment Jobs in Japan
- Recruiter Salary in Japan
- Find Recruitment Jobs in Japan via WeXpats
Are you having any issues with job-hunting in Japan?
A Look at Recruitment in Japan
Japan is known for its labour shortage problem caused by a low birth rate and ageing population. To resolve this issue, Japan has looked to foreign talent to fill the labour void. This is where the recruitment industry comes in and has drastically grown. There is a high demand for recruiters with bilingual proficiency in Japan, so if you are looking to work or change careers in Japan, you can consider becoming a recruiter.
Types of Recruiter Jobs in Japan
The main responsibility of a recruiter is to match job vacancies with human resources. There are several types of recruiters in Japan, such as:
- In-House Recruiter: Employees of a company, usually belonging to the human resource department, tasked with bringing in talented individuals for vacant positions in the company.
- Recruitment Agency: Recruiters with recruitment agencies are intermediaries between hiring companies and jobseekers.
- Headhunter: Recruiters that specialise in matching high-level position vacancies with highly-talented and experienced individuals
Read more about Japanese Recruitment Agencies here.
Recruiter Positions in Japan
Recruiter is a pretty general term for the position. When finding a job in recruitment, look out for these other titles that can mean recruiter or have similar roles and responsibilities:
- Headhunter
- Recruitment Specialist
- Career Consultant
- Career Adviser
- Talent Sourcing Specialist
Writer's Pick
Working as a Recruiter in Japan
Knowledge of Japan’s Job-Hunting Scene and Employment Laws
As a recruiter in Japan, it is important to have the basic knowledge of how job-hunting works in Japan as well as basic employment laws. Not only should you be well-versed enough to answer job-seekers’ questions, but to ensure you are recommending a proper job that adheres to laws and regulations. This goes a long way to building up your reputation as a recruiter.
Here are some useful topics to study up on:
- Job-Hunting in Japan for International Students
- How to Change Jobs in Japan
- Working Hours in a Typical Japanese Work Week
- Social Insurance in Japan
What are the day-to-day tasks in the life of a recruiter?
No two days are the same in the life of a recruiter. Your duties may include:
Matching job positions and candidates including
- Resume reviewing
- Scheduling interviews
- Preparing candidates for interview
- Updating hiring companies on stage of recruitment
- Talent search on different avenues like LinkedIn, Jobstreet, and similar interfaces
Marketing
- Networking
- Branding and advertising strategy
- Talent attraction or headhunting
What are the difficulties of being a recruiter?
The most common difficulties as a recruiter are attracting the right talent, persuading qualified candidates, speed, and taking rejection. Not to worry, most of these are solvable with the right mindset and flexibility in trying new ways of recruiting.
Do note that some recruitment companies set recruiter quotas or Key Performance Indicators (KPI) which can make the job particularly stressful, so make sure to inquire during the interview stage.
What makes one a good recruiter?
A good recruiter is said to possess the following qualities:
- Empathy
- Open mindedness
- Time management skills
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Research skills
It is very important for a recruiter to provide a good experience to jobseekers, whether or not a job match is made. An unsuccessful match in the present does not mean the same for the future. A good experience will bring clients back. Provide useful feedback to both a candidate and the hiring organisation. When rejecting a candidate, offer points for improvement and be open to any questions.
Requirements of Recruitment Jobs in Japan
Each company will have their own set of requirements, but these are the general requirements.
Educational Background
A Bachelor’s degree in a human-resources related field is usually required for recruiter positions. Other common academic backgrounds include business administration or psychology.
Work Experience
Relevant work experience is helpful to finding a job but not strictly necessary. It is possible to find and land a recruitment job without prior recruitment experience.
Language Skills
As a bilingual recruiter, fluency in a foreign language in addition to minimum business level Japanese proficiency is highly desirable.
Communication Skills
Strong communication skills are essential for recruiters whose most important task is linking hiring companies with job candidates. It is important to understand both the company’s and candidate’s needs, which is only possible through communication.
Recruiter Salary in Japan
The average salary for recruiters in Japan varies greatly from company to company, with annual salaries ranging from 3 to 7 million yen per year for full-time positions. It is said that the average salary for the first 2 years is around 4 million yen a year.
The biggest factor for salary earned is incentive payments. Many recruitment agencies and companies profit from receiving successful job matching fees from companies. As such, they offer incentive payments to employees who work well. The better your work results, the better your evaluation, and the better your bonus and allowances received.
Find Recruitment Jobs in Japan via WeXpats
WeXpats operates a service for foreign nationals who want to work in Japan. There are jobs in a variety of industries including human resource and recruiter jobs. There are 2 services available on WeXpats - WeXpats Agent for full time jobs and WeXpats Jobs for part time jobs.
Looking for a Full Time Position? Leave it to WeXpats Agent!
WeXpats Agent is a career support service that specialises in employment for foreign nationals living in Japan.
Recruitment agencies in Japan are a service where dedicated career advisors will assist you with your job hunt for free. In addition to introducing open positions, we also provide support to help you create your Japanese resume and practice for interviews. Worried about job hunting in Japanese? We are here for you.
Features of WeXpats Agent
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We have many job openings that are a good fit for foreign nationals to work in, such as translation, interpretation, inbound, etc. jobs that make use of your language skills, as well as engineering etc. jobs that do not require Japanese skills.
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Our career advisors support and help you prepare your resume and practice job interviews with you. Clearly communicate your strengths to the hiring company.
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We will handle communication with companies on your behalf, such as arranging interview dates and negotiating conditions. And thereby reducing your stress and time spent.
Finding a Part Time Job? Browse on WeXpats Jobs!
WeXpats Jobs is a part time job site for foreign nationals living in Japan. You can search for jobs in 11 languages (English, Vietnamese, Korean, Indonesian, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Burmese, Thai, Spanish, Portuguese), including Japanese. Find jobs that suit you by specifying your Japanese language level, occupation, location, and etc.
※ You can register from outside Japan, but only those living in Japan can apply for jobs.
