Casting a Wide Net Over Japan's IT Market: Maximizing Recruitment Reach in Japan's IT Landscape

Welcome back! It’s a pleasure to present the third article in our series. (Here is a link to the second article if needed.) As we continue this enlightening journey together, we eagerly anticipate enriching your experience with valuable insights and perspectives. Your feedback, comments, and questions are not just welcomed but are integral to this shared adventure.

In Japan's competitive IT market, casting a wide net is crucial for capturing the best talent. This involves not just relying on traditional recruitment methods but also exploring executive search firms that have the ability to connect you to local Japan talent through long-term relationships based on trust and friendship. Japanese professionals often value trust and long-term relationships, hence, tapping into local talent and referrals via executive search firms with experienced recruiters can be more effective than global platforms such as LinkedIn.

A comprehensive search strategy in Japan extends beyond the usual talent pools. It entails a deeper dive into local industry groups, forums, personal and trusted connections, and networking events. This broad approach not only increases visibility among potential candidates but also helps in understanding local market trends and preferences, thereby aligning recruitment efforts with the actual talent landscape in Japan.

Most companies start within their own networks when wanting to fill a vacant position. As a first step, hiring managers look to colleagues, college classmates, local connections, talent acquisition, and friends of friends to fill positions in Japan. This tactic becomes problematic, however, for a couple of reasons. First, consistently drawing candidates from the same pools is going to build an organization that lacks diversity. Second, in a tight labor market, those pools quickly dry up. That’s why it’s so important to cast a wider net in your searches–beyond your own network, especially when hiring in Japan.

Casting a wide net is crucial because, even if you or your company knows someone for the job, exploring all options gives everyone the greatest confidence that the person selected is the best for the job and that no stone was left unturned.

The good news for weary hiring managers is that the right candidates are out there. It is possible to find qualified, talented people to fill new or vacant positions in Japan. You just need to know where (and how) to look for them especially in Japan where a lot of talented people are not active on platforms such as LinkedIn.

Stay tuned for our insightful fourth article, where we delve into Establishing Ultra Clear Priorities in Recruitment and explore The Power of Precision in Japan. Don’t miss this essential read, especially if you are having a hard time finding the right candidates in Japan’s IT market.

I’m Andrew Nimmer, the Founder & CEO of ScaleInsight K.K., a recruiting company that helps growing technology companies from Silicon Valley enter and scale in the Japan market. If you’re thinking about hiring in Japan and would like to chat, send us a note via our contact page.