Career and employment support
2023
Latest updates for parents
This special feature touches on the latest job-hunting trends, as well as contact information for various services at our university, including "individual consultations." We hope that parents of students who are scheduled to graduate in 2025 will use this information to support their students as they engage in job-hunting.
Latest trends in job hunting
Career and Employment Center General Manager
Noboru Hirai
After graduating College of Literature Aoyama Gakuin University, he joined Aoyama Gakuin School Corporation. After working in Academic Affairs Department, General Affairs Department, and Personnel Affairs Department, he has been in his current position since 2022.
Let's start by looking at the job-hunting trends. We'll cover them from both the company and student perspectives, taking into account the results from the previous year (2022).
■ Hiring trends among companies
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, corporate hiring had been declining until 2021, but has been recovering since 2022. The main industries are the aviation, tourism and service industries, which are particularly popular among our students. In addition, companies' promotion of digital transformation is also increasing the need for new graduates. While large companies continue to enjoy a "buyer's market" that favors companies, small and medium-sized enterprises are experiencing a "seller's market" that favors students. Nationwide, the job offer ratio for university and graduate students scheduled to graduate in March 2024 next spring was 1.71, up 0.13 points from the previous year.
Recruit Works Institute "Works University Graduate Job Offer Ratio Survey"
The combination of face-to-face and online selection methods is becoming more common. In addition, as the selection process has become earlier and longer, there is a polarization between students who start job hunting early and those who start late. Another hot topic is the "4 types of internships" for 2025 graduates.
■ Student Activity Trends
The employment rate for undergraduate graduates from our university in 2022 was 95.1%, up 2.1 percentage points from the previous year. Despite the difficult situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, students approached their job hunting with a flexible attitude, taking into account their own aptitude and the state of the industry.
Students' desire for stability is getting stronger, and the trend of large companies and well-known BtoC companies *1 becoming more and more popular continues. In addition to the "satisfaction" that comes with hard work, students' views on employment are also showing a tendency to be centered on their own aptitude and working conditions (income, benefits, overtime hours, etc.).
*1 BtoC: Abbreviation for Business to Consumer, business-to-consumer transactions
[Top companies for employment in 2022]
| Company name | Total |
| Rakuten Group, Inc. | 45 |
| Persol Career Co., Ltd. | 20 |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Ltd. | 19 |
| Recruit Co., Ltd. | 17 |
| NTT DATA Corporation | 16 |
| Hitachi Systems, Ltd. | 16 |
| Fujitsu Ltd. | 16 |
| NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd. | 15 |
| Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. | 15 |
| Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. | 15 |
| Nippon Life Insurance Company | 15 |
| TIS Co., Ltd. | 14 |
| Hitachi, Ltd. | 14 |
| Accenture Japan Ltd. | 13 |
| Digital Advertising Consortium Inc. | 12 |
| Mitsui Fudosan Realty Co., Ltd. | 12 |
| Bank of Yokohama Ltd. | 12 |
| Resona Holdings, Inc. | 12 |
| Leverages Inc. | 12 |
| Company name | Total |
| En Japan Co., Ltd. | 11 |
| Dip Co., Ltd. | 11 |
| Trans Cosmos Inc. | 11 |
| NEC Corporation | 11 |
| Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd. | 11 |
| ANA Airport Services Co., Ltd. | 10 |
| SCSK Co., Ltd. | 10 |
| NTT Docomo, Inc. | 10 |
| Otsuka Shokai Co., Ltd. | 10 |
| JCOM Inc. | 10 |
| CyberAgent, Inc. | 9 |
| JCB Co., Ltd. | 9 |
| Daiwa Securities Co., Ltd. | 9 |
| Nitori Co., Ltd. | 9 |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation | 9 |
| Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company | 9 |
Our university's three pillars of job-hunting support
From here, we will introduce in detail the employment support measures offered by our university.
[1] Individual consultation (face-to-face/online)
Staff and career consultants *2 are available to provide individual consultations to students regarding any problems they may have, from an experienced professional perspective. We value "custom-made career support" that is tailored to the individual personalities and concerns of each student, so please feel free to contact us.
*2 22 people at Aoyama Campus, 12 people at the Sagamihara Campus (total of staff and career consultants / as of October 2023)
《Examples of consultations》
◆ I don't know what my "strengths" are or what industry or company would suit me.
◆ I want to know about hidden excellent companies.
◆ I would like you to correct my application form and conduct mock interviews.
◆ I'm stuck in my activities and would like to discuss my direction.
◆ First of all, I don't know how to go about my job search.
As mentioned above, we welcome any consultation. Please feel free to come and visit us without hesitation, thinking, "Is it okay to consult about this?" Individual consultations are especially valuable when you have vague concerns. Individual consultations have a high repeat rate, with 14,400 consultations per year (2022). Reservations may be full, but if you do not give up and come to the counter, we will be able to provide some kind of support. Staff members meet with corporate recruiters on a daily basis, and there is also job information for current fourth-year university students. For students who wish to find employment in rural areas (UIJ-turn employment), we work with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's "LOkatsu Project" to promote the return of human resources to rural areas, and we also provide specialized individual consultations in cooperation with public institutions and specialized departments on campus for students with disabilities and foreign students.
《Reservation Desk》
"Web Ash (Career and Employment Support System)" and each office on both campuses *3
*3 Career and Employment Center (Aoyama Campus) / Career and Employment Department (Sagamihara Campus)
Individual consultation (face-to-face/online)
[2] Information provision
We provide the latest job hunting information through various media.
◆ Web Ash:A career and job-hunting support portal site exclusively for students of this university. In addition to being able to access a wide range of information, you can also make reservations for "individual consultations" and watch archived videos of job-hunting guidance sessions on the site.
◆ "Ash Aoyama Gakuin University Job Hunting Handbook": Distributed to third-year undergraduate students and first-year graduate students.
◆ Career Design Book: A handbook for new students.
◆ Reference Room: Corporate information and other information can be viewed at each counter on both campuses.
Information provided on social media, word of mouth, and job-hunting websites operated by unreliable sources is often inaccurate and can lead to problems. To ensure a safe and reliable job hunt, we encourage students to make use of the accurate and up-to-date information provided by our university.
Reference room
[3] Job-hunting support events
Throughout the year, we hold various career support events for each grade. Since these events are sponsored by the university, it goes without saying that you can obtain safe, free, and accurate information, and these events also provide many opportunities to speak directly with representatives from popular companies. In addition to practical practice sessions for group discussions and group interviews, which are difficult to prepare for on your own, our joint projects with other universities are also very popular. For some events, such as past guidance sessions, you can also watch archived videos on CoursePower and Web Ash.
■ Other employment support measures
In addition to the above initiatives, we have also installed soundproof booths to aid in online interviews and introduced the BizReach Campus *4 alumni visit system. With BizReach Campus, communication between students and alumni can be completed via a smartphone app, making activities more efficient. The identities of registered users are also confirmed, making alumni visits safer and more reliable. We also work with the Alumni Association University Section Current Student Employment Support Committee and the Alumni Athletic Association Federation to provide career support for students through an all-Aoyama system.
*4 Network service operated by BizReach, Inc. (introduced by the university in May 2023)
Soundproof Booth
Key points for job hunting
In 2022, companies' career development programs for students (known as "internships") were categorized into four types. Understanding the differences between each type will help you proceed with your job search more efficiently.
◆ Type 1: Open Company
◆ Type 2: Career education
◆ Type 3: Internships that utilize general-purpose skills and expertise
◆ Type 4: Highly specialized internship (trial: doctoral course)
This categorization makes it easier for students to choose a program that suits their purpose. For example, students can choose "Type 1" or "Type 2" to start researching the industry or to get used to the working world, and "Type 3" or "Type 4" to participate as part of the final selection process. However, since the categorization initiative has only just begun, it is expected that some companies have not yet caught up. We recommend that you check the contents of the program before applying.
It is not uncommon for the competition rate for Type 3 "internships" to be higher than that for the main selection process. Even if you do not pass the internship selection process, do not give up. Prepare thoroughly and try again in the main selection process.
From "Changing New Graduate Recruitment and Job Hunting: The Need for Career Support from Parents" created by the Employment Information Research Institute of Nippon Cultural Broadcasting Career Partners (Source: Materials from the 2023 Career and Job Information Session for Parents at our University)
■ Start preparing for web tests early
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online ability and aptitude tests, known as "web tests," have become common. Many liberal arts students are not good at non-verbal subjects (mathematics), but by taking sufficient measures, their chances of passing the subsequent selection process will increase. Rather than avoiding steady web test preparation, we recommend that you start as early as possible to improve your speed and accuracy.
■ Focus on "hidden excellent companies"
Students who have little contact with society tend to focus on large companies, BtoC companies, and glamorous industries. However, there are many excellent companies among BtoB *5 companies and less well-known companies that students are not familiar with. In order to find a company that fits you and conduct a satisfying job search, we recommend that you have a broad and flexible perspective and look at these "hidden excellent companies." Information on these companies is provided regularly through Web Ash and individual consultations, so be sure to check it frequently.
*5 BtoB: Abbreviation for Business to Business, transactions between companies
■ The concept of "Gakuchika"
"Gakuchika" is an abbreviation of "activities you focused on during your student days" and is a standard question in interviews. For this reason, students sometimes feel pressured to highlight some special successful experience. However, in reality, there is no need to go out of your way to highlight special experiences. Rather, events that contribute to your own growth, even small things such as what you learned at university, everyday challenges, and experiences of recovering from various failures, are evaluated as "Gakuchika" or "self-promotion". In particular, graduates of our university tend to have a flexible attitude to accept things, and communication skills that allow them to listen to others while having their own opinions and building relationships, which tends to be highly valued by companies. These abilities are gradually cultivated through everyday experiences such as university life, part-time jobs, and friendships. Don't get too caught up in creating topics for your Gakuchika, but spend your university life with the sense of purpose and planning that students should have. I'm sure that your experiences will lead to job hunting.
To all parents/guardians
Compared to parents' generation, today's job hunting process is surprisingly complicated and lengthy. Students' views on work and the definition of a good company are also changing, so advice that may seem good may not be appropriate for the student. Students are greatly influenced by their parents, and I have heard that when this influence goes too far, it can develop into a "parent block" where students decline job offers due to parental opposition. Please respect the student's own judgment regarding their preferred place of employment within the home. By being warmly present to them on a daily basis, students will be able to demonstrate their true potential.
Job hunting these days is extremely complicated, with information gathering, filling out application forms, practicing for interviews, and more, and there is a limit to how much a student can do on their own. In these circumstances, it is natural to use various forms of support to efficiently advance job hunting. Every year, many students use the various offices on both campuses to obtain satisfactory job offers, so we would appreciate it if parents would encourage their students to feel free to use the support available.
*Please also make use of the "Job Hunting Guidebook for Parents of Students Expected to Graduate in 2025," which has already been sent to parents of third-year undergraduate and first-year graduate students. The PDF file can be accessed from our university website, and we also recommend it to parents of first- and second-year students.
Job Hunting Interview (AGU LiFE)
*The years of employment, Position, activities, etc. of the people featured are, in principle, those at the time of the interview, unless otherwise noted.
