As the state of emergency was issued in Tokyo and six other prefectures to curb the spread of coronavirus infections, companies' screening of job-seeking university students is on the brink of suspension. There is a noticeable number of companies that have decided to put off job interviews during the state of emergency, prompting universities to call on companies to postpone interviews altogether.
Mixed opinions being heard from job-seeking students include: I am worried about getting infected when going for an interview but, at the same time I am worried about not getting a job.
Yamato Transport Co., based in Tokyo, told university students who applied for employment about the postponement of its screening even before April 7 when the state of emergency was issued. An official in charge of public relations, said, "Even during the month of March, we made special consideration for students by, for instance, holding interviews of multiple candidates in small number of groups. But postponement is the only way to prevent students from being infected." The company will also consider adopting online interviews, and resuming its screening in May or later.
There are also a number of companies which have notified, on job-placement websites, students about postponing their screening sessions. An automobile sales company in Tokyo placed a notice on such sites that it will put off screening till May 6, the day when the month-long state of emergency is scheduled to end. As there are no signs of the infections coming under control, however, an official in charge of public relations said, "The restart of the screening process can be postponed." On the other hand, there are companies that have announced they will continue their screening process in places other than Tokyo.
Recruit Career Co., a job-placement company based in Tokyo, conducted a survey on officials in charge of recruitment at about 1,200 companies in late March, and found that about 30 percent of these companies said they will postpone the timing of making unofficial job offers to students.
Head of Recruit Works Institute, a unit under Recruit Career Co., said, "Due to the spread of infections, screening had apparently been delayed, but since the announcement of the state of emergency, most companies are having difficulty in moving ahead. Postponement of screening may increase."
Added to the current state of job-seeking activities for students, universities have begun voicing their concern. Gakushuin University, based in Tokyo, sent a request at the end of March to three leading recruitment-information service companies, including Mynavi Corp., asking them to suspend recruitment activities at least within April."
A deputy chief of the university's career center said, "Students have been forced to engage in job-seeking activities with lack of preparation and without a face-to-face job-seeking consultation session, they have no other choice but to go to an interview when requested by the company, amid calls for refraining from going out."
There are also voices from other universities that echo the call from Gakushuin University. An official from a private university in Tokyo noted that, "The fact that there are companies postponing their recruitment activities and those which continue such activities is also a cause for confusion among students. An official in charge at yet another university, said, "It is difficult for students to continue job-seeking activities in areas where the state of emergency is issued. Recruitment activities should be suspended altogether."
There was a case in which a student was infected with the virus while participating job-seeking activities. According to Nagasaki International University in Nagasaki, a male student tested positive after taking part in an internship in Osaka.
Yet an official from the university revealed that, "We are advising students who attend interviews in Tokyo or Osaka that they should consult with companies over such arrangements as postponement of the screening. But students are the ones chosen [by the companies] and cannot afford to ask the companies firmly."
A 21-year-old female student, a senior at a private university in Tokyo, said, "The company where I managed to reach the final-stage of interview has decided to postpone it, making my job-seeking activities likely to last for a lengthy period. But it is also scary to go out [for interviews] and get infected, and then infect others around me. I was feeling reassured that it is a sellers' market this year, with students placed at an advantage. I can't believe things have turned out this way."
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