Kakehashi Sky Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Tomohisa Nakagawa) is launching the 3rd season of 'Job Hunting Poker,' a recruitment event for university and graduate students graduating in 2027 and 2028. The event is scheduled to be held nine times, once a month, until March 2027. The upcoming sessions will take place on Thursday, June 4, 2026, and Friday, July 3, 2026.
Previous Results and Feedback 'Job Hunting Poker,' first held in December 2024, saw 277 students participate over the first year and the previous season (June 2025–March 2026). Notably, over half of the 179 students who participated last season were from GMARCH-level universities or higher, earning the event high praise from companies as a gathering for highly analytical students.
The event has also garnered media attention, featured on Fuji TV's 'FNN Live News α' and 'FNN Live News days,' as well as FNN Prime Online and the Sankei Shimbun (print and web), becoming a hot topic as a 'new form of job hunting.'
74% of participating students joined as part of their job hunting activities, and 62% expressed excitement about 'meeting companies that value poker,' supporting this new style that balances entertainment with career searching.
What is the Job Hunting Poker Event? 'Job Hunting Poker' is a new type of recruitment event where corporate HR personnel and students interact through poker, which requires logical thinking and split-second judgment. The event consists of four rounds of No-Limit Texas Hold'em, with table changes after each round. By playing alongside students, corporate representatives can naturally grasp the students' raw communication skills, personality, and judgment, which are often difficult to see in interviews.
Event Overview Dates: June 4, 2026 (Thu) 13:00–18:00; July 3, 2026 (Fri) 13:00–18:00 *Companies can optionally attend a free beginner's workshop starting at 12:30. Venue: Kakehashi Sky Headquarters (Central Plaza 7F, 1-1 Kaguragashi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) Target: University students graduating in 2027 and 2028 Participation Fee: Free for students Capacity: 32 students and 4 companies per session (first-come, first-served) Game Format: No-Limit Texas Hold'em (NLH)
Features of Job Hunting Poker 1. A platform for students to demonstrate their abilities: The strategic and judgmental nature of poker is valued as a key skill in the business world. 2. Direct interaction with corporate recruiters: HR personnel can observe students' personalities and thinking styles through interaction. 3. A new form of job hunting: Discover sides of students not visible in traditional interviews.
Background The poker played in this event is 'amusement poker,' enjoyed as a healthy pastime. As an intellectual sport requiring strategy and judgment, its popularity is skyrocketing in Japan, especially among the Z generation, with over 1 million domestic players. There are many commonalities between business decision-making and poker, allowing companies to discover the potential skills and aptitudes of job seekers.
Benefits for Participating Companies - Meet students who possess both the initiative to try new things and logical thinking skills. - Grasp raw personalities and abilities through casual communication. - Use the event as a natural way to convey company appeal.
Benefits for Participating Students - Communicate directly with HR personnel in a relaxed environment. - Showcase strategic thinking and judgment in a way different from traditional interviews. - A new, relaxed form of job hunting that allows you to express yourself while having fun.
About Kakehashi Sky Co., Ltd. With a mission to 'cultivate the potential of people and organizations through recruitment and development support,' we provide various solutions to support hiring, training, and retention. We support corporate growth by forming optimal projects based on needs, including new graduate hiring support, mid-career hiring support, organizational strengthening, turnover prevention, and CI/advertising production.
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- Source: PR TIMES
- Category: press_release