Survey on Job Hunting in 20s: 'Quality of Matching' Surpasses 'Quantity of Jobs' as Top Condition for Choosing an Agent

CAREER FOCUS Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Naoki Higashida), which operates the recruitment agency 'FOCUS AGENT' specializing in young professionals and second new graduates, conducted a 'Survey on the Actual Use of Recruitment Agents for Second New Graduates' among 550 men and women in their 20s (including second new graduates) who have job-hunted using recruitment agencies within the past year.

In recent years, the job market for second new graduates aiming for a career restart or change after early resignation has been booming. However, on the other hand, many young job seekers become exhausted by the job hunting process itself due to information overload and mismatches with agents.

In this survey, we thoroughly investigated the 'real frustrations' felt by job seekers in their 20s while actually using agents, and the 'recommended conditions for truly reliable agents' they feel they would recommend to others.

Survey Result Summary

[#1 Recommended Condition] The number one condition for an agent that second new graduates were truly satisfied with was 'Quality and carefulness of matching (68.4%)'. This was followed by 'Caring response from the person in charge (55.1%)', vastly exceeding 'Large number of job openings (18.2%)'.

[Fatigue at Large Agencies] 71.6% of those in their 20s answered, 'I was exhausted by mechanically receiving massive amounts of jobs from large agencies, making it impossible to choose.' Mismatches from bulk proposals place a burden on young people.

[Criteria for Comparing Agents] The deciding factor when 'comparing' multiple agencies to choose a main one is 'Whether they deeply understand and verbalize my background and concerns (62.8%)'.

[Real Voices of the 20s] Many real voices stated, 'I was saved by an agent who believed in my potential and worked out a career plan with me.'

Details of Survey Results

① Top 3 'Recommended Conditions' Expected of Recruitment Agents for Second New Graduates

When asked, 'What is the most important condition you would recommend to others when second new graduates and people in their 20s choose a recruitment agent (multiple answers allowed)?', the results were surprising.

No. 1: Quality of job openings (Carefully selects and proposes companies that match you) ... 68.4% No. 2: Caring response and careful support from the advising agent ... 55.1% No. 3: Comprehensiveness of interview preparation and resume correction ... 42.6%

On the other hand, 'Large number of job openings (number of held cases)', once considered the index for choosing an agent, remained at only 18.2%. It shows that agents who present 'carefully selected, mismatch-free choices tailored to the individual', rather than having too many options, are overwhelmingly supported by today's 20-somethings.

② Reality of Job Hunting Fatigue Caused by 'Mass Sending of Jobs' Experienced by Over 70%

In response to the question, 'Have you ever felt stressed or exhausted while using a recruitment agent?', 74.2% answered 'Yes'. The specific reasons (multiple answers) were dominated by the following:

'I was sent a massive amount of jobs that ignored my preferences and aptitude' ... 71.6% 'I was rushed to apply (rushed to accept an offer)' ... 58.9% 'I felt the person in charge did not deeply understand my background' ... 46.3%

The 'automated bulk proposal by system', where tens or hundreds of job URLs are sent immediately after registration, acts as 'noise' for second new graduates hunting for jobs while working, and the reality is that it is a factor worsening 'Taipa' (time performance).

③ The Deciding Factor in Narrowing Down to One Company After 'Comparing' Multiple Agencies

To advance their job hunting efficiently, 82.4% of second new graduates are 'comparing and using simultaneously' an average of 2 to 3 agencies. We asked them about the deciding factor when choosing 'which agent to ultimately rely on as the main one'.

'They understood and verbalized my strengths and frustrations most deeply during the interview' ... 62.8% 'They provided specific 'individualized measures' for document passing rates and securing offers' ... 51.4% 'They explained in detail the corporate culture and internal affairs (actual overtime hours and human relations) of the introduced companies' ... 44.5%

Young job seekers are not seeking 'systematic matching' like job portal sites from agents. It has been proven that agents capable of 'accompanying deep self-analysis' and 'disclosing real corporate information'—things only humans can do—are the ones chosen after comparison.

④ [Users' True Feelings] 'Agent Disparity' Seen from Open-Ended Answers

Here are some excerpts of the real voices (open-ended answers) of people in their 20s regarding recruitment agents collected in the questionnaire.

[Positive Experiences: This kind of agent is highly recommended!] 'I compared several agents, but the one that spent the most time listening to my story...'