[WWDJAPAN Latest Issue] 2026 Job Hunting & New Graduate Recruitment White Paper: Insights from 43 Students and 81 HR Departments

From an era where companies choose people to one where companies are also chosen. This time, we focus on new graduate recruitment. First, we interviewed Takayoshi Kurita, Senior Principal Researcher at Indeed Recruit Partners Research Center, who notes that 38.5% of students feel they decided on their employment too easily. To hear the real voices of students, we conducted a survey and held a roundtable discussion with 43 university students active in fashion organizations. We also surveyed HR departments at 81 fashion and beauty companies to explore the increasingly difficult recruitment landscape. AI is being used in both job hunting and recruitment. We interviewed HR representatives from Welcia Pharmacy and BX, who have introduced AI interviews, as well as Rohto Pharmaceutical, which has switched its first-round screening back to face-to-face interviews amidst the trend of efficiency.