PUTTING YOUR BEST FACE FORWARD（１）

Until the late 1990s larger Japanese companies did not hire to fill specific slots; they hired
“recruits” who received general orientation and then were assigned to departments where they
received on–the–job training. Those hired as white-collar workers, particularly managerial
candidates, were regularly rotated among departments to give them a broad perspective of the
company and its operation.

Domestic and international competition has dramatically changed the way larger companies
hire, train, and use their employees. Lifetime employment is no longer guaranteed. People
who have worked in other companies and gained valuable skills are now sought after by
virtually every major company in Japan― something that was unthinkable until the 1990s.

Japanese employers traditionally expected total loyalty, total conformity to company policy
and culture, and a dedication to work and the welfare of the company that transcended personal
concerns.

Given this approach to personnel management, Japanese companies gave a high priority to
character and personality in their hiring practices. They also gave substantial credence to the
ranking of the schools potential employees attended and to their family backgrounds.

The traditional mind-set and practices among older, larger firms have not disappeared from the
Japanese scene. But there are cracks in their policies and practices, as they are being forced to
keep up with the times.

No surprisingly, however, when these Japanese companies are approached by representatives

of foreign companies, they tend to use the traditional standards that continue to survive in their
own firms to evaluate foreign managers and employees. The evaluation begins with the
perceived image of the foreign company – whatever it is – and then jumps immediately to the
representatives of their firm - their age, their title, how long they have been with the company,
their education background, any previous relationship with Japan, any personal Japanese
contacts they may have, what they know about Japan, what their attitude is towards Japan, how
they rank in their own company, why the foreign company chose to approach them ( of all the
other companies in Japan ), who introduced them, and so on… all personal factors that they
want to know before entering into serious discussions with anyone about anything.

The foreigner wanting to do business with the Japanese should anticipate this kind and degree
of interest on the personal level and should do everything possible to present the most
acceptable image. This means the foreign front man should be selected on the basis of criteria
known to be acceptable – and generally speaking the more impressive the better

Slot: ポジション、職位 Welfare：福利厚生

Seek after: ～求める Conformity: 遵守、服従
Dedication：専念、献身
on–the–job training：オン・ザ・ジョブ・トレーニング／現場の教育
Credence：信用 Personnel management: 人事マネジメント