The summer may be over with young people now returning to school, but if you are in the throes of 就職活動 (shūshoku katsudō, job hunting), then you probably didn’t get much of a mental break. 夏の余韻に浸りつつ、就職の準備を始めましょう (Natsu no yoin ni hitaritsusu, shūshoku no junbi o hajimemashō, While immersing [yourself] in the lingering feelings of summer, let’s begin preparations for job hunting).

While many 新入社員 (shin’nyū shain, new employees) are brought on board in April, an element of Japan’s traditional hiring culture, there is hope for those still looking for jobs to find them in September when a major time for recruitment known as 新卒一括採用 (shinsotsu ikkatsu saiyō, the mass hiring of new graduates) gets underway. This culturally specific, long-standing practice sees companies collectively recruiting students to start work after they graduate. The process begins in 大学三年生 (daigaku san'nensei, the third year of university).

新卒一 括採用は、日本の独特な雇用システムで、終身雇用や年功序列に関係しています (Shinsotsu ikkatsu saiyō wa Nihon no dokutokuna koyō shisutemu de, shūshin koyō ya nenkōjoretsu ni kankei shite-imasu, This mass hiring of new graduates is unique to Japan’s employment system, and is related to lifetime employment and seniority in the workplace). The practice aims to provide stability within an organization by fostering long-term employee development.