1. Recruitment Styles of New Graduates Worldwide and Characteristics of India

1-1. America and Europe: Year-round Recruitment and Emphasis on Internships

In America and Europe, year-round recruitment and the hiring of interns are mainstream, and mass hiring at graduation time or by university credits is not common. Companies post job openings when needed, and students apply when they feel prepared, which is the general "on-demand matching type."

1-2. Japan: Nationwide Concurrent Start of Mass Recruitment as a Social Norm

Only in Japan does mass recruitment begin at the large scale and nationwide in line with the spring graduation season, establishing a system of job offers → graduation → simultaneous joining. From overseas, this is seen as a very unique culture, and when hiring international talent under Japan's new graduate system, adjustments are necessary regarding joining times and preparation periods.

1-3. India: “Campus Placement” by University

In India, a culture of campus placement, which designates a job-hunting period (placement period) by university, is established. Campus placement refers to a form of job-hunting conducted at Indian universities (especially technical universities) and business schools. Universities establish dedicated departments such as "placement offices" or "career centers," where companies visit the university and the university organizes schedules for matching with students in events or processes. Major companies and foreign IT firms all come to acquire students, leading to a competitive environment where offers pour in from the first day for specific renowned universities. While students find it easier to secure job offers within the placement period organized by their own university, companies need to schedule and allocate slots by university and department, requiring large-scale adjustments.

2. Background of Japanese Companies Being Difficult to Enter the Indian New Graduate Market

2-1. Lack of Trust and Network with Universities

To recruit new graduates in India, connections with university career centers and professors are essential. Major IT companies and foreign firms have built relationships over many years, allowing them to secure top talent early.

If Japanese firms try to enter suddenly, the universities are in a state of "not knowing what kind of company it is." They cannot secure slots and have difficulty connecting with students from prestigious universities.

2-2. Differences in Timing and Processes

Unlike Japan's mass recruitment cycle (job hunting → spring joining), the graduation and placement timing varies by Indian university. Aligning with each university's schedule puts considerable strain on companies. Furthermore, since foreign major firms and local leaders start making offers first, if Japanese companies have low recognition, they risk missing out on excellent students.

2-3. Communication and Cultural Barriers

While young people in India are proficient in English, Japanese companies may face risks of being avoided due to issues like "on-site Japanese-based operations" or "complex residency qualifications and onboarding processes" in Japan. There are often cases where the branding and explanation from Japanese firms are inadequate, leading students not to recognize them as an option.

2-4. Challenges of Resources and Talent Assignment

The difficulty for Japanese companies to enter the Indian new graduate market is not only due to a lack of "trust in universities" but also because the process of visiting multiple local campuses and conducting concentrated selection and offers in a short period is highly time-consuming and costly. Japanese companies that lack a system like major foreign IT firms, which have "dedicated recruitment teams stationed" or conduct it "as an annual routine," often feel that investing in the first year carries significant risks.

3. The Value Offered by Phinx

3-1. Strong Domestic Network in India and Flexible Collaboration

Phinx possesses connections with universities and Japanese language schools in India, as well as with professors and career centers, enabling rapid matching with talented students required by companies.

・Direct connections with universities and Japanese language schools

Even in prestigious universities where securing slots is challenging, Phinx leverages its existing networks to efficiently research top students and those with Japanese language abilities.

・Flexible support schemes

From supporting campus placements to pinpoint support at the resume introduction level

・Facilitating communication between India and Japan

We bridge not only the language and cultural gaps with the Indian side but also accurately convey the specific requirements of companies to local universities, enhancing candidates' willingness to get hired.

3-2. “Talent Search + Introduction” Tailored to Company Requirements

Phinx not only serves as a "coordinator" or "mediator" but also actively researches and screens talent, directly finding and introducing the best students to companies. Utilizing the flexibility and speed characteristic of startups, we carefully listen to the needs of companies and quickly provide matching students.

1. Clarifying specialized areas through needs assessment

• Organizing the skill sets required by companies in fields like AI, data science, and machine learning, and searching for candidates that precisely match.

2. Recruitment stance of "new graduate hiring × headhunting"

• Unlike the mass recruitment slots of campuses, we target the "few elite" that companies truly want. This approach provides the advantage of ensuring the right students are captured, compared to typical mass recruitment.

3-3. Comprehensive Support to Lower Barriers to Entry

For companies entering the Indian new graduate recruitment market for the first time, it is true that processing work visa procedures and onboarding involves many areas of inexperience. Phinx leverages its characteristic agility and comprehensive services, providing one-stop support from recruitment activities to post-arrival follow-ups.

1. Visa and Residency Qualification Support

• Comprehensively supporting complicated procedures such as switching student visas and work visas or preparing documents.

2. Support during Travel and After Joining

• Offering detailed follow-up for Indian students coming to Japan, including assistance in finding housing, daily life support, and measures to overcome cultural gaps at the workplace.

3. Communication Support

• Depending on the case, staff capable of handling both English and Japanese may act as interpreters or bridges, establishing an environment where companies and students can smoothly share information.

6. Conclusion

The Indian new graduate market is characterized by fierce competition, with placement periods set by each university. For Japanese companies to make their first entry, they must overcome various challenges such as building connections with universities and educational institutions, knowledge of visa-related matters, establishing specialized teams to visit the local area, and responding to cultural gaps.

By Phinx taking on both "talent search + direct introduction," companies can quickly secure excellent Indian new graduates without the need for significant investment, simply by presenting specific requirements. Given Phinx’s strong existing connections with universities and Japanese language schools and the ability to move quickly due to startup agility, we can achieve precise matching with flexibility that large firms lack, robustly supporting companies' utilization of overseas talent.