43% of people seeking a career change said that whether companies conducted online job interviews or not influenced their decision to apply. They are very interested in how flexibly and swiftly companies respond
en world Japan K.K. (headquarters: Chuo City, Tokyo, President: Vijay Deol), one of Japan’s largest recruiting firms specializing in global human resources, conducted an attitude survey on online interviews, a new normal in career change activities, and 2,081 registered users of en world Japan’s service responded.
Summary of survey result
・ 43% of people seeking a career change said that whether companies conducted online interviews or not influenced their decision to apply.
・ The largest percentage of respondents preferred a face-to-face interview only for the final interview.
・ Approx. 60% of respondents experienced online interviews. Approx. 50% of respondents who had final interviews said that their final interviews were conducted online.
・ 80% of respondents approved of companies conducting online interviews. Respondents who experienced online interviews were slightly more in favor of online interviews.
・ The most common reason that respondents approved of online interviews was that such interviews made it easier for them to adjust their schedules. The most common reason that they disapproved of them was that they could not feel the atmosphere or see the facilities of companies.
・ Approx. 50% of respondents approved of online final interviews.
・ The most common reason that respondents approved of online final interviews was that they could make a decision to join a company after having an online interview. The most common reason that respondents did not approve of them was that they wanted to talk to the resident/person in charge in person.
Comments on the results
Vijay Deol, President &Representative Director
As the world and the corporate environment continue to evolve in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in anticipation of what a post-COVID world will look like, we have seen significant changes in attitudes from both employers and job seekers. Perhaps the most high-profile changes we’ve seen are the rapid movement towards remote and flexible working arrangements. However, an important aspect of business that is less often talked about in the media or in corporate webinars are how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the actual selection and decision-making process when hiring new employees or when deciding on a new employer.
Before the COVID crisis caused a global shift in thinking about the workplace, it was almost unheard of for companies to make hiring decisions without at least some face-to-face interaction with potential candidates, particularly for high-salaried, white-collar roles. Now, however, many companies where the demand for talent has not declined have been forced to accept hiring decisions based on videoconference and telephone interviews becoming the norm. With the majority of candidates we’ve surveyed having had some experience in recent months with online interviews and about 50% of them even having had an online final interviews, job seekers are also quickly getting used to this new style of evaluation and job selection.
Perhaps most importantly even for the post-COVID world is that a significant number of job seekers report that whether a company can interview online or not influences their decision to apply. Furthermore, while health and safety concerns was partly a reason for this, the impression of companies’ ability to respond to a dynamic environment and the increased convenience and efficiency of conducting interviews without visiting a company’s office were among the most common reasons for job seekers’ acceptance of this shift.
While it is unlikely that online interactions will completely replicate or replace face-to-face interactions in the foreseeable future and, therefore, face-to-face interviews are unlikely to disappear entirely, it is obvious that there are benefits and efficiencies to be gained through the use of online meetings and interviews that will continue long after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
Details of survey results
1. 43% of people seeking a career change said that whether companies conducted online interviews or not influenced their decision to apply. (Fig. 1, 2, 3)
We asked respondents whether online interviews influenced their decision to apply, and 43% responded that it did (considerably or slightly). (Foreign capital company employees: 42%, Japanese company employees: 45%) Looking at the breakdown by age, the percentage of younger respondents who responded that it did was higher.
We asked why it influenced their decision. The most common reason was that conducting online interviews told them whether companies could swiftly respond to changing times (foreign capital company employees: 83%, Japanese company employees: 80%), followed by that it tells us whether companies can respond flexibly to emergency situations (foreign capital company employees: 77%, Japanese company employees: 72%). It shows that they were interested in how flexible companies were. Some of their comments are shown below.
[Fig. 1] Does the fact that a company conducts online interviews influence your decision to apply?
[Fig. 2] Does the fact that a company conducts online interviews influence your decision to apply? (By age)
[Fig. 3] Please respond if the fact that companies conduct online interviews influences your decision to apply considerably or slightly. Why does it influence your decision? (Multiple answers allowed)
▶Comments from respondents who said it influenced their decision
Foreign capital company employees
- It is difficult for companies to achieve results unless they can adapt to changing times. (30s)
- I have the impression that companies adopting online interviews understand the needs of the times and can respond to them flexibly. (30s)
- It serves as a criterion by which we can evaluate companies’ IT literacy. (40s)
- Though companies don’t have to conduct all their interviews online, I have a favorable impression of companies that conduct online interviews in a skillful manner. (40s)
- It serves as a criterion by which we can judge whether companies care about their employees. (50s)
Japanese company employees
- We can evaluate companies’ willingness to invest and their executives’ adaptability to IT and changing times. (20s)
- Because it is an indicator of management’s flexibility to digital transformation. (30s)
- Companies that insist on conducting face-to-face interviews in this situation seem like companies with an outdated view that cannot change their action in emergency situations. (30s)
- It can be considered that it indicates companies’ decision as to whether to respond or not to changing times. (40s)
- Interviewers’ attitudes in job interviews are one of the important elements that enable us to imagine our way of working after joining that company. (50s)
2. The largest percentage of respondents preferred a face-to-face interview only for the final interview. (Fig. 4, 5)
We asked respondents what was the ideal method of conducting interviews, and the largest percentage (35%) of respondents responded that they preferred a face-to-face interview for only the final interview and that the other interviews should be conducted online. (Foreign capital company employees: 34%, Japanese company employees: 35%)
Furthermore, the percentage of respondents who experienced online interviews and preferred that all interviews, including the final interview, be conducted online was higher than those who had not experienced online interviews and preferred that all interviews be conducted online by 8 points. (Respondents who experienced online interviews: 22%, respondents who had not experienced online interviews: 14%）
[Fig. 4] What is the ideal method of conducting interviews?
[Fig. 5] What is the ideal method of conducting interviews? (Breakdown by experience of having online interviews)
3. Approx. 60% of respondents experienced online interviews. Approx. 50% of respondents who had final interviews said that their final interviews were conducted online. (Fig. 6, 7)
We asked respondents whether they had experienced online interviews, and 64% of them responded in the affirmative. The percentage of foreign capital company employees who had experienced online interviews was higher than that of Japanese company employees by 10 points. (Foreign capital company employees: 69%, Japanese company employees: 59%) Foreign capital company conducted more online interviews since before the COVID-19 outbreak than Japanese companies because the supervisors to whom employees report may live in foreign countries or they may have to have interviews with HR persons or a management team at the headquarters.
We asked respondents who had reached final interviews whether they had experienced final interviews conducted online, and approx. 50% of them responded in the affirmative. (Foreign capital company employees: 48%, Japanese company employees: 46%)
[Fig.6] Have you experienced online interviews?
[Fig. 7] Please respond if you have reached final interviews. Have you experienced final interviews conducted online?
4. 80% of respondents approved of companies conducting online interviews. Respondents who experienced online interviews were slightly more in favor of online interviews. (Fig. 8, 9)
We asked respondents what they thought of companies conducting online interviews, and 81% of them approved of them (strongly or somewhat). (Foreign capital company employees: 83%, Japanese company employees: 80%)
In addition, the percentage of respondents with experience in online interviews who approved of them was higher than for those who had never experienced online interviews by 8 points. (Respondents who experienced online interviews: 84%, respondents who never experienced online interviews:76%)
[Fig. 8] What do you think of companies conducting online interviews?
[Fig. 9] What do you think of companies conducting online interviews? (Breakdown by experience with online interviews)
5. The most common reason that respondents approved of online interviews was that such interviews made it easier for them to adjust their schedules. The most common reason that they disapproved of them was that they could not feel the atmosphere or see the facilities of companies. (Fig. 10, 11)
We asked respondents why they approved or disapproved of online interviews.
The most common reason that respondents approved of online interviews was that such interviews made it easier for them to adjust their schedules (foreign capital company employees: 84%, Japanese company employees: 82%), followed by “it saves us the time of visiting companies” (foreign capital company employees: 81%, Japanese company employees: 79%).
The most common reason that they disapproved of them was that they could not feel the atmosphere or see the facilities of companies unless they visited them (foreign capital company employees: 74%, Japanese company employees: 76%), followed by “it is difficult to know interviewers’ or employees’ characters unless we talk to them in person” (foreign capital company employees: 68%, Japanese company employees: 75%).
[Fig. 10] Please respond if you somewhat or strongly approve of companies conducting online interviews. Why do you approve of them? (Multiple answers allowed)
[Fig. 11] Please respond if you somewhat or strongly disapprove of companies conducting online interviews. Why do you disapprove of them? (Multiple answers allowed)
6. Approx. 50% of respondents approved of online final interviews. Respondents who experienced online interviews were slightly more in favor of online final interviews. (Fig. 12, 13)
We asked respondents what they thought of companies conducting online final interviews, and 46% of them approved of them (strongly or somewhat). (Foreign capital company employees: 49%, Japanese company employees: 43%)
Common comments from foreign capital company employees who approved of online interviews included “it is essential for global companies” and common comments from Japanese company employees included “it is better to conduct interviews online if many employees are working remotely” and “it reduces travel expenses. ”On the other hand, many foreign capital company and Japanese company employees said that they wanted to visit companies at least once to prevent a mismatch, for example, by visiting them for a casual interview after receiving an informal job offer and they wanted to meet in person if the COVID-19 outbreak came to an end.
The percentage of respondents with experience in online interviews who approved of online final interviews was higher than for those who had never experienced online interviews by 11 points. (Respondents who experienced online interviews: 50%, respondents who never experienced online interviews:39%)
[Fig. 12] What do you think of companies conducting online final interviews?
[Fig. 13] What do you think of companies conducting online final interviews? (Breakdown by experience with online interviews)
7. The most common reason that respondents approved of online final interviews was that they could make a decision to join a company after having an online interview. The most common reason that respondents did not approve of them was that they wanted to talk to the esident/person in charge in person. (Fig. 14, 15)
We asked respondents why they approved or disapproved of online final interviews.
The most common reason that respondents approved of online final interviews was that they could make a decision to join a company after having an online interview (foreign capital company employees: 71%, Japanese company employees: 72%), followed by that final interviews are no different from first and second interviews” (foreign capital company employees: 70%, Japanese company employees: 64%).
The most common reason that respondents disapproved of them was that they wanted to talk to the president/person in charge in person (foreign capital company employees: 69%, Japanese company employees: 69%), followed by that it is necessary for both applicants and companies to meet to prevent a mismatch” (foreign capital company employees: 66%, Japanese company employees: 67%).
[Fig. 14] Please respond if you somewhat or strongly approve of companies conducting online final interviews. Why do you approve of them? (Multiple answers allowed)
[Fig. 15] Please respond if you somewhat or strongly disapprove of companies conducting online final interviews. Why do you disapprove of them? (Multiple answers allowed)
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[Outline of the survey]
Survey method: Online survey
Area: Japan
Period: July 27 - July 29, 2020
Number of valid answers: 2,081
Respondent attribute: Foreign Capital Company employees 48% Japanese company employees 52%
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▼Download the Document(PDF)
20200820_Survey on Online Interviews.pdf
About en world Japan (https://www.enworld.com/)
en world Japan is a recruiting firm established in 1999 specializing in global human resources with offices in four countries in the Asia-Pacific region. We specialize in supporting Foreign Capital Companies and global Japanese companies in recruiting human resources for middle to high level positions. We help companies with recruitment and job seekers with career changes from every angle by staffing full-time workers, professional human resources, and executive human resources and providing recruitment process outsourcing solutions.
Contact information for inquiries about this news release
en world Japan K.K. PR representative
Email : enworld-pr@enworld.com
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