Once every now and again I look around the Japan-focused chat boards to get a feel for what people are looking for work and how they find it. Over the last few months, I've noticed more and more postings from people who are dissatisfied with recruiting companies - and labeling one company or another as "useless". But before giving up on recruiters, let's take a step back and look at what you should be using a recruiter for...

I don't often talk about the job opportunities for marketing and PR positions. In fact there are a ton of jobs out there - however, you don't hear about them much in the foreign media because of the fact that for such positions companies mostly hire from an "inner circle" of marketing professionals. To get into this inner circle, you need to have experience, be in the right industry that the hirer is active in, and...

In polite Japan, people don't talk much about the underside of a paternal working society, where young women in particular are expected to suffer in silence from sexual harassment from their seniors. A pat on the bottom from the boss, awkward questions about one's love life from the bucho, and persistent requests for a date from older male colleagues are all part of the workplace obstacle course. In most foreign companies, things are a bit easier because of Western...

So, you've been to three interviews with the same company. You've met everyone from the Business and HR Managers, to the CEO for Japan. You're totally confident that you're the chosen one, and your recruiter is telling you that you should get ready for some good news on Monday. Then, on Friday night, the final call comes through on your cell phone, "We're sorry, but you didn't get the job..." One of the biggest problems I have as a recruiting consultant is...