#Japan #Tokyo #Seeds and Growth #talentbook #Role Model Work

Introduction

In the evolving landscape of graduate recruitment, a new paradigm is emerging that prioritizes the personal journeys of candidates over traditional corporate narratives. Seeds and Growth, a consulting firm specialized in new graduate recruitment, has teamed up with Talentbook, a platform for recruitment branding, to introduce an innovative follow-up program for new hires known as the “Role Model Work.” This initiative aims to create deeper connections between candidates and companies by allowing recruits to articulate their motivations and align their values with future career paths.

Understanding the Gap

Research from Mynavi highlights that the primary reason for job offer declines among new graduates is the lack of alignment between their career visions and the realities presented during recruiting. While students often value how well their personal values resonate with a company, they frequently encounter generic information focused on benefits and average tenure rather than deeper insights into company culture and values. This substantial gap in information can lead to dissatisfaction and ultimately, job offer rejections.

Traditional onboarding processes have typically involved companies outlining their attractive features without engaging recruits in meaningful dialogue. This approach often fails to foster the necessary empathy and conviction within candidates. Without a personal connection to the reasons for wanting to work at a particular company, graduates are left with uncertainties, leading them to withdraw their acceptance of job offers. The critical issue isn’t merely a lack of information, but a lack of empathy and understanding.

Embracing the Role Model Recruitment Philosophy

Talentbook advocates for a recruitment philosophy that illuminates candidates' paths through diverse employee experiences, helping recruits envision a future they aspire to. By showcasing various career stories of employees, candidates are invited to reflect on their own aspirations in relation to the company’s offerings. The collaboration between Seeds and Growth, which has extensive experience across numerous industries in shaping hiring strategies, and Talentbook’s robust recruitment branding services, resulted in the development of the “Role Model Work” program that aims to revolutionize the conventional onboarding experience.

Combining Strengths for Impact

Seeds and Growth’s expertise includes:

• - Proven track record of supporting new graduate recruitment across 300 companies from various industries.
• - A unique ability to articulate values from both the company and candidate perspectives, enhancing mutual understanding.
• - Creating positive spaces for interactions between potential recruits and the firm.

Talentbook brings to the table:

• - Over 1,200 successful recruitment branding campaigns for large and growing companies.
• - A focus on crafting narratives that resonate with candidates, making values and career paths clear and engaging.
• - Efficient content production through AI-driven employee interviews.

Together, they foster a new structure that transitions from a company-centric narrative to a candidate-centric exploration of why they were drawn to the opportunity. This shift allows human resources and recruitment teams to facilitate meaningful connections with candidates without overwhelming existing employees, fostering deeper engagement.

Benefits of the Role Model Work Program

Through the “Role Model Work” program, companies can achieve several key outcomes:
1. Value Discovery: Candidates engage with articles from four role models, allowing them to articulate their sentiments on who resonates with them and why. This self-discovery process is central to fostering a sense of belonging.
2. Career Projection: By analyzing employee narratives, candidates can envision their potential work experiences, fostering a substantive connection to the company environment.
3. Evolved Self-Understanding: Reflecting on past experiences leads to a clearer understanding of personal values and how they align with future career aspirations.

Program Overview

Program Features:

• - Design of four role model types based on the analysis of top-performing employees.
• - Creation of four articles featuring role models using AI-driven interviews, each around 3,000 words in length.
• - Artistic implementation of individual and group work sessions, with comprehensive facilitation materials including run sheets and scripts.

Target Audience:

This program is geared toward organizations seeking to enhance their onboarding experience for new graduates.

Unique Aspects:

• - No additional burden on employees as AI interviews are limited to 30 minutes per participant.
• - Designed to be replicable year after year for sustained success.
• - A template provided for easy cooperation requests within the company.

Cost:

The entire program is available for 1.5 million yen (excluding tax), with optional facilitation support priced at an additional 500,000 yen (excluding tax).

Upcoming Webinar

On Friday, February 27, there will be a webinar explaining the “Role Model Work” program. [Click here to register]

Commentary from Executives

Hidetaka Kawamoto, CEO of Seeds and Growth: “What students genuinely seek isn't merely an explanation of the systems offered by companies; they need to be able to vividly imagine ‘themselves working here’ and how to build their careers within the organization. The role model recruitment philosophy developed by Talentbook directly addresses this need. By merging our skills in reflective and decision-making assistance, we can cultivate an environment where each graduate can express in their own words why they wish to join us. I hope this program facilitates positive encounters between firms and students, fostering mutual growth.”

Shoko Hiratsuka, Executive Officer at Talentbook: “The essence of onboarding follow-ups lies not in the duration but in constructing an understanding. Discovering a future through relatable role models that resonates with personal values is a powerful experience. Collaborating with Seeds and Growth allows us to propose an innovative onboarding model that supports recruits in making informed decisions as they prepare to join the workforce.”

About Seeds and Growth

Seeds and Growth specializes in consulting for new graduate recruitment and is supported by a diverse team, with over half being working mothers. All services are tailored to meet specific client needs from strategy development to follow-up and success in employee retention, embodying a collaborative approach to recruitment support.

Company Overview:

• - Name: Seeds and Growth, Inc.
• - CEO: Hidetaka Kawamoto
• - Headquarters: Chuo City, Tokyo, Japan
• - Established: July 2010
• - Capital: 9.9 million yen
• - Employees: 16 (excluding executives) as of February 2026
• - Business Description: Fully customized consulting services focused on addressing recruitment challenges.
• - Website: www.seeds-and-growth.co.jp

About Talentbook

Talentbook operates the role model recruitment platform and has conducted recruitment branding services for over 1,200 major and growth-oriented companies, raising around 2 billion yen in funding from domestic venture capital firms.

Company Overview:

• - Name: Talentbook, Inc.
• - CEO: Ko Ohori, Kai Ohori
• - Headquarters: Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
• - Established: December 12, 2014 (November fiscal year-end)
• - Business: Planning, development, and operation of Talentbook, recruitment branding support.
• - Website: www.talentbook.co.jp