On July 16, against the backdrop of the trend toward earlier job hunting, Keio University held its first in-person "Career Development Seminar for Underclassmen" at the Hiyoshi Campus for first- and second-year undergraduate students, with over 170 students in attendance.
As job hunting activities continue to start earlier, this seminar was planned not to encourage early job hunting, but rather as an opportunity for students to reconsider the importance of learning and taking on challenges during university life under the theme of "Growing Through University Life." On the day of the event, recruitment representatives and a Keio alumna from Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.—a company that has abolished its internship program—were invited to participate in a cross-talk session with the university's Head of Student Careers.
During the cross-talk, a lively exchange of opinions took place based on questions submitted by students in advance. Topics included how to approach early job hunting and internships, engagement in academic and extracurricular activities, and the type of individuals companies seek. The session provided students with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the ideal candidate profiles sought by companies and the significance of university life.
In the Q&A session following the cross-talk, many questions were raised by students, and the three speakers provided detailed responses from the perspectives of both the university and the corporation.
In the post-event survey, approximately 90% of respondents answered affirmatively to the questions "Did this provide an opportunity to reconsider how you spend your university life?" and "Has your perspective on job hunting changed?" Furthermore, regarding the timing for participating in internships, a change in mindset was observed, with an increase in students who felt they did not need to rush the start date compared to before the seminar. In the open-ended comments, many students expressed views such as, "Instead of rushing into job hunting, I want to challenge myself with things I truly want to do during university life," and "I understood that companies value growth through experience rather than the experience itself," suggesting that the seminar led to a transformation in student awareness.
Keio University will continue to promote career development support centered on students learning proactively and growing through their university life through collaboration with corporations.