Column

Difficulties in Hiring

Accounting/Taxes

Before I became a recruiter, I was dissatisfied with our company’s recruiter. Why did they hire this person? Isn't there someone better? Don't they have good eyes to see?

But when I tried it myself, I found it was difficult; there was no way I could properly judge a person's character in half an hour to an hour. Candidates are very nervous. I try to relax them, but I find it difficult to express candidates’ abilities and character in an interview. But humanity is important. Because a company is made up of people.


What is important in an interview is honesty, positivity, and whether or not the candidate likes detailed work as a trait suited to accounting work. They can work well with others, and they are meticulous because the job involves numbers. However, I am worried that if we always use the same criteria, we will end up with the same type of people. I think that is not a good thing. There is probably no right answer, so I guess I will continue to worry about this.


EPCS is looking for people who have a desire to provide accounting and tax services as a professional service, people who are studying to become certified tax accountants or CPA. Since they work in teams, they are also required to have communication skills. We also want to see that the candidate does not have a personality that will negatively affect those around him or her.


What I always emphasize the most during interviews is a person's level of seriousness. When I was a senior in university, I had something I wanted to do and did not want to work for a company, but I was job hunting for a living and failed at every job I tried. I was terribly depressed at the time, but the reason was simple. There was no truth in my words. Even though I said “I want to join a company” that I didn't want to join, a professional interviewer could easily see through that to be a lie. As proof of this, there was one company that I wanted to join, and when I put my heart and soul into the person I admired, the person said, "Your words came across very well," and they hired me. At that time, I thought only the truth can be conveyed. In other words, what is true will always be conveyed. After that, my true words always got through. So now that I am on an interviewer side, I want to carefully assess the seriousness of the person I am interviewing.


There are two steps of EPCS interviews, which take some time. Before EPCS decides to hire them, many people decide to join another company that conditions are better. It may be inevitable that they jump at the better conditions in front of them, but I feel that we need to convey more enthusiasm that we need the candidates during the interview. I feel that I am being asked to show something other than conditions, something like the seriousness of our side as an interviewer. Due to Covid-19, interviews are often conducted remotely, which makes the situation more difficult for conveying our enthusiasm. However, interviews are not only important for the company, but also an important meeting place between people, so I would like to continue to be sincere in my approach.

Teruyo Kosugi

Accounting Solution Division/Manager Joined EPCS in 2005. Mainly in charge of foreign affiliated companies and SPCs.

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