Major Domestic BPO Company Altius Link Fully Implements SHaiN for New Graduate Recruitment
Altius Link, a leading Japanese BPO provider, has fully implemented the next-generation conversational AI interview service 'SHaiN' to streamline its new graduate recruitment process. The adoption aims to reduce the heavy workload of HR staff, maintain consistent evaluation standards, and prevent candidate drop-off caused by long lead times.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: March 30, 2026 at 22:56 (2h 56m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 2, 2026 at 13:02 (1526h 6m after Collected)
Talent and Assessment Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Toshiaki Yamazaki; hereinafter 'Talent and Assessment'), the developer and provider of the next-generation conversational AI interview service SHaiN (hereinafter 'SHaiN'), is pleased to announce that SHaiN has been implemented by Altius Link, Inc. (Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Masatoshi Natani; hereinafter 'Altius Link'), a top-tier domestic BPO service provider.
■ Background of SHaiN Implementation
Altius Link, which provides BPO, contact center, and IT solution services, faced challenges in its new graduate recruitment process regarding the balance between operational efficiency and selection quality, due to the high volume of applicants leading to increased interview man-hours and difficulties in maintaining evaluation standards.
- Massive Interview Workload and Increased HR Burden
In traditional first-round interviews, including scheduling and preparation, each session required approximately two hours, placing a heavy burden on recruiters. Furthermore, against a backdrop of reduced HR personnel, there was a pressing need to improve the efficiency of recruitment operations.
- Maintaining Evaluation Standards
As the number of interviewers was increased to handle the interview volume, maintaining consistency in evaluation standards became increasingly critical.
- Candidate Drop-off Due to Lead Time
Long lead times, such as scheduling between information sessions and first-round interviews, resulted in cases where candidates withdrew from the selection process.
■ Revamping the Selection Flow and Expected Effects of SHaiN
To resolve these issues, the first-round interview, previously conducted by two interviewers, has been replaced by an AI interview using SHaiN. The system was introduced in stages, starting with early recruitment phases, to verify the consistency between AI scores across 10 evaluation items and evaluations by HR staff, as well as to assess the impact on the applicant experience and the efficiency of the recruitment process. As a result, clear benefits were confirmed for both applicants and the company, leading to the decision for full-scale implementation.
By introducing SHaiN, the following effects are expected:
- Significant Reduction in Lead Time and Prevention of Drop-off
After an information session, candidates can be guided to an AI interview immediately without waiting for schedule coordination, thereby increasing the speed of the selection process and preventing candidate drop-off.
- Reduction in Interview Man-hours
The time and scheduling effort previously required for first-round interviews will be reduced, allowing recruiters to focus on higher value-added tasks.
- Establishment of Fair and Impartial Evaluation Standards
Using an AI-proprietary algorithm that is not influenced by the subjectivity of interviewers, it becomes possible to conduct fair evaluations for all candidates based on unified standards.
■ Altius Link, Inc. (https://www.services.altius-link.com/)
Altius Link, a joint venture between KDDI and Mitsui & Co., provides one-stop BPO services domestically and internationally that comprehensively support corporate activities—from front-office operations including customer support to back-office and IT domains—with value creation through the fusion of people and digital technology at its core. Operating in seven countries, primarily in Asia and North America, the company contributes to the creation of new value that leads to the sophistication of operations and improvement of CX, starting with AI and digital technology, through collaboration with diverse partner companies.
As a 'Total CX² Design Company' that designs all connections between companies and their customers, it integrally realizes the improvement of Customer Experience and Corporate Transformation to support the long-term business growth of client companies.
Under its purpose, 'Making those connections stronger, more beautiful, and more interesting,' the company enriches the connections between people, companies, and society, contributing to the development of a sustainable society together with its client companies.
■ What is the Next-Generation Conversational AI Interview Service SHaiN? (https://shain-ai.jp/)
Based on a strategic recruitment method developed by Talent and Assessment, SHaiN is the largest conversational AI interview service in Japan (as of March 2026), implemented by over 1,000 companies. By having AI conduct interviews instead of humans, it improves the inconsistency in evaluations often cited as a challenge in human-led interviews, realizing unified pass/fail criteria and fair, impartial selection without prejudice.
Applicants can use smartphones or tablets to conduct interviews while conversing with AI anytime, 24/7, from any location, reducing opportunity losses such as selection withdrawals due to scheduling conflicts. Companies can use the interview evaluation reports not only to determine hiring decisions but also to tailor questions and motivation strategies for each candidate during face-to-face interviews.
The greatest feature of SHaiN is that it is equipped with a proprietary evaluation AI algorithm developed through joint research with the University of Tokyo's Yamazaki Laboratory based on approximately 40,000 interview data points, making the basis for evaluations explainable.
The EU AI Act, enacted in 2024, classifies the use of AI in recruitment as high-risk and mandates 'human oversight,' 'log recording and management,' and 'third-party conformity assessment.' SHaiN meets these criteria and is a service that complies with the AI Act.
In the next-generation version of SHaiN released in December 2025, the integration of advanced natural language processing technology and machine learning models held by PKSHA Technology significantly enhances listening functions in interviews, realizing a positive conversational experience. Furthermore, in addition to the conventional 10-trait evaluation, new multi-faceted evaluations for other traits have been implemented, enabling more precise personality analysis. These 'other traits' consist of eight types of competencies, including 'communication skills,' 'proactivity,' 'challenging spirit,' 'cooperativeness,' and 'integrity,' which were cited as important items in the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) 'Survey on New Graduate Recruitment.'
As one of the roles of the 'AI Suite for HR' developed by the group company PKSHA Technology, SHaiN aims to comprehensively improve the efficiency of HR operations and enhance the experience of job seekers and employees through AI.
■ Altius Link, Inc. (https://www.altius-link.com/)
Location: Odakyu Southern Tower, 2-2-1 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Masatoshi Natani, President and Representative Director
Established: May 1996 (Altius Link launched September 1, 2023)
Capital: 100 million yen
Business Description: Domestic and international BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) business
■ Talent and Assessment Co., Ltd. (https://www.taleasse.co.jp/)
Location: 23F Kamiyacho Trust Tower, 4-1-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Toshiaki Yamazaki, Representative Director
Established: October 2014
Capital: 50 million yen
■ Background of SHaiN Implementation
Altius Link, which provides BPO, contact center, and IT solution services, faced challenges in its new graduate recruitment process regarding the balance between operational efficiency and selection quality, due to the high volume of applicants leading to increased interview man-hours and difficulties in maintaining evaluation standards.
- Massive Interview Workload and Increased HR Burden
In traditional first-round interviews, including scheduling and preparation, each session required approximately two hours, placing a heavy burden on recruiters. Furthermore, against a backdrop of reduced HR personnel, there was a pressing need to improve the efficiency of recruitment operations.
- Maintaining Evaluation Standards
As the number of interviewers was increased to handle the interview volume, maintaining consistency in evaluation standards became increasingly critical.
- Candidate Drop-off Due to Lead Time
Long lead times, such as scheduling between information sessions and first-round interviews, resulted in cases where candidates withdrew from the selection process.
■ Revamping the Selection Flow and Expected Effects of SHaiN
To resolve these issues, the first-round interview, previously conducted by two interviewers, has been replaced by an AI interview using SHaiN. The system was introduced in stages, starting with early recruitment phases, to verify the consistency between AI scores across 10 evaluation items and evaluations by HR staff, as well as to assess the impact on the applicant experience and the efficiency of the recruitment process. As a result, clear benefits were confirmed for both applicants and the company, leading to the decision for full-scale implementation.
By introducing SHaiN, the following effects are expected:
- Significant Reduction in Lead Time and Prevention of Drop-off
After an information session, candidates can be guided to an AI interview immediately without waiting for schedule coordination, thereby increasing the speed of the selection process and preventing candidate drop-off.
- Reduction in Interview Man-hours
The time and scheduling effort previously required for first-round interviews will be reduced, allowing recruiters to focus on higher value-added tasks.
- Establishment of Fair and Impartial Evaluation Standards
Using an AI-proprietary algorithm that is not influenced by the subjectivity of interviewers, it becomes possible to conduct fair evaluations for all candidates based on unified standards.
■ Altius Link, Inc. (https://www.services.altius-link.com/)
Altius Link, a joint venture between KDDI and Mitsui & Co., provides one-stop BPO services domestically and internationally that comprehensively support corporate activities—from front-office operations including customer support to back-office and IT domains—with value creation through the fusion of people and digital technology at its core. Operating in seven countries, primarily in Asia and North America, the company contributes to the creation of new value that leads to the sophistication of operations and improvement of CX, starting with AI and digital technology, through collaboration with diverse partner companies.
As a 'Total CX² Design Company' that designs all connections between companies and their customers, it integrally realizes the improvement of Customer Experience and Corporate Transformation to support the long-term business growth of client companies.
Under its purpose, 'Making those connections stronger, more beautiful, and more interesting,' the company enriches the connections between people, companies, and society, contributing to the development of a sustainable society together with its client companies.
■ What is the Next-Generation Conversational AI Interview Service SHaiN? (https://shain-ai.jp/)
Based on a strategic recruitment method developed by Talent and Assessment, SHaiN is the largest conversational AI interview service in Japan (as of March 2026), implemented by over 1,000 companies. By having AI conduct interviews instead of humans, it improves the inconsistency in evaluations often cited as a challenge in human-led interviews, realizing unified pass/fail criteria and fair, impartial selection without prejudice.
Applicants can use smartphones or tablets to conduct interviews while conversing with AI anytime, 24/7, from any location, reducing opportunity losses such as selection withdrawals due to scheduling conflicts. Companies can use the interview evaluation reports not only to determine hiring decisions but also to tailor questions and motivation strategies for each candidate during face-to-face interviews.
The greatest feature of SHaiN is that it is equipped with a proprietary evaluation AI algorithm developed through joint research with the University of Tokyo's Yamazaki Laboratory based on approximately 40,000 interview data points, making the basis for evaluations explainable.
The EU AI Act, enacted in 2024, classifies the use of AI in recruitment as high-risk and mandates 'human oversight,' 'log recording and management,' and 'third-party conformity assessment.' SHaiN meets these criteria and is a service that complies with the AI Act.
In the next-generation version of SHaiN released in December 2025, the integration of advanced natural language processing technology and machine learning models held by PKSHA Technology significantly enhances listening functions in interviews, realizing a positive conversational experience. Furthermore, in addition to the conventional 10-trait evaluation, new multi-faceted evaluations for other traits have been implemented, enabling more precise personality analysis. These 'other traits' consist of eight types of competencies, including 'communication skills,' 'proactivity,' 'challenging spirit,' 'cooperativeness,' and 'integrity,' which were cited as important items in the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) 'Survey on New Graduate Recruitment.'
As one of the roles of the 'AI Suite for HR' developed by the group company PKSHA Technology, SHaiN aims to comprehensively improve the efficiency of HR operations and enhance the experience of job seekers and employees through AI.
■ Altius Link, Inc. (https://www.altius-link.com/)
Location: Odakyu Southern Tower, 2-2-1 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Masatoshi Natani, President and Representative Director
Established: May 1996 (Altius Link launched September 1, 2023)
Capital: 100 million yen
Business Description: Domestic and international BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) business
■ Talent and Assessment Co., Ltd. (https://www.taleasse.co.jp/)
Location: 23F Kamiyacho Trust Tower, 4-1-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Toshiaki Yamazaki, Representative Director
Established: October 2014
Capital: 50 million yen