[Survey on Casual Interview Practices in High-Class Job Changes] 44% of those with annual salaries over 8 million yen 'silently decline' their first-choice company during casual interviews.

uloqo Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo / Representative Director: Kensuke Sekigawa, hereinafter "uloqo"), which provides strategic RPO services, conducted a comparative survey targeting 934 job seekers who have experienced casual interviews, focusing on differences in awareness by annual salary bracket.

1. Background of the Casual Interview Practice Survey

Against the backdrop of a declining working-age population due to the declining birthrate and aging population, and intense competition for AI and DX talent, the job market in 2026 continues to be a seller's market. Particularly in acquiring high-class talent, which holds the key to business growth, it is essential for companies to be the "chosen" party and engage in personalized communication with each candidate.

The survey results revealed that high-class individuals with annual salaries of 8 million yen or more view their careers as an "investment," positioning interviews not merely as a place for information gathering, but as a "confirmation opportunity" to ascertain how their expertise can be leveraged within that organization. When companies set up interviews with executives, stating "let's start casually," without concrete strategies or shared challenges, it carries the risk of exposing the "low organizational perspective" and "low on-site resolution" to high-class individuals who approach the interview with heightened expectations based on prior research.

This survey visualizes the high expectations unique to high-class recruitment and the "information mismatch" occurring in actual interview settings. It highlights the severe dysfunction in the recruitment field, where executives conducting interviews fail to present the "image of contribution within the company" that candidates seek, leading to lost opportunities for acquiring high-class talent.

Survey Results Summary

• 44.0% of those with annual salaries of 8 million yen or more participated in casual interviews as their first choice.

• The higher the annual salary, the more likely executives and on-site managers are to conduct interviews.

• The decisive factor for a decrease in interest was a "skill gap" due to the interviewer's lack of specialized knowledge.

• 86.7% of high-class individuals whose interest decreased responded that they "would have joined if the interview quality had been better."

2. Details of Survey Results

High-class individuals view casual interviews as a "final confirmation of intent to join."

Among those with annual salaries of 8 million yen or more, 44.0% responded that they had "very high intent to join (first-choice group)" if interviews were improved, which is significantly higher compared to the overall average (31.8%) and other salary brackets (400-600 million yen: 25.5%). High-class individuals perceive casual interviews not as merely casual encounters, but as a "confirmation opportunity" for joining. Therefore, the loss to companies when sufficient dialogue does not occur during interviews is extremely significant.

Interview content is a factor in departure. Even if executives conduct interviews, they need to provide the requested information.

As annual salaries increase, the proportion of interviews conducted by executives/officers (21.3%) and on-site managers (40.7%) also increases. However, what high-class individuals seek is not the "overall company vision" or "business overview" that can be found in public information, but rather more in-depth information about the company's actual situation.

The survey found that 43.3% of high-class individuals sought "proposals on how their skills can grow and contribute to the organization," and 34.0% sought "challenges the organization is facing." This highlights a structural issue where the broad vision articulated by management does not necessarily align with the "concrete image of contribution" sought by candidates.

86.7% of silent rejections can be prevented by improving interview design.

When high-class individuals who had experienced a decrease in interest were asked if they "would have joined if the interview quality had been high and they could have deeply discussed on-site challenges," 86.7% (42.7% said "there was a possibility," 44.0% said "very high possibility") responded that there was a possibility of joining. Losing candidates due to "poor interview design" in a single interview, after investing significant costs in scouting and setting up interviews, is a major loss in today's challenging recruitment market.

3. Comment from the Person in Charge

Kensuke Sekigawa, Representative Director, uloqo Inc.

"This survey highlights the current situation where high-class individuals have high prior expectations, but companies are unable to provide the 'quality of dialogue' that meets that enthusiasm. Candidates with annual salaries of 8 million yen or more are looking for concrete discussions on how to utilize their expertise and solve organizational challenges, not standardized company explanations. If companies merely focus on 'meeting' and fail to offer proposals that genuinely address candidates' careers, it is tantamount to letting go of excellent talent that could have been acquired. A stance of engaging in constructive dialogue with candidates through 'strategic proposals' tailored to individual expertise is an essential condition for being chosen in today's recruitment market."

4. Survey Overview

Survey Name

Casual Interview Practice Survey

Target

934 job seekers who have experienced casual interviews.