Rethinking Hiring Through Candidate Experience: An Introduction to Startup Recruiting CX

As competition for talent intensifies, this seminar frames candidate experience (recruiting CX) as the deciding factor in whether a startup gets chosen. The premise is that polishing job postings and scout messages is not enough: the full designed experience, from first awareness through application, interviews, and offer acceptance, is what moves a candidate's level of interest and the rate at which offers are accepted. The first half is a keynote by Hiroki Akiyama, board member of Direct Sourcing and head of its recruiting market research institute, walking through experience design from awareness to offer acceptance using real cases. The second half is a panel he facilitates, with Ryu Iikura, CEO of J-CAT, and Minami Kudo, hiring manager at CRAZY, unpacking what worked when they improved their own recruiting CX. It is aimed at startup executives, HR staff, and hiring leads who want a more compelling selection experience or better funnel conversion. The venue is Tokyo Innovation Base 1F SQUARE-2 in Marunouchi, doors at 18:00, and attendance is free. Registration goes through a dedicated form.