ZenX Releases a Report on Decision Factors in Company Selection, Based on a Survey of 100 Students from Japan's Top Universities Including the Former Imperial Universities, Waseda, and Keio, Revealing How Priorities Such as Atmosphere, Compensation, and Job Content Differ by Target Industry

Download URL (Google Forms): https://x.gd/W2yuO

ZenMatch, the career support service operated by ZenX Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya, Tokyo; CEO: Masahiro Goto), together with the career support community CareerTabi (Representative: Hidemitsu Tamaji; supported by ZenX Inc.), has released the Decision Factors in Company Selection Report (the "Report"), targeting university students expected to graduate in 2027 (current third-year undergraduates and first-year master's students; the "Class of 2027").

The Report is a 59-page survey report organizing "what students prioritize when choosing a company," based on 100 Class of 2027 students at highly selective universities, including the former Imperial universities, Waseda, Keio, and top national universities.

It is the third report in the series, following the Class of 2027 Internship and Recruitment Status Report (September 2025 update) published in October 2025 and What Makes an Internship Successful: Insights from Student Voices published in November 2025. This press release presents selected excerpts.

<Reference>

• ZenX Releases a Job-Hunting Trends Report on 100 Class of 2027 Students from the Former Imperial Universities, Waseda, and Keio: An Average of 12 Applications per Student, a 16% Offer Rate, and the Realities of Industry Selection, Ever-Earlier Job Hunting, and Multiple Applications Among Top Students (published October 24, 2025)

• ZenX Releases a Report on What Makes Internships Successful, Based on 100 Students from the Former Imperial Universities, Waseda, Keio, and Other Top Schools: Real Student Voices Reveal That Top Students Truly Value People, Hands-On Work, and Social Impact (published November 26, 2025)

■ Overall Summary

■Target Industries Concentrate on Trading Companies, Consulting, Real Estate Developers, Finance, and IT

Looking at the results for target industries (multiple selections allowed), the following five industries ranked highest.

• Trading companies

• Consulting

• Real estate developers

• Finance

• IT

General trading companies, professional firms, major real estate developers and financial institutions engaged in large-scale urban development, and IT companies driving DX and product development—

• industries that demand a high level of expertise, and

• involve business of significant scale

The survey found that students' aspirations concentrate on industries with these characteristics.

Meanwhile, manufacturers, advertising, government agencies, and infrastructure also drew a certain share of votes, suggesting that students anchor on "expertise × business scale" while comparing industries on factors such as stability and social contribution.

■Top 3 Priorities in Company Selection: "Company Atmosphere," "Salary," and "Job Content"

The overall ranking of "what students value when choosing a company" (multiple answers allowed) was as follows for the top three.

No. 1: A positive company atmosphere (74.0%)

• Whether there are many people they would genuinely want to work with

• Whether the atmosphere makes it easy to voice opinions and seek advice

• Whether it matches their values and working style

No. 2: Salary (59.0%)

• Whether starting salary, bonuses, and other pay provide a stable foundation for living

• Whether the terms feel fair compared with other companies

• Whether future raises and career advancement are foreseeable

No. 3: Job content (56.0%)

• Whether the work is exciting and stimulates intellectual curiosity

• Whether they can apply their strengths and interests

• Whether it includes challenging opportunities that lead to growth

• These results show that Class of 2027 students compare and evaluate companies while prioritizing the "atmosphere and relationships" that shape day-to-day ease of working, the "compensation (salary and stability)" that supports peace of mind in daily life, and the "substance of the work" closely tied to their interests and growth.

Items ranked fourth and below are available in the full report.

Download URL: https://x.gd/W2yuO

■Additional Report Contents

The full report includes the following:

• The remainder of the ranking of priorities in company selection (positions 4–10)

• Decision factors for each industry—consulting, trading companies, finance, real estate developers, and more—compared with the overall results

• Decision factors among students at highly selective universities

• Points to keep in mind in recruitment activities, and more

Download the full report free of charge from the link below. (Google Forms)

Download URL: https://x.gd/W2yuO

[About the Survey]

Conducted in September 2025 among 100 university students graduating in 2027

・Gender: 80 male, 20 female

・Year: 60 third-year undergraduates, 34 first-year master's students, 6 fourth-year undergraduates

・Academic track: 51 humanities and social sciences, 44 sciences, 5 interdisciplinary

・University breakdown:

<Former Imperial universities> The University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Tohoku University, Hokkaido University, Kyushu University

<Other national and public universities> Hitotsubashi University, Institute of Science Tokyo, Chiba University, and other national and public universities

<Waseda and Keio> Waseda University, Keio University

<Other private universities> Tokyo University of Science, Meiji University, Rikkyo University, Chuo University, Hosei University, Doshisha University, Kwansei Gakuin University, and others

[About ZenMatch's EQ Assessment Analysis Report]

The career support service ZenMatch provides reports that analyze behavioral traits, soft skills, and EQ (emotional intelligence) data. By objectively visualizing each individual's characteristics, it delivers practical insights that can be applied to recruitment and talent development.

Download materials: https://www.zentest.jp/download

[About CareerTabi]

CareerTabi is a career support community connecting top-tier students with companies. It is run by a representative with more than 15 years of recruitment support experience, together with multiple students holding offers from highly selective companies. Around 1,000 students participate each year, creating touchpoints with companies through interviews, roundtable sessions, and surveys.

Offer track record: Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co., Sumitomo Corporation, Itochu Corporation, Mitsubishi Estate, Mitsui Fudosan, NRI, Dentsu, BCG, Bain & Company, Development Bank of Japan, MUFG Bank, and others.

https://careertabi.com/

[About ZenMatch]

ZenMatch is a career support service for new graduates and mid-career professionals provided by ZenX Inc. In new-graduate recruiting, it visualizes career orientation, provides matching, and supports the selection process—primarily for top-tier students—supporting both companies' recruitment activities and students' career development.

It also uses EQ business professional, the EQ assessment of ZenTest developed by ZenX, to analyze students' behavioral traits, soft skills, and EQ (emotional intelligence) data, delivering career support with highly accurate matching grounded in quantitative data.

https://www.zenmatch.jp/

[ZenX Inc. Company Overview]

ZenX is a company providing BPaaS (Business Process as a Service) that fuses AI with human expertise.

Across the three domains of HR, Finance, and Global, it comprehensively supports the management challenges of startups, growth companies, and large enterprises.

・Representative: Masahiro Goto

・Founded: 2019

・Address: Cerulean Tower 15F, 26-1 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

・Official website: https://www.zenx.jp/

・Business: Provision of ZenTest, an AI-powered talent assessment; ZenStrategy, offering HR BPaaS, Finance BPaaS, and strategy and organizational support services; and ZenMatch Agent, a recruitment and career-change support service that delivers optimal matching based on company requirements, organizational culture, individual aspirations, behavioral traits, soft skills, and EQ (emotional intelligence)