How to Choose a Job Site: Finding Permanent Positions in Japan

"I want to find a permanent position, but there are so many job sites I have no idea which to use." There are dozens of services, and which ones you pick completely changes the permanent roles you get to see. This guide covers five types of job-search service and how to combine them, six criteria for choosing a site, recommended combinations by age and situation, and the items you must verify on any posting labelled as permanent employment.

If you want the whole job-change process first, see our complete manual on starting a job search. This article focuses on one part of it: where to look for permanent roles.

Five types of service for finding permanent positions

They all get lumped together as "job sites," but the underlying mechanics differ a great deal. Use only one type and the roles you see will be skewed.

1. Job boards (paid listings)

Companies pay to list a posting, and you search and apply yourself. Rikunabi NEXT, doda, and Mynavi Tenshoku are the main examples in Japan. Listing volume is high and you can filter finely by employment type, salary, and location, which suits people who want to move at their own pace. Because anyone who pays can list, though, you have to judge posting quality yourself.

2. Recruitment agencies (placement services)

A career advisor interviews you, introduces roles, and handles document review, interview prep, scheduling, and salary negotiation. Because employers pay only on a successful hire, positions the company is serious about filling tend to concentrate here, including permanent roles never posted publicly. The pace can depend on the agency's schedule, but for a first job change or if negotiation makes you uneasy, this is a strong option.

3. Scout platforms and direct recruiting

You register your work history and companies or headhunters approach you. BizReach, doda X, and the scout features built into most job boards fall into this category. The upside is exposure to employers you would never have searched for, and to salary bands above what you assumed. It also works as a way to gauge how the market values you, so registering is worthwhile even if you are not moving yet.

4. Job search engines (aggregators)

Services like Indeed and Kyujin Box pull postings from other sites and company pages into one searchable index. Coverage is the broadest of any type, but because sources vary, so does the level of detail, and part-time and freelance listings get mixed in. If you want permanent roles only, always apply the employment-type filter.

5. Hello Work and applying directly through company career pages

Listing on Hello Work, Japan's public employment service, is free, so it surfaces permanent roles at local and small-to-mid-size employers that never appear on commercial sites. It is indispensable for a region-focused search. If you already have target companies, applying directly through their career page also works well: there is less competition, and the employer pays no recruiting fee, which tends to make you a welcome applicant.

Six criteria for choosing a job site for permanent roles

Pick on name recognition alone and you will not reach the roles that fit your criteria. Judge on these six points.

• Can you filter to permanent employment? Check this first. On sites without the filter, contract and dispatch postings will eat your time.
• Is it strong for your age and experience level? Services specialize, whether in early-career candidates or mid-to-senior hires. Check that the salary bands and expected years of experience match yours.
• Does it have depth in your target industry and role? Sector-specific services in IT, administration, sales, healthcare, or manufacturing often carry roles the generalist sites do not.
• Are the postings detailed enough? Sites that spell out salary composition, probation terms, and actual bonus payouts give you more to judge on and reduce mismatches after you join.
• Are the scout messages actually relevant? Services that flood you with irrelevant approaches cost you sorting time. Use one for a few days, assess the quality, then decide whether to keep it.
• Can you add agency support later? When one company runs both a job board and an agency, layering in support afterward is straightforward.

Recommended combinations by situation

How you should search shifts with your age and current position. Here are the combinations that work.

Twenties and recent graduates changing jobs early

Potential-based hiring is available, so this is when your options are widest. Secure volume through a generalist job board, and add one agency focused on early-career candidates to get help articulating your experience and building your documents. Even with a short work history, registering on a scout platform surfaces roles you would not have found.

Thirties aiming to step up

Hands-on experience is what gets evaluated at this stage, which makes scout platforms and sector-specific services a good fit. A three-layer approach is efficient: a generalist board to read the market, a scout platform to gauge your value, and an agency for your priority applications so negotiation is covered.

Forties and above

Unadvertised roles and headhunter introductions matter more than public postings. Build around agencies and scout platforms, and work your existing network for referrals in parallel. Rather than chasing volume, target a narrow set of positions where your management experience or specialism lands — that tends to convert better.

Moving from part-time or non-regular work into a permanent role

Pairing an early-career service that carries plenty of "no experience required" and "permanent conversion available" postings with Hello Work for local roles is the practical route. An agency you can consult about how to explain gaps and non-regular periods makes the process easier. For the step-by-step path, see how to move from part-time work into permanent employment.

Switching into a new industry or role

Generalist sites carry plenty of entry-level-friendly postings, but the real requirements are hard to read. Adding one sector-specific service helps you understand the expected standard before you apply. For role-specific entry paths, see our guide to moving into administrative roles and our complete guide to becoming an engineer.

Five things to verify on any posting labelled permanent employment

Even when a site displays a role as permanent, reading the terms closely can reveal something different. Check these five points before you apply. Skip them and the offer stage is where you discover the gap.

• Is there no fixed contract term? Permanent employment means no defined end date. If it says "one-year contract, renewable," it is fixed-term regardless of the label.
• Probation terms: beyond the length, check whether pay and benefits during probation differ from post-confirmation, and whether probation is structured as contract employment.
• What the monthly salary consists of: check how many hours of fixed overtime pay are bundled into a figure like 280,000 yen per month. Base pay can be lower than it looks, with overtime assumed by design.
• Actual bonus and raise history: "bonus twice a year" only tells you the scheme exists. Look for the actual number of months paid, and ask in the interview if it is absent.
• Is permanent status conditional on conversion? Temp-to-perm and contract-start roles are sometimes displayed as permanent with conversion available. Confirm the timing and the actual conversion track record.

On that last point, the mechanics of temp-to-perm placement and its conversion rates are covered in our explainer on temp-to-perm hiring. The arrangement is a legitimate route into permanent work, but it is worth choosing it knowing it is not the same as starting out permanent.

Getting more out of job sites, and what to watch for

Treat two or three services as the baseline

The same employer's posting does not appear everywhere, so one site narrows your options. Combining two or three services of different types is the baseline. Add too many, though, and it becomes unmanageable, so keep a single list of applications, dates, and stage in a spreadsheet.

Line up your interview timelines

Offers come with response deadlines. Apply to one company at a time and you will be pushed for an answer with nothing to compare against. Apply to your priority and backup targets in the same window so that your processes overlap and comparison is possible — that is how you avoid compromising on terms.

Use a casual interview before applying

More companies now offer a pre-process chat with a current employee. It is a chance to learn about the actual team and evaluation system, which a posting will not tell you, so check whether it is available even when you found the role through a job site. See what a casual interview is and how to use it for details.

Postings that warrant a closer look

• Roles that are always advertised: a posting running continuously may mean a large intake, or it may mean high turnover. Ask about the reason in the interview.
• Vague job descriptions: where the copy is all "young team" and "friendly atmosphere" with little on actual duties or how performance is assessed, get the missing information before applying.
• Extremely wide salary ranges: a span like 3 to 9 million yen means you need to establish early which end applies to you.
• Anything asking for registration or material fees: legitimate employers do not charge applicants. Give these a pass.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use a job board or an agency?

Both, as a rule. A job board suits browsing widely at your own pace; an agency suits unadvertised roles, salary negotiation, and help with documents and interviews. Read the market on a job board first, then consult an agency once your direction is settled — the introductions get much more precise.

How many services should I register with?

Starting with two or three of different types is realistic: one generalist job board, one or two agencies, and a scout platform if useful. Past five, the messaging and scheduling load rises and the quality of your applications tends to drop.

Can I use job sites while still employed?

Yes. Some sites offer a blocking feature that hides your profile from named companies, so your current employer never sees it — check the settings. For how to present your status on application documents, see how to write "currently employed" on a Japanese resume.

Are the same sites fine for remote permanent roles?

Generalist sites do let you filter for full remote, but adding a remote-specialized service improves precision. For that breakdown, see recommended remote job sites and how to pick one.

Summary: combine different service types, then read the posting closely

Services for finding permanent work fall into five types: job boards, recruitment agencies, scout platforms, job search engines, and Hello Work or direct application. What matters is not stacking up services of the same type but combining two or three with genuinely different characteristics. And rather than trusting the permanent label, verify the contract term, probation conditions, salary composition including fixed overtime, actual bonus history, and whether permanent status is conditional on conversion. Get those two things right and you are much closer to a move you do not have to compromise on.

For the full arc of a job search including interview preparation, see our complete manual on starting a job search, and if you are looking for permanent roles that are remote from the start, see permanent remote roles by job type, salary, and remote scope.