This chat-first career platform aims to help Japanese companies hire international talents through its Artificial Intelligence (AI) direct chat model.

After recently raising $5 million (approximately PHP 273 million) in seed funding, a homegrown chat-first career platform for professional hiring has announced that it will be expanding to one of our Asian neighbors. Its name? Bossjob.

According to the company, Bossjob aims to “provide Japanese companies with a limited-time free policy aimed to assist them in recruiting talents from different countries through an enhanced user experience with its AI + direct chat model.”

Through the direct chat feature on the Bossjob app, employers and job seekers can communicate directly anywhere and anytime, which help in reducing friction and improving efficiency in recruitment. Moreover, the AI-powered app leverages big data and AI to optimize talent matching accuracy—maximizing the match rate between talents and jobs to improve the conversion rate.

“Japanese companies exhibit a high demand for talent,” says Bossjob Co-founder and CEO Anthony Garcia. “We aim to meet this need by providing efficient talent services that prioritize superior user experience.”

Prior to entering the Japanese market, Bossjob worked with Japanese companies like digital infrastructure company Equinix, specialty coffee chain % Arabica, and telecommunications company IPS Co., Ltd.

Japan is Facing a Talent Deficit

According to Bossjob, the East Asian nation is actually facing a talent deficit, most especially in the information technology (IT) industry. In fact, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry says that the country’s IT industry could face a talent shortfall—ranging from 160,000 to a staggering 790,000 by 2030.

In fact, Bossjob’s expansion is very timely, given that Southeast Asia and China have since become Japan’s main sources of international talent. In fact, 66% of foreigners who were granted Japanese high-technology work visas come from the territories as of the end of 2019.

With that in mind, the AI-powered hiring app aims to help Japanese companies by bringing an enhanced recruitment service to the local market, which will, in turn, help bridge them with qualified and deserving talents from overseas. 

“Employers in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and other countries and regions have been seeking talents in places like the Philippines,” explains Bossjob Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer Kiat How Quak. “In this ‘talent war,’ recruiters are placing increasing importance on the quality and matching efficiency of talents from online recruitment platforms, providing an opportunity for the implementation of Bossjob’s globalization strategy.”

What This Means for Job Seekers in the Philippines

Bossjob’s expansion to the Japanese market is beneficial—not only for the companies the platform will work with but also for the Filipinos who are using the platform to seek employment. 

With Japanese Minister for Health, Labor, and Welfare Katsunobu Kato previously declaring that Japan needs more Filipino workers, the app can help provide job opportunities to those who want to become Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), earn more, and have better opportunities elsewhere. 

However, as is with any job application, the whole process can be easier said than done. After all, applying for a job overseas is a whole different level. To stand out from the competition and catch the eye of recruiters, job seekers need to remember the dos and don’ts of resume writing to avoid making errors that will turn off companies. 

It is also good practice for applicants to tailor their resume to each company they are trying to apply for. This will help them highlight the appropriate skills and experience that are relevant to the company, which will make their resumes stand out.