1.
job hunting; job search activities
The process of seeking employment, especially the structured job-hunting season undertaken by university students in Japan. Often abbreviated to 就活 (しゅうかつ).
就職活動が始まった。
Job hunting has started.
大学3年生から就職活動を始める学生が多い。
Many students start job hunting from their third year of university.
就職活動では、面接の練習だけでなく、自己分析も重要だと言われている。
In job hunting, it is said that self-analysis is just as important as practicing for interviews.
USAGE NOTES:
In Japan, 就職活動 refers to the highly structured job-search process that university students go through, typically starting in their third year. It involves attending company information sessions, submitting entry sheets, and going through multiple rounds of interviews.
ABBREVIATION:
Almost always shortened to 就活 in casual speech and even in news reports. The full form 就職活動 appears in formal or written contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 就職活動を始める (start job hunting)
- 就職活動に励む (work hard at job hunting)
- 就職活動が終わる (finish job hunting)
- 就職活動で忙しい (busy with job hunting)
CULTURAL NOTE:
Japanese university students typically wear identical black "recruit suits" (リクルートスーツ) during 就職活動. The uniformity is part of the expected etiquette.