Choosing a club with job hunting in mind.

In other news, CircleApp※ (hereafter referred to as CircleApp), an app developed by Dentsu Inc. Wakamon for university clubs, surpassed 1,000 registered groups and 10,000 registered users in December 2013. As of February 5, 2014, the number of registered users has reached an impressive 12,000.

*For details, click here
⇒http://www.dentsu.co.jp/news/pdf/info-2014012301232.pdf

For those wondering, "What is CircleApp?", here's an explanation.

Circle Up, developed through our project that began full-scale operations in March 2013, is a management tool for university clubs, student organizations, seminars, athletic associations, and similar groups. It features convenient functions for club management, such as membership lists and mailing lists. Its distinctive feature is the "Offer Function," which allows clubs to receive activity funding by collaborating with companies on their marketing activities.
※For details, see here: http://circleapp.jp/

To celebrate surpassing 10,000 users, we used the "Survey Offer" feature—one of Circle Up's Offer functions—to survey first- to fourth-year university students nationwide registered with Circle Up about their attitudes toward clubs and student organizations (including seminars)!

Club activities: "Career-Minded" or "Enjoy the Moment"?

Over 90% of students consider club/student group activities important in university life, with more than 70% strongly agreeing they are "very important." (Figure 1)
According to CAMPUS LIFE DATA 2012, the percentage of students belonging to university clubs has been increasing annually, reaching about 70% in 2012.

Reasons for joining clubs included: "Because it seemed useful for my future. (1st year/Advertising Research Club)" and "Because it was close to what I want to do in the future. (3rd year/Sports Newspaper Club)", showing some students approach club activities with job hunting in mind. On the other hand, responses like "Because I thought I could do things only possible during my student years. (3rd year/Dance Club)" and "Because it's an experience only university students can have." (2nd year/Volunteer Club). This survey also revealed a clear split in responses to the question "What is the purpose of club activities: to benefit job hunting or to enjoy the present?" with 46.0% identifying as "job-conscious" and 54.0% as "wanting to enjoy the present" (Figure 2).

　　　

Furthermore, among the top 20 genres of clubs registered on Circle Up, alongside staples like soccer, lacrosse, and tennis, clubs reflecting future-oriented interests—such as events, marketing, business management, and programming (Figure 3)—were also frequently seen. This indicates that club activities are not merely temporary pleasures during university life but also serve as future-focused endeavors.

 

Furthermore, when job-conscious students actually chose their current club, activity content and group atmosphere ranked high as selection criteria. However, "because it seemed like something I could write in my job application self-promotion" came in third. This reveals that about 30% of job-conscious students are choosing clubs with the specific criterion of "being able to write about it in their self-promotion," consciously considering job hunting activities from their first year of university (Figure 4).

 

The increasing number of today's university students joining clubs may not just be about "enjoying the present," but also seeking time that will benefit their near future. Stay tuned for more columns featuring the voices of current university students in "Wakamon's Everything"!

Next time, we'll bring you the second Wakamon Session: a conversation between Kazuma Nishidzu, CEO of My Farm Inc., and Wakamon researcher Tama Kano.

※CircleApp
■iPhone App
http://itunes.apple.com/jp/app/circleapp/id570594433
■Android App
http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.sportsit.circleapp
■Browser Version (Accessible from PCs and Mobile Phones)
http://circleapp.jp/

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【Wakamon Profile】
Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department (commonly known as Wakamon) is a planning team that engages with the real lives and mindsets of young people, primarily high school and university students. We explore hints to brighten and invigorate the near future, starting from their "present." By anticipating the future through their insights, we realize new businesses that foster better relationships between young people and society. Currently, 14 project members are based across our Tokyo headquarters, Kansai branch, and Chubu branch. We also share updates on the Wakamon Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/wakamon.dentsu ).