Hideo Kojima says job interviews are ‘a place where lies meet lies’
But his own encounter with an HR manager taught him to speak honestly to applicants
Hideo Kojima has shared his views on the job interview process, calling it “a place where lies meet lies”.
In an essay written for Japanese women’s lifestyle magazine An An, Kojima said he recently saw the 2024 movie Rokunin no Usotsuki na Daigakusei (Six Lying College Students) and it got him thinking about his past job interviews.
In the essay, Kojima explained that when he started his job hunt in 1985 he wanted a creative career but was at a disadvantage because there was an unspoken agreement between companies and colleges where promising students could be ‘bought up’ and employed quickly after graduating.
“As a liberal arts graduate from a second-rate private university with no sports clubs, no overseas studies, and no connections, I was at a considerable disadvantage in my job hunt,” he said (via machine translation).
Although he still wanted a creative career, Kojima realised he couldn’t afford to take a year off from working or go to graduate school. “I had no choice but to lie to myself and start job hunting,” he said.
Kojima recalled that large companies rejected his job applications based solely on the name of the university he want to, and when he did make it to group interviews, “when I told the interviewer I write novels, I was met with laughter”.
Lying became part of the process, Kojima said. “At some big companies, if they didn’t remember your name at the company information session, you wouldn’t move on to the next round of selection, so you had to deliberately ask quirky questions to attract attention.
“Everyone had no choice but to hide who they were and adapt to the company, acting like a chameleon. This false daily life was a far cry from the dream-chasing job hunt.”
Eventually Kojima got an interview with a medical equipment manufacturer, where he told the HR manager his true feelings. To his surprise, the HR manager told him: “I think you’re better suited to a creative field, Kojima. Go for it.”
Kojima said that advice convinced him to narrow his search to the game and toy industries, to find a job that better suited his dream. “I no longer had to lie,” he said. “I spoke sincerely about my past experiences, the novels I’d written, and my creative track record, and showed them my portfolio of work and idea books.”
Of course, this eventually led to Kojima joining Konami in 1986, which resulted in a host of iconic titles including the Metal Gear series, followed by his subsequent departure and the establishment of Death Stranding studio Kojima Productions.
Kojima concluded his essay by pointing out that both interviewers and interviewees lie during the interview process, but says his experience with the HR manager at the medical equipment manager has taught him to stay honest during these situations.
“Since my second year in the workforce, I’ve been sitting on the interviewing side,” he said. “I’m the one listening to students’ lies. However, interviewers also lie. This is because they are not just expressing their personal opinions, but representing the company. An interview is a place where lies meet.
“However, I don’t lie. Not because I represent the company. I interact honestly with students. I also give advice to those who aren’t suited for the job. Just like the HR manager, whose name I no longer remember, who changed my life.”
