TOKYO - THE way to recruit the best and brightest university graduates is through winning the hearts and minds of their parents.

This is especially so, according to a Japanese newspaper, for small- and mid-sized venture firms, as the common perception is that only big, established corporations offer a steady future.

Increasingly, small- and mid-sized companies are targeting the parents of high-calibre graduates with seminars on the company's operations, successes and financial prospects, the Asahi Shimbun reported at the weekend.

Such companies also conduct tours of the workplace and even visit the parents at home.

The rationale is that a good candidate is more likely to accept a job offer if his or her parents believe that the company offers a secure future, according to the Asahi newspaper.

A survey conducted by employment information company Bunkahoso Career Partners, which polled students graduating next spring, showed that about 70 per cent asked their parents for advice when job hunting.

Link and Motivation, a corporate consulting company in Tokyo, began inviting parents to presentations in 2002 after a number of prospective recruits opted not to join it because of parental objection.

This year, Link and Motivation ranked 38th in a survey by job research firm Recruit, which asked students where they would like to work, up from the 70th spot last year.

Last month, Link and Motivation held a session for parents at its branch in a skyscraper at Tokyo's Shiodome district.

The parents heard about president Yoshio Ozasa's life and his business philosophy. The presentation was followed by a tour of the offices where the new recruits would work.

The group also visited the head office in Ginza, where Mr Ozasa concluded the four-hour tour with these words: 'You might think our company is a fly-by-night firm that could go under. But remember, we chose your child from among 28,000 candidates.

'Should they become discouraged in their job hunt, please give them your support.'

One 56-year-old father of a prospective worker appeared to have a change of heart following the session.

'I used to think a large company in a major industry would be the best employer, but now I understand why my son wants to work here,' the Asahi quoted him as saying.

At PR firm Bilcom, president Shigeru Ota personally visits the home of every potential recruit.

He started the practice in 2004, a year after the company was founded, because he believes that gaining the understanding of the parents is crucial to convincing the cream of the crop to join his company.

Pachinko parlour operator Maruhan Corp also started inviting parents to information sessions in 2005 in an effort to change the largely negative perception of the gambling industry.

Last year, 180 parents attended Maruhan's presentations at five locations, including Sapporo and Fukuoka.

About 60 per cent of those offered jobs each year choose not to accept, Maruhan said. But among those whose parents went to the sessions, nearly all decided to join the company eventually.

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