Overview

At Microsoft, our recruiters play a critical role in helping shape the future of the company through talent. As a Specialist Recruiter, you will partner closely with business leaders to understand current and future talent needs, develop data-driven hiring strategies, and deliver exceptional candidate experiences that help us attract the talent needed to achieve our ambitions. This role combines strategic consulting, talent market expertise, and hands-on recruiting execution. You'll influence hiring decisions through talent insights, challenge traditional thinking around talent, and help leaders discover new and diverse sources of talent. You will also serve as a trusted advisor to both hiring managers and candidates, ensuring every hiring decision is informed by data, market intelligence, and a deep understanding of the evolving talent landscape. Based in Tokyo, you will support hiring across Japan and collaborate with stakeholders locally, regionally, and globally. As such, fluency in both Japanese and English is essential. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Business

• Act as a trusted talent advisor to hiring managers and business leaders, helping them understand talent market dynamics and develop effective hiring strategies.
• Consult on current and future talent needs, providing insights that influence workforce planning and hiring decisions.
• Challenge conventional thinking and advocate for diverse, non-traditional, and differentiated talent profiles that help drive business success.
• Interpret business priorities, talent availability, and market conditions to align hiring strategies with organizational goals.

Develop Talent Strategies

• Use data and market intelligence to educate and influence hiring managers on talent acquisition strategies.
• Analyze hiring trends, talent supply, and business demand to develop hiring plans that address short- and near-term hiring needs.
• Assess talent and diversity gaps and recommend solutions that support inclusive hiring outcomes.
• Create and execute sourcing strategies for highly competitive and emerging talent areas.

Attract and Engage Exceptional Talent

• Build and nurture relationships with passive and active candidates across key talent segments.
• Leverage multiple sourcing channels, strategic networking, and community engagement to identify talent for current and future hiring needs.
• Develop compelling, differentiated narratives that communicate Microsoft's mission, culture, career opportunities, and employee value proposition.
• Tailor engagement and closing strategies to align with each candidate's motivations and career aspirations.

Deliver an Outstanding Candidate Experience

• Guide candidates through every stage of the hiring journey, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience.
• Partner with hiring teams to anticipate and remove barriers that may impact candidate experience or hiring outcomes.
• Prepare candidates for interviews and support them through offer, relocation, immigration, onboarding, and other key milestones as needed.
• Build long-term relationships that strengthen Microsoft's reputation in the talent market.

Assess and Select Talent

• Conduct candidate screening and assessment activities to identify top talent.
• Leverage assessment frameworks, hiring tools, and structured evaluation approaches to support objective and effective hiring decisions.
• Partner with hiring teams to evaluate talent against business needs, competencies, and long-term potential.

Drive Operational Excellence

• Ensure compliance with recruiting policies, processes, and applicable employment regulations.
• Maintain accurate candidate information and hiring data within recruiting systems.
• Use recruiting analytics and reporting to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Contribute to best practice sharing across the recruiting team and help elevate recruiting excellence.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree and 4+ years experience in talent acquisition, recruiting, sourcing, human resources, or a related field.
  • OR equivalent experience.
• Fluency in Japanese AND English, both written and spoken.
• Strong critical thinking, judgment capability and communications skills, with the ability to engage and consult in strategic hiring discussions.   

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience managing end-to-end recruiting processes (source, attract, assess, and close talents in competitive markets), ideally for Go-to-Market (GTM) / Sales positions or within Tech industry. 
• Experience using talent market insights & intelligence, workforce data, and hiring analytics to influence recruiting decisions. 
• Deep understanding of Japan's talent market and recruiting landscape, with experience advising senior leaders on workforce planning and hiring strategy. 

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.