CFN
CFN (CareerForum.Net) is a Japanese-English bilingual recruitment platform founded in 1987, operating Career Forum in-person job fairs in five global cities and a year-round online platform connecting 150,000+ bilingual professionals with 1,000+ hiring companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CFN does
CFN (CareerForum.Net), operated by Career-tasu, Inc. (株式会社キャリアタス), is a Japanese-English bilingual recruitment platform founded in 1987 and headquartered in Tokyo. The company operates Career Forum in-person job fairs in Boston, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, and Osaka, which it describes as the largest dedicated Japanese-English bilingual recruitment events globally, with attendance of approximately 5,400-5,500 job seekers per major event. CFN has built a registered member base of 150,000+ bilingual professionals, with 70% reported to have advanced English proficiency, drawn from top global universities including MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge, and Tokyo University.
CFN generates revenue through three primary streams: (1) Career Forum event participation fees paid by employers for booth space, interview rooms, and candidate access; (2) CFN Online, a year-round subscription-style job posting platform allowing employers to post up to 10 positions with applicant management, video screening, and integrated online interview capabilities; and (3) CFN Agent, a contingency-based recruitment service where employers pay success fees only upon candidate hire. The platform also operates CFN Live Online virtual events, a member-only CFN Network community, CFN Seminars for career preparation, internship listings, mobile applications for iOS and Android, and dedicated employer services. Pricing for employer services is not publicly disclosed and requires sales inquiry.
CFN serves a two-sided market: Japanese-English bilingual job seekers (students and professionals seeking global career opportunities) on the demand side, and global employers (multinationals, Japanese companies with international operations, and organizations seeking bilingual talent) on the supply side. The company maintains 101-250 employees and operates from offices in Tokyo and Osaka with event presence in Boston, Los Angeles, and London. CFN holds privacy compliance certifications across GDPR, CCPA, Thailand PDPA, and Brazil LGPD jurisdictions, supporting its cross-border candidate placement operations across markets including Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Singapore, France, and Spain.
CFN firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CFN
- Legal name
- Career-tasu, Inc. (株式会社キャリタス)
- Website
- https://careerforum.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- CFN (CareerForum.Net) is a Japanese-English bilingual recruitment platform founded in 1987, operating Career Forum in-person job fairs in five global cities and a year-round online platform connecting 150,000+ bilingual professionals with 1,000+ hiring companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CFN industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bilingual Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual Recruitment Events, Fairs & Webinar Platforms (EDAIACAF)
Keywords
Where CFN is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices5 records
Markets served
CFN business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Career Forum Employer Participation: Companies pay to participate in Career Forum events held in Boston, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, and Osaka. Fees cover booth space, interview rooms, seminar facilities, and access to the candidate management system for pre-screening applicants.
- CFN Online Job Postings: Year-round online recruitment service where employers pay to post job listings (up to 10 positions), access candidate database, conduct video screenings, and use the online interview system. Pricing is quote-based per inquiry.
- CFN Agent Recruitment Services: Contingency-based recruitment service where employers pay a success fee only when a candidate accepts an offer. Agents source from the global bilingual database, screen candidates, and provide personalized recruiting support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | CFN Agent - Contingency-based fee structure |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
CFN product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CFN operates a career services platform connecting Japanese-English bilingual job seekers with global employers through in-person Career Forum job fairs, a year-round online job posting platform (CFN Online), and personalized recruitment agent services (CFN Agent). The service is free for job seekers and monetized through employer fees for participation, job postings, and successful placements.
Product overview
CFN (CareerForum.Net) operates as a unified career service platform for Japanese-English bilingual professionals and students, combining in-person and online recruitment services. The platform's core offerings include: (1) Career Forum in-person job fairs in Boston, Osaka, London, Los Angeles, and Tokyo; (2) CFN Online year-round job postings with integrated applicant management and video interview capabilities; (3) CFN Agent personalized career advisory service with access to unlisted positions; (4) CFN Live Online virtual networking events; (5) Online Company Seminars for company research; (6) CFN Network member-only community for peer support; (7) Career Guide and CFN Seminars for job search preparation; (8) Internship listings; and (9) dedicated employer services for bilingual recruitment. The platform also offers a mobile app for iOS and Android. The ecosystem serves both job seekers seeking global career opportunities and employers seeking Japanese-English bilingual talent.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CFN AGENT: Career agent service that assists bilingual job seekers in finding employment opportunities, connecting them with companies not available through Career Forums.
- CFN Live Online
- CFN Online
- CFN Network
- Career Forum
- CFN Seminar
Products and services
- Career Forum Career Forum is an in-person recruitment event where global employers meet Japanese-English bilingual job seekers. Employers pay to participate as exhibitors, and job seekers attend free of charge to interview with companies.
- CFN Online CFN Online is a web-based job posting platform where employers can post bilingual job openings year-round and job seekers can browse and apply. The service is free for job seekers and paid by employers via job posting subscriptions.
- CFN Agent CFN Agent is a recruitment agent service offering personalized matching of Japanese-English bilingual candidates to employer positions. Employers pay a contingency/success fee upon successful placement.
- CFN Live Online CFN Live Online enables virtual career events where employers can host online seminars and meet candidates remotely, providing an alternative to in-person Career Forum participation.
- CFN Network CFN Network is a registered member community for Japanese-English bilingual job seekers, providing access to job postings, events, career resources, and networking opportunities with employers and other professionals.
Quantifiable outcome
- Job seekers can receive interview opportunities and potential offers on the same day as Career Forum events
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CFN
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CFN technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
CFN partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CFN competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- LinkedIn: Global professional network and recruitment platform with broad bilingual job-search functionality; a broader incumbent that increasingly overlaps with CFN Online for both job seekers and employers.
- Indeed: Largest global job-search platform with broad reach in Japan; competes with CFN Online for employer job-posting spend, especially for SMEs and startups.
Direct peers
- Hays Japan: Global recruitment firm with deep Japan presence recruiting bilingual professionals into multinational and Japanese firms; directly competes with CFN's employer services across industry verticals.
- Robert Walters Japan: Global recruitment firm with a dedicated Japan operation focusing on bilingual mid-to-senior placements; comparable to CFN's employer-facing services in talent segment and customer base.
- Daijob.com: Japan-focused online recruitment platform specializing in bilingual (primarily Japanese-English) talent, directly competing with CFN's CFN Online and CFN Agent services in the same niche candidate pool.
- JAC Recruitment: Japan-headquartered international recruitment firm placing bilingual professionals into global firms; competes directly with CFN Agent's contingency-based placement model.
- BizReach: Japan-focused high-skill recruitment platform connecting experienced professionals with employers; comparable to CFN's mid-career and experienced hire placement segment.
- en-Japan: Major Japanese online recruitment firm operating job boards and recruitment agency services; competes with CFN Online in employer job-posting workflows and shares the Japanese employer customer base.
- RGF Professional Recruitment Japan: Recruit Holdings subsidiary specializing in bilingual and foreign-affiliated talent placement in Japan; competes directly with CFN Agent and Career Forum employer offerings.
- Michael Page Japan: Global recruitment firm serving Japan with a strong focus on bilingual professionals across multiple functions; competes with CFN for the same enterprise employer customers hiring bilingual talent.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CFN social profiles
Digital presenceCFN compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
CFN financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CFN leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
CFN funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CFN M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CFN
What does CFN do?
CFN operates a career services platform connecting Japanese-English bilingual job seekers with global employers through in-person Career Forum job fairs, a year-round online job posting platform (CFN Online), and personalized recruitment agent services (CFN Agent). The service is free for job seekers and monetized through employer fees for participation, job postings, and successful placements.
Is CFN a public or private company?
CFN is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was CFN founded?
CFN was founded in 1987. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is CFN based?
CFN is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does CFN make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Career Forum Employer Participation is the primary driver. The others are CFN Online Job Postings and CFN Agent Recruitment Services.
Who are CFN's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are LinkedIn and Indeed. Direct peers are Hays Japan, Robert Walters Japan, Daijob.com, JAC Recruitment, BizReach, en-Japan, RGF Professional Recruitment Japan and Michael Page Japan.
Does CFN have an API?
No public API is recorded for CFN.
What industry is CFN in?
CFN's product category is Bilingual Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAIACAF, Virtual Recruitment Events, Fairs & Webinar Platforms. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 7361.