Hideo Kojima says a singular conversation in early job interview changed his entire career path

Hideo Kojima recently opened up about the deceptive nature of job interviews in a personal essay, labeling them as a place where “lies meet lies.” During his early job-hunting escapades, an HR manager also encouraged him to pursue his creative endeavors, ultimately redirecting his path in life.

In the piece, published on An-an Web, Kojima detailed the beginnings of his grueling job-hunting venture in 1985. He drew a bit of inspiration from the 2024 film Rokunin no Usotsuki na Daigakusei, which prompted him to carefully reflect on the lies that are spoken in job interviews.

Kojima explained that he graduated as a liberal arts graduate from a ‘second-rate private university’. He had no involvement in sports clubs, no overseas studies, no personal connections, and was pretty much at a disadvantage in Japan’s competitive job market, where companies often focused on students who graduated from prestigious institutions.

Kojima always wanted to attend art school, but the demise of his father at the age of thirteen forced him to abandon his dream and opt for a university that could promise better job prospects in the future, a tad bit influenced by his parents' background in the pharmaceutical industry.

Kojima, given his circumstances, was unable to afford a year off or graduate school, and felt reluctant to suppress his ambition and dive into the gritty world of job hunting, a task that he described as making him “feel like I was a Showa-era detective trying to solve a murder case.” 

Kojima spent his days on phone calls, company letters, and wearing out the soles of his shoes in search of employment. Large companies rejected his applications based on his university’s name. Things got to the point that Kojima, in an effort to stand out, started resorting to odd tactics, asking quirky questions at company info sessions just to get remembered for the second round of interviews.

Kojima stated, “Everyone had no choice but to hide who they were and adapt to the company, acting like a chameleon.” The turning point in his life came when Kojima secured an interview with a medical equipment manufacturer.

During the session, Kojima opened up about his true feelings of wanting a creative career. To his bewilderment, the HR manager responded with, “I think you’re better suited to a creative field, Kojima. Go for it.”

Kojima credited this moment to changing his life, as he set out to search for a role in the games and toys industries. Kojima stated, “I no longer had to lie.”

This honest approach ultimately led to him opening up about the novels he had written, his creative writing track record, his ideas, and his books. Kojima secured a job at Konami in 1986, where he wrote, designed, and directed his first credited game, Metal Gear, jump-starting his career that went on to produce a critically acclaimed, thought-provoking series that continues to prove itself as a timeless masterpiece.