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Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently
Asked Questions

  • KEYENCE has an open, flat, performance-driven culture where ideas and results matter more than title or tenure. We intentionally de-emphasize seniority: every employee is encouraged to speak up, propose improvements, and take ownership. Promotions and career progression are based on measurable performance — high performers can advance quickly.

    Our teams set ambitious goals and work with focus while in the office, which creates a high-energy environment oriented around delivering results. That focus comes with strong support: managers and colleagues give direct feedback, provide training and resources, and work to remove obstacles so team members can succeed.

    To summarize what employees typically experience:

    • Faster learning curve and clearer path to promotion because performance is visible and actionable.
    • Direct, constructive feedback that speeds skill development.
    • Greater ownership of outcomes — with the freedom to choose how to achieve them.
    • A culture that rewards problem‑solving and measurable impact.

  • At KEYENCE, we promote a clear separation between work and personal life: we don’t expect routine evening or weekend work, and we provide separate business laptops and phones so employees can disconnect when their day is done.

    Employees are trusted to own their responsibilities and manage their time, and many teams provide adaptable schedules to support individual needs. While certain roles have predictable busy periods, we design work rhythms and resources so those moments are manageable and temporary.

  • At KEYENCE, we use clear, measurable metrics so everyone understands expectations, progress, and impact. This objectivity brings three practical benefits: clarity, fair feedback, and focused development.

    • Clear goals: Metrics make priorities explicit so teams know what to focus on (e.g., sales targets, customer response time, project milestones).
    • Objective feedback: Performance conversations rely on data rather than hearsay, which reduces ambiguity and bias.
    • Visible progress: Regular, quantifiable updates help individuals and teams see what’s working and where to adjust.

  • There is more information on our career path listed here.

    All employees will have a formal evaluation with their manager every six months with the opportunity for a salary or title change, based on their individual performance.

    Management opportunities can happen as early as 3 years after joining KEYENCE. We provide internal manager development programs to help our employees transition from an employee into a management position.

  • Candidates who are successful in our recruitment process take the proper time to complete each step of the process thoroughly and are true to themselves at each point.

    For our candidates and our company, it is in the best interest of both groups to identify if there is a true alignment between the individual and our company before we make a hiring decision. This usually leads to employees who enjoy their position at KEYENCE and are able to grow within our company for a long time.

  • Out of fairness to current and future applicants, we do not provide feedback on why you did not pass a step in our recruitment process.

    There are two main reasons why:

    1) We work really hard to match the right person to the right job opportunity so you may have done well in our recruitment process but due to position and location match, we don't feel the opportunity is the right fit at the given time.

    2) The second reason is that if we provide feedback and it is shared to other candidates via word of mouth or social sites, then future candidates may have an advantage over other candidates.

  • In most cases, you will have the opportunity to meet our hiring manager(s) as well as an executive level officer(s) through our recruitment process. Most times this will happen through an in-person interview unless we have to conduct it virtually.

    We want our interview process to expose you to all the right people to determine if you are good fit for the position and company as well as a chance for you to ask questions and determine if this is the company you want to work for.

  • All positions at KEYENCE are compensated with a base salary plus a variable compensation target which is based on your individual and company performance.

    We incentivize individual contribution and therefore each employee has the ability to increase their variable compensation payout if they are outperforming their peers. Your base salary is paid to you bi-weekly and your variable compensation is paid out on a quarterly basis. In addition to your base and variable pay, we do reimburse you for any business expenses occurred during business travel - Including mileage reimbursement at the federal maximum rate!

    In general, KEYENCE has market-leading compensation and we are able to offer this to our employees due to our outstanding business results. Our operating profit of over 50% is a testament to our success as an organization. On top of this, we have high expectations for our employees and can run our business more efficiently which means we can pay each employee more.

  • We hire entry‑level talent for three practical reasons: training alignment, career development, and leadership.

    • Training aligned to graduates: Our comprehensive classroom curriculum and hands‑on field training begin immediately after graduation so new hires build product knowledge, sales skills, and technical ability from day one.
    • Promote from within policy: We prioritize internal advancement, which means high performers move up quickly. Entry‑level hires see clear pathways to roles with increasing responsibility and compensation.
    • Leaders who’ve done the job: Everyone begins at the entry level and progresses through the same roles. That ensures your manager has firsthand experience and can provide practical coaching, troubleshooting tips, and career advice specific to the role.

    Because our managers have done the work themselves, they focus on coaching, not control. They set clear objectives, hold regular check‑ins to review progress and remove roadblocks, and then give you the space to get the work done. As you demonstrate consistent results, managers expand your responsibilities and autonomy.

    What new hires can expect:

    • Structured onboarding and classroom sessions + on‑the‑job mentoring.
    • Measurable milestones and regular feedback to accelerate learning.
    • Rapid career visibility — performance, not tenure, drives promotions.
    • A supportive culture of peer coaching and skill development.

  • At KEYENCE, we hire individuals from all majors.

    Due to our extensive training program, we can train any new hire on our technical products regardless of their major. For new hires who come to KEYENCE with a technical background, the product knowledge comes more easily. For those who come from a business or other background, the sales aspect comes more easily. Therefore, we provide both technical product knowledge and sales skill training during the classroom and on-the-job mentorship program.

    While we screen for the ability to learn technical concepts in our recruitment process, having a technical background is not a requirement. We hire many new grads that do not have a technical background and they are high-performers in our company.

  • KEYENCE sales employees spend two days in their local sales office and three days in the field visiting their customers.

    Office days provide the opportunity for you to call customers to schedule your appointments for the upcoming week, follow up on projects, information share with territory partners or members from your product line, and a chance for additional trainings and development.

    During your field days you are physically taking your "demo unit" (the product that you sell) to your customers facilities and showing them how our product can be effective in their facility or process. This is our business to business, consultative sales approach that allows us to help solve customers’ problems and improve their business operations!

  • KEYENCE provides opportunities for employees to move around in the organization whether that be to different office locations or different product lines.

    There are many people who choose to live and growth within their role in the same office they started in. However, there are also many employees who move around to different product lines and office locations after they have proven themselves as a high-performers for a period of time in their original role. Opportunities as KEYENCE will be considered first for those who have proven performance and strong results.

    There may be opportunity for international trips to Japan as you progress in your career with KEYENCE, however international transfers are not common. Because each affiliate operates independently, hiring and employment are handled separately.

  • KEYENCE offers an excellent benefits package in addition to our market-leading compensation. Our benefits package includes:

    • 1) Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) - 4 weeks in your first full-year
    • 2) 10 paid holidays in addition to your PTO
    • 3) Reimbursement for business travel and expenses
    • 4) Mileage Reimbursement - you choose your car, we pay your mileage!
    • 5) Future Investment - excellent 401K company match; immediately & fully vested
    • 6) Full benefits package with great coverage at a low-cost to employees

  • All positions at KEYENCE are compensated with a base salary plus a variable compensation target which is based on your individual and company performance.

    We incentivize individual contribution and therefore each employee has the ability to increase their variable compensation payout if they are outperforming their peers. Your base salary is paid to you bi-weekly and your variable compensation is paid out on a quarterly basis.

  • In general the recruitment process is pretty similar for most corporate roles. Each recruiting process is designed to determine if you have the potential to succeed in our culture and for the job in which you are applying. If there are any skills that are necessary to perform well in the position, we may administer a skills assessment as a part of the process.

  • KEYENCE offers an excellent benefits package in addition to our market-leading compensation. Our benefits package includes:

    • 1) Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) - 4 weeks in your first full-year
    • 2) 10 paid holidays in addition to your PTO
    • 3) Reimbursement for business travel and expenses
    • 4) Mileage Reimbursement - you choose your car, we pay your mileage!
    • 5) Future Investment - excellent 401K company match; immediately & fully vested
    • 6) Full benefits package with great coverage at a low-cost to employees

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