Hi,
TLDR:
What job boards should I be using if I know Japanese but do not currently have residency / a visa?
There is unfathomable gulf between looking at a board made for foreigners like Tokyo Dev and using Bizreach for obvious reasons but I don't think I've seen the same rigor in Japanese job boards I see in the US (clearly stating if there is visa sponsorship, working requirements).
My timeline is that I am hoping to have a job in between 3 and 6-7 months.
Should I talk with an agency/head hunter or would I be wasting my time / money?
Context:
Looking to apply for tech company jobs in Tokyo as a software engineer with ~8 years of experience. I have my paper qualifications (N1, BJT, a bachelor's in my working field) etc. if people need them and while I'm not comfortable per se in an all Japanese environment this is a gap I am actively working to close.
I am planning to contract a coach to prepare for interviews but am acutely aware that squeezing in the door is not the same thing as being in the trenches. I have gone through a few job application forms and am comfortable with putting together an application but the idea of interviewing in my second language is to be blunt still very scary.
I'm slowly warming up to the massive loss of income but I am not desperate; this needs to be a good match on both sides and it may not be an easy job search.
I have lived with my partner on and off as much as possible on short term stays over the past few years. They work for a Japanese tech startup (and previously a top 50 not-a-startup) and I have seen with my own eyes the working culture differences. This all said, I will gladly take a down-level and a large salary drop for a strong work life balance company over a company with more traditional work culture….so I likely need to cast a wide net.
Thoughts / advice?
by Own-Professional9568