Hello everyone!
I am currently residing here in Japan on a working visa. I got sent here by my current company and am planning to jump ship. This is my first time job hunting (i got a job immediately after graduating so i have no experience at all) and was wondering what are some things that I need to know and prepare when looking for jobs here in Japan.
Also commonly asked questions during interviews would be nice!
Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Edit: i’m in the IT industry. My role is a data engineer at the moment.
4 comments
Make sure that your visa is not the intra company transfer one.
And telling us your industry would help. For example, if you’re an oil rig driller then my tips would be useless.
* Prepare a 履歴書 and 職務経歴書.
* Reach out to agents to help you since this is your first rodeo.
* Choose a desired salary and stick with it. Don’t budge. Feel free to shift numbers around if it’s a different class of position, e.g. standard versus manager, but be consistent.
* If they ask if you’re interviewing with other companies, always say yes but decline to name the companies. Lie your ass off. Say that you’ve already passed the screening process with ___ number of companies. Make a believable 進捗 list. Update the imaginary companies regularly. Push a narrative.
* Japanese interviews are fairly formulaic. The questions are typically the same, and they’re looking for the same types of responses and keywords. Talk about how you want to be part of bigger teams and contribute to bigger projects. Never say that you want to change jobs for a better salary, more skills, etc. The desired impression is to utilize your skills for their benefit, not use your new job as a way to better yourself. “It’s a place of work, not a school.”
* Always give the impression that you could be snatched up by another company at any time and that they’re lucky to even have the chance to speak with you. For example, say that you’ll start one or two months after receiving an offer. Say that you have already received an offer from another company but are looking at other options. Remember: they have no way of verifying these claims. It’s all about the image that you construct for yourself. Never feel bad about lying, so long as it’s nothing major like your academic credentials or whatnot.
Do you speak Japanese and do you have your CV and work history summarized in Japanese? If yes, I can hook you up with a very good recruiter. He is free of charge and has helped me several times, and even 4 of my friends.
Dm me if you are interested. But again, you will need to know Japanese
Since you are an IT guy (in Tokyo?), with decent Japanese (?), and work experience, shouldn’t you just be setting up a LinkedIn profile an recruiters will come knocking?
Else, find one of the better recruitment agencies and they will help you get your stuff in shape.
If you dislike the recruiter game, checkout wantedly. It’s a bit of a SNS for recruiting especially popular among smaller IT companies, which you can contact directly.