to people that failed the interview stage, what’s one thing that you think caused it?

8 comments

1. Nerves. I was made alternate last year during my last year of university and JET was my first ‘’serious’’ job interview. I was a stuttering mess and my answers were garbage.

   I just had my second interview yesterday and it went 100x better. I’m not sure if it was enough for me to actually get the job but I’m still proud of the progress haha.

   Overall, I would just say last year’s disaster was down to lack of experience. If this if your first proper interview or if you haven’t done that many, I would recommend arranging practice runs with your friends or family.

2. Nerves!! Wasn’t my first interview but I was super nervous and stuttered a lot. I was also thrown off by some of the questions- they asked me what my favorite Japanese food was (which I thought was really random and not really related to teaching which I thought they would ask more about).

   Have another interview this year so gonna practice, practice, practice with mock interviews!!

3. [deleted]

4. Echoing what others have said, I was also a nervous mess! I was a university student still at this time so the interviews were going on in the midst of midterms and I didn’t practice as much as I should have. Not to mention it was my first serious interview. Naturally, I stuttered a lot and wasn’t quite sure of myself and didn’t walk away from the interview feeling very confident. I ended up getting alternate and was never upgraded.

   When I applied again and had my second interview, I practiced a whole lot more beforehand and really felt confident that I could do my best unlike the first time. The vibes during the interview were like night and day, I had practiced a lot so I was confident with my answers and just made sure to be myself! After the interview, I felt really good about it and ended up being shortlisted.

   I agree with what others have said – practice really makes the difference. Practice until you think you have it backwards and forwards and then practice some more! Good luck!

5. I’m on the experienced end of the first-time interviewees at age 68 and retired. I’ve been on the interviewing end of things for many years. These are my thoughts. Those whose whole reason for existence is to be a JET and go to Japan are setting themselves under intense pressure. Take a chill pill. If you do not pass the interview this year, it is probably not because you are a failure or are unfit for a JET position. Rather, it is an indication that others who interviewed are more experienced. If this is your first job or similar interview, you may be at a disadvantage to those who are repeaters or those who have had other career experiences after graduation. Go into the interview process looking at it as a learning experience, which it will be for all of us. Smile at the interviewers. If it helps you calm down, think of them all as in their birthday suits (a public speaking way to calm down). Write their names down so you can address them by name. If there is any banter before the formal interview begins, ask each person a question so that you can get to know them better (this helps you calm down and establishes two-way communications). When the formal interview begins, remember that they are there to help you as well as to find out who seems most qualified for this year’s crop of JETs. Because you passed the written application process, you have already been selected as qualified – the initial screening resulted in your selection for an interview. If you say something that seems stupid, don’t dwell on it, but continue on in the interview. While you may think you blew a question, you may have just shown individuality that is needed for a special position or place in the program. As an interviewer, I always looked for someone who had a different, positive perspective. Everyone has a question that causes them to hesitate – well, almost everyone. And if someone has glib and overly polished answers to every question, we wonder what they might be hiding. This is one of the reasons we ask a question or two out of left field – to try to get an unprepared response and see how the person handles it. Be friendly. Be flexible. Be caring for the interviewers, after all, most of the questions they are asking of everyone they see for two, three, or more days. And, remember, interviews are two-way activities, you may get to ask questions of the interviewers. Be sure to have one or two questions prepared, like, what was the most ackward thing you did as a JET, or, how has your life changed from your experience? Make sure not to ask about the timelines for decisions – as those have been explained in the JET Program web page – and asking something like this indicates you aren’t a careful study. Again, if this is your first interview, think of it as an adventure and a learning experience. If you are like most of us, you will probably have many more interviews during your life. Good luck.

6. I think in my interview last year (which I landed alternate), they asked a lot of questions regarding my diabetes cares (type 1). I think they grilled me for 5+ minutes on that alone. I think they were concerned with my answers leaning towards shipping pump supplies from home as the insulin pump I use isn’t available in Japan, thus the supplies are not available also.

   I think they were more wanting to hear I would work more with local medical staff and be more dynamic, which I would have, but I wanted to stick with what has improved my quality of life and works, while also using local resources to fine-tune things. There are a number of JET-diabetics that do things similar to the above, but I guess this time round I’ll present more lenient thinking on my health.

7. Practice interview questions with someone else who is interviewing or someone who is now a JET. Spend half an hour to one hour a day practicing till the interview. This is what helped me ace it the second time applied. I was not nervous and could answer just about everything naturally. It also helps to fill your arsenal with the ways to say “idk.” Never just “I have no answer or don’t know ” but be creative for those questions, like “I’ll need to research that topic more but I do know about this….” Always have a good answer even if it’s wrong or go ur not sure. Interviewers want someone who is flexible and can get around tough situations.

8. Here a couple things that causes people to fail interviews in my opinion

   * You’re not genki(cheerful) enough.
   * They think you’re using JET as a stepping stone and are likely to break contract.
   * They think you’re going to suffer culture shock & homesickness and will possibly be a “Flyjin”
   * You have a expectation on what JET life is going to be like.
   * You let it show that you’re a massive weeb and that you only wants to come to Japan to live out your weeb dream. *Having a unrealistic expectation of Japan.*
   * You have a education background and expect to be teaching. *They think you’re likely to overstep your role as an ALT and cause conflicts with JTE/HRT.*
   * You are “me me me” and unwilling to adapt. (you refuse to cover tattoo, etc)