Hi there so I’m graduating with a master’s in science from the University of Tokyo and after 3 rounds of interviews I was offered a position with an international Japanese manfuctring/engeneering company based in Hyogo prefecture.
I’m due to have a meeting to negotiate the salary and benefits etc.
According to the recruiter, they’ll offer me
4 mil yen a year, which will then be 5 million starting from my second year, this includes bonuses and overtime (average 15h/month).
Should I just accept what they offer?
I don’t speak Japanese which is a big weakness I know but my job will focus on dealing with their international clients and involve frequent business trips.
And while I’m nothing special I have a good academic track record (been awarded the MEXT scholarship and before that, I’ve also been awarded a fully funded scholarship that made it possible for me to do my undergraduate studies in the US and I’ve worked part time in my field in both japan and the US) . I’m not really desperate for this job and I can refuse it and land another one outside Japan.
So what do you think? Should I push my luck and ask for a better salary knowing that they will probably refuse? Also is there anything of importance that I should inquire about during the meeting?
Thank you.
17 comments
If you don’t really care about the job, you might as well push for as much as possible. The absolute worst case scenario is that they retract the offer which in your case doesn’t sound like the end of the world.
The key is to ask for more without offending. First start open ended unless you have knowledge of your worth. One might say is this on the top side of this scale considering my experiences? Feel their response and go from there.
FYI, most of the time new grad positions at Japanese companies have pretty fixed salaries. Hence your second year 20% guaranteed increase. Go into the negotiations with low expectations
1. Always attempt to negotiate, but in a polite and professional manner.
2. Your ability to actually demand more salary and benefits is a direct result of your desirability as a candidate. How much experience and skill you have, how many other candidates are in the running, etc. Know your own value, and that you can not negotiate about that.
3. Your salary goes up the most when you CHANGE jobs. If you just got out of school, think of this as a starter position. Get to know the job really well and be good at it. Learn how to work with your co-workers and how to manage your managers. Make as many connections as you can in the industry. It can vary a bit, but my personal advice is to do 3 years at your first position and then move on.
Ask them if they have any ranking system with salary range . And how many times a year they do mendan 面談。then check their offer with the ranking to see if there’s plenty of grow opportunities.
Or salary is just “randomly”
That’s already pretty good, pretty much exactly inline with what most large companies offer to new grads.
Not sure why people are saying to negotiate but I guess you could ask but 新卒 positions are basically non negotiable. You are super replaceable and almost certainly be refused. Also there are tons of mext scholars, they are nothing special. (I was one). Congrats on your full ride but sadly they won’t care about it. They offered you the job that’s ur reward
As for questions just confirm the salary is what u expect (as in check if ur ok with the 15hrs minashi zangyo) and check location. Those are the 2 main things.
You’re shinsotsu and entering as such, so starting salary is non-negotiable. You can try to ask, but expect to be politely told that it is non-negotiable.
“Hai. Wakarimashita!”
Negotiation over…
If you like Japan, two years to pad your resume working for a strict Japanese company would be dope for anything you darn well want in the future
You’re a new graduate. You don’t have any leverage for a negotiation. Accept and use this job as an opportunity to get experience. It’s not a bad salary considering.
Tbh you don’t care about your first job. Get your foot in. Then you can negotiate all you want for your next position.
Most companies that I have worked for really don’t have a lot of room to budge on salaries. As an employer I would also probably think a bit negatively about a candidate who pushed back on salary – although that is because at my company we put a lot of effort into making sure that we give a decent offer (benchmarking against competitors, internal candidates etc.). I spent about two hours on a call the other day finalising a package for a candidate, making sure we got it exactly right. If that candidate had pushed back I would have moved on to the next in line without hesitation.
You could make more in the states and also have more free time to make extra income.
wow, I wasn’t expecting so many comments
thank you guys for commenting I will definitely keep what you said in mind. take care and be well wherever you are. Cheers!
A friend of mine had an offer rescinded after asking how much the starting salary would be. They claimed it showed they were not seriously dedicated to the company. I don’t think anyone negotiates entry level positions.
Usually, I throw up in my mouth a little whenever I hear about J-salaries. But in your case, in manufacturing, in Hyogo, I don’t think it is terrible.
A factor in this is how big is your company? Also, you would be union, right? You probably don’t have room to negotiate if you are union manufacturing however, you might get a bump for education level – that is how it works at my wife’s mega co.
The big guys pay and benefits are said to be better typically. Then the suppliers.
See if you can find information on vorkers.
Accept, work 3 years and change jobs. It’s what all my friends who have high salaries did.