Hi everyone!
Wanted to ask for advice and your experience with job hunting in Japan. 31F, economist, JLPT N1 (Dec 2023), TOEIC L&R 990 (Jul 2023) (not English-speaking country). Student visa, finishing a Japanese language school in March. Looking for a first full-time job in Japan.
Home country experience: Bachelor, Masters degree, PhD program (graduated without getting a degree). Experience in consulting and academic research (economics) (5y+).
Japan experience: part-time job in the school\`s office (1y+) (student management, translations, document preparation, basic bookkeeping).
Currently finishing my Japanese language school, have been applying on LinkedIn and the companies websites since September (JLPT N2 at the time), getting very little to no feedback (\~80 applications as of now)+Daijob. Almost all replies that I’m getting are screening stage rejections. Applying with both my English CV and 履歴書 in Japanese+職務経歴書. Aiming for an international company (Tokyo/Chiba).
Questions:
1. I am assuming that 2-week silence is an automatic rejection. Am I right to assume that? Is it normal that applications are not viewed and/or rejected after several months?
2. Is the timing bad? I hypothesize that the market is a bit overflowed with foreign labor from the 2022 reopening. Do you see something of similar nature in your sphere? Is there a seasonal trend in 中途採用 in general?
3. I tried using Doda and Indeed but wasn’t really happy with the experience and abandoned the platforms. Should I concentrate on these two instead or maybe use something else?
4. There is an option of changing to a dependent visa and finding a part-time job to buy me more time for job hunting. Does it make sense or the 1-month job hunting visa looks better from the employer’s perspective?
5. I am applying for positions in Tokyo/Chiba while currently finishing my school in Kansai. Could this be a factor in screening rejections? I plan to move there right after the graduation ceremony and mention it whenever it is possible in companies’ questionnaires.
6. Probably the most exhausting is a waiting period when nothing happens. I try to fill it up with new applications but after weekends it is not really an option. How do you usually manage to get through the waiting period?
7. How many applications did it take for you to get your first job?
Will be really grateful to hear your advice!
by Specialist-Ad-3456