Howdy all.
My family and I are planning to return to Japan in the near future, before our oldest child is due to start primary education in my home country.
My partner is Japanese, and we’ll be looking to move to Japan on a spouse of Japanese national visa.
I’m currently looking for work in Japan, and while there’s not been many opportunities in my field (education administration and leadership), I have found and applied for positions – some would have been standing still in my career, but some would be the next step in my career in my home country. But I’ve not received any replies to my applications. Here’s what I think is happening:
* My CV/resume has been successful in my own country, but these companies are probably expecting more US/Japanese style CV.
* My experience is mostly in Europe, but these institutes are more focused on US education knowledge, in addition to Japan.
* I’m not currently based in Japan, and they don’t want to hire someone who has to move internationally (even if they’re willing to sponsor a visa).
* I’ve only just sat JLPT N3 last weekend (having never previously sat a JLPT). While Japanese knowledge is not always explicitly listed as a requirement, the lack of is probably detrimental (I’m aiming for N2 in December 2024).
Is there anything I could be missing, you might think would help with my job hunt?
Finally, I do a lot of business process improvement, Lean 6 Sigma style work in my roles, and a little bit of data analysis to support data driven decision making. Pretty similar to what a business analyst might do. Is there any chance of switching careers and pursing that as an option in Japan?
Thanks.
2 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Job Hunting – where am I going wrong?**
Howdy all.
My family and I are planning to return to Japan in the near future, before our oldest child is due to start primary education in my home country.
My partner is Japanese, and we’ll be looking to move to Japan on a spouse of Japanese national visa.
I’m currently looking for work in Japan, and while there’s not been many opportunities in my field (education administration and leadership), I have found and applied for positions – some would have been standing still in my career, but some would be the next step in my career in my home country. But I’ve not received any replies to my applications. Here’s what I think is happening:
* My CV/resume has been successful in my own country, but these companies are probably expecting more US/Japanese style CV.
* My experience is mostly in Europe, but these institutes are more focused on US education knowledge, in addition to Japan.
* I’m not currently based in Japan, and they don’t want to hire someone who has to move internationally (even if they’re willing to sponsor a visa).
* I’ve only just sat JLPT N3 last weekend (having never previously sat a JLPT). While Japanese knowledge is not always explicitly listed as a requirement, the lack of is probably detrimental (I’m aiming for N2 in December 2024).
Is there anything I could be missing, you might think would help with my job hunt?
Finally, I do a lot of business process improvement, Lean 6 Sigma style work in my roles, and a little bit of data analysis to support data driven decision making. Pretty similar to what a business analyst might do. Is there any chance of switching careers and pursing that as an option in Japan?
Thanks.
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>my field (education administration and leadership)
As a foreigner with poor Japanese, anything education related relegates you to a endless pool (pit) of desperate english teachers trying to break out of their overcrowded and cursed niche.
>companies are probably expecting more US/Japanese style CV.
Easy, do both. Japanese prefer a plain chronological format filled out an “official” blank [résumé form](https://workhub.co.jp/en/candidate-articles/downloadable-templates-japanese-cv-rirekisho-shokumukeirekisho/), which includes a photo anyways. For a US style CV, use the chronological format, the plainer the better.
> similar to what a business analyst might do. Is there any chance of **switching careers** and pursing that as an option in Japan?
If you can possibly get real “business analyst” experience **before** coming to Japan, you will you will have a vastly easier time getting a desired position. Sadly, with your education based CB, you will be directly competing thousands of sad gaijin educators thrashing hopelessly trying to switching careers.
>I’ve only just sat JLPT N3…business analyst …pursing that as an option in Japan?
Oh Buddha. I hate to say it but, going for a MBA (and formally studying Japanese while in school) would really help with switching careers.