JOSHUA (USA)
Japanese Business Class
Employed in a Major Bank
Q 1. When did you start job-hunting, and when did you receive the job offer?
I arrived in Japan in April, and started looking for a job in May, but it was in July when I did job hunting more seriously. I got the job offer at the end of September.
The day I received the offer was the last day of the first semester of the course.
I got the call while I was eating at Bistro Kuon, a restaurant near ARC where we used to go for lunch.
Q 2. How did you search for a job?
I started with uploading my Resume on job engine websites, then I applied directly to companies I was interested in, online. I attended career events and job fairs.
Q 3. How many companies did you apply to?
I’ve applied to a total of 4 companies.
Q 4. Have you ever taken a written entrance exam?
I did an aptitude test once, but I never took a written test.
Q 5. How many interviews did you have to go through before getting the job?
I did two interviews online, before doing one in person, and a final one with HR. In total there were 4 interviews.
Q 6. What did you pay attention to when going to the job interview?
I tried to stay relaxed.
I think it’s also important to pay attention to the interviewer’s reactions and adjust the answers accordingly.
For example, I’d rather not force the answers to what you have prepared, if the interviewer is clearly not interested in what you are talking about. Be ready to improvise on the spot to impress them.
Q 7. What difficulties did you find during the job search?
I think the hardest thing for me was to deal with the conflict of me wanting to get a job and the me wanting to stay longer at school enjoying student life.
It’s always a bit scary to face the unknown. It’s not because you have studied things in class that you won’t feel nervous. There’s always some anxiety related to entering a new environment. But luckily, there were not so many differences from what we learned at school and the actual job, so the result was O K.
Q 8. What do you think about the school’s support and your teachers’ regarding job hunting?
As a foreigner, this was my first time searching for a job in Japan, so I was kind of nervous. All the teachers at the school have plenty of experience in supporting international students, so they always give us pinpoint and appropriate advice. Also, I appreciate how they gave us some real talks and stories, and not only words that you find in textbooks.
Q 9. Can you describe your current job? What’s the thing you find the most difficult, and the most rewarding?
At the moment, I am in charge of sales promotion for overseas financial institutions. For a job in finance, it is essential to be aware of the rules and compliance. Sometimes it can be tiring to act according to the established guidelines and those rules.
Maybe it’s not the most enjoyable of the jobs, but I’m really happy to work for my current company because in this workplace I can use my strengths (at least that’s what I think).
Q 10. What advice can you give to students who are about to start job hunting?
The best thing to do at first is to collect and organize information. Think about why you want to work in Japan (and speak to yourself honestly), why should you work in Japan, and what kind of job you want to do here.
Then, decide which company/position to apply for.
From your strengths, from what you think makes you better than other applicants, and what the company expects from mid-career foreign employees, decide on your appealing points and selling strategy.
The more you prepare, the more confident you will be when it’s time to perform at your best!
Well, at least this is what I think…
Job hunting is a journey: ganbatte ＆ keep moving forward!