10) 1st day at working in a Japanese company

So you made it and now all you have to do is make sure you graduate and don’t screw up (like getting arrested).

Everything begins for most new recruits/employees April 1st, which will be your fast day on the job. Some companies are now starting to hire both in Fall (Oct.1st) and Spring )April).

So what happens on April 1st?
Most companies will have some sort of entrance ceremony for the new hire group. This is where you will throw away your backpack and flip-flops and exchange it for dress shoes and brief case.  You are now a offical member of the working society as people in Japan like to think.

This ceremony usually takes place in the morning where all the top officials from the company will come out to welcome you. You will hear some sort of speech possible about the company’s history, future, and some words of encouragement regarding your next adventure. Most companies this is a formal event so you should look nice unless the company says different. 

After the ceremony you move into your training group room. Some hold the training at the office, others might do it at a hotel or some other place. At my company we hold the ceremony at a nearby hotel, and then everyone comes to our office where they enter into the training room. This room is where they will call home for the next month or two depending on the companies training program.

Then you will be there until the end of the day and will possible attend a welcome party with the Executives and a few employees from the company. It is a time to relax and get to know each other so enjoy it and drink and eat to your hearts content.

Next up…Training

9) Job Offer 内定

Congratulations you got the job or should I say 内定(naitei) which means job offer. The ball is now in your court and it is up to you determine where you will go.

Many Japanese students will keep on searching for jobs even after getting a job offer unless it is from a company they really want to work for. This only works to your advantage if you got offer from small to medium size companies so you have a few back up plans while you still interview with other companies.

The process

After passing the final interview you should receive a phone call from someone in HR to say passed. They usually will ask you to come into the office they can discuss what to do next and make it official during a job offer meeting.

1) Job Offer meeting

This is a time when you will sit down with someone from HR and they will make it official. This is also when they will give you a letter of intent to sign. This letter is your commitment to the company saying that you will join that company and not interview with anyone else. Keep in mind this is NOT a contract so it can be broken.

2) Until when do I have to sign?

Most companies will give you time to sign where there may be a few that pressure you to do that day. Unless you absolutely sure, don’t sign it and make sure you are almost 100% sure you want to join that company. So you can hold out anywhere from 1 month to or more. Some companies will try to get you to sign within a month as they want to wrap things with recruitment ASAP, but if they really like you they will wait. However, don’t let it drag out too long unless you have a good reason. Most will be understanding if you have a good reason so don’t be  afraid to be honest with them.

3) Ceremony for incoming recruitment class (内定式）<—naiteishiki

This event is usually held on Oct.1st with all major companies in Japan. The reason for this is you can’t be a two different companies at the same time. Most people will have decided long before this date, however, there might be a few fence sitters who can’t make up their mind just yet.  This event will be a time for you to meet with the CEO and some of the Executive Board members. They will also give you orientation of sorts and outline what will happen between now and April 1st (start time for most companies). Some companies will assign homework and online courses to help you transitition from student life and get you ready to start work.

7) Entry Sheet (A mix of a resume and cover letter) エントリーシート

In Japan, very few people write a cover letter. Usually what is handed in is only the resume and this is for both entry-level jobs and mid-career jobs.

You will find an entry sheet in most cases for entry-level jobs where students will need to fill this out before the interview.  Also in some cases the company may use this as a tool to weed out students. If they find any errors, or just don’t like it, they might just cut you then.

In my company, however, we have the students who pass the aptitude test fill this out and send it before their interview.

So what is an entry sheet?

An entry sheet is pretty much a cover letter. It is also a way for you to think about what you might say during an interview and also to be able to expand on it.

Do I have to write this in Japanese or is English ok?

Most companies will require you to write this in Japanese unless the person from HR says different.  At my company we give them the option. Usually if they are going to be interviewed in English I ask them to write it in English.

What type of questions are on the entry sheet?

Most of the questions on an entry sheet are like interview questions. For example your major, information about your thesis (if you have one), your strengths and weakness, progress with other companies you are interviewing with, and some other general questions like why this company, and so forth.

 

8) Interview (What to expect and process)

So you passed the aptitude test congratulations! Now the fun begins.

For some companies the interview process is very long. I have heard of some companies that make you interview with them 4 or more times. The most I have heard of is 6 but with my current company we only have two.

So why so many interview?

It all comes down to company fit and to see if you are the right person. In most part though, it comes down to Japanese law. In Japan, it is very difficult to fire someone from the company. Laying someone off from the company is also not so common and you will see a lot of companies pushing their employees out the door if they don’t like you or you mess up. I will talk more about this when I talk about life in a Japanese company.

What to expect?

Each company is different. As mentioned in the company seminar part, some companies like to do group interviews and discussions to make their first initial cut. Someone from HR or one of the employees will monitor the group and will determine if you move on or not.

Some also require you to visit their HQ especially manufacturing companies or companies whose headquarters are not in the city you are interviewing in. The main point is they want to introduce you to their factory as this is where you might be working and also to possible wine and dine you if they really like you.

As mentioned above some companies have 2 interviews other have more.
For my company we have two.

The first interview:

This is usually with someone from HR and maybe one other employee. During this interview they are pretty much checking your resume, entry sheet, and also looking at your aptitude test (personality section) to see if it all adds up. Because in Japan, you really don’t have to major in the field you want to work in, HR is  looking to see if you are fit for the company or job and double check to see if they can pass you on to the next stage. This interview can take anywhere from 30-45 minutes depending on if you have any questions for the company and if they like you or not.

Final interview:

This interview is usually with a few board members and in some smaller companies, the CEO will take part of they are only wanting to hire a few students. For my company it is 3 people (one person from HR, and two executives).
This interview is more intense as they will ask similar questions to what you said in the 1st interview and really gauge to see if fit for the company. They may even ask the same question, do you really want to work in (this industry) are you sure?

So what companies looking for? (These are just a few things and will vary from company)

1) Company fit

2) Can you work in a team (working alone is also important, however, they don’t want someone who is in their own world and forgets about their team).

3) Willing to be trained in various jobs and not be a specialist (Japanese companies like utility type workers)

4) Someone who isn’t going to leave the company after a few years

5) Someone that is familiar with Japanese work culture and will “follow” the rules. Some traditional companies may want you to conform to their work culture and life style so you need to be careful here.

 

6) Aptitude Test 適正検査

Oh and though they only tested in school…wrong! Most companies here in Japan will have some sort of aptitude test. The most common is SPI and you will need to go to a testing center to do. The benefit of this is that if other companies do the same test you don’t have to take the test over and over again. This test will be in Japanese as very few companies offer the aptitude test in English. There are still companies who do different tests so be prepared to take it more than once.

This test is the fastest way to weed out students and many companies receive over 5,000 entries. Due to time and man-power there is no possible way to read all their resumes and interview them all so each company sets their own standard when it comes to this test. This might be the first step after attending the seminar but also might be right after doing the Entry Sheet (which I will talk about in my next entry).

What to expect and what it on the test?

Usually there are two parts of the test and usually takes anywhere from  1 to 2 hours

First part consists of the knowledge test and that usually tests your basic math, Japanese ability, sometimes critical thinking, and few other things.  Some tests are time and others are not. The one we use at our company (not SPI) is timed for each question and takes about 30 minutes. If you had all the time in the world it would be easy but because of the time (average 2 minutes per question) it is a little difficult.

The second part is the personality section.  You may think this is the easiest part of the test, however, this is where a lot of people get cut. Japanese. You may also try to lie and think, ok I will just pretend I am someone I am not, however, there is a lie scale that is built within these tests and if your answers are not similar, it will set this off and you will fail. So the best thing to do is be honest with yourself and not risk this chance of failing this part of the test.  A lot of times if you fail this part, you fail the entire test regardless on how well you scored on the knowledge part.

What are the companies looking for?

The companies are not only looking for how smart you are but they are also looking at company fit when it comes to your personality. Usually there are 8 different categories that define your personality and each company has their own set standard on what works with them.  As Japan is very big on team work, those that tend to be in their own world and stick out usually fail the test.

Does the score matter?

Yes in most cases but each company has a set score you must hit in order to pass. Some might be higher than others and this usually depends on how famous the company is as they get a lot of applicants and know they can set their standards higher than others.  So if you are like me and hate takings tests, try shooting for a mid-size company as their required score might not be as high. Just think GMAT or GRE scores when applying to Grad schools. The top 10 grad schools require high scores where as the ones that are not so famous or in the top 10 require not so high of score.

5) Company seminar/job fairs (What to expect)

The next topic are company seminars and jobs fairs.

Company Seminars

Most all companies will require you to attend their company seminar. Whether this maybe at their office, on a university campus, or at a job fair. One thing you need to be careful about is that most companies only hold seminars in Japanese. More and more are SLOWLY starting to offer seminars in other languages, but still a majority will be in Japanese. These seminars can be very dry and boring and you might just end up falling asleep. However, you still need to attend as this is part of the process.

So what happens during these seminars?

At the seminars this is where you actually apply to the company.  Most of the time you will get to meet employees and of course someone from HR who you could possibly be interviewing with, so it is important to make a good first impression. As soon as you set foot in the room you are being watched. Some will watch you like a hawk and some won’t do so heavly. So be on your best behaviour as this may make it or break it for you.

Usually at these seminars, you will hear about the history of the company, why work for them, and possibly information about the job. Then some companies like to have group work/discussions and also Q&A time with employees. Again this a time to be on your best behaviour and make sure you ask GOOD questions and interact with others, as you are being watched and judged and in some cases, people start to get cut in this process.  This is also to test on how well you work in a team as this is very important in Japan and the company wants to see if you are one to lead, follow, or turn into a monster that wants to control everything. 

To give you an idea about my company seminar, it usually lasted about 2 hours. We spent the first 40-60 minutes talking about the company and what we do and possible career choices. The next part we had a Q&A session with employees where the students asked questions. Finally, we gathered resumes and had the students fill out a survey. Please make sure to take the time to fill it out as some companies will use it during your interview. 

We also held our seminars in both English and Japanese and when I did the English seminar, we did the aptitude test (English paper version) right after the seminar.

Another thing, we let students who attended our seminar at job fairs or universities, skip coming to our HQ and let them take the aptitude test.  This varies from companies though as they might still want you to visit the office.

What to wear and bring.

Wear

In most cases you will need to wear a suit, however, during the summer it can be very hot here so you can usually dress in cool biz style that means no tie or jacket. Business casual is usually the safe bet, but I have seen a few that wear polo shirts. My company doesn’t really care though but some might. 

 Resume

Next thing is to bring your resume. You can do your resume in the western style format, however, some companies will require you to bring your resume in the standard Japanese format form.  You don’t have to write it out by hand either unless you want to impress them with your beautiful handwriting in Japanese. You will also need to have a photo of you as well on the resume and there usually is a spot for it. Make sure it is a decent passport style photo. Coming from America this is unheard of however, in Japan it is the norm.  Most Japanese people don’t smile in their photos, but I would suggest to smile!!! It sure looks better than a straight face photo that makes you look like a criminal especially if you are a big person you might just freak them out!  

Does it have to be in Japanese?

 Having it in Japanese does help especially if it is for a traditional Japanese company. I know a lot of career centers in the universities here help the students with this, so if they have this service, take advantage of it.  If you can’t write it in Japanese it is no problem, especially if the job description doesn’t require you to have N1 Japanese. 

JOB FAIRS

Job fairs are great way to be introduced to many companies and have a chance to network with the HR staff from companies. Many are held throughout the year in major cities. However, there aren’t that many for international students so make sure you make an effort to attend a few.  These fairs will be worth your time as these companies are actually “looking” for international students compared to other job fairs where you might be just wasting your time.

Some job fairs to take note of:

Global Mynavi (sometimes the hold seminars in other countries such)

http://global.mynavi.jp/

Global Leader (held both in Tokyo and Osaka)

http://www.globalleadernavi.com/jp/

Career Fair from Daijobs (not as big as the other two for students, however, students can attend although mostly career type jobs)

https://www.daijob.com/en/cfair/eventmain/13

Asiajobfair.net (has posting about upcoming job fairs)

http://asiajobfair.net/ 

3) Time period (When to start looking for work) and 4) What sites to use

In America, we usually start searching for internships our 3rd year and our 4th year we start interviewing. In Japan however, students look for work and internships while they are in 3rd year of school and this continues into their 4th year.

Why is this? This is because everything in Japan starts in April and Ends in March when it comes to the school year and also the way Japanese companies function. So when people retire, or get promoted or transferred usually April 1st is when all this takes place.

When do companies start promoting their open positions?

Currently, it is Dec.1st is when companies open up their sites for students. In Japanese they say, エントリー or Entry, which comes from the term entry form.

When do companies hold their seminars?

This depends on the company however, most will start in January after the New Year holiday and February.

Sites to use to find companies and seminars

The two majors places to find jobs are with Rikunavi and MyNavi. There are of course a few others but these two are the main ones which companies poor thousands of dollars into to have their company listed. Please keep in mind these sites are all in Japanese, so you will need to make use of Google to help. In some cases you can’t even copy and past, so good luck! There are a few companies that specialize in international student recruitment, however, there won’t be as many companies compared to Rikunavi and MyNavi. I will list those below.

Here are the links for 2015 recruitment class as most companies are now finishing up or have finished with 2014.

Rikunavi

http://job.rikunabi.com/2015/

MyNavi

http://job.mynavi.jp/2015/

For International Students

As mentioned above there are a few companies that can help you with finding companies that are recruiting international students. They will probably try to get you to attend various seminars as companies are paying them to get students to attend their seminars. Also some companies will get money if you are placed with the  company, so they may push you to join a specific company. It may be the best of your interest to ask if they will get paid if you join this company or not as I have heard stories from students who got two job offers and were pressured to join one company over the other due to the fact one company was their client and would be getting money (anywhere from 100,000 yen to 1 million yen depending on the company) if they joined.

These are just a few who can help you who are upcoming/recent grads.

MyNavi Global (they usually hold a few job fairs for international students, this year it was held on June 22 and 23rd in Tokyo)

http://global.mynavi.jp/

Global Leader/Vein Global (usually have a few job fairs in Tokyo and Osaka as well as overseas)

http://www.globalleadernavi.com/jp/ 

Top Career/Fourth Valley

https://www.topcareer.jp/inter/login/?action=login&next=mypage

 

2) Age (How old is too old? Does it matter) Education ( Will getting my Masters or PhD help?)

In the section I want to talk about age and education as I feel they go together here in Japan. It is something I still bang my head against my desk as I hope to make changes but in some cases, I also understand where they company is coming from.

Sorry so long but this is a very important topic that can make or break you when it comes to working in Japan.

 

AGE

Does age really matter here in Japan?

The answer is yes it does especially when it comes to entry-level positions for Japanese companies. Japan’s laws have changed where they are not supposed to publish the desired age anymore. So this publicly will never be mentioned or written. However, internally, it is still there and in most cases, you age will not go in your favor should you be an older student.

So how old is too old?

This depends on your skill set and what you can bring to the company but in most cases, 28 is pushing it and above that, you better have some good excuse or skills or don’t even try. I don’t know how it is with the foreign companies here, but with most Japanese this is the case. Even for some 26 is too old. I will get more into this when it comes to skills and age when I talk about education below.

I have seen a case where the company is  willing to hire someone in their early 30`s, but that person (a Japanese girl) had studied overseas for a year, could speak fluent English, scored perfect on her TOEIC test, went to university, and was able to make her point during the interviews. So it is not impossible, but you better have a few cards to play or you won’t get the job.

Why do they care?

They care because when you start your training group will be with a bunch of 23-25 year old students. For most people, they don’t care about this as they just want to have a chance to work. However, the company feels you might be out-of-place in some cases. Also this comes down to your career path and advancement in the company. Think about it, a 36-year-old starting as an entry-level job being trained by someone who is 25 to 28 in most cases, how is this going to work? Most people are humble and would listen, but the person training you could feel intimidated.

EDUCATION

You would think getting more education the better off you would be right? Well in Japan, it is not the case.  Yes you will need a four-year degree and in some cases, a 2 year degree from a vocational school is ok just be prepared take a little bit of a pay cut.

Does going to a major university help?

In most cases it does help as company have their “target” students. However, if you can’t get into a big named university, don’t sweat it.

Does what I get my degree in matter?

Most of the time NO, unless you are trying to become a Chemical Engineer with a degree in History then it does matter. In America, usually what you study relates to what you want to do in life. In Japan, it is not the case for most jobs. Especially if the company has a training system  then you don’t have to worry,  Although getting your degree in a Liberal Arts field is no problem at all, I found that companies look at those with a science background a little different. Just make sure you don’t study something like Poli Sci or Japanese History, as most of the time the course work does not relate to what a company needs.  If you do decided to go down this path, make sure you have some sort of business classes (Finance,Accounting, and so forth) or have strong Japanese skills. 

Does getting my Masters or PhD help?

In Japan, most of the time NO.  Japanese companies could careless if you have a Masters and a PhD, forget it, you have just become too specialized and you probably are now at the age of 28 or older.  It doesn’t mean they frown upon people who get thei graduate degrees and it does help you get a little higher pay.

However, the first thing that comes to mind of those interviewing you is that the student probably couldn’t get a job during their undergrad time so they went to grad school. There are some companies who desire those with Masters, but usually they are foreign companies, and companies that need Engineers.  So if you do go this route be very careful if you want to work in Japan. As I mentioned above, this is where the age card/experience card is played. I have seen a few people with PhD who had the skills we would like, but they spent too much time working on their PhD. One student was 36 and the other was 41 trying to get an Entry Level job. I would have been more than happy to have them on board but in reality, people at this age should either be in a Leader role of some sorts and not some rookie with a bunch of people 10 years younger than you are.  Sure the government will give you a scholarship and pay your way, but in the long run, it won’t help and in most cases it will hurt you. Of course if you are going to work for the a university, teacch, do research, or work in some pharmaceutical field, go for it, just make sure you know that specific industry needs it.

1) Japanese skills (Do I really need to have perfect Japanese?)

The big question I get is,

Do I need to have perfect Japanese in order to work in a Japanese company?

To be honest there is no clear answer as this depends on the company you are applying to.

As Japan makes a push to become more global there is a need for those that can speak various languages such as;  English, Chinese, Vietnamese, just to name a few, and of course Japanese. So it all depends on where the company needs employees whether it is working mainly with offshore/outsourcing projects, overseas branches or clients, or domestically.

However, the sad news is that most Japanese companies still require people to have N1 Japanese with a few allowing N2. There still is a fear that if the foreign employee can’t speak/read/write Japanese they won’t be able to communicate with people in the company or clients. 

Very few “Japanese” companies will hire you if you can only speak daily conversation Japanese (N3 level) or lower. Unless you have a special skill they want it is going to be difficult. There is a lot of competition here with those that have attended Japanese universities and have some exposure to Japanese and can speak at least at an N2 level. 

Just to give you an idea, my company used to require at least N2 Japanese. However, since I started and the CEO wanted to make us more international (rather than just hire Chinese and Koreans) so he lowered the requirement to daily conversation level Japanese but with fluent English. However, those that speak daily conversational level Japanese usually have some sort of IT background when they are offered a job.

Another thing with knowing Japanese is that most of all the companies will require you to do an aptitude test in Japanese which I will talk more about what this test and what they are looking for. 

My advice

So my advice, if you want to increase your chances of getting a job here, learn Japanese. Why not right?  Also for those who are not native English speakers, make sure you can score at least 650 or higher on your TOEIC test, which would be business level English.  Of course, if the job requires you to work with people in your native tongue and just Japanese that is fine, however, you will have just one more extra tool when you interview for a job.

Japanese are not the best English speakers so they are looking for those that can fill in this void for them when especially with this global push going on.