Job Hunting

Job Hunting in Japan is called, 'Shushoku Katsudo', or 'Shukatsu'. This is one last war for the Japanese kids. Japanese children ususally have 'ojuken senso', entering school war, -the entering school exams can be very tough and then they have in again when they enter University. It is a common thinking that which high school you go determines which university you can go and therefore it determines where you can work.

Well, this July, I did Shukatsu in Japan. It was during my winter break but becaues most of the corporations setup interviews for American university which has 3months summer break and I was sometimes disadantaged. Lucky thing was now days there are sites that you can just register your CV and then apply with a push of a botton!! and there are websites for oversea students. On the other hand it means that there are many enough oversea students looking for jobs in Japan and being able to speak English is not a very big thing in these website. Also meant that many of us shared a common experience of living overseas.

I went to a forums for this oversea Shukatsu People and there were lots lots lots of people. Let me give you a typical process for oversea students (usually less steps than the local students)

1. to register online either through the database like website or corporations own recuritment site. (sometimes makes appointment for interviews if there is)-this is where we submit our CV, oversea students ususally go through here easily.
2. to go to the stoll of the corporation and listen to their introduction session or sometimes just have interviews. Sometimes you need to have an appointment but usually you can walk in.
3. have the first interview. This interview is usually to see what kind of person you are and not so much of why you want to work for the company. It is better if you know about the company but does not have to be in details. Some comapanies have 1(interviewer) to 2 (Students) or 1 to 1 or 2 to 2. (some have 2-3, depends on the comapanies)
4. have a test, sometimes it is done with the process 3. what type of test you would be tested on depends on the companies. Usually on simple maths, language (Japanese and English), common knowlodges, current affair etc. There is typical test formats but I would not mention here. BUT most tricky one is the PERSONALITY TEST!!
5. If you upto this stage, chance of you getting to the job is quite high. Anyway, at this stage, the interview is either 1 to 1 with the Human resourse or 3 to 1 with CEOs, Manegemental level. (Big corporations have many interviews before this. I heard some Foreign bank had 8 interviews before the final.) If it was with CEO or some manegemental level, that would be the last interview!!

There are many things you have to do and many things that you should not do. Like the suit has to be dark blue if you are going to the interview for banks. When you writing or saying about what are the BAD things about you, you have to talk about what you are doing to improve it and always have to finish with the PLUS images. They almost always like to know what you did put most of the energy into in during your university life and that should sound like it would be useful in workplaces....etc etc there are toooo many of them!!!

If you are looking for jobs in Japan, try Recuruite Navi(Rikunabi), My Navi (Mai Nabi), and CFN.