Wow thanks for all the support and advice guys! I’ll talk about my experience yesterday just in case anyone is curious and so others can use it as a reference.
Overall I feel like I did pretty good. Like someone mentioned, once I owned the fact that my Japanese isn’t perfect it was easier to remember that it’s still good, if that makes sense. It was an online interview and at times it was a little hard to hear the interviewer as she was wearing a mask and was only using her laptop microphone. For that reason I had to ask her to repeat a question like 3 times but once I heard her I knew exactly what she was asking. I answered the questions in a timely manner and felt like the content of my responses were good but my Japanese definitely could have been smoother.
Halfway through the interview she had me do 2 translations one ENG to JPN and the other JPN to ENG both about 5-6 sentences long. (Its not a translation company but translation work is a part of the job) I felt pretty confident about those but also felt rushed cause I was being timed.
Would I say it went well? Well, it definitely didn’t go bad but I could have done better perhaps. I think it in large part depends on what they are looking for. If they want someone who speaks near-native Japanese then I wont be surprised if I failed. But I feel like my personality shined through so if they want someone like me I can see myself passing.
Anyways, I’ll get the results in 2 weeks and I’ll let everyone know! Thanks again
Speaking of being honest… they asked me if I was currently applying to other companies and I said yes… lol I hope that wasn’t a stupid thing to say I feel like lying and saying no would have been too obvious a lie
Suggestions for interviewing at a Japanese company.
Know your audience. In other words, if you are being interviewed by a foreigner (American, Brit, etc.) at the moment - then tailor your behavior and responses to meet their background a little more, but don’t go overboard.
Other than point number 1 - don’t come across too much as the company’s new solution provider god. You want to be seen as humble and a strong follower. so, your responses should show strength (as a follower). This is very contrary to how one should interview at a company in America where one should try to show and demonstrate their strengths in an interview. Japanese companies are more interested in Yes men / women.
Sound off with a firm voice in responses. Be very robotic and firm. The interview is more like a dog training class. You are the dog. Companies want to know that when they say sit - you know how to sit. And when it’s time to bark - you have a firm bark, but a bark without prejudice or opinion. Just a solid bark.
In Summary) The things I’ve said above may sound humorous or satirical - but I meant every word. Japanese companies are not easy to work for - unless you are going to work for a very progressive Japanese company that is trying to imitate western ideology in business. This is one reason why I can no longer work for a Japanese company. Working for myself is soooo much easier.
I don’t know about Japanese companies but in Europe it’s common to ask this. Basically the hiring company just wants to know if it’s competing with other companies. This may add deadlines, like when you got an offer from another company and you need to know what this company can offer before the other offer expires.
Also in Europe you can negotiate salary by comparing several offers. If you got an offer from company A for 100 money units and the company B offered 105 you can go back to company A and ask to match the offer.
I never heard back from that first company I interviewed with. The good news is, that was my 滑り止め “back up” and so it being my first interview actually worked out perfectly. I received an offer from a 外資系 “foreign owned company” though the interview process was, other than simple conversation and a 5 minute presentation, conducted in English. I also passed 2 interviews with a different Japanese company and will be going to visit one of their branches at the end of the month. According to my Japanese friends there is an extremely high chance this will end in an offer so I’m pretty pumped about that. I haven’t finished the job hunting process yet but one thing I can recommend is: use every opportunity as a chance to learn and improve your skills especially in regards to Japanese. Will update again later. Have a blessed day.
Alright friends, I officially received a job offer from a Japanese company today! It’s the one I mentioned in my previous post, the one where I was able to visit a factory of theirs. What wild ride. I thought this was going to be done a lot quicker to be honest but from first email to offer email it took about 3 months. Some advice I can give incase anyone out there will be job hunting in the future:
Attend job fairs! I can’t count how many jobs I applied to online through linkdin and gaijinpots etc. but being able to see someone face to face and have a short chat with someone as you hand them a resume (even if the process is virtual) makes a huge difference in my opinion.
Don’t focus too much on perfect Japanese. Make sure your Japanese is solid and can handle talking about various topic smoothly, but worry less about making minor mistakes and focus more on good communication skills over all. Attitude, posture, displaying confidence etc.
Lastly if you’re aiming for a Japanese company, show your understanding of Japanese culture especially work culture. The language barrier is one thing and they will be able to tell if that is something you can break within a minute or two of talking, but the cultural differences also pose an issue when hiring non-Japanese employees. If you have experience living in Japan you’ve got a huge advantage.
I’m no expert and I don’t mean to come off that way at all but this is just what I’ve learned during my job hunting experience in Japan. I applied to about 50 companies had about 10 interviews and ended up with two offers so I think I got a decent feel for how the process works and what companies look for. Best of luck to anyone seeking to find a new job while in Japan!
I feel like lying and saying no would have been too obvious a lie