ご無沙汰しております。
It has been so long, almost two years since I last posted. In my absence, I have since graduated from college, achieved my dream of getting a job at a huge corporation in Tokyo, and... quit.
As you can tell by this single sentence, my life has been hit by yet another whirlwind of challenges, all revolving around my pursuit of an identity as an Asian-American woman.
But no worries! As much as I'd like my unemployment to lead to a grand era of inactivity where I sit on the couch, eat chips and ponder the meaning of life (which I have to admit, seems appealing in a Hollywood finding-my-soul kind of way), it is not in my nature. After approximately three days of vacation, my brain is in hyperactive mode with its headlights aimed at my newest dream.
But that's a story for another day.
Today, I will begin sharing with you my story of working in Japan
It has been so long, almost two years since I last posted. In my absence, I have since graduated from college, achieved my dream of getting a job at a huge corporation in Tokyo, and... quit.
As you can tell by this single sentence, my life has been hit by yet another whirlwind of challenges, all revolving around my pursuit of an identity as an Asian-American woman.
But no worries! As much as I'd like my unemployment to lead to a grand era of inactivity where I sit on the couch, eat chips and ponder the meaning of life (which I have to admit, seems appealing in a Hollywood finding-my-soul kind of way), it is not in my nature. After approximately three days of vacation, my brain is in hyperactive mode with its headlights aimed at my newest dream.
But that's a story for another day.
Today, I will begin sharing with you my story of working in Japan
chapter one
a sea of suits
So let us begin with how I actually got the job in the first place. First thing I did was make a decision: Japan, or America? At the time, I had just finished a semester abroad in Tokyo, and was spending the summer there. I thought to myself, why stop here? Why not go all the way? Of course, there were a multitude of other factors that you can all imagine. But in the end, the decision was made.
So, I went all the way. I mean, really, I went the whole nine yards. I did it the "Japanese way." For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Japanese recruitment process, let me give you the briefest overview I can provide.
Firstly, most Japanese companies only hire once a year. In other words, everyone gets hired at the same time. A famous event in the United States is the Boston Career Forum. People hoping to get hired by Japanese companies fly to Boston from all over the world (strangely enough, most of them come from Japan), where some of the top Japanese companies set up interview booths in search for international employees.
For domestic companies, you must fill out your resume in the Japanese resume format (note that I began studying Japanese in college, so... I was far from fluent). All interviews are, naturally, in Japanese. I can't tell you how many times I stood in front of a mirror and practiced speaking carefully worded monologues that were edited by every Japanese person I knew.
And of course, the suits. You must wear a black suit, with a white collared shirt. If you are a woman you must wear sensible black heels *cue eye roll* . No dyed hair, no perms. I even had to explain that my head of curls was natural!
I neatly blended myself in to the sea of suits at every recruitment event. I slipped in and out of interview after interview, feeling like a desperate member of a mass round of speed-dating. I sneaked in coffee breaks every couple of hours, because it was absolutely exhausting.
And last but not least, the 懇親会 "konshinkai," or dinner events. If you make it through an interview round, you receive a phone call to come to a dinner event with all of the HR people who interviewed you. Although it is informal, they are watching you -- how you interact with people, how you drink, and how you behave. It sounds terrifying. But honestly, it was my favorite part because, well, free meals. And admittedly, some damn good conversation.
Through all of that, somehow, I set my sights on one company. And they set sights on me back. I passed through the first round, attended a couple of konshinkai, and was flown out to Tokyo for final interviews. In January, I was officially hired as one of the five global recruits of 2017.
Stay tuned for the next post, where I give you a glimpse of what it was like to actually work at a Japanese company.
I wish you all the happiest of New Years,
justajae
So, I went all the way. I mean, really, I went the whole nine yards. I did it the "Japanese way." For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Japanese recruitment process, let me give you the briefest overview I can provide.
Firstly, most Japanese companies only hire once a year. In other words, everyone gets hired at the same time. A famous event in the United States is the Boston Career Forum. People hoping to get hired by Japanese companies fly to Boston from all over the world (strangely enough, most of them come from Japan), where some of the top Japanese companies set up interview booths in search for international employees.
For domestic companies, you must fill out your resume in the Japanese resume format (note that I began studying Japanese in college, so... I was far from fluent). All interviews are, naturally, in Japanese. I can't tell you how many times I stood in front of a mirror and practiced speaking carefully worded monologues that were edited by every Japanese person I knew.
And of course, the suits. You must wear a black suit, with a white collared shirt. If you are a woman you must wear sensible black heels *cue eye roll* . No dyed hair, no perms. I even had to explain that my head of curls was natural!
I neatly blended myself in to the sea of suits at every recruitment event. I slipped in and out of interview after interview, feeling like a desperate member of a mass round of speed-dating. I sneaked in coffee breaks every couple of hours, because it was absolutely exhausting.
And last but not least, the 懇親会 "konshinkai," or dinner events. If you make it through an interview round, you receive a phone call to come to a dinner event with all of the HR people who interviewed you. Although it is informal, they are watching you -- how you interact with people, how you drink, and how you behave. It sounds terrifying. But honestly, it was my favorite part because, well, free meals. And admittedly, some damn good conversation.
Through all of that, somehow, I set my sights on one company. And they set sights on me back. I passed through the first round, attended a couple of konshinkai, and was flown out to Tokyo for final interviews. In January, I was officially hired as one of the five global recruits of 2017.
Stay tuned for the next post, where I give you a glimpse of what it was like to actually work at a Japanese company.
I wish you all the happiest of New Years,
justajae