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+--- Thread: Tips for Japanese Job Interviews (/thread-13077.html)
Tips for Japanese Job Interviews - erlog - 2015-10-11
Hello everybody, some of you might remember over the years from the KanKen thread or the grammar deck Flamerokz and I built for JLPT.
I recently finished up my time on the JET Program, and I'm now looking for work in Japan. I have my first full Japanese job interview coming up in about a week. I know there's some people here who've gotten work in Japan or done interviews for stuff like scholarships in Japanese before, and I'm wondering if any of you can post about your experiences with doing a Japanese interview.
Right now I'm preparing answers to common interview questions from this website:
http://tenshoku.mynavi.jp/knowhow/mensetsu
It has a lot of good advice, but I'm looking for some impressions from people who speak Japanese as their second language. Thanks!
Tips for Japanese Job Interviews - Zgarbas - 2015-10-12
Wear a well-fitted suit and comb your hair until you lose all your visible personality traits. Knock twice and wait to be called in. Introduce yourself and wait to be seated. Watch interview videos with recommendations on where to stop before asking to be seated. Memorise your 自己紹介 and 自己PR (1,3, and 5 minute versions). The questions are likely to be standard, so practice them. Since Japanese kids spend a whole year just going to job interviews, they will have really fancy pre-memorised answers, and you will be expected to do the same... You might even have another Japanese interviewee in the room with you.
That being said, if you show up and the employer doesn't follow mensetsu guidelines, try to not be too distraught. When I got interviewed I lost my footing after being invited in without knocking and being told to sit down before introducing myself. (luckily, people find it endearing when I mess up; the outcome depends on your company and job, really)
Tips for Japanese Job Interviews - Tzadeck - 2015-10-12
Remember, too, that most Japanese people will do 10-100 interviews with different companies in the process of getting a job. Failure rate is high since the standard system is to interview at so many companies. So, don't be disappointed if you don't get the job.
Tips for Japanese Job Interviews - sholum - 2015-10-12
I don't know about Japan specifically, but here are some general guidelines (many of which you may already be familiar with):
-If asked something along the lines of "tell me about yourself" (standard opening question in the US, don't know if it's the same in Japan), do not give an autobiography; also, know that there is a limit to how humble or boastful you can be: you won't stand out if you're too humble, but you'll look bad if you're too boastful (at the same time, if you don't boast about yourself, no one else will). Keep it concise and think of at least three points you want to convey about your character; only use three of them for this question, and keep the rest in reserve in case you need them later.
-If you have facial hair, remove it. It doesn't matter if it makes you look like you've got pox a couple days later (I speak from experience on this...), the interviewer doesn't know and no explanation, if they comment on it, will be taken well (but again, I don't know if this kind of commentary is usual in Japanese interviews). Cut your hair short (if male, women just have to make sure it doesn't look wild). It shouldn't be any wild colors, so if you look Asian (too lazy to dig and see if it's mentioned somewhere), dye your hair dark, no matter what it's natural color is. If you look foreign enough, any natural hair color should be fine.
-If you're a girl (again, lazy), your make-up matters (doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, your looks are important; for women, this means that you're expected to wear make-up). It must be professional, so avoid anything flashy. If you suck at doing your make-up (maybe you have the same mind as me, in which such excessive self-beautification seems like a waste of time), get someone else to do it, even if you have to go to a shop before your interview.
-Make sure your clothes match properly and are in fashion; if you aren't sure what would be good, go to a specialty store for assistance. (Side note: do yourself a favor and buy all-seasons slacks if you don't have any already (and will be expected to wear slacks); Japan's summers are about the same as where I live, maybe worse from what I hear, but these slacks will keep you quite comfortable; had to dress up recently, and those slacks kept me from sweating through everything when I stepped outside, even though I was wearing a wool jacket at noon on one of the hottest weeks of the summer... The lengths people will go to look good...)
-Find someone (assuming no one on here knows) that knows the proper posture and body language to use; interviews are often swayed primarily by your appearance and your attitude, assuming you meet the qualifications for the position (they can even give you the edge despite a lack of qualification in the States, but I don't think that'll work in Japan). The delivery is just as important as the message.
-As Zgarbas said, practice your responses to the standard questions; however, make sure you can deliver them fluidly, and that any interruptions won't throw you off; I've actually found that the best way to stay flexible is to practice just enough so that you know what you want to say, maybe have a couple phrases in mind, then come up with the rest of it on site (then again, this might be hard to do with a second language...)
Again, I have no experience with Japanese interviews, but I tried to cover the things that are universal to making yourself look good (which is all an interview is, really). I'll be really interested to see what anyone with more experience thinks of these points in the context of Japan.
Tips for Japanese Job Interviews - erlog - 2015-10-13
I do have a beard, but I try to keep it pretty neatly trimmed. The photo attached to my résumé also has a beard. Do you think it will be a problem. I don't look asian at all so it seems like it should be okay to me, but I'm willing to shave it. It's just weird since I've had this beard for like the last 10 years of my life.
Tips for Japanese Job Interviews - vix86 - 2015-10-13
Hard to say, but if the positions aren't customer facing, then you will probably be fine.
Tips for Japanese Job Interviews - dtcamero - 2015-10-13
i'm just gonna leave this here...
Tips for Japanese Job Interviews - sholum - 2015-10-13
erlog Wrote:I do have a beard, but I try to keep it pretty neatly trimmed. The photo attached to my résumé also has a beard. Do you think it will be a problem. I don't look asian at all so it seems like it should be okay to me, but I'm willing to shave it. It's just weird since I've had this beard for like the last 10 years of my life.Based on the video and comments at the link given by dtcamero, it seems like you should shave, to be on the safe side. If you got accepted for an interview with a beard on your photo, it might be okay just to clean it up, but since most people are clean shaven, it's probably better to shave.
I keep a beard as well (due to aforementioned pox like sores from ingrown hairs...), but I always shave for interviews, because that's what's expected of a good interviewee; that's why I think it should be shaved, but it's up to you.
Tips for Japanese Job Interviews - Taurus - 2015-10-13
erlog Wrote:I do have a beard, but I try to keep it pretty neatly trimmed. The photo attached to my résumé also has a beard. Do you think it will be a problem. I don't look asian at all so it seems like it should be okay to me, but I'm willing to shave it. It's just weird since I've had this beard for like the last 10 years of my life.Do you want to wear a beard if/when you get the job? If yes, then keep the beard for the interview.
Do you want to work in a job where you are not allowed to wear a beard? For some people it is a pretty minor issue; for others a pretty major one. If it is a major issue for you then keep the beard and if you are worried whether they have any concerns about it then ask them in the interview; if it is a minor issue then shave it and ask about it after you receive an offer or join the company.
I think it is useful to view interviews as a two-way process, even in Japan - perhaps even more so in Japan, since changing jobs frequently is generally viewed very negatively over here, so if you rush into a job that you don't like it is more difficult to move on to another role. So as much as it is an opportunity for them to find out if your skills and personality are a good fit for the role they are trying to fill, it is also an opportunity for you to find out if the responsibilities of that role and the working culture are a good fit for your personality and your goals. (In my experience of Japanese interviews the whole process seems to be pretty rapid - just 2 or 3 short interviews - so definitely make use of the time to find answers to the questions that are important to you.)
As for general job interview advice, I think a lot depends on what sort of company and business sector you are interviewing in. I have changed jobs three times in Japan and haven't worn a suit since the first time. If you are worried about what to wear, then check with them in advance.
One weird thing that happened to me in an interview the last time I was looking for a job was that my interviewer asked me if I wanted to use English or Japanese. I told him I was happy with either. He proceeded in (terrible) English, but I held back from switching to Japanese out of politeness and the ensuing interview was a complete car crash. They rejected me and provided me with the feedback that my Japanese wasn't good enough (which may very well be true, but I have no idea how they came to that conclusion having not actually heard me speaking ANY Japanese). So I guess if the same thing happens to you it might be worth pushing for Japanese.
I found some useful advice on the website of a recruitment company called Kreiss and Company (don't want to link from work in case it sets off any alarms...). I think they had a blog or email magazine called Diamond something or other? Try googling it. It's fairly standard advice, but I found it useful to read through and understand how Japanese interviewers might be thinking. And they were really helpful when I contacted them too, introducing me to a lot of opportunities.
Tips for Japanese Job Interviews - NoSleepTilFluent - 2015-10-14
Should be obvious but do your research on the company. Look at financial reports try to figure out where they do business and or what demographic do they target. It could also help to know their competitors. A question I received a lot is why this company and not xyz company? Or Why not a company in America I'm sure there's plenty of jobs there? Etc.