Job Hunting in Japan

The number of international students who wish to work in Japan after graduation or completion of their studies is increasing every year. In addition, many companies are willing to hire international students.
If you are planning to work in Japan, we suggest you obtain information and learn about the issues specific to the unique Japanese job-hunting rules, practices, or timelines well in advance.

You should also bear in mind that most companies emphasize the Japanese language skills. The business level Japanese skills are required in most cases, except for some research positions.

1) Before you start job hunting in Japan
Important points to note for the early stages of the job-hunting process.

■Get to know the flow of Japanese job-hunting and create a plan.
Japanese job-hunting is a prolonged process that can become a big burden in terms of time, finance, and mental stress. Make a plan in order to keep a good balance between your study/research and job-hunting activities.

The "Job Hunting Guide for International Students" (published by JASSO) is very useful for information on the overall flow of job-hunting activities. First, please be sure to learn about the general process of job-hunting activities by yourself.
https://www.jasso.go.jp/ryugaku/after_study_j/job/guide.html
(Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean available.)

■Importance of “Self-analysis”
Please take this opportunity to think about yourself. Just because you achieve a good academic result/you belong to a good university/you are working hard at job-hunting does not mean you will be successful when hunting for jobs. Emphasis will be placed on the individual’s thoughts, capabilities and characteristics. Especially, for international students you will be making an important decision in your life: “Living and working in Japan after graduation”. Please consider carefully “where/how you want to develop your career in the future”. When it gets to the peak of the job-hunting period, you will hardly have time to consider about yourself and think about basic things. Therefore, please “self-analyze” yourself when you have time, as this experience will definitely be of help when creating your self-introduction and in the interviews that go with job-hunting.

■Learn about the characteristics/features of Japanese companies
Japanese companies often have unique systems that is different from that in your country. One such characteristics is to only take in new employees all at once in April, and to officially assign a specific post after a certain period of training programs for new employees. Also, there are other features that many international students think are “unique for Japan”; lifetime employment, difference in career track between “comprehensive work position” (Sogo Shoku: 総合職) and “clerical work position” (Ippan Shoku:一般職), and job transfer/rotation that takes place frequently.

<Other things you should research in advance>
*Characteristics/features of Japanese companies
*What kind of companies are there in Japanese society? What kind of industries are Japanese society composed of?
*What type of jobs are there in the companies? What kind of job do you want to do?

There are many related books in the “job-hunting section” in a bookstore. Additionally, it is recommended that you take advantage of books for business analysis (e.g. Quarterly Corporate Report, Kaisya Shiki Ho 会社四季報), newspapers, and business magazines.
It is also effective to ask questions to seniors/alumni when you have a chance to talk to them.
The summer vacations are a good opportunity to participate in internship programs offered by companies. Also, you are advised to talk/have an exchange with people of wide range of ages and occupations by attending Japanese volunteer classes offered in your ward/city.

2) Collecting information
■Make good use of information provided on-campus
・International Student Support Room (ISSR), Center for Global Education (GlobE)
ISSR holds job-hunting seminars and events for international students and support you to make your life as an international student and your job-hunting activities as smooth as possible.
Please check the following website for information on employment guidance, seminars, and consultations.
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/inbound/en/life-career-sc.html (in English)
https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/inbound/ja/life-career-sc.html (in Japanese)
Please see here for how to use ISSR services

・Career Support Office
https://www.careersupport.adm.u-tokyo.ac.jp (in Japanese)
A variety of seminars and workshops are held by the office. You can also browse a list of alumni and have a job interview with a career advisor.

■Use information outside of the university
<Public organization that provides job-related information>
The Employment Services Center for Foreigners (run by MHLW) is a public organization that provides support for the employment of foreign nationals. It is recommended that you register yourself as a job seeker.

■The Employment Services Center for Foreigners (Tokyo) 
https://jsite.mhlw.go.jp/tokyo-foreigner/english.html

■JREC-IN  (run by Japan Science and Technology Agency, JST)
If you are interested in finding employment as a researcher at a university or other institution, you may wish to search the Researchers' Recruitment Database.
English: https://jrecin.jst.go.jp/seek/SeekTop?ln=1
Japanese: https://jrecin.jst.go.jp/seek/SeekTop

<Other Job Search Websites>
There are a variety of job sites for international students and other foreign nationals run by private companies and other organizations. Some of the websites provide English-language search services, while others offer job placement services at Japanese companies in the home country of the international students.
However, since many of them require a high level of Japanese language proficiency as a condition for application, those who wish to work for a Japanese company or a foreign-affiliated company in Japan need to study Japanese well on a regular basis.

■Rikunabi (run by Recruit Career)
Reference: Companies conducting “web information sessions/seminars” and “web interviews”
https://job.rikunabi.com/  (in Japanese)

■My Navi (run by Mynavi Corporation)
https://job.mynavi.jp/ (in Japanese)

■Rikei navi  (run by Dream Career)
https://rikeinavi.com/ (in Japanese)

■Career-tasu Shukatsu for international students (run by DISCO)
https://job.career-tasu.jp/ (in Japanese)

■Acaric web (run by Acaric)
Job-hunting information for graduate students, post-doc researchers, and engineers 
https://acaric.jp/ (in Japanese)

3) Other information
■Students who wish to apply for school recommendation
Please contact the office in charge of career placement in your faculty/graduate school, the graduate school section, or the academic affairs office. Application deadlines and selection periods differ for each faculty and graduate school. Please be sure to check the latest information.
Office in charge at each faculty/graduate school
https://www.careersupport.adm.u-tokyo.ac.jp/about/window (in Japanese)
*Please note that the sections in charge of international students may be different. Please check with each faculty/graduate school.

■Online interviews
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more companies have been conducting interviews online. The interview process is the same as a regular in-person interview; you need to be prepared to check your internet settings, start time, links, etc., and to take the interview in a calm and relaxed manner.

I. Check the online tools to be used for interviews.
Zoom, Webex, Skype, Google Meet, etc., as designated by the company.

II. Check the devices to be used.
Make sure to start the camera on your PC in advance and check how you look before you start. Check the sound and volume of the microphone. The sound varies depending on the network conditions. It is best to test in the same setting as the actual session.

III. Select a location for the online interview.
A location;
・where there is no noise (be careful that your smartphone does not ring during the interview).
・where the network connection is stable.
・with a tidy background. A wall with a plain background helps you seen clearly.
・where you will not cause any disturbance to others.

IV. Prepare yourself.
Wear the same clothes you would wear to actually meet the people at the company, such as a business suit.
Since only the upper half of your body will be shown, your face and chest parts will be strongly impressed. Pay attention to the area around your collar.

V. Understand the online interview process.
The interview process is the same as an in-person interview.
・It is recommended that you log in well in advance of the start of the interview.
・The first impression is made the moment you start. If you look unsociable or your first voice is gloomy when you appear on the screen, you are likely to make a bad impression, so be careful to have a positive expression on you, starting from the interview.
・Many people are more concerned about their Japanese language skills in an online interview than in an in-person interview, so please do not rush and speak slowly. Speak carefully and articulately in Japanese, and they will be able to understand your message.
・You can talk while looking at your notes ready at your hand for your answers for the interviews and/or company information. However, it is important to make sure you look at the camera while you speak. If your eyes move too much as you concentrate on reading your notes, an interviewee will know that you are reading something, and you are not well prepared.
・When you are told, "This is the end of the interview," thank the interviewer properly at the end. Closing to the very end is very important.