I Need a PA

About four years ago I wrote an article of appreciation to my Personal Assistant (PA), “H-san,” about what a great job she was doing. As I wrote, she was one of the best schedulers, salesman deflectors, and mind readers in the business. We developed a business relationship where she felt...

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Over 50’s Redux

My article on the receiving end of ageism in Japan and finding work when you’re over 50 obviously struck a chord in a number of readers, and I appreciate all the emails coming in. I thought I’d share two of these emails, with the author’s respective permissions, about their take on being over...

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Job Fairs

The recruiting business is kind of like a funnel. At the top, at the widest point, you have the job boards and paper media. These companies serve as the first stop in your job search, providing quantity of opportunities, market pricing, and variety. This is good if you’re simply doing research, or getting into the job market for the first time. The idea is to go...

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Job Hunting at 50 – Part Two: Trading on Your Network

Apart from a pile of cash, the most tradable commodity in the Japanese business world is a strong personal network. You see successful networkers in this country all the time, creating relationships based on both friendship and interpersonal IOUs – “giri”. Look this word up on the internet; it is usually defined as obligation and...

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Job Hunting at 50 - Part One: The Age Issue

Next month I turn 49, one year away from the big “Five Oh” and most certainly at least half way through my life span. Although this is a time for reflection on achievements and how to build for a shorter future, I’m often reminded of the fact that I’m now also 4 years past the age where I’m...

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Email in the Office

With all the media hype going on about privacy of personal data and court actions against those companies that breach the law, it is easy to think that such rules extend to your own private communications at your place of work. However, in Japan at least, this is far from correct and as an employee you should know that your company is legally allowed to access...

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The Intern – AM's Story (Part Two)

While internships are not for everyone, for Mr. A.M. it helped open new doors and opportunities. He explains here that finding the right company is not an exact science, and since he was hoping to be hired on strength of personality and commitment, he had to find a firm that would hold these qualities as...

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The Intern – AM's Story (Part One)

I've spoken before about the value of doing an internship and using the “ties that bind us” to allow a happy and motivated job seeker's personality to shine through to compensate for an otherwise deficient resume, experience, or qualifications. I have come across many people who are looking to change careers and an internship is a great way to...

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Job Market for 2007 – Macro Outlook

2006 was an excellent year for most foreign firms and larger Japanese ones. The economy coasted along on export demand of both finished goods and tools, value-added materials, and corporate profits are at record highs. It was a good year to negotiate pay raises and to look for a new job - but will 2007 be more of the same? Well, financial pundits are saying that things...

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Role of PR in Recruiting

Most people think of Public Relations (PR) as being something you do to build a brand to increase sales. While this is true, it is also a very important tool for recruiting, for pretty much the same reason - to build a brand in the minds of job seekers. Brand building is a combination of building...

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