Tokyo is a strange place in a way, because often the senior level job market is not predicated by one's long-term experience but rather by one's skills and proximity. What I mean by that is that I have known a number of senior IT engineers who have gone on to become senior managers in major foreign firms. The reason of course is simple, with the buoyant job market right now, there is a lack of...

I’ve focused a lot on early-stage job finding recently, so let’s now look at career improvement opportunities. This week for senior IT engineers. Software and network engineers in their 30’s are at the peak of the earning and performance curve. They are usually remunerated as a function of their knowledge, experience, and customer interaction skills. Technical knowledge in particular is something that drives most engineers that I know, and most people spend a lot of time...

Almost every company in Japan has a probation period for new mid-career employees (versus college grads, who are tolerated more). For experienced people, this period represents nothing more than an opportunity to weigh up the new employer and decide whether to stay or not. However, for those new to the country and its culture, or switching careers, the probation period is...

One way to come to Japan, especially for younger readers, is on a global placement program. There are a number of such programs, such as AFS, Rotary, or AIESEC - all of which aim to foster international understanding by helping students and/or young adults study and/or work overseas. The programs are easy to find on the web and do a good job of explaining their raison...