Building your career in Japan using the Net
A survey of Net and Net-related resources for IT, engineering, finance, and high tech professionals seeking to start, extend, or build their careers in Japan.
by Yuko Katsube-Mather

This year has seen the Japanese government reporting persistently high unemployment rates -- 4.6% of the workforce as recently as May. For the first time, these figures are higher than those in the US, and they strike a discouraging note for anyone wishing to find a job in Japan. Jobseekers might be tempted to give up, thinking, "it's hard enough for the locals to find or keep a job these days. How can a foreigner like me possibly land on a job in Japan?"

Despite the grim picture painted by today's Japan economy, foreign economists, business leaders, and even political leaders are quite optimistic about Japan's economic future. The February 8 edition of the Asian Wall Street Journal featured an article on the subject of Japan as a new land of opportunity which stated "we are witnessing an epoch-making opportunity for foreign businesses to position themselves in the land of the rising sun."

Having witnessed the vigorous business growth of foreign capital companies in Japan over the past several years -- together with the resulting increase in jobs -- I think that calling Japan a "land of opportunity" is accurate, not only for businesses that offer innovative products and services, but also for professionals possessing competitive skills. As long as you have the highly sought-after IT skills that this economy needs -- even if you don't read, write, or speak Japanese -- it shouldn't be too difficult for you to find a job in Japan right now. In other words, readers who have been working at the forefront of US high-tech industry doubtless have a much better skill set than the average Japanese engineer, so you should feel confident.

The Internet as a powerful job-hunting tool
The Internet has become a valuable resource for today's job seekers. It is a fast, efficient, and inexpensive tool for those who wish to find a job, and the benefits are even greater if you are trying to find a job in other parts of the world. I myself was a benefactor of some of the early online career sites; I found my job through the Internet and ended up moving across the Pacific Ocean. Here's my story.

In 1996, my husband came home one evening and told me that his company had asked him to relocate to Tokyo. Having built a small internet business on my own, I knew that the Internet could help me to find a job in Japan -- I wasn't going to be a stay-at-home housewife in Japan; I was determined to find a challenging job. So in my dining/computer room in my-then Berkeley home, I started my job search on the Internet -- researching positions, posting my resume, and responding to online classifieds. Soon, I started receiving responses from the companies to which I had sent applications. After a couple of phone interviews while still in California, and one long in-house interview in Tokyo, I was lucky enough to receive my first job offer -- in this case, from an investment bank -- within one week of my arrival in Japan. This wasn't possible 10 or even five years ago, when the Internet wasn't readily available for recruiting purposes. What's more, I wasn't a techie applying for a technical position; I was an ordinary Internet user looking for a non-technical job. If you have technical qualifications, you know you can do even better!

As long as you have the highly sought-after IT skills that this economy needs -- even if you don't read, write, or speak Japanese -- it shouldn't be too difficult for you to find a job in Japan right now.

Critics have pointed out that with the exponential growth of the Web and the increasing number of job information sites, it has become rather difficult to find the information or websites that best meet your needs. To ease your pain, I'd like to recommend a few websites and job-hunting tips, which I hope, will help you find your dream job in Japan.

Career opportunities on corporate websites
If you already know which company you want to work for, or know your target companies, the first thing you should do is go to their corporate websites. Many multinational companies such as Cisco or Andersen Consulting post information on available job openings at their overseas offices on their websites. If you find a job you like, you can submit your application directly via the Net. Since no one gets between you and your target employer, i.e. no recruiter/headhunter who will rewrite or otherwise polish your resume -- or negotiate the terms of the offer -- you should be extra-careful with what you do. Keep copies of everything you send to and receive from the company(ies) to which you send your application and pay attention to how you communicate (by e-mail, phone, etc.) with the HR dept. or with hiring managers. I know that HR managers sometimes are turned off by overly friendly e-mail messages they receive from candidates. You should be as professional as possible even if you apply through the Internet. When searching for corporate websites that list the latest job openings, you should look for the ones that are frequently updated. Avoid pages that list stale job information. This way you won't waste time submitting applications for jobs that have already been filled. Bear in mind that sometimes the HR department you are dealing with may not be as technically oriented as one would like, and not maintain or make the best use of the job section of their corporate website.

Career & job information websites
If you want to window-shop for job opportunities by browsing through various options, you should go to a career/job information website. Different types of job information sites are available today, and the size and services offered by those sites vary. You might find Japan-related job information on a large, one-size-fits-all style job portal site by searching for keywords such as Japan or jobs in Tokyo. However, niche job information sites that focus on Japan or Asia do exist, and they tend to offer better services because they understand the needs of their users and the job market they cover. Such sites include Asia Links and Guide to Jobs in Japan. There are other websites owned and operated by executive search/recruiting firms. These include TKO and ICPA; their consultants will contact you when you send in your application or query through the Internet. Although it is not a Japan-related Website, dice.com also lists a large number of technical jobs based in Japan.

Job mail news
There is another type of Internet-based job search tool, the job mail news service. This type of service is particularly useful if you are a passive job seeker, because pertinent job information, i.e. the information you requested, will be delivered to you via e-mail. This means that you don't have to go through the hassle of browsing numerous job sites and searching thorough their databases. One of the companies that offers a job mail news service is Asia-Net. Asia-Net sends Asia/Pacific-Rim job information to people on their mailing list (there are over 80,000 subscribers today). Once you join the company's mailing list by going to the Asia-Net website and providing your e-mail address and indicating the type of job information you wish to receive, the company will send you the latest job opening updates by e-mail. Asia-Net receives at least 30 to 40 Japan-specific job openings from companies each week, and if the job information you receive from Asia-Net sounds interesting, you can apply for that job directly from the message you received (click on the URL appearing at the top of the job description, which will bring up a message box, and then cut and paste your ASCII text resume into the message box and press Send). This hassle-free service is ideal for busy professionals.

Resume posting
Internet resume posting services have gained popularity in the US. In Japan, however, the number of websites that allow people to post resumes or personal profiles is still very limited. I recently found out that the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan has started an online resume service at their website. Their aim is to help ACCJ's corporate members find qualified candidates. For a $45 (or JPY4500) fee, job seekers can obtain registration and post their resume for three months. Prior to launching the online service, ACCJ had been offering a similar service off-line. I know of at least one US investment bank in Tokyo that uses the ACCJ service to recruit engineers for their IT department. If you have a marketable skill set and are not afraid of exposing your personal profile in cyberspace (although most resume services will guard your personal information), a resume posting service might be the right service for you.

I was an ordinary Internet user looking for a non-technical job. If you have technical qualifications, you know you can do even better!

Networking
Any career counselor or author of a book on successful job hunting will tell you that networking can be one of the most effective ways of finding a job. It is often suggested that you attend as many professional organization meetings, seminars, and conferences as possible, pass out your business cards, and try to meet people who can offer you a job or job leads. While not quite the same, this sort of schmoozing can be done online as well. Go to one of the websites run by technical organizations or software or hardware user groups. The Tokyo Linux Users Group and the Tokyo PC Users Group, for example, have mailing lists that facilitate communication among members between their monthly meetings. By joining these mailing lists, you can exchange information and ideas with other members, most of whom are living or working in Japan. The chances of your finding a job through these interest groups might be slim, but being acquainted with other technical professionals should help you in the end. Who knows, you might end up working with people you've previously met through an online discussion group from half a world away.

One final note for those who do possess Japanese language skills. Such job seekers obviously have more options, and these include one that is sometimes not so obvious: create your own Japan job. The long-lasting recession in Japan has created an ideal breeding ground for startup companies (both the government and private enterprises are working hard to build the basic infrastructure to facilitate venture efforts). If you have innovative ideas and the desire to start a business, you might do well to team up with a young Japanese entrepreneur who is eager to build a company. Who knows, you might become the co-founder of the Sony, Matsushita, or Toshiba of the 21st century? (See http://www.bitvalley.org -- Ed.)

Yuko Katsube-Mather is director of business develoment at Asia-Net, an online recruiting site for bilingual professionals. Access http://www.asia-net.com.

 

One job seeker's online experience by Richard Chen On July 6th, 1996, during my graduation ceremony in the United States, I found myself helplessly still searching for a job. I couldn't decide which company I wanted to work for, or even in which electrical engineering field I wanted pursue my career. I eventually decided to work in the computer networking field, and sought and obtained interviews with companies such as Spring and IBM. However, due to my lack of experience, it's very difficult for any US company to hire a non-US citizen like me. Waht to do? I heard from a friend that Asia-Net is a good resource for finding jobs outside of the US. With a just do it attitude, I completed a text-format resume and sent it to Asia-Net right away. I found the system very easy to use, since available positions are listed in every incoming e-mail that I receive. Each message clearly describes the company's name and the open position, and users can decide whether or not a particular job opening is the target position they are looking for. Moreover, users can easily edit their resumes to match a particular company's requirements. Replies from companies are very speedy and efficient; sometimes no more than three days will pass before you receive a reply from the company you are interested in. I guess my life changed after a gentleman called Mr. Niall Keegan replied to my online resume. He was very impressed by how I was able to list my experience in a single condensed page. After one telephone interview and a flight to Shin-Yokohama, Japan, for a second interview, I was hired by Paltek Corporation, a Japanese company which provides high-tech solutions to Japanese communication equipment vendors. Paltek is the company that started my career in the communications industry. Asia-Net is not just a job search consulting company -- it provides a chance. It's a chance for international experience, a chance to explore the world, and a chance to change your life and make it better.

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