For many of us, me especially, 2002 will be a year to forget. The tech meltdown turned into a global economic slump, of which Japan continued to be one of the central (non-) players. However, it was good in one respect: it gave all of us a dose of realism and reset expectations. In a way, the trials and tribulations have made us stronger. Looking forward to 2003, I believe that the...

A question a lot of people ask me is how I am able to work 80 hours a week, week in week out, without really getting sick that often or suffering from exhaustion. Now, what I'm about to say will probably seem irresponsible to some and make others laugh at my eccentricity. But when you really need...

One of the things that Westerners can do well with in Japan is becoming a practioner of English - especially copywriting and editing. Finding yourself a niche can give you a satisfying and secure job for as long as you want to stay in Japan. There are 3-4 areas of writing that can yield you a viable living: i)...

I think one of the responsibilities of any manager, and especially the CEO, is to help present the face and spirit of the company to the public. This isn't an ego thing, indeed it's a chore, but in helping to put a real face to the business, the manager is reaching out to...

With all the recent news about Japanese price deflation, it seems not much attention is being paid to the other side of the equation: namely salary deflation. Although I'm not hearing of too many employers demanding lower salaries for their existing employees, there is plenty of evidence that salaries are coming down for...

"Probably no other new hire in a company is as important as the CEO..." Yes, I know that is an obvious and common sense statement to make, but it surprises me how often foreign senior managers - those assigned by their overseas board of directors to find such a person - don't use common sense in this decision. Often, they fulfill their...

I'm always amazed at the high level of qualifications of many foreigners living and studying here in Japan. These people are gifted with excellent Japanese, and are eager to get into the workforce - they are a wasted resource that needs to be valued better. The following is an email conversation I had with one...

What is the "perfect" candidate for a foreign company? Clearly different companies have different values. For some it is experience, compliancy and ability to follow orders. For others it is the exact opposite, and is flexibility, independent thinking, and a self-starter attitude. Which ever it may be, in this time of financial stringency, there is no...

A few weeks ago, I wrote that I'm not an expert on Japanese visas and was writing from the point of view of personal experience. As soon as I had submitted that article to the editors, I stumbled across an excellent book called, most appropriately...

In researching the details of a potential employer, the depth that you need to go to is clearly related to the type of job you're applying for. Entry-level candidates probably need only be interested in a high-level overview of the company and how it treats its new employees. Managers, on the other hand, need to demonstrate awareness and problem-solving...