Finding a Job in Japan from Zero! My Résumé and Interview Experience | Japan Living Guide

Japan Living Guide – Part-time jobs × Internships × Job-hunting tutorial × 【Tips to start job hunting in Japan from zero in 3 minutes】

Can exchange students in Japan find work there? How can a Japanese beginner get past the résumé and interview stages? In this Japan living guide, I'll share practical information on finding a job in Japan from scratch.

Contents

• Job hunting in Japan ① Internship at a nonprofit

• Job hunting in Japan ② On-campus internship matching program

• Job hunting in Japan ③ Part-time job at western Japan's largest theme park

• Job hunting in Japan ④ Conclusion: how to prepare your résumé and interview

Further reading

• Exploring Japan with ease! A 360° record of food, clothing, housing, transport and fun 【Japan Living Guide】

• How to get into Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan: preparing your exchange application documents

Job hunting in Japan ① Internship at a nonprofit

If you know the education startup scene, you may have heard of the nonprofit Teach For America. Japan has its own: Teach For Japan (TFJ for short). Every spring or fall, TFJ recruits a group of campus ambassadors who spend three months in teams planning livestreamed online talks on various topics. For details, see the Teach For Japan Campus Ambassador program website.

• Nonprofit internship application (1) Attend an online info session before signing up

• Nonprofit internship application (2) Fill out a Google Form with your basic info and motivation

• Nonprofit internship application (3) After acceptance – complete the HR tasks before your start date

What stayed with me most as a campus ambassador was collaborating on projects with Japanese undergrads & grad students from different universities and departments. Besides helping design interview outlines and inviting speakers, I got to interact with alumni of TFJ's teacher program and see what working inside a Japanese nonprofit, and in Japanese classrooms, is really like.

Job hunting in Japan ② On-campus internship matching program

Every winter, Kwansei Gakuin University runs a Social Experience Internship (社会体験実習). Besides matching exchange students with outside organizations, it arranges a short internship in one of the university's administrative offices at the end of the program.

• On-campus internship matching application (1) Attend an in-person info session before signing up

• On-campus internship matching application (2) Pick up the program guide and fill in your details and motivation

• On-campus internship matching application (3) After acceptance, attend the pre-departure briefing and an intensive business Japanese course

According to the program guide, past host organizations included libraries and international exchange associations. This year (2023), students were placed at the Takarazuka and Nishinomiya international exchange associations. What made it different was that, besides helping with admin work, we also helped local Japanese and foreign residents learn Japanese or other languages. Getting to interact with people of different ages and nationalities was a great experience.

Job hunting in Japan ③ Part-time job at western Japan's largest theme park

Back then I came across the post "#Share: My part-time job at Universal Studios Japan (USJ) | 応募篇 (Applying) |" on Dcard's Japan Life board, which got me interested in working at the park. Here's a quick summary of the application process:

• Theme park job application (1) Fill out the Entry Sheet (application form) online

• Theme park job application (2) After passing the document screening, do an online interview

• Theme park job application (3) Get a verbal offer on the spot at the online interview

The form didn't ask for a self-introduction video, and the interview didn't include any role-play scenarios set in the park. I was only asked to introduce myself and explain why I applied; the interviewer asked two or three follow-up questions at most, then ended the interview and told me on the spot that I was hired. For foreigners, they probably look at spoken Japanese first. If you also speak a second or third foreign language, you're more likely to be placed in areas with lots of foreign visitors.

Job hunting in Japan ④ Conclusion: how to prepare your résumé and interview

Compared with finding a full-time job in Japan, there are many more part-time openings and it's easier to improve your chances. Whether you're applying for an internship or a part-time job, or going to an interview, you'll almost always have to explain your motivation (志望動機), that is, why you want to join that organization or company. Below are some tips for writing your motivation for internship and part-time applications.

Motivation tip 1 – Structure it as main point, examples, conclusion

Same logic as writing an essay: open with the conclusion, why you want to apply, back up how strong your motivation is with examples, then restate your reason for applying at the end.

Motivation tip 2 – Learn more about the organization or program

If you can't think of a reason to apply, it's often because you don't know the company or the program well enough. Read the company overview, vision and mission on its official website to get clear on what the company does and what kind of people it might need. Also, a short-term part-time job isn't as involved as a full-time job search, so you don't need to be nervous or overly careful when thinking about why you want the job.

Motivation tip 3 – Highlight your connection to the opportunity

For example, maybe you visited the park often and loved the atmosphere, so you decided to apply; or you've followed education issues for years and want to experience working inside an education NPO firsthand. Tying yourself closely to the internship or job doesn't just strengthen your motivation; it also shows HR that you're a proactive, enthusiastic candidate.

You can also find local part-time jobs on Townwork, or search Indeed for startup internships. If you're preparing your résumé and interview and don't know where to start with your motivation, try the three tips above to fully express why you're applying. For more detailed information on internships and part-time jobs in Japan, follow this account or read more of my experiences on Medium at 游駿霖 Chun-Lin (Damien) Yu.

Originally published in: 〈Exchange at Kwansei Gakuin University ✍️ My Life in Japan〉