Network network network. Like any place, Japan is a country of "who you know" and "who can introduce you." Many Japanese belong to a network based on the university from which they graduate. The Old Boys network helps young graduates enter into companies right out of college, starting April 1..
For foreigners, getting into a network to hook your job can be tough. Several start as English teachers, but those jobs are harder to get than they were 10 or so years ago, and many are requiring degrees in teaching. But at least you are here and can network. Some get hired by big-named companies outside of Japan, but with operations here, and then get transferred to this market. Still others go to school to enter that built-in alumni network.
If you are thinking about working in a Japanese company, you may be a bit ahead of your time. While Japan is changing, many traditional employment practices remain in place and they may not be ready for you. Conservatively speaking, they recruit for April 1 starting dates, and new employees start at the bottom of the totem poll no matter what their academic background and performance capabilities. And of course, they work in Japanese and require fluency in those they hire. The pay scale too, is for the most part, still based on the Life-time employment system. Which means, in a nut shell, you start with a low salary, but by the time you are ready to retire you are making very good wages - with the SAME company.
Their situation is changing slowly, as is the recognition for the need for more outside talent. They often struggle to find that talent. Especially talent to help them effectively run their subsidiaries in the Asian market after working at the HQ for a bit.
Foreign companies often have higher starting salaries and not as high of language requirements making them more attractive to many. Depending on the industry, though competition is tight. Finance fields see more opportunities when the economy is on an up-swing. And if you have IT skills, especially if coupled with Japanese language skills you have choices! Consulting jobs are on the rise, but most often either strong Japanese or strong IT is necessary. But still, the networking and introductions become a big factor.
This all points to why the Executive Search services are experiencing a boom in Japan. The desire to find good people that are recommended by someone you trust, leads an increasing number of companies to turn to headhunters. And as a job hunter new to the market, they might just be the ticket you need. If you are reading this article from CareerCross you have found a great source of help from headhunters! A couple of others have training programs built in to their outsourcing services, like Panache and Access Technology.
There are other career support networks in the likes of FEW (Foreign Executive Women), the ACCJ (American Chamber of Commerce Japan) resume services, Hellowork (Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners), DISCO (the leading job fair coordinator of Japanese speakers) and several online mailing services including our favorite CareerCross.com!
Another way to network is to go to school here first! Either Japanese language school or graduate schools are good choices for you to get skills you need for this market, be here in a good immigration status, and have the time you need to network into the employment scene. Many of the OB networks in well-established schools might be of help, but usually they service the Japanese undergraduates entering Japanese companies. If you are from a major school outside of Japan that alumni network may be useful. If you are a student of International University of Japan, a graduate school offering all courses in English, their Career Services office helps put you in touch with IUJ alumni and provides introductions to a variety of companies in Japan, complete with on-campus recruiting (which is not common in Japan). They too help their students find internships for the summer which allows a great chance to be in the business scene of Tokyo for networking into a job upon graduation. So you can get your MBA or MA, language skills and network into a career all at the same time, and with some help.
Another resource that may help you get started in your job hunt is a newly released book "Being A Broad" by Caroline Pover. It has information on a variety of careers that women are engaged in in Japan, how they found those jobs, salary ranges, how it compares to work experience back at home (it is written by foreign women), etc. It is a good resource to test a few job types before starting out.
Working in Japan can be a huge challenge not only because of language and corporate culture, but just living here if you have limited language skills. So no matter how you get a job, and even if the work environment is in English, be sure the company will either help you with housing contracts and medical assistance, or you learn enough Japanese to feel comfortable. This is the second largest economy and opportunities, even in this bad economic situation, are out there - if you can just network into them!
This article is written by Gretchen Shinoda, Director of Career Counseling and Services at the International University of Japan http://www.iuj.ac.jp/
