Work in Japan

Recruiting process in Japan with the good-to-knows part 3

Working in Japan

 

Some need-to-know about the recruitment process and candidate interviews in Japan Part 3

The recrtuiting procedure

I think i can normally say that 3 interviews are the average  and a normal and professional company in Japan too, tries to make the whole recruiting process within max. 3 weeks. It is important not to have a long process also in Japan, as recruiters know that the valuable persons are also looking for jobs elsewhere, this goes out especially for bilinguals.

The high number and the variety of the interviewing personnel gives the chance that thge candidtae be seen by more people he or she would be working in the future, to get more opinions on the canditate and also it takes away the possiblity of creating a more intimate air with the interviewer as it might make the interviewer to be connected to the interviewed candidate and then he or she might decide in favour of that canditate without making sure that his or her professional abilities as as good as his or her charm is.

 Of course the future and long training in Japan and all the stuff meetings too they all give the chance for the future employee to feel part of the team, but also it will be trying to take away any indepentent thoughts or expressing them. The group or team feeling is the key all around Japan, and anything you would like to work with japanese people first you must know that you will not be able to have your independent opinion anymore, as you will be considered the part of the team, so your qualities of being a great team worker, not to stand out, not wanting to control over your collegaues are all key factors  which are very important for any japanese company. Make sure you have or can have all these qualities before applying to any company in Japan.

to be continued..

Some need-to-know on Japanese HR process part 2

Working in Japan

 

Some need-to-know about the recruitment process and candidate interviews in Japan

 

Part 2

 

 

Interviewing:the numbers and the reasons

Of course there are some companies go way beyond the average 3 or 4 interviews in Japan. For example there are some foreign investment banks which do as many as 5 to 6  interviews, this interviewing and also the actual lenght of the recruiting process itself also, can last even more than 3-months altogether, up to approx. 5-6 months. The cause of this length is in the numbers, as in a long recrutuing procedure the company’s chance to get one –out of a hundred is of course higher. The actual lenght of the interviewing period is mainly psychological: as they are trying to discover the emotional fit between the candidate and the other members of the team, in order to see if and how they pass together. In my opinion this is not too useful ,  anyone who is down-to Earth enough can see that talking to a candidate  over and over will not necessarily help the company HR and other teams to  find out how a canditate will act and work long term.

 

Sure, it can be a big help in  finding out just how patient a canditate can be and/or  how smart they are at glossing over inconvenient details, and that’s it ,realistically. It’s also very handy as they will need to work with someone under times of stress to find out what they are really like.

 

Some need-to-know on HR process in Japan Part 1

Working in Japan  part 41

 

 

Some need-to-know about the recruitment process and candidate interviews in Japan

 

Part 1

 

 

After writing already on the CV’s before ,this time  in these  upcoming 4 part article which I start today, and also on the next upcoming ones on HR process in Japan i will be writing and discussing some very handy and need-to-know information on the HR process in Japan,  because for everyone who is considering or applying for jobs in Japan it might be a good thing to read  what processes  they will face when they apply for a job, and also on how will the recruiting company decide whether to employ them or not in the future.

 

First i will be discussing on the job interviews, their numbers and their regular modes, styles and also i try to explain the „why’s”  on all these processes.

 

How many interviews does a company do with a single candidate before making a job offer?

 

For a  regular company : like for any official normal job, for a bank, a recruting or a real –estate company  there are usually and regularly three interviews:

 

1.)    one by the screening recruiter in the HR/recruiting team,

2.)    one by the hiring manager AND the team leader of the specific team that the person might be joining,

3.)    and one by the division manager.

 

On the 4th interview and it’s possibility:

It is good to know, that if there is a technology or knowledge component, something specific on the job you are applying for,  then there is a fourth interview, or a sub-interview, to assess technical competency and skills.

 

to be continued ...

Working in Japan : On jobs and responsiblities : Assistant part 3

Working in Japan  

 

Assistant :  the positives and the negatives

And following up with negatives

 From the point of view of the assistant:

* this job needs a full dedication , the company requires you to deliver strictly the info they want you to deliver, in the outlook and on the inside

* If it s about a company with a japanese management, there will be no ways of self-expression in any ways, especially with your personal opinions on how to make things mosre effective.dont try to persuade a japanese manager on any of this because they will feel insulted and you might lose your job.

* this job also needs a full dedication of your time. Remember working 10 hours a day is a natural thing in Japan to do, only make sure your overtime is written and paid also if it s possible.

* this job is also stressful especially in the first 3 months when it’s crucial for you to prove the company your competitiveness.

* know your place and respect the seniors as you are dependant on them

* try to make some friendly relationships with your collegaues in order to be up-to-date with the company infos which might also be important to you and on your seniors especially their moods and their likes and dislikes.

* try to set up a limit in your overtime if possible, in order to make sure you will get some rest and have at least one freeday per week.

* if the job proves to be too stressful for you before resigning as the local HR if they can have any less stressful opportunity inside of the company for you. This gives you time to think through where and what you would like to do.

Finally wishing you good luck in this job  gambatte kudasai!

Some websites on work and living in Japan:

www.gaijinpot.com

www.japan-guide.com

www.about.com/japan

 

Jobs in Japan: the pros and the contras : Assistant part 2

Working in Japan part 39 :  About different jobs and how to work them in Japan

 

Part Two : Assistant : the job itself in Japan  the pros and contras from 2 point of viewa

 

 

The positives and negatives on the job

the pro s for the employee

• It’s useful more if the person later on will learn on the japanese business communication.such experience  it’s highly valued all over the world.
• It is good to be an assistant first of all because of his or her native language and any other languages they speak. Every language is a plus especially to come from that definte culture knowing the local business communication and the local ways to get things to be done.

 

The pros for the employer:

• For the company is more economical to recruit an assistant with a certain experience than a professional with almost the same experience.
• At some point the bilingual assistant will have accumulated sufficient knowledge to be able to pick up and handle many of their assigned duties without assistance (provided that they have had the correct basic education/training).
• A foreigner assistant is very useful for a japanese company, to learn as much as they can from her, especially on the communication, language and culture.
• The Assistant job gives an insight on the whole of the busniess out of necessity, so it s very useful and also can give a chance for a possible upgrade.
• Highly skilled people in “soft” industries (versus manufacturing) are hard to come by in Japan and are much more available overseas. Therefore, it makes sense to bring in an experienced person, establish a best practice operation, and train the local staff.
• Having the ability to tap into the overseas recruiting pool makes the company much less vulnerable to the departure of a highly skilled bilingual person.
• Having a senior native speaker communicating with the head office can be useful in explaining some of Japan’s unique business issues.

 

To be continued.. with the negatives  

Japan Immigration Rules part 4

 

Immigration Rules : by need or foreigner phobia?                                    Part  4

 

 

Continued from Part 3 …

 

 

 

I must admit I have not heard much from the various Chambers of Commerce as i have never has that much to do with them anyways, however, I think if even the top foreign managers in multinational firms are subject to this  awful treatment  by the Immigrant Office - some of whom employ thousands of Japanese staff i have to add-, I guess that unless the Ministry of Justice  wil not consider changing their such  policies , they will be for sure very much excoriated by  the foreign press.

 

I can also imagine that the countries who currently allow Japanese residents to move through their citizens' immigration lines,  will start to think not letting them to do so, hearing about the negative treatment of their citizens over there, and in the future they might  prevent japanese citizens from doing so, in a tit-for-tat measure. In such  asian countries which are Nr. Ones in international trading such as  Singapore or Hong Kong, or even Malaysia this would seriously inconvenience Japanese companies, who typically have tens of thousands of long-term and permanent residents living in those host countries.

So , i seriously think that the Ministry of Justice should  look at this situation a lot more logically, take it a lot more seriously on the possible outcomes and ask themselves whether the anger of tens of thousands, in case not millions of non-Japanese who like Japan enough to travel and live here, is worth it.

Some more info on living in Japan:

www.japan-guide.com

www.gaijinpot.com

www.electricgeisha.com

 

Japan Immigration rules Part 3

Immigration Rules : by need or foreigner phobia?                                               Part 3

 

 

 

 

The thing is , that  there are approx. 6 to 7 million visitors to Japan each year, who are about to experience what the USA has become infamous for - foreigner phobia. Every time a visitor to Japan experiences the feeling of being fingerprinted and the delays, so the result can be, that  it will compound dramatically the amount of ill-will Japan is earning for itself. These new laws will be viewed as a strong sign  that Japan actually does NOT want foreigners here, not even long-term residents, and finally it can also hint that everyone who is not Japanese is a suspect terrorist as the japanese themselves might tend to think.

In fact, let me add to this, that there has never been a case of foreign terrorism in Japan, and that the Red Army was comprised of Japanese, not foreigners.

I would also note that no other country makes its foreign permanent residents go through such a procedure

Some may just in case Japan's move as a response to other Western nations, the USA in particular, which started biometric scanning of incoming tourists a while ago (one reason I don't go there so often any more). In the US, green card holders get to move through US Citizen channels, just as in case they had citizenship. This is only natural, since to get a green card, just as with permanent residence in Japan, one has to be thoroughly vetted and proved to be a contributing member of the society they are living in.

 

 

To be continued…

Immigration Rules in Japan Part 2

Immigration Rules:   by need or foreigner phobia?                                              Part Two

 

 

Now lets see the causes which have led to the changes:

 

The main reason of this move by the Ministry of Justice is to protect Japan from terrorists and previous deportees, and as such as I suppose that I on some levels the aforesaid changes with the Immigration checking procedures can be understandable. They must process newly arrived people separately from others. But what is not understandable is why to force those who have in some cases lived decades in Japan, or who have even been born here, who have Japanese families, who pay taxes, own or manage companies, employ Japanese workers, etc., to have to go through the same meaningless process every time they travel overseas? This , in my opinion makes no sense at all.

The other  facts are that the Ministry of Immigration Affairs with this step   has made many people,  who have positive feelings about living here, to feel that little less welcome. It's not just the inconvenience of having to spend an extra hour or more for each return, but the fact that even after having made a contribution to society, it s now a fact, that the value of a permanent residency permit is in the long-run no greater than a 90-day visa-free tourist stamp.

And for those foreign businessmen who are thinking to set up their Asian operations in Tokyo ,also requiring frequent overseas travel for their staff, this new rule will be clearly a black mark against Japan, and one more reason for them to choose Singapore or Hong Kong instead.

 

To be continued…

Immigration Rules Part One

 

Immigration Rules  by need or foreigner phobia    ?                                             Part One

In this part i d like to share some further information in Immigrance , Permits, Visas, their causes, the facts about them and their utility and as such also inutility in some cases.

In case you are a long-term or permanent resident foreigner in Japan, you might be going to be in for a shock at Immigration. Last year till the 20th of November the ones who possess a re-entry permit could enter the Immigration without much hassle, but this has changed ever since so now everyone is expected to wait in the same row. The thing is that from November 20th,

2008 a

law passed back in 2006  which require ALL foreigners other than second and third generation Koreans (so-called "Special Permanent Residents") and those under 16 to only use the foreigner immigration lines. No matter you're married to a Japanese, or have kids who are Japanese nationals with you, you will need to either separate from them at Immigration, or have them come with you over to the foreigner lines. This seems more than a bit shocking so let’s see what are the causes which have led to such a decision by the Japanese Immigration Office and also it’s results in life now.

So, to start with this analysis first of all lets see the results of this Act, which is: the one hour wait to get into the country is about to become two hours thanks to new generation checks such as the biometric fingerprinting and retinal scans, and possibly even longer at peak times as families, permanent residents, and rumor has it even flight crews, overflow into lanes that are already woefully under-served. Furthermore, you'll have to do this every time you re-enter Japan.

To be continued…

 

Working in Japan. More on eligible jobs in detail first part bilingual assistant

 

Working in Japan part 38 :  About different jobs and how to work them in Japan

 

Part One : Assistant : the job itself in Japan and  on  the positives and negatives on the job

 

 

Hereby I ’d like to represent a few jobs which are the amongy the most eligible ones for foreigners in Japan.  Please read my information, and please comment in case you still have some things to say on this topic.

 

In these next 6 chapters I’ d like to introduce the role of an Assistant, talking abut the entire job – and most importantly how it is taken in the japanese way-

 

Finding high quality, bilingual staff such as an assistant is a huge challenge, and for some companies it is out of pure necessity.

 

The Foreign companies which are functioning in Japan are much more dependent on the quality of their staff than their  Japanese counterparts., or older companies who’ve been around a long time. The reason for this is that they haven’t yet earned the goodwill and human networks that help them make sales more easily and take the sting out of negotiating solutions to problems.   

A common way for companies to handle that challenge of finding experienced bilinguals is    first to bring in a manager, or an expert   from one of their operational countries around the world, and letting that person look for an assistant then. For senior managers this will be a secretary, and for technical people it will probably be a junior or trainee bilingual person who hopes their language skills will leverage them into an opportunity to gain experience.