Another reason why I hate Robert Half Japan

Last month, I met one of their recruiters at an offsite place in Tokyo. She was nice enough, but invariably spewed the company line. "Robert Half is the leader in the industry, blah blah blah, we have contacts with all of the top companies, blah blah blah".

So I said ok, lets see what you've got. I put my resume for a job which I fit pretty well for. They said I should get an interview. I asked if this required native level Japanese skills, which I do not have. I am fluent, but I don't have quite the level yet to be considered native. They said no, all it requires is business Japanese and that they need a native English speaker to talk to the clients and staff. So this sounded great. I thought I was in.

One week pass, no response.

Second week passes, no response.

I start thinking something is fishy. I send email and phone calls to that recruiter. Nothing. Fuck that! I get fed up and then emailed their main email line and her. Not surprisingly, she responds in a few minutes. "Oh, they actually were looking for a native Japanese speaker. Sorry for this, but I will continue to keep looking for opportunities for you."

WTF! Why did you fucking waste my time and effort if this was the case?! Shit. I could have saved my paid time off instead of wasting a half day to go meet this chick. Piece of crap is what I say. I will add more stories in the future. This is just the tip.

Robert Half Japan

Robert Half Japan is another one of these foreign recruiting companies who have a presence here in Japan, especially Tokyo. They focus on financial services and technology. Although they are a large company with headquarters on the prestigious Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, CA and are publicly traded on the NYSE, I found their Tokyo office to be a complete disappointment. Granted, they have nice offices in Otemachi, but their staff is utterly incompetent and have the same mentality as your typical foreign recruiters: churn them out, send resumes blindly, introduce salaries that are nowhere near the actual level, have no idea of what they are talking about as they are mostly former English teachers. In fact, a few of these guys in the Tokyo office have been there more than 20 years and can barely order in severely broken Japanese at the local izakaya. If this is the way you try to integrate yourself into the neighborhood, try again as that is a big fail.

Some of their usual tactics will be to blindly contact you, inform you that there is a great fit ("Oh, you are a computer programmer with 10 years of experience working in financial technology? Oh, I have this position with Suntory as a data entry staff that you would be perfect for!") and then have your hopes get up, only to of course have the company tell them they need perfect native Japanese skills and actual relevant skills to the job.

Another thing they do is ask you to come in, go over your history, ask for information about your salary and other private info, kiss your ass, and then after wasting an hour, say that oh, sorry, we don't have anything for you, but please keep in touch. WTF!

Robert Half is a typical snake oil salesman, doing nothing of value to the society, and basically pushing "product". Stay away from them.

Next post will be on another crap recruiting company. I will eventually go back to talking about good ones, but for now, I have to release my anger.

Nikkei Career Net site

Nikkei Career Net site

This is a popular career website in Japan. It predominantly features Japanese companies and recruiters. Also, the majority of the postings are entirely in Japanese so I'd advise either being able to read some key words in Japanese or get an online translation of the sites. There are good selections of job posts, but as with most of these kinds of sites, strong Japanese ability is needed, at least for reading. Also, when you actually receive a email from these guys, more often than not, the email will be in Japanese as these recruiters can only function in that language. However, there are some great jobs.

Consider searching by keywords such as "English", "xxx English", or something to that effect. This site also requires you to register and upload your resume. This is actually a good, time saving tool which can allow you to mass apply with a click of the mouse.

Antelope Career Consulting

Antelope is a top recruiting company in Tokyo. Based in Hibiya, it has a network with most of the top financial firms as well as firms in other industries. However, it is primarily known as a financial industry and consulting industry recruiting firm.

Their staff is completely Japanese, but a couple of them speak decent English. One person worked in the US for a time, and he can hold conversation easily. Don't let the lack of Japanese language skills dissuade you from applying. I find most professional Japanese have a decent level of English comprehension although their speaking is something that requires work.

From their website, they work with the following types of companies:

Financial industry
Investment banks
Private equity/Investment funds
Asset managment/hedge funds
Venture capital companies
Commercial banks
Trust banks
Real estate finance companies
Government-affiliated finance compane

Consulting industry
Strategy consulting firms
Financial consulting firms
Recycling consulting
Human resources consulting
General/IT consulting
Medical consulting
Others

Site update

I've added a search box for jobs from Indeed, which is actually a Japanese company. This site searches and crawls for job postings based on keyword and location. What I recommend is to enter something broad like "English", "English speaking", and similar phrases in the keyword section, and of course location is up to you. Be aware that the huge majority of English speaking jobs will be in Tokyo, with Osaka and possibly Kobe, Fukuoka and other smaller regional cities with limited opportunities available. I will go into what companies you can find outside of Tokyo, with an emphasis on foreign, multinational companies. 

Japanese recruiting companies

In my last post, I talked about which recruiters to avoid. Essentially, avoid the foreign companies if at all possible as they provide very limited value. Furthermore, their profit model is based on turnover, so they push any and all candidates for positions that have no relevancy to their qualifications. What this does is create distrust and even anger among the companies who repeatedly receive unqualified candidate profiles. What is important is to build the relationship between recruiter and companies, and the companies that I discussed in the last post have proved over time to fail to follow this simple concept. Another problem with these foreign recruiters is their arrogance and pride. They believe themselves to be superior to English teachers and people working less desirable jobs. Why they think this is anyone's guess? Recruiters often were former teachers, and many, if not most, cannot speak Japanese well enough to work at a professional level. So where does that leave them? Well, it leaves them at recruiting. As such, they have a built up sense of angst and enormous retaliatory mentality. They refuse to even consult and deal with foreign candidates with the exception of specific IT positions and senior level people. Anyone from entry level to mid management level will be given the cold shoulder.

So what can you do about it? Answer: Check out Japanese recruiters

Many Japanese recruiters are unable to speak decent English. That should be noted immediately. However, there are some who can speak conversational, even business level, English, so if you are unable to communicate in Japanese sufficiently, go to these recruiters. The cultural aspect of Japanese society also is a reason why I recommend Japanese recruiters. The majority of them won't be directly rude to your face and will make some type of effort to accommodate you. Of course, you may not know their true feelings, but it's something I prefer over direct rudeness you will face from foreign recruiters.

Another pro for Japanese recruiters is their network. Inevitably, Japanese recruiters will have a stronger, deeper, and broader network in Japan compared to foreigners. This is common sense. Tap this network, build the relationship with these recruiters, and, like a lottery sometimes, one of them may remember you and contact you for a certain position.

In the next post, I will list specific Japanese recruiters.

I want to work in Japan

Americans who want to work in Japan

 

Japan is home to several U.S. military installations. Active duty military may be deployed to these installations depending on your branch of service, among other factors. Please note that all active US military are required to live on-base while stationed in Japan.

 

Many civilian (non-military) contract and full-time positions in Japan are available to US citizens and can be found on USA Jobs. Rules regarding living on base vary by installation. As most of these positions are on military installations, there are very few opportunities in or near large cities, including Tokyo.

 

U.S. citizens working for the U.S. government in Japan (including diplomatic employees) do not receive a working visa. The U.S. and Japan has a special diplomatic agreement called SOFA that governs these unique individuals.

 

Australia/NewZealand/Canada/Korea/France/Germany/UK/Ireland/Denmark/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Norway/Portugal/Poland/Slovakia/Austria and want to live in Japan

 

Are you between the ages of 18 and 30? Are you a legal resident of one of the above countries? Then you qualify for the Working Holiday Visa. This visa allows you to live and work (with restrictions) in Japan for up to one year.

 

This visa requires a round trip ticket to the applicant's home country, as well as proof that the applicant can financially support themselves while living in Japan for the length of the visa. (This is done by providing bank statements or other similar documents.)

 

The following requirements are needed:
•For a national of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Poland or Slovakia, an applicant must be currently residing in his or her country of nationality; for a resident in Hong Kong, an applicant must possess a valid HKSAR or British National Overseas passport; for a resident in Taiwan, an applicant must possess a valid passport of Taiwan.
•Intending primarily to spend holiday in Japan for a specific length of time.
•Between 18 and 30 years of age both inclusive at the time of application for the visa; As for Australia, Canada and Republic of Korea, an applicant should be between 18 and 25 years of age except in those cases where the competent authorities of Japan agree to extend the limitation of age to 30 years.
•Not being accompanied by dependents or children.
•Possessing a valid passport of his or her country/region and a return travel ticket or sufficient funds with which to purchase such a ticket.
•Possessing reasonable funds for the maintenance of his/her stay during the initial period of stay in Japan.
•In good health.
•Never having been issued a Japanese working holiday visa in the past.

Common questions

I want to work in Japan

If you wish to work in Japan in any capacity, you will need a work visa. Work visas are divided in several categories, and each specific working visa subset generally requires its own unique requirements to be issued. Work visas require the applicant to have a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) issued by the applicant's prospective employer. You will not be able to obtain a work visa without the COE. A COE is essentially equivalent to a job offer; you can't have one without the other. No job offer? No COE and no work visa. You can obtain a job offer (and thus, a COE) by applying for jobs with Japanese employers while overseas. This also includes teaching positions as an ALT or eikawa English instructor. With the exception of a few very unique working visas or very unique exceptions, almost all work visas require the applicant to have a four-year college degree.

Other ways to find a job

Networking

Meetup, various social events in Tokyo and major cities, community events, etc.

 

 

Side jobs

Voice actor

Voice recording

Stand in/movie extras     

Convenience store worker

Delivery workers

Teaching English

Scouting sports—especially soccer, basketball for real time data

Tokyo American Club: various jobs including lifeguard, receptionist, graphic designer, teacher, etc.

Freelancing jobs

Another way to make money while living in Japan after you secure your job is through freelance work. I highly suggest looking for supplementary income as the pay in Japan is generally lower than what you would expect.

A site I recommend is Legit Writing Jobs which has helped me get some additional work. I have made enough at times to pay my bills or even a whole month's worth of groceries. Consider this as a good way to prop up your earnings.

More Ways to Find a Job

Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners

http://tokyo-foreigner.jsite.mhlw.go.jp/english.html

The Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners (Nishi Shinjuku Center) is a public employment office specializing in providing job counseling and placement services for non-Japanese students holding a STUDENT 留学 status (visa) and non-Japanese specialists or technical experts holding a corresponding status (visa) who live in Japan and seek employment in Japan.  The center is run by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

 

The Nishi Shinjuku Center (Tokyo Employment Service Center for Foreigners) administers the following services:

·Job counseling and placement services for non-Japanese students who desire to work in Japan after graduating

·Job counseling and placement services for non-Japanese specialists or technical experts holding a corresponding residential status (visa) such as ENGINEER 技術,SPECIALIST IN HUMANITIES/INTERNATIONAL SERVICES人文国際, SKILLED LABOR技能, INSTRUCTOR教育

· Immigration advisory services

 

Interpreters are available in English and Chinese by appointment between 9:15 am - 5:15 pm

 

The Kabukicho Center (Shinjuku Foreigners’ Employment Assistance and Guidance Center) provides similar services:

•Job Counseling and placement services for non-Japanese job seekers whose status has no restrictions on occupation such as SPOUSE OR CHILD OF JAPANESE NATIONAL日本人配偶者等, LONG TERM RESIDENT定住, PERMANENT RESIDENT永住

•Job counseling and placement services for WORKING HOLIDAY status (visa) holders

•Job counseling and placement services for STUDENT留学 and DEPENDENT家族滞在 status(visa) holders seeking a PART-TIME job

• Immigration advisory services

 

Interpreters are available in English and Chinese by appointment.

 

For hours, location and map, select the Shinjuku Foreigners' Employment Assistance and Guidance Center

 

Other Employment Service Centers for non-Japanese job seekers:

Osaka Employment Service Center for Foreigners

Nagoya Employment Service Center for Foreigners

 

 

How to Get these Jobs

Recruiters: Michael Page, Robert Half, Intelligence GlobalSearch, Vision Consulting, JAC, Robert Walters, Recruit, EnWorld        

Caveat: I have dealt with nearly all of these recruiters in my time here. Frankly, most of them are rather useless although I did get my first job at a large financial services company through one of them. The key is to find a niche or a specific job description where your skills fit in, either roughly or very specific. I will explain what I mean. These recruiters are tasked with finding bilingual English-Japanese speakers for their clients. Given that many Japanese are very poor in English speaking, some companies will be more lenient with foreigners who have limited Japanese skills yet have a strong background and matching skills for the position. Modifying and targeting your resume by emphasizing your financial analysis skills or your years of legal experience, and mitigating the weakness of your Japanese skills (if that is the case) by showing a determination to learn and apply what you have learned helps a long way to securing an interview. I have had interviews done completely in Japanese, even with my limited skills at the time, as I had shown an interest in learning Japanese, improved my reading and speaking skills to the point where I could read newspaper articles and have full conversations without any hestiation

 

Job sites: Careercross, Daijob, Glassdoor, Nikkei Career, Tenshoku En World, Linkedin, Career Engine, Gaijinpot, Twitter: search by “Tokyo Jobs”, jp.linkedin.com, search by “ネイティブ英語”

Types of Visas

Working visas

Professor (Examples: university professor, assistant professor, assistant, etc.)

Artist (Examples: composers, songwriters, artists, sculptors, craftspeople, photographers, etc.)

Religious activities (Examples: religious people such as monks, bishops, missionaries, etc.)

Journalist (Examples: newspaper journalists, magazine journalists, editors, news cameramen, announcers, etc.)

Business manager (Examples: company presidents, directors, etc.)

Legal/Accounting services (Examples: attorneys, judicial scriveners, public accountants, tax accountants, etc. certified in Japan)

Medical services (Examples: physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, etc. certified in Japan)

Researcher (Examples: researchers, investigators, etc. at research institutes, etc.)

Tsukuba University is well known for hiring many international researchers as it is attempting

Instructor (Examples: teachers, etc. at elementary schools, intermediate schools and high schools)

Engineer/Specialist in humanities/International services (Examples: scientific engineers, IT engineers, foreign language teachers, interpreters, copywriters, designers, etc.)

Intra-company transferee (Examples: people transferred to the Japanese branch (head office of the same company, etc.)

Entertainer (Examples: musicians, actors, singers, dancers, sportspeople, models, etc.)

Skilled labor (Examples: chefs specializing in the food of a foreign country, animal trainers, pilots, sports trainers, sommeliers, etc.)

 

General visa

Cultural activities (Examples: unpaid internships, people studying the tea ceremony or Japanese flower arranging, etc.)

Student (Examples: college students, pre-college students, etc.)

Training (Examples: trainees in a local government, etc.)

Dependent (Family stays) (Examples: The spouse and children of a foreign national with working visa, etc.)

General visa: Technical intern training (i)(a)/(b) (Examples: Technical intern)

 

Specified visa

Spouse or child of Japanese national (Examples: spouse of a Japanese national, biological child of a Japanese national)

Spouse of permanent resident (Examples: spouse of a permanent resident)

Long-term resident (Examples: persons with Japanese ancestry, Indochinese refugee settlers, the spouse or children of Japanese nationals left behind in China, etc.)

Designated activities (Examples: foreign nationals who wish to enter Japan as personal help privately employed by diplomats, etc., foreign nationals who wish to enter Japan for a working holiday or for paid internships, candidate nurses and care workers who wish to enter Japan based on an EPA, etc.)

Designated activities (Long Stay for sightseeing and recreation)

 

Diplomatic visa

Diplomat (Examples: diplomatic agents, diplomatic couriers, etc.)

 

Official visa

Official (Examples: administrative and technical staffs of diplomatic missions and members of the service staff, etc.)