My Experience of Job Hunting in Japan 20 Years Ago

When I was finishing my PhD dissertation in a university in USA in the last year, I was told that I must write the thesis while looking at the relevant job market. It is about 20 years ago. I looked at the internet and applied for two positions of teaching Japanese and linguistics in USA, but in vain. Then, I asked one of my committee professors and a Japanese professor to introduce me to teaching positions in Japan. I got a position in a university in Japan through one of the two networks. I felt that I was able to be one of the candidates through the human network, and have a right to be reviewed seriously.

If you want to work in private companies in Japan, you need to look at the world more seriously than I. You are the main organizer of your job hunting to make the active use of helps from various sources. You might want to try to find companies that employ English-only-employees in big companies in Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi, or big cities in every possible way, e.g., get connected to your seniors of your own country, of your department or graduate school, browse information of Mynavi and RecNavi, and find internet sites where foreigners who cannot speak Japanese etc. can be employed.

Be careful. There are a large number of over doctors who have no regular work, and don't be one of them. If you have PhD, some company may not want to hire you because of non-flexibility, or sticking to your own research, even if you need to put the company work in the first priority once employed in the company. If you have a PhD and work for a private company, you need to show that you are not one of those.

April 7th 2021

Hiroki Koga

Associate Professor

Saga University