It’s already halfway through June, and for Junior students in Japan, the job-hunting process is starting to kick in. I, too, started my job hunting during this period last year, and I remember being confused about how to start job hunting. There are probably many students who are lost just like how I was last year, so through this article, I will introduce three steps that will help you start your job hunting!
- Get to Know Yourself
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The first step is to get to know yourself. Also known as jiko-bunseki in Japanese, getting to know yourself is a cliche, but an important step in constructing the right career plan. We make various decisions throughout our lives, for instance, who to hang out with, which university to go to, what kind of club to join, and many more. When you list up all the events in life, you would probably see some correlation behind each decision you made throughout those events. That correlating point is the core of your beliefs and actions, and it is something you would want to look out for when choosing your first career. Like so, learning about yourself can help you design a career path that you can be satisfied with.
- Registering to Various Job Hunting Websites
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There are many kinds of job hunting websites such as Mynabi, Rikunabi, and Gaishi-Shukatsu. These websites can be helpful not only in collecting information about various companies but also for receiving special invitations to internships as well!
I highly recommend registering to reverse job applications. Instead of looking up companies and applying for each company with separate resumes, by using reverse job applications, companies will read through your resume and offer special internship routes or job positions for you. You can save time and energy browsing through millions of companies and thus is helpful for those who are busy with their studies or extra-curricular activities but want to start job hunting.
- Participating in Career Fairs
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Especially during this pre-summer period, there are many career fairs where various companies join together and hold information sessions for students. Nowadays, most career fairs are held online due to the spread of COVID-19, so it has become much easier to participate in different career fairs. Since each company only has a short period of time to introduce themselves, profound understandings of different companies may be difficult to attain. However, for those students who have not yet started job hunting, it is a great chance to learn about numerous industries and companies.
One way to make the most out of your career fair experience is to set a goal with numbers. For example, “To learn five new companies” or “To get to know three new companies from the food industry.” This way you will be able to concentrate and take in as much information as you can!
Many of you may still have a negative image towards job hunting in Japan, but it’s not all so bad. There’s no other better opportunity to specifically think about your future, and being able to have interactive discussions with different companies is such an exciting experience. I hope the three steps introduced will help you start your journey to fulfilling your career!