Best ways to get an IT job in Japan

[Hokuto-shinken]

[font="Tahoma"][color="RoyalBlue"]Are there any cleaver people out there who could tell me the best ways to get an IT job in Japan.

No visa sponsorship troubles or anything, free to work and want to get your foot in the door, to get an interview, to get the job and have a successful career.

Are recruitment agencies a good idea, sending open letters out directly to companies, contacting them by phone, networking, e-mail e.t.c......

Any information would be great.

Thank you
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[oyajikun]

If you have strong Japanese skills you can rely on them, if not, then you need to have some sort of experince in IT support. But first you need to be in Japan. Then you need to hook up with an agency. It's not difficult to find a job once you are here.

I can point you in the right direction of you are serious. Just PM me.

[GuyJean]

Are there any cleaver people out there ..?

Don't you mean 'cleavage people'?.. Cleavage people make a job much easier. ]http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/images/vbimghost/1845d98d272244d.jpg[/img]

GJ

[Samurai_Jerk]

Do you speak, read, and write at least a business level of Japanese? Are you fluent in the language of your area of expertise? Do you have signifigant experience in your home country in an area of IT that is in high demand in Japan? If the answer to any of these questions is "no" then you're probably out of luck. If your answer to the third question is "no" then you are out of luck.

If you're young enough you could go to university in Japan and major in IT. Most of the non Japanese I meet in IT who weren't brought over on an expat package from the West are South Asian, Chinese, or Korean and went that route.

[TFG]

Don't you mean 'cleavage people'?.. Cleavage people make a job much easier.
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All I can say is. LoL

[FG Lurker]

Are recruitment agencies a good idea, sending open letters out directly to companies, contacting them by phone, networking, e-mail e.t.c......

More information about what you have done, what skills you have, and what you want to do would all be very helpful.

Here are a few pointers anyway:

- Tokyo is the place to be. Anywhere else and you will struggle unless you are bilingual. Even if you are bilingual getting a non-teaching job outside of Tokyo is difficult. They exist of course, but main concentration of foreign companies is in Tokyo so that is where you will find the most gaijin-oriented jobs.

- Even if you are in Tokyo the more Japanese you speak the better. It is easier for a company to train you in IT than it is for them to try to improve your Japanese.

- If you are just starting out then working for one of the many outsourcing companies in Tokyo might not be a bad idea. The starting pay will be crap but many will provide training and you will have exposure to a lot of different technology. You'll also work inside many different foreign firms which will give you chances to meet people and do some personal networking too.

Hope it goes well!

[Greji]

Hey, GJ, shouldn't this be under the "Why we love Japan" thread?

[Hokuto-shinken]

If you have strong Japanese skills you can rely on them, if not, then you need to have some sort of experince in IT support. But first you need to be in Japan. Then you need to hook up with an agency. It's not difficult to find a job once you are here.

I can point you in the right direction of you are serious. Just PM me.

[font="Tahoma"][color="RoyalBlue"]Thank you for the advice [/color][/font]

Don't you mean 'cleavage people'?.. Cleavage people make a job much easier.

[color="RoyalBlue"][font="Tahoma"]wwwww What part of Japan are you living in? I want to go there ^-^[/font][/color]

o you speak, read, and write at least a business level of Japanese? Are you fluent in the language of your area of expertise? Do you have signifigant experience in your home country in an area of IT that is in high demand in Japan? If the answer to any of these questions is "no" then you're probably out of luck. If your answer to the third question is "no" then you are out of luck.

If you're young enough you could go to university in Japan and major in IT. Most of the non Japanese I meet in IT who weren't brought over on an expat package from the West are South Asian, Chinese, or Korean and went that route.

[color="RoyalBlue"][font="Tahoma"]Thanks for pointing out a few things Samurai__Jerk. To be honest I don`t want to get bogged down in questions about qualifications and experience. Already residing in Japan and just wanted to know what is the best way to apply for jobs. [/font][/color]

More information about what you have done, what skills you have, and what you want to do would all be very helpful.

Here are a few pointers anyway:

- Tokyo is the place to be. Anywhere else and you will struggle unless you are bilingual. Even if you are bilingual getting a non-teaching job outside of Tokyo is difficult. They exist of course, but main concentration of foreign companies is in Tokyo so that is where you will find the most gaijin-oriented jobs.

- Even if you are in Tokyo the more Japanese you speak the better. It is easier for a company to train you in IT than it is for them to try to improve your Japanese.

- If you are just starting out then working for one of the many outsourcing companies in Tokyo might not be a bad idea. The starting pay will be crap but many will provide training and you will have exposure to a lot of different technology. You'll also work inside many different foreign firms which will give you chances to meet people and do some personal networking too.

Hope it goes well!

[color="RoyalBlue"][font="Tahoma"]Thanks for your input. Yes, I think anywhere outside of the Kanto area, your chances seem to fade.

From your experience, what method of applying for jobs in Japan was the most successful?

I am not too familiar with outsourcing companies. Are they like data research companies? I reside in the Kinki prefecture (No jokes please) not sure if there are many outsourcing businesses. Perhaps only SOHO companies. There are lots of businesses like Nintendo, NEC, Panasonic and NTT for example, which I am told recruit lots of foreign staff.

Thanks again[/font][/color]

[GomiGirl]

You haven't mentioned what sort of IT.

Applying for jobs here is the same as anybody else - you find the contact person, contact them, send in resume, try to get an interview etc.

Job boards (we have mentioned these on this forum dozens of times) recruitment firms, newspaper are all good.

[FG Lurker]

From your experience, what method of applying for jobs in Japan was the most successful?

What will work well for you depends a lot on your current situation. If you have skills and experience plus some Japanese (hopefully reasonable Japanese!) then talking to recruiters like Oak Associates or Wall Street Associates would be at least a way to get started. They both have Osaka offices.

If you have little experience then you are in a very tough situation. In Kansai there are not a lot of places (none that I know of anyway) that will hire someone with no experience and train them.

I am not too familiar with outsourcing companies. Are they like data research companies?

What's a data research company? An IT outsourcing company provides IT service and support to other businesses. This might be as a replacement for a client having their own IT department, or it might be in addition to the client's own IT department, perhaps in a specialized area or for a certain project.

I reside in the Kinki prefecture (No jokes please) not sure if there are many outsourcing businesses.

I'm guessing you mean the Kinki region! Since you didn't say Kansai should I assume you are somewhere fairly rural? There are lots of outsourcing companies here, but no large ones that target foreign firms. That is likely because most foreign firms choose to base themselves in Tokyo rather than Osaka.

There are lots of businesses like Nintendo, NEC, Panasonic and NTT for example, which I am told recruit lots of foreign staff.

I think you will find that any foreign staff at such companies are recruited overseas for a very particular skill that they have. I live in Osaka (12 years now) and work in IT but have never heard of these companies hiring local gaijin.

PM me if you'd like to have a beer sometime.

[Hokuto-shinken]

You haven't mentioned what sort of IT.

Applying for jobs here is the same as anybody else - you find the contact person, contact them, send in resume, try to get an interview etc.

Job boards (we have mentioned these on this forum dozens of times) recruitment firms, newspaper are all good.

[color="RoyalBlue"][font="Tahoma"]
Thank you for your reply. I am not sure I agree with your statement `Applying for jobs here is the same as anywhere else`.

The point of this thread is to help not only myself but other people in finding out the best ways to apply for jobs in Japan. I have never heard of `Job boards`, so after I finish writing this I will try to find out about them.

I agree with you and LG Lurker who has also pointed out, recruitment agencies can be a good option if you have some good Japanese skills.

Most Japanese newspapers don`t have a jobs day, only The Japanese Times which has mostly teaching possitions in the Kanto area.

Off to find out about jobs boards.....[/font][/color]

[Taro Toporific]

I have never heard of `Job boards`, so after I finish writing this I will try to find out about them.

http://www.daijob.co.jp/
http://www.careercross.com/en/
http://www.gaijinpot.com/
http://classified.japantimes.com/

[Captain Japan]

This one's not too bad as well:

http://www.ecentral.jp/?l=e

[oyajikun]

I found my first real IT job out of college on jobinjapan.com

I just posted a few personal details, and within a week I had received calls from a few different outsourcing companies. (Panache, BIOS, and TopTech)

They lined up some interviews for a few different financial firms, and I landed my first job just like that. However the job was supporting FX Traders.. (Something that I never wish to do again, ever). But I guess you have to pay some dues along the way.

[GomiGirl]

http://www.daijob.co.jp/
http://www.careercross.com/en/
http://www.gaijinpot.com/
http://classified.japantimes.com/

These have been linked so many times on this board, we should set up an FAQ for this. I seem to get RSI from typing the same links all the time.

Thanks for this Taro..

(Am I getting too punchy in my old age?)

[omae mona]

Off to find out about jobs boards.....

I am including a picture of job boards here for your convenience:



(ok, seriously, though, as usual Taro has the magic links you are looking for. You need look no further!!)

[Taro Toporific]

jobinjapan.com

It seems that http://www.jobinjapan.com is just a lost-domain parking page now.

If I can remember from my foggy memory, jobinjapan.com was part the LINC "empire" that suffered a bit of retrenching. The jewel of that gaijin-run empire, daijob, became a solely Japanese venture last November and many other parts of the empire like Japan.com vanished more than year ago.

[Mike Oxlong]

JobsinJapan may be another possibility.

[GomiGirl]

isn't it http://www.jobsinjapan.com

Needs an "s" in there. Free jobs site. Just checked, it is still there.

[Taro Toporific]

JobsinJapan may be another possibility.

D'oh, that makes sense.


(The recent jobsinjapan.com has a very sparse list for IT jobs and a very low-tech look.)

[oyajikun]

oops my bad, yes it is in fact jobsinjapan.com

It's not the best looking website but it dosn't require any registration/account, and I happen to know that many headhunter types keep an eye on it.

[Taro Toporific]

... not the best looking website but it dosn't require any registration/account, and I happen to know that many headhunter types keep an eye on it.

Their page for Japan Job Links ain't half bad either.
It includes:

• Job Information Sites
• Modeling/Acting
• Teacher/Student Introduction Sites
• Employment Agents
• Executive Search

[Hokuto-shinken]

http://www.daijob.co.jp/
http://www.careercross.com/en/
http://www.gaijinpot.com/
http://classified.japantimes.com/

[font="Tahoma"][color="RoyalBlue"]I was not familiar with the terminology `Jobs boards`. So you mean online recruitment agencies or job websites. Must be a difference in dialect or something >_<

Thanks for the links anyway [/color][/font]

[Taro Toporific]

I was not familiar with the terminology `Jobs boards`.

The mutha of all job boards has a tiny but interesting Japanese presence: Tokyo Craigs List.
http://tokyo.craigslist.org/jjj/

[Hokuto-shinken]

[FG Lurker]

[SelfSelf]

Im an IT consultant working out of Bangkok right now, MCSE 2003/CCNA my current contract runs out in 2 months and i was hoping to head over to Tokyo next, alas my Japanese is v poor (as is my Thai).

Is there much call for MS consultants/engineers etc right now? 6 1/2 years as a support consultant specializing in MS products and 2 years as an IT Manager

I imagine being recruited from here is practically impossible, so i would be on a tourust visa, looking when i arrived.

Waste of time?

Im British, enjoy the music of David Bowie, am scared of rats, am 29 and have a BSC

Cheers

[SelfSelf]

Michael Page are great arent they?

I have applied for 2 roles advertized by them, the 1st one stated in the very 1st line "No Japanese necessary" and got back an extremely patronizing email from them explaing that they "rarely, if ever have any roles for non Japanese speaking candidates" the 2nd one had as its job title "Want to live in Japan??" and got back an even nicer one that said:
"Unfortunately the positions we recruit are very rarely open to applicants who are presently residing in another country"


guh

[Hokuto-shinken]

Michael Page are great arent they?

I have applied for 2 roles advertized by them, the 1st one stated in the very 1st line "No Japanese necessary" and got back an extremely patronizing email from them explaing that they "rarely, if ever have any roles for non Japanese speaking candidates" the 2nd one had as its job title "Want to live in Japan??" and got back an even nicer one that said:
"Unfortunately the positions we recruit are very rarely open to applicants who are presently residing in another country"


guh

Yes, I think the best bet is to get some money behind you and come to Japan and try your luck.

[CarmenB]

You can find lots of IT and other jobs for English speakers on this site.

Find Jobs In Japan

A lot of them do not require high Japanese level.
Try this site and find a great IT job in Japan.
Good luck!