Interview with a Candidate vol. 05: What were you focused on during your job search?

A candidate, who successfully found a job via CareerCross, told us about his job search!

Interview

CareerCross: May I ask what you did at your previous job?

Successful candidate: My job was to support customer engineers repairing computer hardware.

CareerCross: Was your previous job a foreign or Japanese company?

Successful candidate: It was a Japanese company.

CareerCross: Your new job is at an IT help desk. Do you feel that the content of your work is different from your previous job?

Successful candidate: At my previous job, there were very few situations where I could use my IT knowledge. I have a CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification, which is related to IT networks, so I wanted to make use of that knowledge.

Also, at my new job, I am dealing with customers from foreign companies, so I think I can make use of my English skills.

CareerCross: Did you have any opportunities to use English at your previous job?

Successful candidate: Not so much, it was just data input. One of the reasons I changed jobs this time is because I want to work in an environment where I can make use of my English skills.

CareerCross: Did you have a particular preference for working at a Japanese or foreign company?

Successful candidate: I was looking for a foreign-capitalized company if possible. The reason is that I can make the most of my language skills. I also wanted to work in an environment that emphasizes diversity. By interacting with people from different backgrounds, I think I would be able to learn a lot.

CareerCross: Can you tell us more about your reasons for changing jobs?

Successful candidate: Yes, there are two reasons. First, I wanted to work by making the most of my language skills. Second, I wanted to work in a position where I could acquire qualifications and provide direct support to customers, while also improving my IT skills.

CareerCross: Was the higher annual salary with the new position also a factor in changing jobs?

Successful candidate: Well, it just met the desired annual salary conditions.

CareerCross: How did you learn Japanese?

Successful candidate: I majored in Japanese at a university in China. After that, I went to Japan to study for two years, and then I started working for a Japanese company.

CareerCross: How did you learn English?

Successful candidate: I have been studying English since I was in elementary school in China, and I studied for the TOEFL and entrance exams. But since I came to Japan, I haven’t had many chances to use it, so I watched English videos and tried not to forget it.

CareerCross: Was there anything you noticed while you were using CareerCross?

Successful candidate: It was easy to search for jobs. I typed in keywords such as IT and purchasing, and found more jobs than on other job sites. It was also attractive that there were many foreign-affiliated jobs.

I had a strong impression that other Japanese job search sites were for Japanese people, so this time I wanted to use a service that was open to foreigners and specialized in jobs where I could make use of my foreign language skills.

CareerCross: Our site has job listings in both Japanese and English. Which did you mainly use?

Successful candidate:  In my case, both. At first I was looking at it in Japanese, but I also saw the English page for jobs that I was interested in.

During my 3 month search for a new job, I applied for positions that seemed suitable .

CareerCross: You received one scout mail, didn’t you?

Successful candidate: Yes, there was a scout email when I updated my resume.

CareerCross: By updating your resume, it will be easier to be displayed at the top of the search results on the company side.

Is there anything you can advise other job seekers to do?

Successful candidate: I think it’s about organizing information on your resume. If possible, I think it is better to create an English resume before applying. 

As you are creating it, it’s better to look back on your background and strengths, and put some things together before you apply.

If it is organized, I think you will be able to narrow down your search for jobs with more precise criteria.

CareerCross: Were you able to find a job that met your desired conditions this time?

Successful candidate: I am satisfied with my new job, it is just as I wanted. Thank you very much.

Thoughts after the interview

I thought the key to my success in changing jobs this time was to focus her search on positions where she could make use of her business English skills and IT qualifications she had acquired. Also, I thought that creating a resume in English as well as a resume in Japanese, summarizing the skills and experience at that time, and registering it will greatly help to succeed in changing jobs to a foreign-affiliated company.