Three actions to find full-time job in Tokyo

I am currently working as a recruiter at Tokyo office of a global company.

 

The number of foreigners has been increasing in Japan, and more and more people are looking for job in Tokyo today.

At the same time, many companies have started to put “Diversity” in their goal, and been trying to hire non-Japanese employees.

The opportunity for foreigners to find job in Tokyo has been increasing.

 

In Japan, there are some differences of recruiting culture from other countries.

As a recruiter, I will introduce three tips for foreigners to find full-time jobs in Tokyo easier and more efficiently.

 

Use the recruiting agency specialized for global talent

In Japan, people usually use the recruiting agency to find a job.

The usage of recruiting agencies for company is very high, and many companies post their open positions on the agency database.

It is definitely effective to create an account and try to look up Jobs posted on the agency database.

 

There are two famous agencies for bilingual and global talent, which are Career Cross and Daijob.com.

I would recommend to create a free account of these services, and check what kind of job are posted.

 

You can create an account for free from the link below.

 

When you create an account, check you always fill in the following information.

1. Language proficiency skills

Recruiters check your language capability first. If you have JLPT even it is L3 or L4, do not forget to put that in your profile.

 

2. Details of working experience

Recruiters check what you have done at your previous work. If you put only previous company's name and job title, it is hard to find what you were actually doing there and recruiters cannot find if your experience could be good fit or not.

Detailed information is preferred.

 

3. Your strengths

Add keywords of what you are good at for work.

Recruiters sometimes search the candidates by filtering keywords included in your profile such as “Sales”, “Research”, “Communication”, “Analysis” etc. 

 

4. VISA

If you have already have a working VISA in Japan, do not forget to put that information in your profile.

 

Update your Linkedin profile

I would recommend to update your LinkedIn profile.

 

When I source the candidates by using LinkedIn, I mainly filter by 1) language proficiency level, 2) location and 3) keywords. If the profile has these information, it will be much easier for your profile to be found by recruiters.

 

1. Language proficiency

You can select your language level and proficiency by following the step below.

Your profile page > "Add profile section" > "Accomplishments" > "Language"> Select Language and Proficiency

 

2. Location

Add your location so that your profile will be found when recruiters search by location.

If you are now living outside of Tokyo and seeking a job based in Tokyo, set Tokyo as "Open to relocate". 

You can select specific cities from "Career Interests" section on your profile.

 

3. Keywords

I find there are many profiles that don't have detailed explanation of each working experience. It is not enough to add your previous company's name and job title.

In most cases, recruiters will not search people by targeting any specific company's name or job title that is used only in that company.

In order to make your profile easier to be found, add as many keywords as possible to each working experience. 

Add general keywords related your work by bullet-pointed list would be great.

Direct applications

You can apply for the job though the company's career website.

When you upload your resume, please make sure that the contents has been updated and it includes details of your experience at previous company.

 

Recruiters receive many direct applications every day, so if your resume is not updated or does not include details, recruiters will skip your application and go to the next.