One of the largest differences between a Japanese 履歴書 and an academic CV in America is the inclusion of a section called 志望の動機(しぼうのどうき). As always, the internet is not the best informed about how this works. Madtokyo recommends "営業経験を活かして" where the 営業 would be substituted in our case to 大学で言語講師経験を活かして. But is there something better we can write here? Franchir Japan suggests a more direct but also brief example.
Japanese resources online and friends strongly disagree.Native Japanese-language resources prefer a paragraph-length answer and one that highlights why you are a fit (See http://www.chance.jobs/siboudouki/ and http://www.mensetsu-check21.net/douki.html). Among the different examples are prior business experience, life-long ambition, taking advantage of prior experience [non-business], part-time work experience, determination [to get a job], valuable experience in a different field, to improve skills, etc. This gives a feel for the common styles available.
One site even has an entire set of samples across the range for educators (http://www.chance.jobs/siboudouki/kyouiku.html) ranging from "I like little children" to "I've done something similar before (but left for reasons that don't sound bad)" to "This is my life-long ambition."
In my case, I want to convey the following:
(1) Prior experience teaching university courses in America at two universities.
(2) Interest in a future in university teaching in Japan.
My first shot at it was:
大学講師に携わり、私は二アメリカにある大学で経験があります。○○○大学で1学期のクリティカルシンキングの授業を講師しましたと○○○大学で８学期で各学期には授業の全部を担当しました。将来の志望は大学教授ので、○○○大学で英語を教えるのは経験を増やし日本人の英語能力を手伝える。
I had a friend take a look and he changed it to the following:
私はアメリカにある大学で講師の仕事に携わった経験があります。○○○大学で1学期のクリティカルシンキングの授業を講師として教え、○○○大学では4年間哲学と倫理の講師として働きました。将来は大学教授を志望しており、○○○大学の学生の英語能力の向上を手伝いながら、英語を教える経験を増やしたいと考えています。私は日本の学生に様々な価値観を手伝いと思っています。
But right now, it remains incomplete. My friend has made several helpful suggestions for how to make it better (on top of fixing the Japanese) that I will work on in the coming day or so. The most important point is to explain why you personally are a fit, and this current explanation does not make that plainly clear. A second feature that differs -- and was even more strong in his own 履歴書 (he is Japanese, presently earning a MS in Computer Engineering, and found gainful employment) -- is to express how this contributes to Japan. For a Japanese guy, this means using 私たち but for a foreigner this means using 日本 and for an academic specifically 日本の学生.
Note: It is also important to consider hand-writing applications as this shows a high degree of interest in Japan. Is it required of a foreigner? No, it basically is not, but it's good to remember that it shows a certain amount of effort has been put in. And in Japan, attendance (and high-effort low-value things) are seen as demonstrating just the sort of personality they want.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
Success Tip #1: The Value of コネ
In looking for work anywhere, connections matter. When I was younger, I worked a summer for a company called Indy Office Solutions -- now Sharp mainly due to connections my parents had with the owners through church. This job paid pretty well for the times and was far better in terms of the type of labor.
At the same time, I probably would have been able to find something on my own. This is largely because the US job market for both academic positions and regular jobs is largely open. Real jobs are posted every day on Monster, craigslist, the CHE, and disciplinary websites like the apa-online and philjobs. And while I connections can give a boost, many people are hired entirely without connections involved.
Japan does have such a system -- for its own college graduates. While I hope to write more on this later, the Japanese system for higher education has only a passing resemblance to the American system from which I came. Based on the ranking of a student's university, they can find work and get interviews for open positions. The interview portions itself largely tests personality and the written 履歴書 evaluates the credentials and acts as a filter. Potential employees will be asked personal questions about whether they are married, how old they are, how long they plan on working for the company, and whether they have children. Also, the date of birth will appear and a picture (no matter the job type).
But I digress. As a foreigner trying to work in academia in Japan, you have zero access to this completely open employment system. The academic job market in Japan is ... rife with cronyism, jingoism, and little fiefdoms. Foreigners are shielded from some of this, but the job market still greatly depends on connections. Thus, a key task is to tell everyone you know that you are looking for work and put out the impression that you would be a pleasant (and competent) co-worker.
In my own case, I told my adviser and a friend who both teach here that I was looking. I did so by asking them for advice for the job search, but beyond mere advice, I was also asking so that they would know I want to find a job and provide me with connections if possible. Through this, I may have one opportunity to teach next semester on Mondays not too far away. While that's just one opportunity, every job that I currently do here has involved some initial hiring for one thing followed by expansion to other things.
At the same time, I probably would have been able to find something on my own. This is largely because the US job market for both academic positions and regular jobs is largely open. Real jobs are posted every day on Monster, craigslist, the CHE, and disciplinary websites like the apa-online and philjobs. And while I connections can give a boost, many people are hired entirely without connections involved.
Japan does have such a system -- for its own college graduates. While I hope to write more on this later, the Japanese system for higher education has only a passing resemblance to the American system from which I came. Based on the ranking of a student's university, they can find work and get interviews for open positions. The interview portions itself largely tests personality and the written 履歴書 evaluates the credentials and acts as a filter. Potential employees will be asked personal questions about whether they are married, how old they are, how long they plan on working for the company, and whether they have children. Also, the date of birth will appear and a picture (no matter the job type).
But I digress. As a foreigner trying to work in academia in Japan, you have zero access to this completely open employment system. The academic job market in Japan is ... rife with cronyism, jingoism, and little fiefdoms. Foreigners are shielded from some of this, but the job market still greatly depends on connections. Thus, a key task is to tell everyone you know that you are looking for work and put out the impression that you would be a pleasant (and competent) co-worker.
In my own case, I told my adviser and a friend who both teach here that I was looking. I did so by asking them for advice for the job search, but beyond mere advice, I was also asking so that they would know I want to find a job and provide me with connections if possible. Through this, I may have one opportunity to teach next semester on Mondays not too far away. While that's just one opportunity, every job that I currently do here has involved some initial hiring for one thing followed by expansion to other things.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
履歴書 Challenge #4: 資格 Understanding Japanese Ideas of Achievements and Expectation
Probably one of the most confusing areas for me at least is what to enter into the section for 資格 qualifications. The clearest piece of advice is to include your driver's license. In my case, as an American, I need to mention which state it is from (or I am choosing to do so on the off-chance that the interviewer or reviewer understands that this is a state by state matter in the United States:
アメリカのインディアナ州普通自動車第一種免許 取得
It does seem odd from an American perspective, but in Japan, earning a driver's license is part of a complex system of licensing. Many students fail the test multiple times and for some of them, it is the only experience they have of being scolded by others. To get a rough idea of what counts, look at this wikipedia entry on licenss: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%AE%E8%B3%87%E6%A0%BC%E3%81%AB%E9%96%A2%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7 which gives all the licenses and this one http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%AE%E6%A4%9C%E5%AE%9A%E8%A9%A6%E9%A8%93%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7 which lists all of the different types of qualifications offered by organizations and their corresponding tests. To get a vague impression of how vast and encyclopedic the Japanese qualification system is, look at shikaku-king.com which has everything imaginable under the sun, the pass rates, the price, and all sorts of other details.
What else to include? I am not entirely sure, and I will update this entry as I get feedback. I've won several minor prizes at conferences and a major scholarship from the Japanese government. I also have exceptionally high test scores. On an American CV, it would be odd to list my GRE scores or my LSAT score as a holder of a PhD. In Japan, however, it seems that many 履歴書 include things like TOEIC scores or 英検 qualifications. Consequently, I am tentatively including some exceptional test scores in my CV to prove that I am not merely a native English speaker but (at a minimum) a highly effective test-taker.
Like the TOEIC and 英検, you should include the 日本語能力検定 if you have it. Before writing a 履歴書 and researching the process, I never could understand the point of the JLPT tests beneath 2 (or for that matter 2). The only thing that really seems to have great impact is the JLPT 1. But now, I can see why it may be worthwhile to take the lesser (and more easily passable) tests -- this provides at least some proven qualification of limited Japanese competency. Alas, it is too late to pursue the JLPT 2 for July. Instead, I hope to take the JLPT 1 in December.
Right now, I am planning on the following section:
アメリカのインディアナ州普通自動車第一種免許 取得
It does seem odd from an American perspective, but in Japan, earning a driver's license is part of a complex system of licensing. Many students fail the test multiple times and for some of them, it is the only experience they have of being scolded by others. To get a rough idea of what counts, look at this wikipedia entry on licenss: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%AE%E8%B3%87%E6%A0%BC%E3%81%AB%E9%96%A2%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7 which gives all the licenses and this one http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%AE%E6%A4%9C%E5%AE%9A%E8%A9%A6%E9%A8%93%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7 which lists all of the different types of qualifications offered by organizations and their corresponding tests. To get a vague impression of how vast and encyclopedic the Japanese qualification system is, look at shikaku-king.com which has everything imaginable under the sun, the pass rates, the price, and all sorts of other details.
What else to include? I am not entirely sure, and I will update this entry as I get feedback. I've won several minor prizes at conferences and a major scholarship from the Japanese government. I also have exceptionally high test scores. On an American CV, it would be odd to list my GRE scores or my LSAT score as a holder of a PhD. In Japan, however, it seems that many 履歴書 include things like TOEIC scores or 英検 qualifications. Consequently, I am tentatively including some exceptional test scores in my CV to prove that I am not merely a native English speaker but (at a minimum) a highly effective test-taker.
Like the TOEIC and 英検, you should include the 日本語能力検定 if you have it. Before writing a 履歴書 and researching the process, I never could understand the point of the JLPT tests beneath 2 (or for that matter 2). The only thing that really seems to have great impact is the JLPT 1. But now, I can see why it may be worthwhile to take the lesser (and more easily passable) tests -- this provides at least some proven qualification of limited Japanese competency. Alas, it is too late to pursue the JLPT 2 for July. Instead, I hope to take the JLPT 1 in December.
Right now, I am planning on the following section:
年 月 免許・資格
平成10 10 アメリカの○○○州普通自動車第一種免許 取得
平成14 10 LSAT 162点 取得
平成18 8 GRE Verbal 760点 Quantitative 800点 Writing 6点 取得
平成17 12 ○○○大学 教育失格
平成23 5 ハワイイ大学の上広学会のベスト ペーパー賞品
平成24 10 日本政府（文部科学省）奨学金留学生 研究生 取得
The 教育資格 is a certificate I received from my MA institution for taking a teaching course. While I would not say I greatly valued the class, I would say I learned things in it and it is precisely the sort of thing that seems to make sense when comparing with Japanese example 履歴書.
履歴書 Challenge #3: 職歴 What to include?
The next challenge you will face in constructing a Japanese resume is learning what to include. Here, the basic rule is that you include only full-time employment. But I will ask if I am able to violate that rule to show that I have been teaching English in Japan. This will prove valuable for my employment here.
Other than that, the employment section is not especially challenging to fill out. For the line where you enter a job, you generally write 入社 (entered society -- as reaching employment means you have become a 社会人). When you leave work, you can explain this in a number of different ways:
(1) You can indicate that you "一身上の都合により退社" (i.e. have departed from the above organization [company] due to personal circumstances --> left for personal reasons).
(2) If you don't want to say why you left, then you can just say simply 退社
(3) If you want to explain that it was a downsizing,etc., the following phrases can be useful:
リストラ (restructuring)
解雇 (layoff)
If you go back to the same employer, add a line that says 再入社
For your current place of employ place a line beneath it that says: 現在に至る.
[HT: https://madtokyo.wordpress.com/category/get-a-job-in-japan/rirekisho-the-japanese-resume/ and
http://www.franchir-japan.co.jp/English_version/eigo_JapaneseCV.html
for helpful information on this part of the CV]
Other than that, the employment section is not especially challenging to fill out. For the line where you enter a job, you generally write 入社 (entered society -- as reaching employment means you have become a 社会人). When you leave work, you can explain this in a number of different ways:
(1) You can indicate that you "一身上の都合により退社" (i.e. have departed from the above organization [company] due to personal circumstances --> left for personal reasons).
(2) If you don't want to say why you left, then you can just say simply 退社
(3) If you want to explain that it was a downsizing,etc., the following phrases can be useful:
リストラ (restructuring)
解雇 (layoff)
If you go back to the same employer, add a line that says 再入社
For your current place of employ place a line beneath it that says: 現在に至る.
[HT: https://madtokyo.wordpress.com/category/get-a-job-in-japan/rirekisho-the-japanese-resume/ and
http://www.franchir-japan.co.jp/English_version/eigo_JapaneseCV.html
for helpful information on this part of the CV]
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