Mark your calendars: the next Japanese Job Fair is confirmed for January 25 in Novi, Michigan!
Whether you are reading this blog post from a different state or country, or if the date has passed, you can still learn learn how best to prepare for a Japanese Job Fair from reading this blog.
Target audience
You…
- are a Japanese-speaking American or English-speaking Japanese person, and
- would love to use your language or cultural skills in a career.
“But I’m not fluent!”
I know that most, if not all, of you are saying this. Don’t worry.
- The definition of fluency depends greatly on the person, and everyone is different depending on speaking/listening and reading/writing. I know some pretty darn good professional translators who struggle with speaking Japanese, and I also know some pretty darn good professional interpreters who struggle with reading kanji. Each person happens to be gifted differently.
- Not every job needs someone who understands perfect Japanese. Sometimes, just the understanding of basic business customs, geography, or food culture is enough to help bridge any gap that can arise in a business meeting.
- You have to use it to learn the language. So why not start on the job if you’re motivated enough? We weren’t born with any particular language. You can get a basic understanding at school, and then truly get into study mode once you start a new job to learn their lingo. Many of us language learners would probably appreciate that extra vocabulary learning, anyways.
Here is the information you need for this year’s Job Fair:
Date: January 25th, 2020
Time: 10am – 1pm
Venue: Suburban Showplace Collection, 46100 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI 48374
Cost: FREE for candidates!
GLJETAA Website (Great Lakes JET Alumni Association, the organizers)
Click here for registration link (onsite registration will also be available, but don’t procrastinate on this!)
I will have a booth at the Job Fair because I want to help support the link between job-seekers and global companies. Stop by if you have questions about the job search, your resume, your ikigai, or anything else!
Here’s what you should do to prepare for this big day:
- Wear business attire. You want to look professional and put-together. There is a big difference between what you normally look like as a student, and what you should look like as a professional member of society. Granted, there are companies that are flexible in what you should wear to work, and some industries don’t even do “professional,” but take the benefit of the doubt and get nicely dressed for your initial impression. This means no jeans, sneakers, or flashy and revealing clothing. Wear a suit, or if you don’t have one, a nice top with slacks/skirt. Gentlemen can wear a tie, and ladies can wear a nice dress.
- Bring business cards. You want to be memorable, so help the potential employer remember your name. You can get some business cards at a fairly affordable rate at your local office supplies store, so don’t wait and get them ordered now.
- Bring resumes. This isn’t required, but I believe it makes you stand out. It shows you are prepared for the job fair and are serious about finding a job or internship. Even more impressive is a Japanese resume – but that would be super extra credit points and isn’t necessarily expected.
- Practice some Japanese. There may be Japanese-speaking representatives there, and they may ask you to speak in Japanese. I also provide other tips in this blog post about bilingual interviews.
- Relax the day before. You’ve already done so much with your studies, that the most important thing to do the day before is to relax. You got this!
- Day of: arrive on time! You’ll miss the opening speeches. Here’s my keynote speech from last year, if you’d like to see why I support your efforts so much 🙂
Let me know if you have any other questions, and if you do stop by, please come see me! 頑張ってください♫
