Working in Japan right after graduating college
Do you have plans to work in Japan after graduating college? If so, you should have a look at these 5 websites before you start to search for the perfect job.
If you are new to Japanese work culture and, have no idea what it is like working in Japan, then the best option for you would be to get an internship first.
However, the reality is that not a lot of companies offer internships in Japan. In recent years, this trend is changing, and some companies (especially small to mid-size companies) are starting to offer internships.
There are some foreign companies located in Japan, such as Google and Bloomberg that offer long-term internships. Then there are some large Japanese corporations that offer long-term internships such as CyberAgent and Mixi.
Nonetheless, it may be hard to participate in an internship in Japan, if you are studying in a place outside of Japan.
In this article, we will list 5 major websites, which Japanese students use when looking for a job after graduation. All of these websites serve different purposes and is recommended that you use these sites depending on how and what you are searching.
5 websites for job-seeking new grads in Japan
1.外資就活ドットコム (Gaishi Shukatsu.com)
2.ワンキャリア (One Career)
3.Unistyle
4.マイナビ (Mynavi)
5.リクナビ (Ricnavi)
1.外資就活ドットコム (Gaishi Shukatsu.com)
Website: https://gaishishukatsu.com/
Gaishi Shikatsu.com may be the most detailed website out there in terms of coverage of foreign companies located in Japan. This website is useful for job-seekers who are mainly focused on working in Japan but at a foreign company specifically.
Some reasons you may want to consider working at a foreign company right after graduating from college is that the salary is significantly higher than in Japanese companies. A lot of Japanese companies believe in promotion by seniority and seniority-wage system. This means that in a lot of cases, you will get a higher salary and somewhat bigger responsibility from a younger age.
Gaishi Shukatsu.com covers a wide range of foreign companies (The word 外資就活 literally means foreign companies job hunting) but especially focuses on consulting and investment banking firms. If you are considering going into the field of finance or consulting, you should definitely check this website out.
2.ワンキャリア (One Career)
Website: https://www.onecareer.jp/
One Career is a useful job hunting website for new grads, in that it collects and lists up “Entry Sheets” and job interview questions from past candidates. Once you have narrowed down the list of companies you want to apply to, we recommend you use this site to prepare for the application and the interview process.
In Japan, it is common to submit an “Entry Sheet” when applying to a company. Usually, this is the first step to get into any company and you will have to fill out the designated sheet before the deadline. Not only does this website list up past candidate’s Entry Sheets but the site also lists up tips on how to write a good Entry Sheet for different companies.
Some common questions are “What did you put the most effort into when you were a student?”, and “Please explain why you are interested in working with us.”
3.Unistyle
Website: https://unistyleinc.com/
Unistyle is famous for having a lot of useful columns about what it is like working for companies located in Japan. You can search for “Entry Sheets” and interview questions of previous candidates by category.
This website is useful because it goes deep into how the actual selection process is like depending on different industries and companies. Most companies have different ways of recruiting students. That information may not be officially published by recruiting companies, so it is nice that you can find some of that information on this website.
Unistyle also has an in-depth industry analysis report made easy to understand for new grads who aren’t so well informed about certain industries. These reports come in handy when you don’t have enough time to prepare but still want to gather as much information about specific companies or industries.
4.マイナビ (Mynavi)
Website: https://job.mynavi.jp/2022/
Mynavi is one of the oldest job information websites in Japan along with Ricunavi. Mynavi is also one of the biggest job information sites in Japan. The site has about 730,000 students signed up on the website. That is more students signed up than its competitor Ricnavi which boasts about 700,000 students.
Mynavi has more companies from outside of the major cities, compared to Ricunavi. In conjunction with the Mynavi website, they also hold Japan, a large-scale job hunting event called Mynavi Job Hunting Expo. Mynavi Job Hunting Expo is held in major cities such as Hokkaido, Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka.
5.リクナビ (Ricnavi)
Website: https://job.rikunabi.com/2022/
Ricunavi which is one of the oldest recruitment information media in Japan is a business ran by Recruit Group. It started in 1996 as “RECRUIT BOOK on the Net” as the Microsoft Windows 95 was released in Japan and started to gain popularity.
In terms of functions and features, there are not a lot of differences between Mynavi and Ricunavi. These two websites are considered mass targeted websites, which means they cover a wide range of companies and target all types of students. Therefore, it is common for students in Japan to sign up to these two websites first when they first enter their job-hunting season. (Usually at the middle of their Junior year, or at the end of it.)
However, these two websites are mostly recommended for those who are starting their job hunting and haven’t decided on what kind of industry or category you want to work in. If you already decided which company you want to work at, or the industry/category you want to research, you do not necessarily have to use these websites.
So which job-hunting website is best for you?
In conclusion, if you are thinking about working in Japan, you should consider checking out these 5 websites at least once. You may find interesting companies, that you never expect to find out about.
Another thing you should keep in mind is that you can always get a lot more information from these websites than websites that are in English. These companies are the most common websites used by new grads in Japan for job hunting, and you would not want to miss out on any information that other new grads receive. If you are thinking of working in Japan, you might have some knowledge of Japanese, and if that is the case always try and check out these websites.
However, the best website for anyone can depend on their job-hunting situation. If they already have a company in mind, for example, a foreign company, it might be best for them to use Gaishi Shuukatsu.com predominantly. If they are focusing on their application or trying to crack the interview for a specific company, maybe you should mainly be using One Career and Unistyle.
Whatever the case, it is best for you to first check out these 5 websites and decide which service is best suited for you in your current situation.
