I graduated from the University of Vermont in May 2013 with a degree in Japanese and a minor in Asian Studies. I spent three years studying Japanese at UVM and spent my 3rd year studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan at Meiji Gakuin University for two semesters. Prior to UVM, I attended Seigakuin Atlanta International School from yochien to 3rd grade. (Atlanta, Georgia).
The reason I chose to study Japanese was because of my family heritage. My mother is half Japanese (my grandma is Japanese, Grandpa is American/Scottish). My mother was born on an American airbase in Japan, but she was mainly raised in America, speaking English. Three months after I was born, my father accepted a job that moved my family moved to Tokyo, Japan for three years. I was too young at the time but my older brothers attended kindergarten in Japan. When we moved back to the United States, my mother enrolled us into Seigakuin Atlanta International School because she wanted to give us the opportunity to experience and become somewhat familiar with the Japanese side of our family heritage.
During two summers, I was lucky enough to visit Japan. Since it was the American summer, I had the chance to enroll in a Japanese elementary school for roughly 2 weeks while I was visiting Japan.
Where do you work? How did you find the job?
I currently work at the Consulate General of Japan. I found out about the position through a posting on the website. During my second semester of senior year, my friend and I would meet one day every week for a few hours and devote that time to job searching. We used websites like gaijin pot, daijobs, and just searched for “Japanese Jobs” there are also a number of recruitment agencies you can sign up for that will email you when a job opening fits your resume.
What was the interview process like?
When I first read the job description about the open position at the Consulate, I thought that I was not qualified. (Asked for JLPT N2 – I had only taken the N3 at this time). I submitted my application anyway because at this point I was desperate for any job! About a week after I submitted my application I received an email telling me they received my application and asking me for some more detailed information regarding the position. A few weeks later I received an email back saying that they had many applicants but asked if I was still interested in the position. They asked me to submit a “video cover letter” (I was told to think of it as a cover letter that was spoken instead of typed) describing myself, and giving reasons why I thought I was a good candidate for this position. The videos were about 2 minutes each, and I had to film them in both Japanese and English. A week after submitting the videos, I received an email asking when I had time for a phone interview. Typically they would have brought me in to the office for an interview but because I was in Burlington, I was unable to have a physical interview. The phone interview lasted about 30 minutes and it was nerve-wracking. It was a speaker phone interview with the Deputy Consul General, the Administrative Consul, and the Cultural Consul. They asked me about my qualifications and my Japanese ability, my computer skills, my living situation, and transportation (how would I be getting to work, etc). The first half of the interview was conducted in English and then they told me the rest would be done in Japanese. They asked me if I was familiar with and up-to-date with Japanese culture, and then they asked me to suggest a film to show for a hypothetical public screening. My final question that I was asked was to explain the difference between an Embassy and a Consulate. (I didn’t even know the difference in English.. )
What is it like to work for the Japanese consulate? (working environment, requirements/expectations, language, attire, what is your work week like?, etc.)
Working for the Consulate is interesting. This is my first corporate office job so I have nothing to compare it with but typically I work 9-5 (I do have to work late some days… but usually only until 5:30 or so). The attire is business casual/business professional. There are about 30 people who work in my office, 10 are considered “Tokyo staff” (hired by MOFA) and the rest are considered “local staff”. Except for maybe 5 people, everyone is able to speak both Japanese and English. My job is “administrative assistant” and “assistant to cultural affairs”. My work week varies from day to day, I answer and direct phone calls (using Keigo!) and manage the “general information” email of the Consulate.
When assisting the Cultural Affairs section I have to translate articles (From Japanese to English) then I use HTML to put them on the official websites (English & Japanese) or post about cultural events to our official facebook pages (English & Japanese).
What is it like to work with the Japanese? (people, culture, language, after-work obligations, etc.)
It can be stressful.. There are cultural differences for example most of the Japanese people in my office are less direct with me than my American co-workers, instead of telling me to do something occasionally they will tell someone else to tell me to do something. There can be confusion with the “hierarchy structure” in the work place. For me, it is hard to say though because I have not had other experience working in an office environment.