1) Your background
I am from Austin, TX and came to UVM to pursue pre-med and a science degree. I landed on neuroscience as my major, and converted from a Japanese minor to a double major my junior year of undergraduate. I studied abroad at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo in my junior spring at UVM. I have been studying Japanese for six years at this point: I started my junior year of high school and studied for all four years at UVM.
2) Where will you work? How did you find the job?
I recently got a job as a research assistant at SNBL, a contract research company headquartered in Kagoshima, Japan. I will be moving there after the summer and starting work in October of 2024. I will be working in preclinical drug development, researching and developing drugs, nasal administration technology, etc. for conditions related to my neuroscience degree such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and various other pathologies. At this stage, drugs being developed for humans are tested on animal models of disease. I haven’t been placed into a research group yet since that will happen after I settle in and go through about 3 months of ramping/training, but I am hoping to be placed into the pathology group that does surgery on the animal test subjects of drugs being developed and measures outcomes. The company takes on a variety of roles, including pharmaceutical development, drug development, and testing, as SNBL is hired based on the research interests of select companies and universities.
I found the company when I went to the Boston Career Forum, which is a Japanese-English bilingual job fair held in Boston the first weekend of Thanksgiving break. I was originally looking to find a job at pharmaceutical or consulting companies (my parents were both consultants and I was interested in Deloitte) but was extremely fortunate to stumble on a company that was so well suited to my personal interests and experience while exploring the booths. I did not have an interview set up with them ahead of time, but began talking to the staff and was asked to set one up.
3) What was the interview process like?
My first interview was very informal. I had a time set up at the booth at the Boston Career Forum, and I went and talked to one of the employees present when I had first met everyone. We talked about the kind of research they do at SNBL, and I was particularly interested in the Parkinson’s monkey models that they created at the company. The interview was conducted in mostly Japanese, with the latter ⅓- ½ being in English. The interviewer was interested in my neuroscience degree, the fact that I had done some research at UVM, and my time studying abroad at Aoyama Gakuin. They also loved that I speak Japanese, since I don’t think they were necessarily looking to hire someone who spoke English to fill my position.
I had a second round interview scheduled after the first one at a separate location inside the convention center. This interview was with a higher-up, and we continued the previous discussion (in a somewhat formal setting). It was half in Japanese, half in English. I had already been introduced to him before the second interview, but it was somewhat nerve-racking because we were in a private setting and the stakes were higher. We briefly discussed wage and some of the other details that the job would entail, like moving to Kagoshima and my responsibilities as a researcher.
I received an unofficial offer after my second interview in the company (at the career forum), and then received an official offer after meeting a higher-up over Zoom for the third round interview in the winter, which I ended up accepting over last winter break.
4) What was the placement/moving process like? Did company pay any or did you pay everything?
I am working in Kagoshima, where the research facility and headquarters are located, so this was determined early on. SNBL will not be paying for my move, since most of the people who work there apparently already live in Japan or nearby. Since most of this process has not occurred yet, I don’t have too much information right now!
5) PLEASE share any tips for those who are going to teach in Japan or have Japan-related jobs after graduating from UVM.
I think it’s a great idea to pursue personal interests besides just the Japanese language itself, especially if you want to work in science or technology. Many Japanese companies are looking to hire foreigners, and if you have more skills to offer you will stand out more. Also, I would recommend considering taking the JLPT– passing N2 or N1 is a great way to show your proficiency in Japanese, and although not required by all companies, can give you a leg up. If you’re looking for a starting point to get you into Japan, JET might be a good idea- many people have done this!
6) Please share any recommendation you would like to give to faculty/staff for career advising.
I would tell faculty/staff to encourage students to go to career fairs, events, etc. that are related to the field they want to work in. Also, if they have the chance, attending some events earlier (like sophomore or junior year) can help take the pressure off and give them an idea of what to expect when they need to seriously start job hunting.
7) Please share any recommendation you would like to give to UVM students as career advising.
Although I think it’s good to plan in advance and have lofty goals, the first job out of college is probably not as important as people think, and it might be good to see it as a stepping stone rather than an end-all be-all. So don’t put too much pressure on yourself! Most students don’t have a job secured before graduating. Lean into your interests and try to find a niche unique to your skill set- you will definitely get hired that way. Good luck!
