Interviewing in Japan is not much different than interviewing in America. But there are a few formality differences, and the schools and businesses may be looking for things that you might not expect.
If you answer an ad or contact a school or business, you need to be prepared to fax or mail a resume, and have the resume available at the interview. The expected resume layout is not any different from the American style, keeping it direct and simp
le. Stress any work experience or education that deals with english, linguistics, or teaching. The main difference is the paper size. Since Japan is on the metric system, the standard sheet of paper is a little bit off from the 8.5x11 that we use. It i
s not, however, a bad thing to have the American size paper. If you will be doing any faxing though, keep this in mind and use wider margin space (since their paper is narrower). You will find that it is much cheaper and easier to do your resume in Ameri
ca and bring a number of copies with you to Japan. However, if you do not know where you will be staying, you will want to get "business" cards once you get there. Many prospective teachers will have cards printed with their name, Japanese address, and p
hone number. It is also good to have these translated and written in Japanese on the otherside (although this will be more expensive). Then you can simply attach it to the resume.
Having photos is another important thing. Many places will ask you to mail or fax a photo with your resume (and business card). This is very common and legal. There are photo boxes all over Japan where you can get four photos for about 1000 yen (~$1
2.00) but they are not always the best quality. Occasionally you might be asked for a full length photo. And faxing is better with black and white photos. On the other hand, expensive, professional portraits are not necessary. It is best to arrive in Ja
pan with a few copies of portrait and a full length color photos, and at least one black and white. Xerox and fax copies are acceptable of the black and white photo.
When actually going to the interview, make sure that you have good directions. Streets in Japan typically do not have names, so get landmarks and perhaps train station exit numbers. Try to establish beforehand whether or not the interviewer will pay
for any of the trip. If not, try to plan the cheapest route (there are often slower trains that are significantly cheaper). Leave a lot of extra time, since getting lost is so easy. Look neat and conservative, even at the cost of a haircut or new clot
hes (although you would want to buy any clothes before you leave America since Japanese sizes and styles are quite different and prices much higher). And if you are interviewing for a position that would involve teaching children, show lots of enthusiasm.
It takes lots of enthusiasm to teach kids a foreign language, and most schools will want someone who is fun and excited. It is a high energy job, and your interviewer will want to see your energy!
Don't be surprised if a school asks you to stay overnight on the interview, especially if the school is in a rural area. They will often have you stay with one of the current teachers, and perhaps invite you to have a meal with the owner or operator
of the school. This way they can try to evaluate your attitude, manners, responsibility, and morals. Be polite, but also be yourself. You will be very unhappy if you take a job that has strict rules of conduct (professionally and personally) if you are
not willing to follow them. Some of the rural positions are in towns so small that you might be one of only a few foreigners. Your behavior will be seen and noted by everyone, and the school's business might depend on that. Concerns like this are almost
non-existent in the larger cities. Keep this in mind when interviewing and making a decision on where you will be working.
