[Student PR Staff] Interview with Accepted Students Vol.1

We, the student PR staff, disseminate information about JIU from a student perspective both inside and outside the university. We mainly interview students and cover events and disseminate that information.

Student PR staff: Miran Yokosuka (4th year Faculty of Tourism)
Student PR staff: Nanami Abe (4th year Faculty of Tourism)

This time, we interviewed Tsukino Tamai, a fourth-year student in the Department of Department of International Exchange Studies Faculty of International Humanities.
Tamai attended a company information session in August of his third year of university, and then made full use of the Career Development and Placement Center in October and began self-analysis in November. In February, soon to be a fourth-year student, he studied abroad in Malaysia for one month while his classmates were starting to apply online.
He shared his experience of continuing his job search while studying abroad, and then successfully receiving a job offer in May.

Balancing job hunting and studying abroad

I studied abroad in Malaysia in February and March of my third year of university, and during that time I was also job hunting. I was originally interested in the hotel industry, so I attended a hotel joint information session. I applied to three companies and received job offers from two of them. However, I remember being very troubled when my first choice company asked me to send my resume by mail while I was studying abroad. I immediately consulted with Nose-san at the Career Development and Placement Center, who I had been consulting with since October. He advised me to check with the company whether it was okay to send it by email. Also, with the submission deadline approaching, Nose-san corrected my resume many times, and I managed to submit it by the deadline. At the time, I felt uneasy about being the only one sending it by email while everyone around me was sending it by mail, but looking back, I feel glad that I had someone I could consult with.

Job hunting that focuses on self-analysis

During the summer of my third year of university, I attended many company information sessions. Every time I listened to a session, information about the company would fill my head, and I couldn't organize it properly, so I became confused. I felt that I needed some time to reexamine myself, so I decided to focus on self-analysis for about three months from October to January. I created a job-hunting notebook and performed a detailed self-analysis, including "What do I want to do, what have I been working hard on, and what do I want to be in the future?" By performing this self-analysis, I was able to clarify my vision of what I want to do in the future. I also asked my friends about my strengths and weaknesses, and worked hard to understand myself.
The core principle I found for my job hunt was that I wanted to work for a company that valued good people and a good working environment. Having studied languages and studied abroad (in Hungary and Malaysia) as a student, I then pursued my job hunt with the core principle of "I wanted to work in an workplace where I would have many opportunities to interact with foreigners."

How to prepare for an interview

Instead of memorizing what I wanted to say in the interview, I wrote down the important words on paper and practiced speaking them impromptu. I myself am a nervous person, so if I memorize it in writing, my mind goes blank when I get nervous in the interview and I can't say anything. I prepared so that I could respond to any question.
In addition, the second interview at the hotel where I received a job offer was in English for 20 minutes. I asked my seminar teacher and a native teacher at Center for Language Education to help me practice for the interview. I also asked Nose-san, who has been supporting me since before I went abroad, to help me practice for the third interview.

Why I finally settled on my current employer

The hotel I decided to work for is a facility for foreigners that is integrated into a tourist destination. At the information session, an employee who actually works there told me that foreign tourists make up 70-80% of the customers. I wanted to work for a Japanese company where I could highlight the good things about Japan, and I felt that I would have many opportunities to use English, which is the core of my job search, so I decided to work at my current company.

As a senior, what advice would you give to those looking for a job?

I have two pieces of advice. The first is that it's good to have something related to your studies (something you focused on as a student) other than part-time work. I think part-time work can also be a great way to show your studies, but I felt through my job hunting that it's hard to leave an impression on your resume or in an interview because many university students have part-time jobs. I recommend that you focus on studying abroad and extracurricular activities and do your best. Even if you are asked more about it in the interview, you should be able to talk about it in your own words if it's something you worked hard on. I think it's better to be proactive about it.
The second is to conduct your job search at your own pace without being influenced by those around you. You can decide when to end your job search, some people finish early and some finish late. The important thing is to end it in a way that you are satisfied with! If you keep to your own pace, take a break, and work with a sense of purpose, I think you will see results.