The General Job Hunting Schedule for New Graduates in 2022
In Japan, there is a system called " Simultaneous recruitment of new graduates", and it is common for students to finish job-hunting before graduation and start working immediately after graduation.
Check out our previous article "[Job Hunting in Japan] 3 Characteristics of Japanese Companies that you should know" for details.
The interview season of companies changes every year, but here is the information that I have for the upcoming year. Interviews with major corporations will begin in June 2021. Interviews for small or medium-sized start-ups will start in March 2021. To prepare for this, some Japanese students start looking for jobs in Japan as early as the summer of their 3rd year, which would be around June 2020 if you were planning to start work from April 2022.
So, let's take a closer look at the job-hunting schedule.
Japanese job-hunting can be divided into the first half and the second half.
The first half is from June to March of a student’s third year in university, and it is the time to prepare for full-scale job hunting.
Summer internships are held all at once in June and are conducted in various lengths. A summer internship could last anywhere from one day to several days, or you could participate in a long-term internship during the summer break from July to September.
The second half is from May to December of the student’s 4th year in university, which is The Selection Season. May to June is the peak time for interviews with major companies.
During this period, you may familiarize yourself with Job-hunting related terminologies, for example, you may do some OB/OG visits, as they are very popular.
The acronyms OB comes from old boys, and OG comes from old girls, and it means to visit the students who have graduated from the same school and work for the company you are interested in.
Successful job hunting depends on how well you prepared in the first half of the job-hunting season. We recommend that you start preparing as early as possible so that you can nail down the job in Japan that you want.
7 Things That You Should Do for the First Half of Job-Hunting
Next, I will explain what you should do for preparation in the first half of the job hunting.
1. Self-analysis, corporate/industry research
Self-analysis is the most important part of the job-hunting process. By conducting the self-analysis properly and clarifying what you are looking for in your future job, you can convey your strengths effectively to employers when you write your entry sheets and go through interviews.
Corporate/industry research is examining a wide range of industries other than the one you are interested in to see if the type of work you are aiming for is suitable for you.
As a research method, you can go to the company’s website and check out their recruitment information page. You can also visit job-hunting websites and take note of the characteristics for each company or industry.
2. Preparation for WEB test (Test center, SPI, Cab, Gab, TGweb, etc.)
The aptitude tests you will take will be different depending on the industry. So, first you should find out what kind of WEB test is used in the industry or company you are interested in.
After that, prepare for the test accordingly.
How? There are lots of workbooks for this, so I recommend that you buy one of those books or check out websites with information on job hunting.
3. Participation in internship
The number of students participating in internships increases year after year, and it is becoming an indispensable part of job hunting. It is a good idea to participate in an internship to get an image of what working at a company is like.
The focus of the summer internship is to deepen students’ understanding of the company, rather than the hiring process. Therefore, we recommend that you participate even if you are not interested in the company.
Fall/winter internships are often involved in the selection process, and you might need to have an interview or submit your entry sheet. I recommend you write your entry sheet and prepare for the interview before applying.
4. Preparation for entry sheet
You need to submit your entry sheets starting from the spring of your 4th year. The earlier you start preparing, the more likely your entry sheets are to be accepted.
5. Participation in on-campus and off-campus job-hunting guidance
Motivating yourself is an important part of job hunting. Keeping your eye out for job hunting information and getting guidance early on will help your job-hunting process go smoothly.
6. Preparation for interview
Interviews are, of course, essential to the job-hunting process. The best way to prepare for interviews is to ask your parent, friend, or career center at your school to help you practice. You can have a face-to-face simulated interview with them and get feedback. If you have no one to practice with, you can take a video of yourself and then check how you sound or look while speaking. You can repeat this to improve your interview skills.
7. Preparation for group discussion
Group discussions are difficult to practice alone. We recommend that you participate in group discussion events sponsored by universities, companies, human resources companies, etc.
Here are five points to keep in mind when practicing.
- Listening skills and ability to collaborate
- Understanding and cogitative faculty
- Fluency in expressing your opinions and logicality
- Leadership skills
- Positivity
Make sure to cover all these 5 points, because that is what HR is looking at.
In Conclusion
You might be feeling overwhelmed with all the things you have to do. But I hope that the process has become a little clearer. Now you can prepare for job hunting accordingly.
Make sure you set a schedule and act early to survive the process and nail down the job you want!
Check out the previous articles for information on Job Hunting in Japan:
3 Characteristics of Japanese Companies That You Should Know [Job Hunting in Japan Series - Part 1]
4 Ways to Search for Japanese Companies [Job Hunting in Japan Series - Part 3]
“I wish I knew this sooner!” Internship in Japan Basics [Job Hunting in Japan Series - Part 4]
How to Find Excellent Companies in Japan [Job Hunting in Japan Series - Part 5]