Experience working in an Indian office of a Japanese company
I worked in the Indian office of a major Japanese electronics company for three years after graduating from my university. I specialized in electrical engineering and studied instrumentation and circuit design. I decided to join the Japanese company because its business was one where I could apply my knowledge and skills, and because it was a well-known company in India that I had known since I was a student. Therefore, my decision to join a Japanese company at that time was based on my interest in the business rather than my interest in Japan.
When I worked with Japanese staff and clients in the Japanese company, I realized how different it was from Indian companies or other companies. Firstly, there was more communication between different departments and with clients compared to other companies. Everyone worked as a team on one project. I was also impressed by the Japanese way of working, known as ‘hou ren sou’ (it means reporting, communication, and consultation), which facilitates work. In this way, there was a culture of cooperation on a single project in the company.
Through this working experience in the Japanese company, I had a feeling that the Japanese way of working suited me, and I became interested in working in Japan. In my case, I was already in a working environment and culture that was typical of Japan without having to go to the trouble of changing jobs. However, I still thought that I would be able to improve faster both technically and in terms of internal aspects such as cooperation and teamwork if I came to Japan. I was sure that there would be difficulties while working and living alone in Japan, but I wanted to take on those challenges. This is because I have been living with my family for a long time and have not had many problems. I wanted to venture out of my comfort zone and become a more independent person by living and working alone in Japan. Therefore, I decided to change my job from a Japanese company in India to work in Japan.
Balancing Work and Learning Japanese
I learned Japanese while working in the Indian office of the Japanese company.
At first, the company I worked for offered Japanese language classes for the JLPT N4 level, so I took those classes.
After establishing a certain level of basic Japanese through the classes, I improved my Japanese language skills by having many conversations in Japanese with my colleagues in the office. There was an Indian colleague at the company who was studying Japanese like me. I gradually learnt Japanese in a way I enjoyed, such as talking in Japanese after work and singing anime songs in Japanese with my Indian colleague. I also had many opportunities to speak with Japanese staff during the working day, so this was also good practice for my Japanese. In this way, I created opportunities to speak Japanese in daily conversation as much as possible, especially to improve my speaking ability.
It took me about an hour to commute to work each way by bus, and I concentrated on studying Japanese on the bus. Of course, there were times when I neglected my Japanese studies when I was busy with work, but I maintained the habit of staying connected with the language every day.
Recently, I have been watching anime and reading manga in Japanese, and I continue to learn while having fun. I especially like ‘One Piece’ and have finished watching the anime, but I have not finished reading the manga. I am reading it little by little whenever I have time. I have been studying Japanese for about two years and am studying hard to pass the JLPT N2 examination, which I will take next month.
Job Hunting in Japan
My full-fledged job search in Japan started when I happened to see a post about FAST OFFER International on LinkedIn. I registered immediately after seeing it and uploaded my profile and documents. I was able to smoothly progress to the interview step with Japanese companies because I originally had some Japanese language skills. The mentors and ASIA to JAPAN staff gave me lectures on how to approach interviews and job hunting in Japan, and I was able to prepare for the interviews without any problems. I registered with FAST OFFER International in July 2022 and received a job offer in March 2023. The process was smooth.
The interview took place in Japan in March 2023. I was excited as it was my first experience going abroad. When I arrived in Japan, I somehow had an intuitive feeling that “Japan is the place that will change my life.” At the same time, because of the cultural and language differences, I still had a lot to work on.
I had one face-to-face interview and two online interviews. I successfully communicated my thoughts in Japanese without being nervous. I had a lot of help and advice from the ASIA to JAPAN staff and mentors.
I was able to confidently attend the final interview with my first–choice company, and I was hopeful that I would pass the interview as I was able to answer the questions well, but I was still happy when I received a letter of offer from that company. The next day, I went to visit the company’s research and development facility. It was a new, beautiful building with a wonderful atmosphere. It was a nice place with nature nearby.
Goals at The Company and Messages
I chose the company because the nature of the work was like what I was doing in my previous company. I thought I could make use of my knowledge in the field of industrial automation there. After joining the company, I want to hone my technical skills. I also want to acquire leadership skills and improve my Japanese language skills while working there.
To everyone who wants to find a job in Japan. If you study Japanese hard and confidently, I believe you will be able to get a job offer like I did. Please do your best.
