Landing My Dream Job As an Indian Civil Engineer in Japan

How a Friend’s Job in Japan Sparked My Passion for the Language and Culture  

The thought of learning Japanese or stepping out of India never even crossed my mind till last year! Concentrating on my work, trying to enter the civil engineering field was all I could think about. Luckily, one of my fellow Indian friends got placed in Japan as a civil engineer—my dream job! At that time, I was working in the industry but not in the position I wanted. 

It was from her that I got to know Japan. After listening to her story and searching on social media, I got interested in Japan. As you know, with social media, once you search for something, your explore page is filled with the same topics. And soon my social media was full of reels about Japan!   

I learned that civil engineering is a huge field in Japan, especially for civil engineers, giving room for Indian engineers like me. The safety equipment, rules, and punctuality are at a high level, with concerns taken seriously. Perhaps one of the biggest achievements Japan’s civil engineering industries has accomplished is their groundbreaking, lifesaving, world-leading disaster-ready infrastructure.   

I began to look for opportunities to work in Japan in the civil engineering field. Through LinkedIn, various social media accounts, and constantly pestering my friend, I got connected with FAST OFFER International’s Hirameki classes.  

Mastering Japanese Through FAST OFFER’s Hirameki Course  

I can only describe my teachers in one word—AMAZING! They truly fanned the fire for learning Japanese and speaking Japanese during the interviews. For the intensive course, we started off learning the basics of Japanese, such as hiragana and katakana, and then slowly transitioned to reading a few words and sentences. When our teachers informed us that we would be having an online session with staff from FAST OFFER in Japanese, we doubled down on the preparation by learning the grammar patterns, technical terms, self-introduction, etc.   

My Japanese Teacher Believed in Me When I Had Self-Doubt  

Since we only had four months to go from zero to conversational Japanese, I had my doubts! A month in, I remember messaging my teacher in Japanese that I wasn’t sure it was at all possible. My teacher, though, expressed their belief in me so strongly that it inspired me to work even harder.  

One of the staff from FAST OFFER also visited us all the way from Japan to have mock interviews. The mock interview left a deep impression on me. While the staff who had a mock interview with me gave good feedback, for my main online session, my mentor’s feedback seemed to be a bit gloomy. That was an unexpected result for me. I had been working hard in the class, received good reviews from the teachers, and had been scoring well on the tests, too. But I accepted the result and decided to work harder until the interviews. I was determined to reach my goal of being a site engineer in Japan.   

Breaking Family Traditions: How My Dream As a Civil Engineer was Born  

The reason why I was really driven to succeed despite my doubts was my sincere dream to work in Japan as a civil engineer. In India, there was a looming uncertainty about whether I would get the opportunity, especially as someone with minimal experience. I went against my family’s expectations just to pursue this dream!  

Everyone in my family is from a medical background—my father, mother, and even my elder sister! They are all doctors and pharmacists. Every day I would hear medical stories from them—patient files this, medicines that. Every lunch and dinner would be some medical-related discussion. It was all they ever talked about at home! I was bored.  

The easy way would have been to take up medicine as a career. I had helped my mother at her pharmacy and had basic knowledge about the medicines she would often prescribe. But I genuinely wasn’t interested. I didn’t feel a drop of enthusiasm. Instead, I felt burdened every time we discussed my career plans. The expectation to follow in their footsteps felt dreadful! I wanted to find something exciting! Something new!  

The Civil Engineer Who Built Our House Showed Me an Unexpected Career Possibility in Civil Engineering  

When I was 15 or 16, my family decided to build a new house. It was my first time seeing the construction process closely. As part of our responsibility in commissioning the project, we would often hand out tea and snacks to them. This gave me a front seat to where all the magic happened. I used to watch the workers carefully build the house—frame by frame, brick by brick.  The machinery at the site fascinated me. Seeing the civil engineer oversee the whole project diligently—taking in all the guidelines, safety rules, instructing the workers, and going through the wishes we had for building our customised home- I became interested in the civil engineering and architecture field.    

I became so interested in the field that when I came home on those days, I visited the construction site, and I would then spend hours in digital construction sites. Itching to try my hand at building houses, I played building simulation games such as Minecraft and house builder games.   

Forging My Own Path as a Future Indian Civil Engineer in Japan

When I told my family that I wasn’t going to be a doctor, they were apprehensive at first but not too surprised. Being the middle child, I grew up naughty and was perhaps the spiciest among my siblings (ha-ha). My family knew that I would likely grow up to choose my own path, something very different than them. Becoming a civil engineer sounded like a very alien concept to them. My parents were a little apprehensive. No one in our immediate family had been involved in the same field, but they supported me to the best of their ability. My brother, though, was largely excited and unequivocally supportive!  

To make peace with my decision, my parents asked me to first take a diploma in civil engineering.  From there, I could have a proper decision whether to pursue civil engineering or architecture.  

As expected, I greatly enjoyed myself, learning so many new things, that it was easy to excel and rank high in my batch. I qualified to take my bachelor’s in civil engineering, and I remember how proud my supportive brother was! He was happy I was brave enough to get out of our family’s comfort zone to pursue something I loved. It felt gratifying as I was happy pursuing something that I had chosen for myself.  

My Early Civil Engineer Career in India: Gaining Experience  

In India, I took up a 3-month internship at a civil engineering company. However, of course, as an intern, I couldn’t participate fully as a civil engineer, but instead got to interact with a lot of working Indian civil engineers as I handled quality checks and inspections. The company liked me so much that they absorbed me for a full-time contract for one more year, this time, to handle new interns. I would check in with the interns regularly—about the work to be done, pending tasks, how any task should be done, and would also work with civil engineers, taking updates from them for the tasks.  

I was grateful for the opportunity. At that time, we recently lost my beloved brother, and I had to help support the family through work. However, day in and day out, even as I enjoyed my tasks of managing interns and civil engineers, I found myself growing more envious of the civil engineers I worked with.   

I wanted to be a civil engineer so badly.   

So, even as I performed to the best of my ability, my dream to be a practicing civil engineer was always simmering inside of me. When my contract with them ended, I took that as a chance to go full steam ahead at my dream with the Intensive Hirameki Japanese classes for civil engineers in partnership with FAST OFFER International. I lived in a Pune dormitory to focus on my studies and didn’t even look for new job opportunities. I had one focus: a civil engineer job in Japan!  

The Ups and Downs of Job Hunting to be a Civil Engineer in Japan As an Indian Aspirant  

After studying for a while in Hirameki classes, we were informed that selections for interviews would soon begin. Students who got an offer from more than three companies would be flying to Japan for in-person interviews with flights and hotel sponsored for them. Like all students, I waited for results with bated breath.  

At first, a lot of us had about one company interested in us. After a few days, though, my classmates had more companies interested in them until they had about three. My closest friend at the Hirameki classes, with whom I would practice intensely, even had four companies interested in him. However, my profile still showed only one company.  

Realizing that I wasn’t qualified to go to Japan and had just one shot was a punch in the gut. I felt very disappointed. What went wrong? I had studied hard in class and scored very well on the tests. My friend comforted me during this time. The one company that wanted to interview him also happened to be his first-choice company among the four companies interested in him. So, he said, that we should both give it our all with that one company.

One Great Opportunity to Focus On  

Digesting this news was difficult, but with my friend’s reassurances and my own determination, I reframed the situation. I had an opportunity with an amazing Japanese company where as a civil engineer I could pursue all my civil engineering interests with my very close friend! Because I had a singular opportunity, I could give it all my attention and do my very best.   

The Job Interview That Could Change My Life  

The first interview went relatively well. The interviewers animatedly asked us questions and explained about the company. The questions were based on both technology and culture, matching the company. The atmosphere was very lively and friendly. Plenty of times, we even got to laugh together.  

The interviewers were concerned about me when I came to Japan—what type of food can I eat, if I would be able to eat certain types of meat, about prayer times, etc. I really appreciated that question as it showed how they valued how I would fare as a person. To assure them, I told them my work experience of long hours in an Indian company and adjusting my prayer times for it, I know for a fact I would easily adjust. I also love Japanese food and would find a way around my religious diet restrictions.  

My Tips on Building Rapport with Japanese Job Interviewers at an Online Interview  

I think it also greatly helped that I made some very practical adjustments to help me build rapport with my interviewers.   

The Counterintuitive Tip to Making Digital Eye Contact! 

The most practical tip is to mind where you’re looking during the interview. Don’t look at the screen? During interviews, you should not be looking down or looking somewhere else on the screen. It may give the impression that you are reading off your screen. So, I spotlighted myself on the screen and placed it just below the laptop camera so that I was looking at the camera during the interviews. I also practiced using the Zoom interface to avoid confusion on the day itself. 

Be Relaxed and Friendly at the Interview!

While interviews are serious business, it’s good to smile and laugh a little. It puts you and the interviewers at ease. If it’s in your personality, getting interviews to laugh can be a big plus!   

If You Are On Time, You Are Late

Japanese interviewers value punctuality. If you reach the interview just on time or open Zoom just in time, you would be late for the interview. Be there well ahead of time so that you have time in case of contingency.   

The Challenging 2nd Interview  

However, for the second interview, the interviewers seemed very serious with hardly any expressions. The atmosphere felt dull and cold. I was very worried about the results and pretty convinced I failed. Until the results, my mind kept replaying the same lines, “I have lost it. I lost the job offer.” My friend consoled me while waiting for the results himself.  

When I finally received the mail that I had passed both rounds, I couldn’t believe my eyes! I couldn’t help but cry with happiness. I immediately shared the screenshot of the email with my family and my teacher. My supportive Hirameki teacher was right all along!   

In my video call, I could see my family had tears of joy! My parents said that they were very proud of me, which brought me to tears.    

Support Systems That Carried Me Through Loss, Learning, and Landing the Job Offer  

My family and my friends have always been a strength for me through hard and difficult times. Even though my brother is no longer with me, he would have been truly glad to see that I was able to find a way back to the dream I had told him about. 

I know my parents must have mixed emotions. Even though they live with other relatives, there’s a loneliness to seeing your children leave the home you built together. It was depressing for all of us when we lost my brother.   

But this time, at least, there’s comfort in knowing their daughters have a bright future ahead of them, even if they, too, are leaving the nest. My eldest sister is getting married and moving away, while I will be leaving the country for my dream job in Japan.  

Why Japan’s Culture and Safety Make It the Perfect Place for Me  

Another reason my parents are at ease with my migration is that they know about Japan. Together, when I was researching Japan, my parents and I were relieved about how safe Japan is for women. One of my mother’s friends was familiar with Japan and reassured my parents about the lifestyle in Japan, their traditions, and how particularly safe it was for women.   

I have lived away from my family since I started my higher education, right from my diploma. But this is the first time someone in our family would be moving to Japan, so hearing so much about Japan was a great relief for them.  

I felt like I had a glimpse of Japanese society’s kindness, too, during the interviews. The culture of bowing during greetings makes the other person feel valued and reflects how well they integrate their traditions in the modern age.  

My Future in Japan as a Civil Engineer in Japan  

I’m grateful I’m soon going to be a civil engineer in Japan at a company that penetrates so many civil engineering sectors. As a bonus, I get to do it with my close friend who reminds me of my brother. My brother, too, was ridiculously smart, a big foodie like me, and a joy exploring the world with—even when we’re bickering!  

My friend, whom I met through Hirameki classes, has also been a pillar of strength during the classes as we practiced conversations together and throughout the interview process, where he constantly gave me moral support. Though always sensible, we fight in a true sibling manner. We’ve since crossed off exploring several of Pune’s different sights and flavors, and now, Japan is next on the list!   

In the far future, I hope one day to bring my parents to Japan. My biggest dream is to maybe build a house in Japan where we could live together again. Who knows what’s possible as an Indian civil engineer in Japan?