Who is a “New Graduate” in Japan? It may be different from what you know! | 日本の「新卒」って誰のこと？あなたが知っている定義とは違うかもしれません！
Types of “New Graduates” | 日本の採用における、「新卒」の種類
“New Grads” have an edge in the Japanese job market. You might be surprised to learn that “new grad” in this context can have three different meanings that may classify you as one. In short, you can count as a new grad if you start job interviews,就職面接(syusyoku mensetsu) from your third year in a bachelor’s program up to a year or two after graduating, with less than three years of full-time work experience. Read on to learn more about the Japan job market for new graduates and how you can be part of it!
新卒 (Shinsotsu) – Graduating Students
Graduating students are expected to join the company right after graduating. Hence, for this stage, you need to start while you’re in university, whether that’s in pursuit of your Bachelor’s, Master ‘s, or Doctorate degree.
第二新卒 (Dainishinsotsu) – Recent Graduate
If you recently graduated and have less than a year of experience, you can still count. Your shallow work experience can be beneficial. As companies are looking for long term employees, a year is a short time in their perspective.
既卒 (Kisotsu) – Graduate
This is applicable for those who have graduated with no experience yet.
What are the benefits of applying as a New Grad in Japan? | 日本で「新卒」として応募するメリットは？
- More Options
- Job Offer Based on Potential
- Time to Level Up and Gain Skills
- Training for 3-6 Months and a Mentor-Mentee System
- Learning Business Manners
- Introduction to the Industry
- Attend Company Information Sessions
With no experience, how do companies evaluate New Grads | 経験なしで、会社はどのように新卒を評価するのか？
As a whole, all three types of “New Grads” are up for entry-level jobs in Japanese companies and have minimal to no work experience. In this stage, the primary ways companies can judge their “experience” and background are through their degree, final year project, internships, and possibly the contests they’ve joined.
Why Do New Graduates Have an Edge in Japan’s Job Market? | なぜ日本の採用市場では「新卒」が有利なのか？
Medium to large Japanese companies mass-hire new grads every year, with a synced joining date every (more common) April or October. This is due to three things:
- New hires get the best training experience.
- An efficient, synced new hire training system where higher-ups will strategically carve out time to train new hires together.
- Less experienced new graduates are expected to be more teachable as they’re coming in as blank slates.
- It’s perfect timing for the company and the students.
- It coincides with the Japanese fiscal year that ends every March 31 and restarts every April 1.
- The join date also complements the typical Japanese academic year, where most graduate in March.
- 3rd to 4th Year students can keep applying for jobs and will be scheduled to join right after graduating.
- Delayed join dates give students time to meet requirements.
- Some students will get “conditional job offers” if they may lack a skill or two, and there’s still time before their start date. For example, a specific coding language or software that the company internally prefers. Sometimes, a company will broker an agreement that the student needs to learn said skill before their start date.
- The time between the job offer and the join date also allow the student to get all needed documents from their university, or for their work visa.
When Should You Join the Japanese Job Market as a New Grad? | なぜ外国人留学生として、新卒で入社すべきなのか
March, On Your 2nd Year: Your Language Learning Journey
In your second and third years at university, you should be on your way to learning conversational Japanese. How quickly you learn depends entirely on your commitment level. This would be a good time to seek out internships as well.
FAST OFFER International’s worldwide classes start at N4 level, so this would be the perfect time to self-study JLPT N5.
March, On Your Third Year: Going for Japanese Companies That Fit You
By March of your third year at university, you should be learning and seeking out different Japanese companies that fit your interests. It’s important to find a company whose goals and field match your final year project and career goals.
Click here to learn more about how to conduct company research.
June, On Your Third Year Up to October, on Your Fourth Year: Job Interviews to Job Offer
If you start your job interviews, 就職面接(syusyoku mensetsu) early, the higher the chance that you’ll get an offer that would allow you to transition straight to working right after graduation. Starting early will also allow you to have more interview experiences to learn from. The rate at which students successfully land a job offer varies—some only interview once and succeed, and there are some who had to try more than five times.
For some who have difficulty managing their schedules, they delay this stage until their final year in university, when their final year project is done and their schedules are less demanding. This is a valid strategy, but it may lead to a longer waiting time from graduation to joining the company.
April, A Few Months to A Year After The Job Offer: Joining the Company
Typically, your job offer contract will indicate a starting date on April of the following year in sync with other new hires. Alternatively, some cases will have an October join date.
The Japanese Job Interview Process for new graduates | 新卒の就職面接のプロセス
1. Entry Sheets / Japanese Resumes
If you are job hunting on your own, you must thoroughly research Japanese companies before applying to them. To start, your application consists of a thorough set of Japanese-style entry sheets.
At FAST OFFER International, the typical process is that you are matched with companies, undergo a Company Information Session, and then go into entry sheet submissions with a lot of assistance from us.
Japanese entry sheets and resumes demand a specific style. You can learn more about it here.
Important Tips for Writing Japanese Resumes:
- Customize for every company.
- Double-check your dates.
- Spell Check
- You can harness AI to critique your sheet.
- Narrow down your answers based on the company/position you are aiming for.
2. Company-Specific Tests
Once you have submitted the needed materials, you will be shortlisted to undergo knowledge-based tests and personality tests. Different companies require different exams depending on their industry and needs.
Different tests you might need to pass:
- SPI Test
- Personality Test to test if you’ll fit in with the company
- Knowledge Test to test your language and logic
- Live Coding Test (For Computer Science Engineers) to test your coding skills and creativity.
- Programming Test to test your grasp of basics and logic.
- Language Test to determine Japanese and English level
If you pass these rounds, you then go into the actual interviews.
3. Japanese Job Interviews for New Graduates
Typically, Japanese job interviews, 就職面接(syusyoku mensetsu) consist of two rounds. Generally, you are asked more questions during the first round. On the second round, executives will be interviewing you with fewer questions, focusing more on getting to know you. After a short deliberation, you will be given the results. Online interviews typically take a day up to a few weeks.
At the monthly FAST OFFER International events (in-person or online), talents typically learn the results on the same day of the final interview. To learn more about Japanese job interviews, 就職面接(syusyoku mensetsu), check out Lesson 2: Understanding Japanese Companies.
How to Enter the New Grad Recruitment System? | 新卒採用システムに参加する方法
Before job hunting, the first thing to do is learn to speak Japanese. You can start studying on your own, take classes at your university, or apply for the free Japanese class that suits your profile at FAST OFFER.
Once you can start speaking Japanese, there are three ways to start job hunting:
- Through Your University. You can check if your university has programs for career placement or Japanese language classes for work in Japan. International students studying in Japan or those in international universities partnered with us can go this route.
- Directly through the Company Website. The sky is the limit in this format however, you might find it difficult to search and navigate Japanese websites. Another challenge is that you might apply for companies that are not quite equipped to handle international talents. You will also be expected to perfectly navigate the system like a local, from a higher Japanese level expectation to competing with Japanese locals.
- Through an Agent. Plenty of agencies and recruitment companies help international talents because there’s so many opportunities in Japan. However, not all are created equal. Services and fees differ. Some companies, such as FAST OFFER International, guarantee that it comes at no cost to the students. Although you might be limited to the companies the agency works with, you’ll also have access to opportunities that these Japanese companies do not publicly disclose.
We hope this story sheds light on your questions and spurs you to take action on your dream right away! If you want to learn more, check out our webinars If you need inspiration to start this journey, go over to our success stories!
