I enjoy the Japanese language, as well as their way of life, culture, and technology. I’m fascinated by how quickly new technologies are developed in Japan, as well as by how intelligent and hardworking its citizens are. When I was a young child studying Japanese history in school, I always had admiration for the unity and commitment the people shown in rebuilding their nation following a huge loss. My life was revolutionised by learning and studying Japanese for a year. I gained a better understanding of who I am, as well as my effect and duties in the world, by witnessing the discipline, diligence, and selflessness of the Japanese people. More precisely, I learnt to concentrate on pushing myself to work hard and aim for perfection. I can think of no better way to put these newly discovered ideals into reality as I got closer to graduation than by working and studying in Japan. The COVID problem and financial issues have been a major obstacle for me and have prevented me from achieving my goals. Fortunately, I stumbled on a post from a recruitment company while looking through social media, and that’s how I found out about the AtoJ program. I had had great aspirations after learning about the program that would help me realise my dreams. In addition to this, the real experiences I heard from a classmate who is currently working in Japan further fuelled my desire to visit that country in person. I think there are a lot of opportunities for work in automotive field in Japan and companies provide much more job security and benefits as compared to other countries.

After graduating in 2021, having discovered the means by which I might make my ambitions come true, I began studying Japanese. I chose to enrol in an Electric Vehicle Nanodegree programme while studying Japanese because I had no intention of pursuing a master’s degree. I was accepted into the “AtoJ x Pune University” programme for N3 after a year that flew by. I had to pass a casual interview with an AtoJ staff member in order to be accepted into this programme. This interview is primarily intended to assess our level of language proficiency and to gauge our level of comfort speaking Japanese. I realised that passing the JLPT alone wouldn’t magically enhance our speaking abilities. I then started using the several apps that are available on the Google Play store to learn how to communicate with locals. Both speaking and studying for the JLPT require equal amounts of work because they are two very separate learning processes.

I had to successfully complete several practise interviews held during the course as well as an interview with AtoJ staff in order to be considered for an interview. As I heard various perspectives on how to respond to interview questions in a Japanese interview, preparing for the questions was like riding a roller coaster. I practised interview phrases using my intuition, advice from my seniors and mentors, and some general guidelines for answering questions. My ability to pass the final interviews was greatly aided by speaking with the seniors and AtoJ mentors for assistance in editing my prepared responses. I learned about the entire process beforehand by speaking with the helpful seniors, which enabled me to be ready for the next step, which is to submit a PR video, an essay explaining why you want to work in Japan, and a project summary.

After clearing mock rounds and interview with AtoJ staff we have to submit the stuff mentioned above. I got to know that an essay on why you want to work in Japan should be treated as a SOP and explain in detail the reasons why you want to “work”. Before submitting, I had it evaluated by my teachers and seniors because companies often look at these documents. Within a week, my profile was selected, and I got invited for an interview with a well-known company that develops safety devices for almost all automobile manufacturers. AtoJ staff assigned me a mentor and we had some mentoring sessions for interview preparations and an orientation session to know more about the company. This process happened very quickly so being prepared helped me a lot.

My mentors and friends were the ones that helped me the most over the entire stressful process to remain composed. The AtoJ personnel goes above and beyond in terms of friendliness and assistance, and they ensure that everything runs smoothly. Since this was my first-time appearing for interviews, their support really meant a lot to me. Their inputs before and between two interviews really helped me to keep calm and stay focused. As teamwork is crucial for any business, I had to participate in two rounds of interviews where I was questioned about my past experiences working in a group. Other obvious questions were about FYP and education. I was only able to respond to the numerous impromptu queries because I had practised speaking Japanese. I wasn’t as confident after the second interview round since I felt I had performed poorly. But my mentor never gave up on me and constantly promoted optimism. The results were announced the same day and I couldn’t control my emotions, bursting with joy and thankfulness to everyone who helped me. Without their encouragement and assistance, it would not have been able to complete the task.

I may sum up by saying that I was fortunate to come upon a website like AtoJ. Learning Japanese from amazing teachers has been the most valuable lesson of my life. I’m in awe at the amount of aid I’ve gotten along the way, which has encouraged me to keep a positive attitude and give it my all. My mentors’ advice was really useful in helping me succeed in my interview. I am very appreciative of this fantastic opportunity and send my best wishes to Team AtoJ.

Looking forward to having a successful career and meeting A2J staff in Japan!