A few years back, when I was studying in the penultimate year of the Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering course, there was a constant pestering question -‘What next ?’.

There was no dearth of opportunities after graduation, which made selecting one all the more confusing. Hence, choosing a path best suited to one’s abilities was a herculean task indeed. However, in those confusing times, one day, an announcement about a seminar regarding a program called ‘FAST OFFER International’ quickly caught my attention. In the seminar, the entire process of the program was meticulously explained to us. By the end, I was convinced that I have to apply for the program, and so I did.

Everything started with the learning of the Japanese language. After 7~8 months, I was able to speak Japanese in bits & pieces.
Nevertheless, with this basic Japanese that I had learned, I shot a PR video, which was to be shown to the companies.
Then began the Skype interviews with mentors, who were top professionals from their respective fields. Mr.Kanbara was my mentor, and surprisingly we shared a common interest in Mechanical Engineering. He guided me in every aspect, right from preparing my Resume to the interview questions. He even suggested a few changes in the PR video, which I had shot earlier. Owing to the mentoring sessions, a few companies selected me, and I was invited to Japan for the interviews.
Then everything went by in the blink of an eye until it was time to board the flight to Tokyo. I was extremely perturbed as this was my first foreign trip, and then the thought of interviews made me even more nervous. Though once in Tokyo, I was able to focus only on the interview preparation. All the credit goes to ASIA to JAPAN’s staff, as they took care of every minute parameter, which might shift our focus. During the interviews, I answered the questions with my rudimentary level of Japanese but was genuine and practical to the best of my ability. As I was waiting for the results, I got the news that I had been selected in D company. To me, this news was like a zephyr on a hot summer afternoon in India – thrilling and soothing in tandem!

My company visit was mesmerizing as I got to ride the Bullet Train, and the scenic beauty of Shiga prefecture left me awestruck. My company had a wide array of products and a variety of domains where I could put my knowledge to use. I became excited to start work as soon as possible.
Asia to Japan’s staff even threw a party for all the participants on the last evening in Japan. On the next day, I bid adieu to Japan, promising to be back as a working professional.

Now, it has almost been 1.5 years since I began working in Japan. During this time, I have tried to adapt to life here by continuously improvising. The strangeness that I experienced at the very beginning has withered away with time, and comfort has blossomed. I have evolved as a person and am glad to say that I deem Japan to be my second home.

In hindsight, enrolling for FAST OFFER Int’l was inarguably a great decision. This program has broken the dogma that fresh graduates could not get hired to work in a foreign land. I earnestly hope that many more people grab this unbelievable opportunity provided by ‘FAST OFFER International’.