Sep 3

JETwit Job Hunter Profile: Jonathan Parsons

Uncategorized Comments Off on JETwit Job Hunter Profile: Jonathan Parsons

JETwit Job Hunter is a feature started by Autumn Widdoes (Okinawa-ken 2010-14) where we share the profile of a JET or JET alum currently seeking work and invite JETwit readers to share any advice, suggestions, or perspectives.  Autumn is a writer with a focus on performance and film who is actively on the job market.  She’d like to put her four years of experience in Japan to good use in future employment.

Job Hunter:  Jonathan Parsons (Akita-ken, 2011-14) is a JET alum who just completed three years teaching in Odate, Akita Prefecture.  He is originally from Kentucky but is currently relocating to the West Coast and is seeking job hunting advice for the California, Oregon, and Washington areas.

Objective:  Jonathan is seeking a position in international exchange within higher education, a non-profit organization, or within government.  Because he has experience as a freelance writer for games, he is also interested in pursuing positions in writing and narrative design/community management in the gaming industry.

Areas of Interest: 

  • Higher education
  • Non-profit and government
  • International exchange
  • Writing for publications
  • Narrative design
  • Community Management

Job Hunting Strategies:

  • Applications to positions in international education at universities.
  • Applications to game companies.

Challenges:  Jonathan and his wife are currently living in Kentucky, so he is facing the challenge of searching for jobs on the West Coast while living far from his target region.  He feels that “many schools and companies overlook applicants who do not reside nearby or within the state.”   In addition to this challenge, he is seeking advice on how to market himself in the US without any major work experience prior to his JET tenure.

He has done extensive research on various cities and industries located on the West Coast, and would like to reach out to fellow JET alumni located in California, Oregon, and Washington for advice on job hunting and leads in the above industries.

Web Presence:

To help this JETwit Job Hunter, post your comments below, or contact Jonathan Parsons directly. 

If you’d like to be profiled, click here to submit your information through the JETwit Job Hunter Google Form.  

Reminder that there are a number of JET Alum professionally oriented LinkedIn groups set up to help you.  By joining groups in fields that interest you, you can find and connect with other alums in that field.

 


Comments are closed.

Page Rank