This article from today’s NY Times puts a positive spin on job searching in the current economic climate, pointing out how the lack of traditional Wall St. jobs for business school grads has in a sense given many of them “permission” to pursue other jobs, such as teaching, managing a jazz club, applying for the foreign service or going to rabbinical school when they might otherwise have felt pressured to go for a high-paying, high-status Wall Street job.
Dakedo, if you read between the lines, what this means is a more competitive job market for everyone including JET alums. Now, when you apply for the foreign service or Teach for America or anything else, you’re competing against MBA students and other highly-qualified people for these positions.
Sore de, it’s more important than ever to take a proactive approach to the notion of career and job search. The ground is shifting underneath us, which is scary, but also means there are new opportunities. It’s no longer enough to think of jobs as familiar fixed categories for which you send your resume and wait for a company or organization to “give” you a job. This is the time to look around, figure out what needs are out there and create your own job and your own value, especially given the tools available out there to everyone such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Etsy.com, eBay and many others. While you may or may not succeed in creating your own job or business, going through the process will open doors, teach you new skills, give you more confidence and be more likely over time to lead to new opportunities and new jobs.
In other words, we all now have permission to take risks. Ganbatte kudasai!
Zach LeNarz, founder of the JETAA Law Group (now on Facebook) posted a link on the group’s wall to the powerpoint slides (in PDF format) used in a presenation at the 2008 Yokohama returner’s conference. The presentation was given by an Australian woman then working for the law firm of Herbert Smith in Tokyo and provide a good way of thinking through any JET’s decision to study law and the various career options.
http://www.jetprogramme.org/documents/conference/crj/2008_crj/Law_ppp.pdf
JET Alum Zach LeNarz has set up a Facebook group called “JETAA Law” for JET alums who work in the legal profession, are in law school or are in any other way connected with the law. (If the link doesn’t work for any reason, just do a search for “JETAA Law” on Facebook.)
So go ahead and sign up. No contract, waiver or non-disclosure agreement required. :-)
Job: English to Japanese Translator (Toronto, ON)
Career, Jobs, Translating/Interpreting 
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JetWit job poster Stephen Palanik (Fukushima Ken, 2004-08) learned of the following employment opportunity being offered through Pasona Canada and thought it might be of interest to former JETs in the Toronto area. Stephen is a translator based in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Ken, and he will be periodically posting job listings and event information for JET alumni.
Pasona Canada is currently accepting resumes for the following professional opportunity on behalf of their client in downtown Toronto.
Job Title: ENGLISH TO JAPANESE TRANSLATOR
SUMMARY: Reporting to the Head of the Japan Desk in Toronto, the successful candidate must be knowledgeable about world financial markets, industries and macro economy. He or she must work quickly and accurately, and write Japanese in a clear style. The successful candidate will also be committed to producing news more quickly than the competitors. The desk forms an important part of the organization’s 24-hour news translation service for Japanese-language clients. Read More
Via the Society for Writers Editors and Translators (SWET) e-mail list. Several workshops/discussions/presentations that seem to be very useful for writers and translators in Japan:
SWET News, April 8, 2009
For details on the following upcoming events, see below:
1) April 21 (Tues)–SWET OPEN FORUM: Wordsmithing in Japan (Tokyo)
2) May 16 (Sat)– WRITING MULTICULTURAL FAMILIES (Tokyo)
3) May 17 (Sun)–SWET KANSAI: THREE POETS IN JAPAN (Kyoto)
4) June 23 (Tues)–WRITING NEWS ON JAPAN with Elaine Lies (Tokyo)
5) July 18 (Sat)–SWET (Kanto) Summer Party – details pending. Read More
Co-working links
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The following links are from the article on co-working by freelance translator Joel Dechant (CIR Fukuoka-ken, 2001-04).
- Coworking Google Group http://groups.google.com/group/coworking
- I’m Outta Here E-Book http://www.imouttaherethebook.com/
- Coworking Wiki http://coworking.pbwiki.com/
- Web Worker Daily –http://webworkerdaily.com/
- Independents Hall, Philly –http://www.indyhall.org
- CoLab Tokyo –http://co-lab.jp/about/index.html
- Jelly –http://www.workatjelly.com
Joel Dechant (CIR Fukuoka-ken, 2001-04), freelance translator based in Fukuoka, has been exploring the “co-working” trend. If interested in discussing with him, click on his name to contact him via LinkedIn or post a comment below to share your thoughts or perspectives.
After 3 years on JET I worked at a private Japanese university as a translator for 3 years. It was essentially a JET-type job: translate, interpret, assist foreign students and/or plan programs for 3 years and then you’re out. After their stints were up, some of my other colleagues went home or elsewhere in Japan to work in universities, government agencies or in the private sector, but I-on the other hand-decided to stay.
“What about my contract?” you ask. Well, my employer and I struck a deal. They needed someone who knew the university and who could translate and interpret well, and I wanted to stay in the area. By virtue of being placed in the position that bore the biggest share of translation and interpreting work, I was able to hone my skills well enough to confidently say, “Hey, I can do this!” So we wrote a new contract in which they would outsource their work to me. With the stroke of a pen, I was self-employed.
It was like a dream come true. How many times had I Read More
Thanks to JET alum and professional translator Joel Dechant (CIR Kagoshima-ken, 2001-04) for sharing this link to the jobs page for the International Association of Business Communicators, which can also be found on the Job Site Links page in the Job Searching section on JetWit.
Bonus link: On a somewhat related note, Joel also shared a useful link to the Social Science Japan forum of U of Tokyo: http://forum.iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp/
JETAA Job Fair in Chicago!
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SATURDAY, April 4 – JETAA JOB FAIR!
This Saturday, JETAA Chicago will be hosting its annual JETAA Job Fair. Although the fair is open to everyone, it may be especially beneficial to those with previous experience in Japan or Japanese language skills. Representatives from top Japanese companies and recruiting firms will be on hand to accept resumes and explore job opportunities in Chicago.
The fair will run from 12-4 with a wine & cheese reception to follow from 4-5. This will be a great opportunity for those interested in networking to meet some Chicago-area Japan-related company representatives!
The fair will be held in the Japan Information Center located at 737 N. Michigan Avenue, 10th floor.
For more information or to submit your resume, please contact Rob Corder at chicagojetaajobfair at gmail dot com.
Seattle-based Kevin Kajitani (Kyogo-ken, 2006-07) just let us know about his blog, iSpeakJapanese.net, which features current events as well as videos and other tools for learning or improving your Japanese. Kevin, who was featured in the Winter 2009 issue of JQ (JETAA NY Quarterly) Magazine, is the co-founder of Speakit LLC along with his partner Aaron.
As you’ll notice, Kevin and Aaron have a rather unique and creative approach to Japanese language and culture learning.
The below info came via an e-mail about an event organized by CareerCross, an online job-search site for people trying to find bilingual work in Japan or with Japan-affiliated companies. Seems like something that might be of interest to JET alums.
CareerCross is holding a special seminar designed to give job seekers an added advantage when interviewing at a foreign company in Japan.
As Japan and the world sinks deeper into recession and corporations aggressively cut jobs, one cannot afford to be less than 100% prepared for the opportunity to interview for a job. Competition for jobs is difficult and will only get more difficult as companies can choose from a larger pool of qualified candidates.
CareerCross has brought in Japan’s leading interview skills trainer to teach you how to “Get Your Job Now!” From your cover letter and resume to the interview, learn exactly what works and doesn’t when interviewing at a foreign company in Japan. You will be able to answer the difficult questions with confidence, as you will be prepared and coached by the very best.
Join us for one afternoon designed to prepare you for success.
— Get Your Job Now! Space is limited, and the registration deadline is April 8th, 2009, so sign up now!
SWET: Wordsmithing in Japan seminar (Tokyo)
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SOCIETY FOR WRITERS EDITORS & TRANSLATORS (SWET) OPEN FORUM: Wordsmithing in Japan
April 21 (Tues), 2009; 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Fee: 1,000 yen for SWET members; 2,000 yen for non-members
Place: 5th Floor, Shoko Kaikan/Shohisha Senta, Shibuya
1-12-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku
Miyamae-zaka area; map at www.city.shibuya.tokyo.jp/est/shoko.html
Are you hoping to launch a career in writing, translating, copyediting, editing, English-language publishing or other work based in Japan? Where should you start? What qualifications do you need? Who can you collaborate with? How can SWET help you? What can you do for SWET?
Open to members and non-members alike, the SWET Open Forum offers an opportunity to address questions to established professionals in a variety of wordsmithing professions, as well as present requests and suggestions for SWET activities throughout the year. Take this opportunity to tap SWET resource persons on hand, sound off on questions and concerns, and enjoy a chance for informal networking and information-sharing.
The SWET members present will share their expertise in the following fields: J-E translation, editing, copyediting, proofreading, editing translations, writing, rewriting, technical writing, copywriting, design and layout.
For further information, contact SWET by email at events at swet dot jp.
I just saw this item in the JLGC Newsletter (Winter 2009), which I believe is only issued in print, and thought it might be of interest to some JET alums out there:
Japan Local Government Center (JLGC) Summer Internship Program
Inaugurated in 1992, the program extends to select students interested in Japanese local government the opportunity to spend a summer in Japan. Working side by side with local government officials in either a prefecture or municipal office, students not only gain firsthand exposure to Japanese management in the public sector but are also able to improve their Japanese language skills.
Fort-seven people have participated in this program from 1992 through 2008. JLGC extends a participation qualification to not only the graduate students but also 3rd or 4th year undergraduate students.
If you are interested in the Summer Internship in Japan, please visit the JLGC website at http://www.jlgc.org/activities.php?cid=676&s=summer%20internship.
Here are some photos from yesterday’s JET Alumni Author Showcase, courtesy of Noriko Furuhata, the JET Liason at the Consulate-General of Japan in New York:
Randall David Cook (Fukui-ken, 1991-93), Rob Weston (Nara-ken, 2002-04), Roland Kelts (Osaka-shi, 1998-99) and James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06) discuss their writing
For the sake of this post, assume that these pigeons have all passed the nikkyu.
While many JET alums strive to find jobs and careers related to Japan, many JET alums also reach a point where they’d like to redefine themselves as something beyond a “Japan person.”
I’d like to ask JetWit readers who have some perspective or experience with redefining their careers to share their own experience or advice regarding getting out of the “Japan pigeonhole.”
Submit comments to this post, or feel free to also email them to jetwit at jetwit dot com.
