Originally posted to the JETAA DC website by JETAA DC Newsletter Editor Kathryn Kovacs: http://jetaadc.org/okaeri-volunteering-your-way-to-a-job/
Amber Liang, a former JET participant in Kochi Prefecture, shares her experience using volunteer work to boost her resume and land a job. She is now gainfully employed and serving on the JETAA New York Board of Directors.
Volunteering. What does that word conjure up? For many people, the first thing that comes to mind might be images of serving food at a soup kitchen, cleaning up the local park, or perhaps even, playing bingo at your neighborhood senior home. How does this actually lead to a job, you might ask? In the right context, volunteering can be a very effective strategy for laying the groundwork for a career, especially if you can mold the experience to suit your professional needs. To prove my point, I’m going to use my personal experience volunteering for JETAA New York (JETAANY) as a case study.
When I returned from my unforgettable two years on JET, I was remarkably optimistic that I would have no trouble finding a job in New York–naively so, because two weeks after my return, Lehman Brothers announced it was filing for bankruptcy and, well, you know the rest of the story. Needless to say, it was a rough time. I signed up with a number of temp agencies, but there wasn’t much that came my way and the jobs that did weren’t ones I could base a career off of. After weeks of doing nothing, I decided to get out of the house and went to my first JETAA event—the annual softball tournament, to be exact—where I met some awesome JET alumni, many of whom became excellent sounding boards for me; they told me about their careers and gave me some valuable advice on how to approach mine. This brings me to LESSON #1: Use your volunteering experience to build your network. Do not be afraid to speak candidly to everyone you meet. Networking with those you volunteer with is the perfect way to develop relationships in a more casual way than traditional networking avenues.
In the course of my conversations, I mentioned the fact that I had organized a number of events while on JET. I was speaking to none other than Steven Horowitz, founder of JETWit, and he invited me to help him produce an author showcase with some prominent JET alumni. Of course, having nothing better to do, I enthusiastically accepted. The event was widely successful and it confirmed that I not only enjoyed organizing events but I was also good at it. LESSON #2: Use volunteering as a way to work on your own skills and learn about your inner passions. This really gave me the confidence to run for secretary of JETAANY and continue producing events including a play reading of Sake with the Haiku Geisha, written by JET alumnus Randall David Cook.
When I went to apply for jobs, I now had substantive experience and results that I could talk about. I could also narrow down the types of jobs I wanted to that involving project management and event planning. When employers asked me what I was doing while I was unemployed, I could honestly and proudly say that I was being very productive. Lesson #3: Work your volunteering into your resume.I brought the flyers that I had created to my interviews and I showed them lists of all the events that I had organized on JETAANY. Long story short, I eventually got a job that I really wanted working in both program management and event planning, and what really brought it full circle was that my new boss knew Randall David Cook. Talk about making your network work for you!
In today’s tight job market, it’s important to stay relevant and engaged, and even more so if you are unemployed. You’d be surprised at how forgiving employers are when it comes to unconventional experiences, like volunteering, as long as you can tie it all it. So I encourage you to consider your passions, build your network, and volunteer your way to a job.
Did you volunteer your way to a job? Let us know any lessons you learned or resources in the comments.
(Hungry for more job search advice from JET alumni? Check out The Job Search section of our online Returnee Handbook).
JETAA New South Wales organizes uchiwa design competition for Sydney Japan Festival 2013
Art, Art & Design Observer, Cultural Outreach, JETAA Chapters 
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Posted by Eden Law of JETAA New South Wales:
To help promote the Japan Festival 2013 happening in Sydney on December 14, we folks at the JETAA New South Wales chapter have hit upon the idea of running an uchiwa design competition. As the Japan Festival takes place at the height of the Australian summer, an uchiwa seemed a logical choice as one of the cultural icons of Japan. Competitors are invited to submit a design that will decorate a thousand uchiwa, or traditional Japanese rigid fans, which will be handed out to help visitors to the festival stay cool and look cool. Some additional prizes may also be announced at a later date.
It’s been an idea that’s been percolating for a while, which we’ve able to realise thanks to the support and funding of the Sydney Japanese consulate. Part of the planning required sorting out our funding and locating a printer in Japan – anyone who’s ever been in Japan during summer would have noticed the masses of these uchiwa printed in their thousands by companies to promote and advertise everything from business services, new products to idol concerts and movies. If successful, we hope to run it next year again, and hope that it will become our unique stamp on the festival.
The competition site can be viewed at www.jetaansw.org/uchiwa-comp-page/, and runs until November 3rd 2013. Winner will be announced on our website, Facebook group (as well as the festival page) and Twitter.
Job: Three positions at the University of South Florida (Tampa, FL)
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Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Three positions at the University of South Florida (Tampa, FL)—see below
Posted by: University of South Florida
Location: Tampa, FL
The University of South Florida has several open positions in the Education Abroad Office. USF is a high-impact, global research university located in Tampa Bay on Florida’s west coast. It is one of the largest public universities in the nation, and among the top 50 universities, public or private, for federal research expenditures. The university is one of only four Florida public universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of research universities. The USF Education Abroad Office, located on the Tampa campus, serves as a system-wide centralized office that supports international education for all USF students. Study Abroad is a key part of the University’s Strategic Plan, and USF has experienced more than a 50% growth in the numbers of students studying abroad in the past 5 years. Recently, USF received the 2013 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization.
For more information and to apply, please go to: http://www.usf.edu/about-usf/work-at-usf.aspx
Job: Lead Manager of American Semester Program at Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
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Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Lead Manager of the American Semester Program
Posted by: Michigan State University Office of Study Abroad
Location: East Lansing, Michigan
Application deadline: October 24, 2013
Overview:
Provides leadership and development of the American Semester Program (www.americansemester.msu.edu); works with the executive director and the American Semester Program coordinator to manage all aspects of the inbound study abroad program, including management, budgeting and administration, promotions and recruitment, and student advising and support; leads communication and capacity management with all exchange partners.
Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Study Abroad Coordinator
Posted by: University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Location: Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Start Date: January 1, 2014
Application Deadline: October 28, 2013
Overview:
This position develops and delivers web-based, print & in-person marketing; serves as primary liaison to exchange and affiliate partners; works closely with students through exploration, program selection, application and orientation to a program away; and advises on campus fundraising policy.
This position reports to the OIE Director and requires a high degree of familiarity with OIE programs and events and with campus and UW System policies and procedures; frequent visits to UW System campuses in the State of Wisconsin; frequent evening and weekend responsibilities, including responsibilities related to outbound orientations, presentations, and to visits from colleagues abroad; and occasional attendance, based on funding availability and rotation of staff in the OIE, at the national NAFSA conference. There are no secretarial or support staff associated with this position.
Job: SEA Semester Position Opening – Marketing Coordinator (Cape Cod, MA)
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Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Marketing Coordinator
Posted by: SEA Semester
Location: Cape Cod, MA
Salary: DOE
Start Date: November/December 2013
Overview:
Reporting to the Dean of Admissions, the SEA Marketing Coordinator is responsible for raising the profile of SEA Semester study abroad programs to our target undergraduate audience, as well as increasing the visibility of Sea Education Association as a whole. The primary goal of this position is to improve the brand recognition of SEA Semester via social media and online marketing, and to lead student targeted marketing initiatives that will maximize enrollment.
【RocketNews24】Feel better fast: Eight home remedies from the little old ladies of Japan
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Michelle Lynn Dinh (Shimane-ken, Chibu-mura, 2010–13) is an editor and writer for RocketNews24, a Japan-based site dedicated to bringing fun and quirky news from Asia to English speaking audiences.
The only thing worse than catching a cold is feeling like you’re about to catch a cold. That achiness you can feel in your bones, followed by dread, worry and the thought, “I’m too busy to get sick now!” It’s enough to make you sick on the spot.
But fear not, the grandmothers of Japan have a plethora of home remedies that’ll get you feeling better in no time. Some may be little more than old wives’ tales, but when you’re feeling under the weather, why not drink hot onion water or smear ginger on your forehead. It actually might be good for what ails you.
Omiyage and Gift Giving in Japan
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Posted by Benjamin Martin, a JET from 2008-2013 in Okinawa, publisher of the blog MoreThingsJapanese.com and author of the award-winning YA fantasy series Samurai Awakening (Tuttle).
Do you like souvenirs? Do you collect trinkets? Maybe you love trying various foods that are unique to a town or area. If you do, Japan might be the place for you.
Gifts are (arguably) one of the central aspects of Japanese culture. For those of you that point to Christmas in western cultures, Hanukkah, or other massive gift exchanges as an argument against gifts being such a big deal, it comes down to perspective. For single-day gift giving Japan does not stand toe to toe with a pile of presents around a Christmas tree or a mass onslaught of birthday gifts. Yet, when I was a teacher on Kitadaito I got presents nearly every week. Once I received seven (yes 7) strawberry plants, for no reason at all. But then there are two major aspects to gift giving in Japan.
Omiyage
Omiyage roughly means souvenir. Whenever a person goes anywhere in Japan, they generally buy a load of omiyage for their co-workers and family. For big trips this can sometimes be toys, figures, pictures, or anything that you might normally associate with souvenirs. More often its food. Japan has a massive industry around tourism. Almost anywhere you go in Japan has its own snack food that it’s ‘known for.’ There are almost always shops, small to large, that will sell the treats conveniently and individually wrapped and ready for you in a bag. In Okinawa, benimo (purple sweet potato tarts) are the most well known omiyage. In Kyoto there are various kinds of mochi, and on Kumejima we’re known for our Miso Cookies. Nagasaki is famous for Kastella Cakes, and most local places have unique omiyage for each location.
Often, when teachers go on trips, they bring back a packet of cookies, tea, or other snacks for the break room. Sometimes teachers will bring back more personal gifts for people depending on where they went and why.
Other Gifts
Aside from omiyage gifts are given for weddings (cash), birthdays, funerals (cash), and other special events. Gifts are even given by new tenants to their neighbors (usually something useful, like a small towel, or food). These other gifts have their own customs for every situation. Cash for weddings should be new and in the proper envelope, while cash for funerals the money should be used, and in a different envelope. Aside from omiyage most presents are wrapped as well (even souvenirs are sometimes wrapped).
Reciprocal Gifts
In Japan it is usually appropriate to give a return gift of roughly half what you received for most occasions. The exceptions are omiyage and birthday presents, though usually you would return in kind if you go on a trip, etc. Even mourners will return small gifts of towels or rice coupons. This tradition is what makes gift-giving a cornerstone of Japanese Culutre. It is one of the foundations of polite Japanese society, and the reason for my new strawberry plants.
Reciprocal gift giving forms a kind of endless circle of ‘obligations’ that help to create relationships in a society where it is difficult to break down social barriers. When a new neighbor arrives and gives a small present, there is a unique opportunity for conversation. A return gift (though in this instance you are not required to give a return gift, it,s they way of saying ‘regard me kindly while I am living next to you’) is another opportunity. It goes deeper.
When you do someone a favor, they feel an obligation towards you, and want to return the favor. It creates a cycle that goes far beyond what most westerners are used to, usually in a good way. Sometimes when I make too much food, I’ll take some over to a friend’s or neighbor’s. Almost without fail I get something interesting in return. One might be tempted to take the cynical view: you are bribing someone for their friendship. But in Japan, it’s so ingrained that many people don’t even think about it, if they get something, be it a favor, food, or gift, they will return it.
I’m not sure what I did to deserve my new plants, but I made some banana bread as a thank you.
Originally published on MoreThignsJapanese.com
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Revenge of the Akuma Clan
by Benjamin Martin
Giveaway ends October 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Job: Translator/Interpreter for Shutterstock (NYC)
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Thanks to JET alum writer/interpreter/translator Kia Cheleen for sharing this JET-relevant listing. Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Translator/Interpreter
Location: New York City
Overview:
Shutterstock is a global marketplace for digital imagery. They are in search of a bilingual professional to help with the development of our Japanese website.
Requirements:
- Required to report to the NYC office M-F the hours of 1-5pm
- Fluency in both English and Japanese – with the ability to read and write in both languages (For example) Can read and understand the NY Times or any Japanese magazine/newspaper
Application Instructions:
If you are interested, please send a soft copy of your resume, as an attachment, to nharris @ shutterstock.com with the subject line “Japanese Language Contractor.”
Job: Japanese TV News Producer at GazetaUSA (NY)
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Thanks to to JETAANY for passing this listing on to JETwit. Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: TV News Producer
Location: New York City (Midtown)
Overview:
GazetaUSA, Inc. a New York based media production company is seeking a full-time news producer for placement at the NYC bureau of a major Japanese TV news network. The network produces content in the U.S. for broadcast in Japan.
Requirements:
- Some experience in print or TV news production
- Fluent Japanese language skill
Application Instructions:
Apply by e-mail to:
info @ gazetausa.com
Job: Management Trainee at Boutique Lodge (Hokkaido)
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Thanks to JET alum Lisa Birzen for submitting this listing to JETAANY and to President Monica Yuki for passing it on to JETwit. Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Management Trainee
Location: Niseko, Hokkaido
Type: Seasonal
Overview:
Seasonal Management Trainee sought for boutique lodge in Niseko in Hokkaido, Japan. This is an ideal opportunity for a person seeking a career in hospitality in one of Japan’s most dynamic international resorts at a hotel with an established reputation for service. Niseko Freedom Inn has hosted guests from major international chains who have offered staff full time positions based on the work they have seen. The winter work period will be from December 1 – April 15, and summer work options can be discussed. The program will cover three winter seasons, with primary innkeeper role in the second and third seasons. Operational, financing and planning training will be provided on top of the front office service role. Read More
Japan Times: “Don’t blame JET for Japan’s poor English” by Debito Arudo
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A recent Japan Times piece by long-time contributor Debito Arudo:
Don’t blame JET for Japan’s poor English
BY DEBITO ARUDOU
The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, touted as the world’s largest cultural exchange scheme, has brought thousands of non-Japanese into the country to teach at local boards of education. These days, with many government programs being told to justify their existence, a debate is raging over whether JET should be left as is, cut or abolished entirely.
Essentially, the two main camps argue: a) keep JET, because it gives outback schools more contact with “foreign culture” (moreover, it gives Japan a means of projecting “soft power” abroad); versus b) cut or abolish JET — it’s wasteful, bringing over generally untrained and sometimes unprofessional kids, and offers no measurable benefit (see Japan’s bottom-feeding TOEFL test scores in Asia).
The debate, however, needs to consider: 1) JET’s misconstrued mandate, and 2) Japan’s psychotic — yes, psychotic — system of language teaching. Read More
Kyodo News “Rural JET alumni” series: Daneeta Loretta Jackson (Fukuoka)
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“My JET programme experience and my seven years in Japan have had a profound influence on me. It changed me into a more peaceful, communal person.”
News agency Kyodo News has recently been publishing monthly articles written by JET alumni who were appointed in rural areas of Japan, as part of promotion for the JET Programme. Below is the English version of the column from September 2013. Posted by Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, 2006-11), currently programme coordinator at CLAIR Tokyo.
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Daneeta Loretta Jackson (Fukuoka-ken, Buzen-shi, 1993-95) was born and raised in the backwaters of Southeast Louisiana. She was educated at public school where she discovered her love for storytelling. She holds a B.A. in English from Loyola University of the South, an M.A. in English from George Mason University, and an M.A. in the Art and Technique of Filmmaking from the London Film School. Her hobbies are international travel, watching movies, anything having to do with dogs, and sleeping. She works as a writer and filmmaker and is a Creative Producer at the ElekTrik Zoo, an arts partnership she co-founded with her husband, Patrick Jackson. She joined the JET programme in 1993 because she wanted adventure. It had a profound affect on her and changed the course of her life.
I was a JET Programme participant from 1993 to 1995 in Buzen-shi, Fukuoka-ken. I never expected to go to Japan. I never dreamed about it when I was a child like so many of my counterparts did. I don’t mean to sound flippant, but the JET Programme for me was a kind of accident. It is too long of a story to recount here. In short, my husband applied for the both of us. He requested a rural post in Fukuoka-ken because a boy from his Japanese baseball team in California was from Fukuoka. When he got word we had been accepted, he told me we were going to Japan. I had about two months to prepare.
Before I knew it, I was on a plane to Tokyo in July of 1993. The first few days were a whirlwind. The orientation in Tokyo and the jet lag made it seem like I was in some sort of dream. I had no idea what awaited me in the countryside, I couldn’t speak much Japanese, and everything seems so strange… so different from my native Louisiana. Read More
Job: Associate Director (Japan, Asia) for Pharma Research co. (Illinois)
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Posted originally by Steven Sundstrom to the JETAA Chicago LinkedIn group. Posted by Kim ‘Kay’ Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Associate Director, Area & Affiliate, (JAPAC) Japan, Asia Pacific
Posted by: AbbVie
Type: Full-time (some travel)
Location: Abbott Park, Illinois
Salary: N/A
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) is a global, research-based biopharmaceutical company formed in 2013 following separation from Abbott. AbbVie combines the focus and passion of a leading-edge biotech with the expertise and capabilities of a long-established pharmaceutical leader to develop and market advanced therapies that address some of the world’s most complex and serious diseases. In 2013, AbbVie will employ approximately 21,000 people worldwide and markets medicines in more than 170 countries.
Primary Function / Primary Goals / Objectives:
Primary contact for Japan and Asia Pacific Region in Regulatory Affairs. Responsible for developing and implementing regulatory strategies for products in assigned therapeutic areas, for filing and MAH approvals in Japan and Asia Pacific Region. in conjunction with Global Regulatory Lead(GRL), Global Regulatory Product Team(GRPT), and affiliate local teams. The Associate Director will ensure application of best practices and compliances on regulatory activities internally and externally for filings and agency interactions. Read More
Job: Executive Director – Japan-America Society of Northern California (SF)
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Thanks to JET Alum Grant Thompkins for passing on this listing. Posted by Kim ‘Kay’ Monroe (Miyazaki-shi, 1995 -97). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Executive Director
Posted by: The Japan Society Of Northern California
Type: Full Time
Location: San Francisco, CA
Salary: Compensation commensurate with qualifications with bonus opportunity; salary range available upon request.
Start Date: N/A
Overview:
The Executive Director, serving at the will of the Board of Directors, is chief executive officer of the Society with responsibility for day-to-day management and operations of the organization. This includes working with the Board on strategic plans, formulating the annual business plan and budget, gaining approval for said plan by the Executive Committee and the Board, active fundraising, and managing the staff and other resources of the Society to achieve the business plan. The Executive Director is an ex officio member of the Board. Read More
