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Salary improvement plan, help a bro out.

Majora

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I was kinda inspired and horrified by the average salary post... I’m in my late twenties and I’m way behind in the career department. I have a business background and have taught English in Japan. My Japanese is N2, also speak Spanish.

What kind of companies should/could I apply? Where should I look? What should I highlight in my resume? I’d like to have some kind of fresh start.

Can some compassionate soul give me some advice?
 
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I don't know exactly where to begin, there are so many various experiences out there.

However, if you're young and inexperienced, you'll start at the bottom.
(You said late twenties, fresh start = So that makes you young and inexperienced.)

Admittedly, I also have the problem of not having a deep view of other industries.
I know my own pretty well and you don't really make money above the average unless you've got experience with a title.

If I were you, starting over, I'd take a good hard look to see what's in demand.
Is there a niche you can fill for someone?

(Anything in IT is a death sentence in Japan unless you're a consultant or a higher-up manager, director or project leader.)

Business... anything in Insurance, Financial, Compliance, Medical, Research, Legal and probably some Media can be a good start to something more long term in an industry that will always have a need for professionals. With N2, you shouldn't have much problem getting into some of the Japanese firms spreading their wings into new markets or even those that have existing markets outside of Japan.

I do recommend a mixed firm that may be Japanese based but has connections to global offices; The outside influence sometimes makes the J-office life more bearable.
Going into strictly Japanese firm without any western influence will drive you mental, if you can't adapt to their ways.

I'm really tired of listening to other foreigners gripe about going to work for a Japanese company and then getting fired because they couldn't follow the rules. Or, can't get along with co-workers because they refuse to adapt and instead, try to force everyone else to change for them.

Ummm so back to the topic...

A entry level position with a mixed firm could net you 4-5m if it's a professional outfit (meaning, legal, finance, etc.). Less, probably, if it's just an average company.

I slid into a professional role here in Japan and eventually created my own market once I was given a greenlight to do so. I had a large amount of experience beforehand though. (But, spoke zero Japanese at the start. :whistle::whistle::whistle:)

Hell, I know a dude that comes to Japan, buys used cars and exports them out and makes a shit ton of money doing it. There's always something, it's just a matter of what effort you're willing to put into it.
 
Well, there is always money in sales. But that requires you actually manage to sell stuff.

I would try to find companies and jobs that require all the languages you speak. Admittedly there would be not many jobs which require Japanese, English and Spanish, but then again there won't be many guys competing for that job either. And you only need to find one of those jobs.

The general rule is you need to find something unique that only you can offer and then sell that ability to someone who is looking for it. That gives you most money both in short and long term.
 
If you have studied at a Japanese college even for a non-degree program or exchange program, you are usually eligible to be a member (or, say, an associate member) of the alumni association. If you can, use this network for your job-hunting networking in Japan. You might be able to land on a good job just by luck. Even in hiring, oftentimes timing is everything, but you need to cast your net wider.
 
What kind of business background do you have?
 
Study what you want to do in the future online. Try to get experience any way you can helping others with projects etc.
 
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late 20s and inexperienced doesnt equal young and inexperienced her... its more like “been slacking for a few years” from a japanese perspective...

anyway, no idea about foreign companies, but unless youre lucky, your best bet is to apply for jobs you actually got experience with, or better: studied it...
 
late 20s and inexperienced doesnt equal young and inexperienced her... its more like “been slacking for a few years” from a japanese perspective...
If he's not Japanese, we don't look it that way. But sure, for Japanese, we do unless there's something well documented in their background or noted in the interview.
 
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The general rule is you need to find something unique that only you can offer and then sell that ability to someone who is looking for it. That gives you most money both in short and long term.
I don't always agree with @MikeH but this is indeed, a tried and proven formula.
 
yeah, because you are not japanese... in my experience japanese people dont care wether you are japanese or not... you either wirked in your chosen profession without any bigger break (better: ni break at all), or its getting difficult...

its also difficult to get anything outside of your profession, its even difficult to get something related to your profession...

so except for getting self employed of course, theres hardly a different way than applying for positions in your chosen profession...

also you are often limited by whatever visa you have... i had problems with my first visa because my work experience wasnt 100% exactly for what i applied for, in the eyes of the immigration office...

why do you make a difference between japanese and foreigners anyway?
 
why do you make a difference between japanese and foreigners anyway?
Are you replying to me?

That's a very obvious answer if you've done any sort of candidate screening.
It swings both ways, both and good and bad for both groups of people.
 
I was kinda inspired and horrified by the average salary post... I’m in my late twenties and I’m way behind in the career department. I have a business background and have taught English in Japan. My Japanese is N2, also speak Spanish.

What kind of companies should/could I apply? Where should I look? What should I highlight in my resume? I’d like to have some kind of fresh start.

Can some compassionate soul give me some advice?

Why not contact one of the hundred recruiters specializing in foreigners and see if they can set some expectations in terms of opportunities and compensation? Sure, they will exaggerate some numbers, but at least they could match up your profile with the current market demand and you'll see what's out there.
 
What kind of business background do you have?

I have an Industrial Engineering degree and did an internship in an organization strategy consulting firm. After that between Japanese school, a TESOL certification and just doing part times or teaching kinda lost my focus but I want to start my thirties with something fresh, it’s better late than never.
 
Why not contact one of the hundred recruiters specializing in foreigners and see if they can set some expectations in terms of opportunities and compensation? Sure, they will exaggerate some numbers, but at least they could match up your profile with the current market demand and you'll see what's out there.

Yeah, I’ll try that! Thanks!
 
From my personal experiences over many years I firmly believe it is never too late to do something new. Don't worry about your age, but depending on our visa status and restrictions, I recommend doing something that inspires you and is a serious challenge that exceeds your current abilities. Push yourself!
 
Are you replying to me?

That's a very obvious answer if you've done any sort of candidate screening.
It swings both ways, both and good and bad for both groups of people.


yes, ive been replying to you...
of course i never did any screening and no recruiting and nothing remotely close to that... i didnt even have any foreign coworker in my days here...

so still i think that people dont make any difference, at least not in a japanese environment... i always had to do it the japanese way with whatever japanese desire from japanese employees...

to the op: apply for industrial engineering... what else do you think you can do, unless you can be self
employed...
 
Judging from youtube lately the path to success is to act like a fucktard and sell merch that only appeals to children aged 10-12 and you'll become a millionaire in a year.
Very soon it's going to lose its novelty as parents will get sick of buying merch for their kids who want to look or be like their big sisters / brothers they see on the screen. It's very unethical imo to play into the insecurities of young children and unfortunately this is what most of them do.
 
I have an Industrial Engineering degree and did an internship in an organization strategy consulting firm. After that between Japanese school, a TESOL certification and just doing part times or teaching kinda lost my focus but I want to start my thirties with something fresh, it’s better late than never.

Engineering background will do in finance. I'm not sure if you like a finance job, but if you are considering finance, studying for a basic qualification such as FINRA Series 7 (or Series 79, for that matters) may be a good first move. It's a US qualification for stock brokers/dealers, not difficult, sort of basic aptitude exam. The bad news is that at present you cannot take the exam unless you are employed by a financial firm. A typical Catch-22. The good news is that the exam format is to be changed later this year with the roll-out of the Securities Industry Essentials Exam (SIE). It's most likely that you can sit for the new SIE without being sponsored by your employer. In any case, you can put your mock exam score of one of the major online course vendors on your CV. You may wonder why you need a US qualification to find a job in Japan. You can consider it as a signal of you that you are prepared for the job.
 
i always had to do it the japanese way with whatever japanese desire from japanese employees...

That is of course a good thing if your plan is to become Japanese. However career-wise that is probably the worst thing to do.

First you are never going to be as good as the guys with Yamato blood so you will have always slightly worse probabilities for advancing than they do.

Secondly you are missing totally the option of being the different guy, with different and exotic abilities like speaking in tongues and understanding different cultures like a wizard.
 
I think if you are under 30, speak decent Japanese, and are half way personable and presentable, you should try to find a job in a foreign company in Sales. If you can find a large company with a known name/brand then that is much better. You need a job with a base salary that pays the bills, but beyond that, you should be on an agressive commission plan. Almost all foreign companies in Japan are looking to grow the top line. Find a company that has a sellable product/service and commit to learning to sell it. It is hard work for an uncertain outcome, but you will learn. Also, a recent thing is to have a side hustle. I never did this, but it seems that a lot of smart kids these days have a regular career and then a long shot on the side. Should always be lining up the long shot.
 
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Also, a recent thing is to have a side hustle. I never did this, but it seems that a lot of smart kids these days have a regular career and then a long shot on the side. Should always be lining up the long shot.

Well, the little entrepreneur in me has always wanted to try to start a business in Japan, and I have the raw material for a business idea, but now my job is my visa, and I’ve heard that you need an investment visa or so, however yesterday I heard there’s an owner visa you could get if you want to start a business. Any experiences with entrepreneurship? Also any recommendations for recruit type companies that are “gaijin friendly” lol ;)
 
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