Well, I'm basically writing this to get it all out of my brain. But, I'm also writing this as a guide to help people who are kind of confused as to how to prepare for this event. Before attending, I savaged through the internet for useful information, and asked random strangers on forums for advice, but it still wasn't enough. So yeah, listen up, because I'm pretty sure you won't find such a beautifully well-written masterpiece of advice as this one.
Well, let's first talk about the event itself. The Boston Career Forum is a 3 day bilingual career fair that is held every year in Boston. Why Boston? Who cares! About 90% of the attendees are Japanese. A lot of them are Japanese who were born in the US, or Japanese who are studying in the US. Either way, they are pretty much bilingual. That word is scary as hell, right? BILINGUAL. Or FLUENT. Don't let that shit scare you. Seriously. Remember - Those words are only as powerful as you make them out to be. I don't think I'm even fluent in English. I learn new words every day. At the same time, you can't be a scrub who only watches anime. You need to have taken a few years, hopefully 3-4, of Japanese language, and have an amazing command of the mannerisms. It all comes to play here. You can totally boost your "Business" Japanese with a few months of preparation. Preparation... This is key.
You'll be required to do some extreme preparation for this event. First thing first, you have to register to CFN (Boston Career Forum's little website). Once you're there, you can browse all the different companies that have posted job listings. They will post more and more as the event comes closer. On the CFN website, you need to create an English and Japanese resume. Some companies will require you to create a エントリーシート (Entry Sheet) as well. It is basically a resume that isn't as "braggish" as English-style resumes. Google some templates if you're interested in seeing some. Entry Sheets are annoying because you have to write one for each company you apply to.
Each company you apply to will have "bonus" questions. Yay, bonus questions! These questions usually aren't far from things like, "Why do you want to work for us?" (志望動機は何ですか) or "Why do you want to work in Japan?" Some get a little more detailed, though, and it all depends on the position you are applying to. Try to be creative with your response, and don't be 自慢, or boastful. AKA, don't go in there spread eagle. Show them your raging passion via passiveness.
You will most likely want to apply for 3~10 companies, depending on many factors. I only applied to two, believe it or not. My friends applied for about 8. I personally chose 2 because I only wanted to work for that kind of industry, which is the gaming industry. My other friends just wanted a job - period. But remember, you need to ask yourself WHY you want to work for company A or B, or why you chose A over B. You need to really research the companies you are applying for.
After you apply to all the companies you want to (via the CFN website), the wait begins. You might get an email from them, or you might get a surprise phone interview (which happened to be, by the way, at 8pm on a Sunday night). I was totally unprepared for it, but managed to pass.
If things go well, you'll get a confirmation email through the CFN website to schedule your own interview dates during on Friday or Saturday of the Boston Career Forum. Once you make it to this point, you can finally take a break. FOR NOW...
Because now, you completed step one, which is getting the interview. The second step is the interview itself.
Don't forget - This is not your typical interview. The majority of these interviews are for new graduates. The person who is conducting the interview understands that you have no actual experience in whatever field you are applying for. Yeah sure, you may have an internship, which is great, but you probably don't have 2-3 years of full-time experience under your belt. And you know what? That's for the better. They don't want you have experience. They want to brainwash and mold your brain into the shape of their company logo.
Again, the interview is for new graduates. So you must ask yourself, "Who am I?" You need to do some crucial self-analyzing. Here are some questions that you should know for the interview:
1) Why do you want to work for company A? Why do you want to work for this industry?
2) If hired, what do you see yourself doing?
3) Which of our products/games do you play? (this is specific for the gaming industry)
4) Why do you want to work in Japan?
5) The work environment is much different in Japan than in America. Can you handle it?
Here are some self-analyzing questions. You really need to take time and figure these out:
1) What are your strengths/weaknesses?
2) What is your 自己ＰＲ, or selling point?
3) What did you put the most effort into during your school years? (The answer isn't studying or classes. Anything besides that. School clubs, studying abroad, internships, community service, etc.)
If you aren't Japanese, they will really drill your brain with questions regarding your passion for Japan. They want to hear why you want to work in Japan. Involve your feelings when you speak about it. Be passionate when you speak about it. These guys are professionals at conducting interviews, therefore they can see right through bullshit.
Will update more later on personal experiences.
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