EXCLUSIVE: A FREE GUIDE

3 WAYS TO
LAND YOUR
FIRST JAPAN JOB

WRITTEN BY:
Kelvin Ro
Meet Kelvin
KELVIN RO
Founder & CEO, Kagi Career

Hey there! I’m an American expat

living in Tokyo.

When I set my foot in Japan 14 years

ago, I was clueless, jobless, and on a
tourist visa. Fast forward to today,
I've had the incredible opportunity to
manage employee performance
across 12 APAC countries at Amazon
and lead the talent acquisition team
for Disney's Japan HQ.

n R o
With a decade of experience in
HR/TA, I’ve screened 100,000+ Kelvi
resumes, conducted 1200+
interviews, and been involved in 200+
hires.

Now, I help early career professionals

jumpstart their Japan career -
thrilled to help you make your Japan
dream a reality!
Before we dive in...
In this guide, you will learn about three entry points
into your Japan career. Note they should be
considered as a bundle, not individual options to be
tried one at a time separately. Based on your
situation, multiple options can be combined as a
starting point of your action plan to land your first
job in Japan.

No matter which option(s), you must understand

your priorities to make your Japan life a reality. The
guide will ask you a set of questions to help you
gain clarity around priorities.

Lastly, these are the starting points, not the end

game. In between the three entry points and your
first Japan job lies optimizing your job search
process to present yourself as the ideal candidate.
This means renovating your resume/application
into an interview landing powerhouse, and turning
the interviews into job offer generating
conversations.

So don't stop with this guide.

95% of people will scroll through and take no
action. And I'm glad you will be in the 5% who take
action to make Japan your next home, not just a
fantasy or tourist destination.
 My Story

Hi, I’m Kelvin Ro, an American

expat living in Tokyo.

How did my life in Japan start?

I was aspiring to become an English

teacher in Japan after being a
(former) big video game and manga
nerd. I applied to a bunch of schools
from abroad. 100% ghosted, not a
single reply.

After some research, a post on an online forum told me for Americans,

there were three ways to find a teaching job in Japan from abroad.

Government-sponsored English teaching programs: Nope, the

application deadline had already past, and I had to wait for another
year.
AEON English School: No interviews provided in my location.
Be in Japan then apply: What? Really?

Okay, I'm not even getting rejection letters by applying from overseas.
Might as well try, but just pack and go? Really?
After being scared and worried for about a month, I finally worked up
the courage and followed the stranger’s advice to go to Tokyo jobless.

So there I was. It was a sweat-drenching summer day in 2010. I arrived

in Haneda Airport with no job, tourist visa, and 2,000 dollars in my bank
account.

To my surprise, I received a job offer from an English school very soon.

A sealed deal within three weeks of arrival.

Every application turned into an interview. The magic was that I was in
Japan vs. applying from overseas. Well, after more than a decade of
being a Tokyolite and corporate Japan hiring expert, I know touch-and-
go isn’t the only way to your first Japan job.

You are dying to move to Tokyo.

You want to explore all the culinary adventures Japan has to offer.
Japanese culture is fascinating and you want to experience it.
Or Japan just seems like the best place on earth.

Should you do the same?

Not necessarily.

There are many ways to go about it. My way was the one that suited my
needs the best at the time. It was the only option unless I waited at least
a year. I was impatient and wanted to make it happen right away.

If I had the same corporate experience I have now back then, the
approach may have been different. I will share different approaches
suitable for different career situations, personal circumstances, and
priorities so you can live your Japan dream too.
Let's start by asking yourself these:

1. How important is moving to Japan for you?

2. Timing?

Spend 1 - 2 minutes to answer before moving on.

Who You Are & The Timing
Now you’ve answered the two important questions, tell me.
Who sounds like you?

John
Mid-career level professional
Married and have two children
The wife is career-oriented and loves her job

Sarah
Entry-level in digital marketing
Single
Nothing to lose even if she quit her job

Ben
Software development engineer
Compensation and career are very important to Ben

Abby
Fresh out of school
No full-time work experience
Moving to Japan is her top priority
Good news is working and living in Japan will happen
100% if you tried.

It's not like winning a gold-medal in the Olympics or becoming the next
Bezos. If you want it, you can get it. The question is, what are you
willing to trade in return?

John must ask his wife to quit, ask children to say goodbye to their
hometown best friends to pursue his samurai dream.

Sarah and Abby can pack and go, they don’t have as many factors to
consider compared to John. Career matters to them, but it isn’t the
sole factor. They are open to taking a step back and resume their
career advancement later.

Ben may not be paid as much or not find the same caliber of a role in
Japan.

Your best way to Japan depends on how bad you want

it, what you’re willing to trade in return, and the
timing.

Let’s discuss timing.

Do you want to move right away? If not, how soon?

What is the balance among willingness to move to Japan, waiting
time, and what you’re willing to trade in?

Spend 1 - 2 minutes to answer before moving on.

Now you have your answers, let’s dive into the three entry points (EP)
to your career in the land of the rising sun.
EP 1: Internal Mobility
Do you work for a global company that offers internal mobility?

Internal mobility allows employees to transfer to different jobs and/or

locations within the same company. This means you can go from being a
product manager to marketing manager in your base location, or stay as
a financial analyst but move from your country to Japan. Or, a
combination of the two.

Check within your company if this is available.

Live examples: My colleague at Disney went from recruiting in Australia

to recruiting in the UK, then came back to Australia. Another colleague
at Amazon went from Seattle to Beijing to London to Japan in both
different and similar roles.

Don’t I need Japanese? You may ask.

Front office roles tend to but not all roles. Even if the role says Japanese
is required, don’t give up and check with the hiring manager or consider
switching into roles that don’t.

The pros of this option:

No set back to career or comp (minus PPP adjustment)
Easier relocation - your company will help with the process
Relocation expenses may be covered depending on job grade and
company policy

The cons?
This option may not be available to everyone
You may need fluent Japanese depending on the role
Your options are limited to open roles at your company only

This will be an excellent option for John, Sarah, and Ben.

Remember, internal transfer involves a rigorous
application and interview process. Treat it like an
external job search and prepare.

Don't have this option?

Limited to only a few roles via internal transfer?
Want to move faster?
Want to consider all options available to you in Japan?

Don’t worry, scroll over to the next page.

EP 2: Apply from Abroad
Unfortunately, your company doesn’t offer internal mobility. Or you
want to move sooner and consider all options.

Then let’s apply for roles in Japan from overseas. This option is available
to everyone.

Make sure to concurrently utilize internal mobility (if

available) and applying from abroad to maximize your
relocation potential.

The difficulty rises with this one.

When I was hiring for Disney, I would receive hundreds of applications

day in and out. Mostly from within Japan but also a fair number from
overseas.

These were the first three questions I had when I came across an
overseas applicant (i.e. what the first reviewer scans for):
1. Has this person worked in Japan before?
2. Does this person speak Japanese (fluently)?
3. What’s this person’s tie to Japan?

Good news: The world isn’t going to end tomorrow even if no to all. The
difficulty grows with more no’s but it can happen. Ask yourself these:

Is your profession in high demand but has a small candidate pool in

Japan? (Hint: Remember Ben?)
Can you find people online who have a similar job as yours and
without Japanese language fluency working in Japan?
Can you convince the hiring company you’re 100% committed to
relocating to Japan?

A great example to the first question is Ben. Software development

engineer, AI scientist/engineer, machine learning scientist, and data
analyst are high-demand jobs with a low supply in talent in Japan.
Many companies are willing to hire tech professionals with no market
experience and language for these roles.

Don’t have a tech job?

Don’t worry. There are roles that seemingly would require Japanese but
not. LinkedIn and Google are your best friends for this one. Do some
research and see if you can find people with similar jobs as yours and not
much Japanese.

Lastly, the big wall you’ll have to conquer is “not in Japan.” As someone
who’d hired in Japan for years, I can tell you hiring is costly both
financially and resource-wise. The objective of the hiring team is to fill
the role ASAP with the right talent.

When someone’s not in Japan, there are both logistical issues and the
risk of the candidate not moving to Japan even after the offer. The hiring
company’s nightmare is to go through the long-process and see the
candidate decline the offer.

You’ll have to convince the hiring company that you will

move to Japan.

This EP is easily accessible. Anyone can try. It carries a stronger appeal

to career-conscious people like John and Ben but welcomes Sarah and
Abby too.

But applying from overseas is not an easy game.

It will require you to craft your job search artistry to its finest form. You
will have to double your skill in application and interview strategies and
their execution.

Be ready to be ghosted and ignored. This route isn’t for the faint-hearted
who can’t stand cold ignorance and rejection.

Also it will be a slow-burn game. Patience and time are a must.

However, at the end of the day, it’s all about the priorities.

Where does Japan fit in your life?

Is your Japan dream your top priority over all other factors?
You don’t want to wait?

Then what can you do?

Great news! There’s another way to make it happen quickly.

Let’s take a look at the third entry point.
EP 3: Pack-and-Go
Let’s start with the good news.

The third entry point isn’t the last resort you fall on
when the first two fall short.

Consider it rather as the most effective, fastest option to your

touchdown in Japan. If you prioritize living in Japan over other factors,
this is your sure fire, quick path to Japan over entry points 1 and 2.

But life isn’t simple. There are priorities. Family, career, and income -
where does Japan come in? Let’s go back to the four profiles discussed
earlier. Which one resembles you the most?

Ask yourself again, when do you want your life in Japan to happen?

Are you okay if it will never happen at all?

If your answer is no and you want to make it happen soon and for sure,
then you can be like me. Quit your job (or take a two - three month
sabbatical), fly to Japan, and find a new job. To take this route, you have
to be fluent in English.

Below are three options within this entry point.

Option 1: Teach English (you will need a four-year degree)

Option 2: Recruit (recruitment/staffing agency)
Option 3: The same jobs you would apply from abroad (EP2)

Options 1 and 2 welcome the non-experienced. If education is your cup

of tea, then teach. If you’ve done, or want to do, sales, then recruitment
can be a rewarding, high-paying profession.

The common younger foreigner route in Japan is to start with option 1

then move onto 2, including myself.
The goal here isn’t to make options 1 and 2 your final destination (unless
you want them to be). The first two options will give you the leeway to
work and live in Japan while searching for your next step. Make sure to
apply for jobs you would from abroad simultaneously.

This option wouldn’t be realistic for John and Ben but can be a great one
that will boost the speed of relocation for Sarah and Abby.

Recap
Internal Mobility
Pros
No set back to career or comp (minus PPP adjustment)
Easier relocation - your company will help with the process
Relocation expenses may be covered depending on job grade and company policy

Cons
Not be available to everyone
May need fluent Japanese depending on the role
Your options are limited to open roles at your company only

Apply from Abroad

Pros
Easy to try and available to everyone
No risk on sacrificing career

Cons
Competition with qualified in-Japan applicants
May take a long time and mentally wear you down
Requires best-in-class job search skills

Pack-and-Go
Pros
Fastest way to make Japan your reality
Easiest to land the first Japan job

Cons
It’s the least career-oriented option
High risk financially and professionally if quitting the job to try the option
Difficult to execute for those with family or other responsibilities
Comparison Chart
CAREER RE L OCATI ON
SPE E D DI F F I CUL TY
RISK POSSI BI L I TY

Internal
Mobility
Medium Low Medium Medium

Apply from
Low Low Medium High
Abroad

Pack-and-Go High High High Low

Last Words
Did I make my Japan job search sound like a cakewalk?

The truth: I was frustrated, confused, and lost. I was repeatedly getting
ghosted, at least 15 schools ignored me. It wasn’t fun, to say the least.

The problem was, I was taking the very same approach that failed every
time. Thinking one more try would somehow miraculously change my
luck. It didn’t. I had to change my approach. I had to step way outside
of my comfort zone to make my Japan life happen.

Your journey to Japan will not be an easy one.

There will be priorities you’ll need to manage and mountains you’ll have
to climb. But it will happen as long as you don’t give up. I didn’t have a
full-time job three years after college and no experience at my first job in
Japan. If I did it, there’s no way you can’t do it.

You’ve made it to the end of this guide. I’m glad you did. Know that this
is your starting point, not the end. Don’t be that 95% who will stop here
and go back to the daily life. Take action, try a different approach, and
let me congratulate you in advance for landing your first job in Japan.
Thank you for reading!

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