Category : Career | Sub Category : Latest career Posted on 2023-11-06 11:01:48
Living and working abroad in Japan presents an exciting,
valuable opportunity for my personal and professional growth. I have been
seriously considering this move for some time, and I have three main goals to
engage in order to assure my success herein. .
Firstly, the cultural immersion experience of relocating
to Japan will foster my growth with a newly found appreciation and deeper
understanding of this important and ancient world culture. In my home
country, media, news and pop cultural or entertainment outlets have largely
controlled my previous exposure to Japanese culture, but by living and working
on a day-to-day basis in Japan, I will be in the best position to understand
and appreciate its culture and people. As an added benefit, I will have
an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate my learning and practice of the
Japanese language, which can be a valuable skill for the future.
Secondly, living and working abroad without my normal
support network of friends, family and familiar lifestyle systems will remove
my “comfort zone.” Learning new methods and systems to facilitate my
everyday life will be crucial. This stripping away of my familiar context
will put me in a more self-reliant position. I have not experienced this
since early youth. A self-reliant lifestyle will sharpen instincts in
problem solving, ingenuity and creative thinking.
Thirdly, professional connections and a good work history
in Japan are a benefit. Japan is one of the USA’s most important
and longest-standing economic and political allies. Exploring and
succeeding in the Japan job market doesn’t limit me, and can become
translatable to many overseas markets where Americans and Japanese do
business. I may be able to consider work for Japanese companies in the
U.S. or vice versa.
Community is a deep concept in Japan; having a strong
network will take you far in your career. When working in Japan, attending work
events, seminars, and even after-work dinners will be a great way to build up your network.
Remember the saying:
“It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”
Building a strong social network inside and outside the
company is the quickest way to find good opportunities, land a promotion, or
even switch careers.
No opportunity is too small to start networking. Even if
your Japanese skills aren’t up to par, showing initiative in connecting with
people will always win points over not trying.
The highly process-oriented approach in business and
personal life relates to the mindset of paying close attention to every micro
detail.
Japanese people believe in fixing the entire process by
doing a complete root-cause analysis rather than fixing the
problem itself.
Japanese business process Kaizen, which means “change for the better” or
“improvement,” is all about improving the processes.
The pros of the highly process-oriented business culture
are better quality and fewer chances of mistakes in general, and the cons are
the time to go to the market and a mindset with high resistance to change.
