Working in local branches of Japanese firms: A Closer Look
Whether you’re a fresh graduate hunting for your first job or a mid-career salaryman looking for a change of pace, the thought of working overseas may have crossed your mind. Working overseas can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be challenging to find your footing, especially in countries like Japan. Getting thrown into an entirely new environment can be extremely daunting for the uninitiated. There is only so much preparation Japanese lessons and prior research one can do. How else may one gain experience?
Working in a local branch of a Japanese firm is one such option. According to Good Job Creations, one of our sponsors specializing in helping candidate find jobs in Japanese companies, there are numerous such opportunities in well-known firms in Singapore that may often be overlooked. These Japanese multinational corporations span a wide range of industries like manufacturing and import and export. Office Support jobs in Marketing and Human Resources are abundant, with many IT positions coming through in recent years. Indeed, this option may certainly be less intimidating for some, as it presents the opportunity for one to learn the Japanese language and culture in a familiar environment. In fact, some backend positions may not even need business-level Japanese. This point is especially true for more technical positions like data analysts, while other front-end positions in sales and marketing let one hone their language skills.
Image source: https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-tokyo_train_station/article-a0002470/
In that sense, navigating the work environment of a Japanese firm in Singapore can be much easier for some, and even more so when learning about Japanese corporate culture which is quite different from Singapore corporate culture. Did you know that there is a style of formal business Japanese to follow when liaising with Japanese clients? What about the decorum that one should follow in physical meetings? Japan is a society that attaches importance to such things, and herein lies the chance to become acquainted with such norms in a less demanding setting. In fact, local branches of Japanese firms in Singapore also tend to be more flexible, with a flatter hierarchy in the workplace compared to the main offices in Japan. Making friends, Japanese or not, would certainly come more naturally given a less formal and more relaxed backdrop.
Japanese companies are also well-known for valuing the loyalty of their employees, and generally do not retrench workers even for those who may underperform, preferring to provide training programs instead. These can range from formal ones designed to equip one with basic knowledge of the industry to more informal ones with company-wide lessons conducted by a supervisor to help newer employees get used to their job. There will undoubtedly still be competition, but it certainly isn’t unheard of for fresh graduates to work for a Japanese company until retirement. No matter how old or experienced you might be, Japanese companies are generally willing to share their resources to train and upskill their employees.
One of the greatest draws for any job seeker would be a high salary, so what are some of the factors influencing the rate of pay here? Putting aside the obvious ones such as your experience and skill level, one key strength that Singaporeans may leverage to attract higher pay might be their multilingualism, in jobs that require both Japanese and English language skills. Of course, the salary and commission schemes may not be suitable for some, where everyone is required to work as a team. For instance, sales-related jobs may not have individual commissions, with commissions based on targets achieved by the whole team. In this respect, it would be prudent to be mindful of the potential gap in expectations between employer and employee.
Working in a Japanese company for the first time can be daunting for some, as the work culture may be quite different from what Singaporeans are normally accustomed to. Candidates may not be shortlisted if their personalities do not match the culture and focus that Japanese companies place on their internal processes. This may be true for Singaporeans applying directly to the Japan branch of a Japanese company, but this trend has been changing for Singapore branches as some Japanese companies become more localized. According to Good Job Creations, most Japanese companies are keen to hire Singaporeans due to government regulations, not to mention some industries like manufacturing, automotive and consumer products which constantly hire fresh graduates rather than experienced candidates. This can be quite different from Japan, where it can be challenging for fresh graduates to find work. Applying to a Japanese company in Singapore may not be as hard as you think. Be humble, receptive, and hardworking and you might even find yourself on a transfer from a Singaporean branch to a Japanese branch of the company after gaining experience.