Running a business in Japan naturally means I have to interview Japanese job applicants who want to work for J-List, and I often wonder if they’re not freaked out by having a foreigner sit down across from them at the interview. Job interviews work somewhat differently in Japan compared to the rest of the world. Here, in lieu of a western resume or C.V. applicants write out a form called a 履歴書 rirekisho or “personal history form” which shows all school, work and other related information in a standardized format. They’re handwritten, too, which helps us determine something about the neatness (or lack thereof) of applicants. While in the U.S. it’s expected you’ll exaggerate your skills a little, perhaps appearing more outgoing than you really are and padding your resume a bit, in Japan things couldn’t be more different. A reserved, humble attitude is what you need during a Japanese-style job interview, too, and successful applicants will actually talk down their own past work achievements in ways that would be incomprehensible in the U.S. in an effort to show how harmoniously they will fit in with the organization.
An artist’s concept of a job interview in Japan. May not reflect actual reality.
