Re: [tlug] UNIX jobs on TLUG (was: Database frontend in Linux)

[Michael Bitker <mbitker@example.com>]

2009/6/2 Stephen J. Turnbull <stephen@example.com>:
> Doug McLean writes:
>
>  > Since the question has come up, I do wonder for some of us in IT who
>  > would *like* to work in Japan (currently working elsewhere), what are
>  > the recommended steps to finding a good job?
>
> 0. Once you've got a bit of language skills (more the bowing than the
>   vocabulary), hang out with Japanese who do what you know how to do.
>   A lot of jobs never get advertised or handed out to the head
>   hunters.  (You knew that, but you can make it work for you here
>   too, even with minimal language skills.)
>
> 1. Grab the most recent copy of "What Color is Your Parachute?", read
>   it and apply it.
>
> 2. Japanese language skills certainly help.
>
> 3. In general, you should probably forget about core MIS in Japanese
>   firms unless you have strong language skills (or wrote R3 or
>   similar famous software -- Japanese have a weakness for famous
>   market-crushing firms).  The core functions vary so much from firm
>   to firm that you really need the language skills to get a handle on
>   the requirements.  Look at specialty areas (security is an example,
>   see below).
>
> 4. There are people on this list who can hire you.  But they're pretty
>   picky.  Show your stuff.
>
> 5. I think the gaishikei securities companies will be coming back
>   strong, before the native firms do.  Look for foreign companies
>   with a strong presence in Japan.
>
> 6. If you've got or can acquire security skills, that should help.
>   The Japanese are extremely paranoid about leaks of sensitive
>   information.  "Putting a lid on the stink" is a national mania.  In
>   a recent case that an American would recognize as "frat-boy rape",
>   the university officials explain that they weren't covering up,
>   their failure to report the incident to the police was due to
>   "(careful) consideration of the educational aspects" of the
>   incident.  Yeah, right.  If you've got skills that aid in
>   concealing information and preventing its unauthorized flow (and
>   aren't too squeamish about how your bosses might apply those
>   skills), there are plenty of firms looking for those skills.  OTOH,
>   the fact that you're gaijin automatically makes you less
>   trustworthy.
>
>  > and my language skills, while weak, are improving through study.
>
> It's not the language so much as the rest of Japanese culture.[1]  See if
> you can get a hold of a copy of "Manga Nihon Keizai Zeminaru" from
> Nihon Keizai Shinposha.  You definitely want the Manga version.  I've
> been told by Japanese (academics, though, so take it with a grain of
> salt) that while a lot of the plot is sensationalist, the stylized
> characters are archetypes of the Japanese business world, and their
> interactions are realistic.
>
>  > That coupled with prior long-term IT experience leads me to hope
>  > that even in a bad economy a few IT jobs available to 外国人 are
>  > available.
>
> Footnotes:
> [1]  The Nipponized cop in Crichton's "Rising Sun" notwithstanding,
> you will never be able to speak Japanese fluently, if only because the
> Japanese can't speak it fluently to you.  You cannot speak Japanese
> properly to a person unless you know the standing of both in the
> social total order, and gaijin are, well, gaijin.  Rising Sun captures
> some of Japanese business culture ... the vicious side.  It all
> actually happens, but it's rare that that much nastiness gets packed
> into one place.  Easy to forget, though, so read it with salt shaker
> in hand.  You can ignore Tom Clancy, he's ineducable (although fun to
> read).  van Wolferen's "The Enigma of Japanese Power" is a must-read,
> IMHO, although it might scare you back to the Lower East Side where
> it's safe. :-)

Having worked in IT recruiting for a time, I can tell you that the
closer your specialty is to the end user, the more important language
skills become no matter what company you work for. If you are a server
worm you can get away with less language, but if you are Tier 1
support.. well, you should be able to easily understand the user's
issue and guide them through the fix in Japanese.
We had LOTS of highly skilled IT applicants come through, but
companies only wanted bilingual techs for the most part. Coming over
without those language skills is a big mistake in most cases, although
it's not impossible to find a position. On the other hand we also had
to turn away a lot of Japanese techs because of poor language skills
or because they got trapped in a Japanese company and had only worked
on AS400/COBOL since the early 90's. Staying in a Japanese company
will kill any chance of updating your skills.