Among the numerous users of WeXpats Agent, a career support service that specialises in employment of foreign nationals in Japan, there are many aspiring IT engineers looking for IT-related job opportunities that do not require prior working experience as a condition for hiring.
Everyone has their own motivations such as wanting to apply to work the programming skills learnt in their home country or during studies abroad, or desiring to thrive in an environment where their IT skills are valued over Japanese language proficiency. There are also many who take the plunge to study IT in order to secure stable employment as IT engineers are in demand in Japan.
However, starting a career from scratch in a place far away from home naturally comes with some anxiety.
How do budding IT engineers take their first steps in Japan? We spoke to President Matsubara of WeStyle Co., Ltd. (株式会社WeStyle), where foreign employees of diverse skill levels work, and aspiring IT engineers with no work experience can find employment.
Are you having any issues with job-hunting in Japan?
Choose a Company that Respects “What You Can Do” and “What You Want to Do”
WeStyle Co., Ltd. (株式会社WeStyle) is a System Engineering Service (SES) company with a large number of foreign employees.
SES is a service that dispatches IT personnel to clients. In Japan, where there is a shortage of system engineers, the services of SES companies help support various sectors in society. The industry is always looking for new talent, and many people start their IT engineering careers at SES companies.
However, President Matsubara says, “There are some things I would like people who join SES companies without practical work experience to be aware of.”
“Generally, when it comes to matching at SES, priority is given to ‘what you can do now’ over ‘what you want to do in the future’. This is because clients are looking for someone who can perform immediately, and cannot afford to wait for growth. It is possible that you will be matched with work that is far from your ideal career. If you are reading this, I hope you look for a company that respects ‘what you want to do in the future’.”
At WeStyle, each employee is asked “What do you want to do?”, “What do you want to be?”. Job matches are evaluated not just based on IT skills, but also by looking deeper into their backgrounds and work values. As a specific example, President Matsubara told us about an employee who started his career with no prior work experience.
“This person had no work experience and had a vague idea of what an IT engineer job is like. However, he/she had clear strengths in having graduated from a foreign language university and was fluent in languages. Therefore, instead of starting his/her career as an engineer, he/she began as a “English-speaking Supporter”. While engaging in work that does not involve programming, such as creating documents in English, he/she was able to closely observe how senior engineers worked in the same workplace, allowing him/her to decide on ‘what I want to do in the future’ and to establish a career goal and direction.”
An IT engineer is a profession that requires constant study. However, if you do not have a clear goal for your future, it becomes difficult to concentrate on studies. “We ask our employees to think about their own careers in narrative terms,” says President Matsubara. Rather than merely respecting what employees want to do, they seem to be encouraging employees to seek a sense of purpose and independently decide what for, when to, and how to work hard.
▲ On the right, WeStyle HR’s Kakino-san.
“I have been working in the temporary staffing industry for about 30 years, and have watched the industry grow and change. I am happy that the demand has increased, but in the process, the hiring system has come to focus only on skills written on resumes. I feel that the individual’s uniqueness has become overlooked. The company name WeStyle reflects our desire to be a company where each employee can find their individuality through work.”
As mentioned in the beginning, WeStyle employs many people from overseas. The reason why WeStyle is focused on acquiring overseas human resources goes beyond the fact that “Japan has a shortage of IT human resources”, but also for positive reasons.
“I can only speak for those who I’ve encountered, but considering how they’ve chosen the challenging path of working away from their home countries, I feel they all possess a strong sense of purpose. It is an essential mindset for success as an IT engineer.”
Furthermore, President Matsubara also pays attention to how different Japan’s education system is in the global context.
Academic subjects in Japan are divided into “Humanities” and “Science” categories, with programming classified into the Science field. It is not uncommon for countries to have such divisions between liberal arts and sciences, but in Japan, the disconnect between the two is particularly obvious, with many people that say, “I am a liberal arts major, so I have never tried programming”. Additionally, there are few Japanese students who go on to pursue science fields.
“Experiences like “I dabbled in programming for research although it is not my specialty”, or “I took programming classes at school” will be advantageous. We want you to start your IT engineer career with no fear.”
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A Relationship of Trust Makes for a Comfortable Work Environment Even If Cultures and Ways of Thinking are Different
Apart from programming skills, there are also worries and concerns about working in Japan.
For example, the Japanese language. Although WeStyle does not require Japanese language test scores such as the JLPT as a condition for applications, most employees join the company with around N3 level Japanese. However, SES is a job where you are dispatched to work for a client. Is daily conversation level Japanese enough to converse?
“As a company, we provide Japanese language learning support tailored to each employee’s needs. Those who are not good at communication will practise client interviews, and those who are not good at Kanji will be taught how to read Japanese specifications. Also, when matching, we make sure to check what Japanese level the client is willing to accept.”
With that said, “As long as you can communicate to a certain extent, we do not place too much emphasis on Japanese language ability,” says President Matsubara.
WeStyle also focuses on the psychological and health care of its employees. President Matsubara’s philosophy is that “There is nothing more important than building a relationship of trust with employees”.
“I always tell our employees that if anything happens at their assigned location, to consult with their supervisors. However, as the number of foreign employees increases, I have noticed that many of them do not understand the concept of “consultation” in the first place. Many see dissatisfaction with the workplace environment or treatment as a personal issue that should not be brought up to their superiors. For those individuals, rather than directly intervening, we do our best to earn their trust in the company and their superiors. If trust is established, they can work with peace of mind even when apart, and when they are in need of help can come to rely on us.
When a new employee joins the company, President Matsubara always holds a welcome party and tells them, “It is the job of your supervisors to protect you.” For foreign employees, when new hires join the company, seniors from the same country are asked to assist in preparing a party as a way to welcome them. In the SES industry, where the sense of belonging to the company tends to be weak, WeStyle strives to be a safe haven where employees can return to with peace of mind.
“I believe that those of you reading this have your own reasons for wanting to work in Japan, or wanting to become an IT Engineer.” Those aspirations have potential to become your strengths. At WeStyle, we want to be a company that works together with you to fulfil your wants, and build a relationship where we can be part of your life. We look forward to your applications.”
Looking for a Full Time Position? Leave it to WeXpats Agent!
Interested in becoming an IT engineer? Consult with WeXpats Agent, a career support service that specialises in employment for foreign nationals living in Japan.
Recruitment agencies in Japan are a service where dedicated career advisors will assist you with your job hunt for free. In addition to introducing open positions, we also provide support to help you create your Japanese resume and practise for interviews. Worried about job hunting in Japanese? We are here for you.
Features of WeXpats Agent
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We have many job openings that are a good fit for foreign nationals to work in, such as translation, interpretation, inbound, etc. jobs that make use of your language skills, as well as engineering etc. jobs that do not require Japanese skills.
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Our career advisors support and help you prepare your resume and practice job interviews with you. Clearly communicate your strengths to the hiring company.
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We will handle communication with companies on your behalf, such as arranging interview dates and negotiating conditions. And thereby reducing your stress and time spent.
