Three conditions for a long-term workplace
To keep working as an engineer for the long term, it's important to have all three of the following. If any one of them is missing, you may stop growing, fall ill or lose your motivation.
| Condition | What it means | What happens without it |
|---|---|---|
| You can grow | Opportunities to work with new technologies, plus time and support for learning | Doing the same tasks over and over lowers your value on the job market |
| You can work without strain | Little overtime, the ability to take time off, and a choice of where you work | You become mentally and physically exhausted and can no longer keep working |
| You're fairly evaluated | You can see how evaluations and pay are decided | A sense that your efforts go unrewarded keeps building up |
What to check in job postings
Job postings contain plenty of clues for sizing up a workplace.
- Job description: Rather than something vague like "all aspects of development," does it say specifically which phases of the work you'll handle and which technologies you'll use?
- Salary breakdown: If fixed overtime pay (minashi zangyo, a set amount of overtime pay built into the salary) is included, how many hours does it cover, and are hours beyond that paid?
- Overtime: Does it state the average monthly overtime?
- Working style: Whether remote work is possible and how often, and whether there's a flextime system
- Days off: The number of days off per year, and whether it says "kanzen shukyu futsuka-sei" (two days off every week) or just "shukyu futsuka-sei" (a "two-day weekend system," which doesn't necessarily mean two days off every week)
- Training and support: Training programs, support for buying books and earning certifications, and so on
Anything that isn't written down, you can simply ask about at the interview. Finding out why it isn't written down is also an important factor in your decision.
Questions to ask at interviews
An interview is where the company chooses among its applicants, but it's also where applicants get to know the company. Don't hesitate to ask questions.
About the work
- What kind of work will I be given in my first 3 months?
- How many people are on the team, and what is each person's role?
- What languages and frameworks do you use, and how do you run development (agile, for example)?
About growth
- How do you decide to adopt a new technology?
- Do you support study groups or earning certifications? How many people actually make use of that support?
- What kind of work are people in this role doing 3 and 5 years in?
About working conditions
- What has average monthly overtime been recently?
- How often do people work remotely, and when do they need to come into the office?
- When is your busy season, and how busy does it get?
About evaluation
- What criteria are evaluations based on, who carries them out and how often?
- How is pay decided, and how often is it reviewed?
What to check in particular if you'll work at client sites
At companies where you work by joining clients' projects, such as SES (system engineering service) companies, it's also worth checking the following points.
| What to check | Why |
|---|---|
| Whether you can choose your own projects | If the company decides unilaterally, you may drift away from the skills you want to build |
| Pay between projects (while on standby) | Some companies cut your pay while you're on standby. Check whether it's guaranteed in full, or what percentage you get |
| Whether the contract rate and the return rate (the share paid to you) are disclosed | You can see how your work is valued and how that's reflected in your pay |
| Whether there are days you report back to the company office, or company events | On top of your work at the client site, you may be expected to come into your own company's office regularly |
| Support from sales staff and account managers | Is there someone you can turn to when you run into trouble at a client site? |
For example, Fuji Tokyo Service, which runs this magazine, has made the freedom to choose your own projects, disclosure of the contract rate and the pay formula, and a 100% pay guarantee during standby into a system it calls Free Employee (jiyu seishain). You can read more about how the system works in our article on Fuji Tokyo Service.
Warning signs
If you notice any of the following, dig a little deeper before you decide to join.
- You ask about the work or where you'll be assigned, but get no concrete answer.
- Questions about overtime or staff turnover are dodged.
- You're pressed unusually hard to respond to a job offer.
- The company won't give you the working conditions in writing.
Under the Labor Standards Act, companies are required to set out working conditions in writing or a similar form. Before you accept an offer, be sure to check your pay, place of work, job duties, working hours, days off and other conditions in writing.
After you join
- Ask early when you don't understand something: Don't keep it to yourself. Work through things in consultation with your team.
- Keep communicating your career goals: Set up regular conversations with your manager or account manager, and tell them about the skills you want to build and the work you want to take on.
- Don't overlook changes in your health: If you keep having trouble sleeping, or can't stop thinking about work even on your days off, talk to someone early.
Summary
- Check that all three are in place: you can grow, you can work without strain and you're fairly evaluated.
- Pay attention both to how the job posting is written and to what it leaves out.
- At interviews, ask concrete questions about the work, growth, working conditions and evaluation.
- If you'll be working at client sites, check how projects are chosen, pay during standby and whether rates are disclosed.
- Check your working conditions in writing before you accept.
