The overall process and schedule
A job search typically takes about 3 to 6 months, from preparation to your first day at the new company. If you're doing it while still working at your current job, make a plan that leaves some room to spare.
| Approximate timing | What to do |
|---|---|
| Month 1 | Sort out why you want to change jobs and what you want from your next workplace. Take stock of your experience |
| Months 1 to 2 | Write your rirekisho (standard-format resume) and shokumu keirekisho (detailed career history). Look for openings and apply |
| Months 2 to 3 | Go through interviews (first round, second round, final round and so on) |
| Months 3 to 4 | Receive an offer. Check the working conditions, accept, and give notice to your current employer |
| Months 4 to 6 | Hand over your work, use up your paid leave and prepare to start at the new company |
1. Preparation: Get clear on your reasons and requirements
Start by writing down why you want to change jobs. Pay, the work itself, how you work, relationships at work, future prospects. The key is to write down not just what you're unhappy with but also what you'd like to do next.
Then put the requirements for your next workplace in order of priority.
- Non-negotiable requirements (for example, annual salary, location, remote work)
- Nice-to-haves (for example, technologies you'd like to try, less overtime)
- Things you're flexible on
A workplace that meets every requirement is hard to find. Deciding on your priorities in advance keeps you from getting stuck when you compare openings.
Taking stock of your experience
Write down what you've been responsible for in your jobs so far, what you did to make things work better, and what results you achieved. Wherever possible, record anything that can be expressed in numbers (sales, number of cases, time saved and so on) as figures. These become material you can use as is in your career history and at interviews.
2. How to find openings
| Method | Features | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Job sites | Compare a large number of openings at your own pace | People who want to gather information and decide for themselves |
| Recruitment agencies | A consultant introduces openings, reviews your documents and schedules your interviews | First-timers who want to get advice as they go |
| Scouting services | Register your career history, and companies and agencies approach you | People who want to know their market value |
| Referrals from people you know | You can hear about the atmosphere at the company and how people actually work before you apply | People aiming for an industry where they know someone they trust |
| Company websites | Find openings only that company posts, and learn its approach to hiring | People who already know which company they want to join |
Rather than relying on just one, combining several widens your options. For companies that interest you, look beyond the job posting at their websites, employee interviews and news coverage as well.
3. Tips for your application documents
- Write your career history with the reader in mind: Put the experience most relevant to the job you're applying for first.
- Separate what your team handled from what you did yourself: Describe the role you played in the team's results.
- Include numbers: Rather than "made operations more efficient," write "cut a task that took 20 hours a month down to 5 hours."
- Don't reuse the same documents: For each application, revise your reasons for applying and the experience you highlight.
4. Tips for interviews
Questions you're likely to be asked at interviews include the following.
- Your experience so far, and the work in which you achieved the most
- Why you're thinking of changing jobs
- Why you chose this company, and what you want to do once you join
- What kind of work you want to be doing in the future
When explaining why you want to change jobs, don't just talk about your dissatisfaction with your current workplace. Reframe it in positive terms, as what you want to do at your next one. The "Do you have any questions?" at the end of the interview is your chance to find out about the work itself and the working conditions. Have a few questions ready.
5. From job offer to leaving your job
Check the working conditions in writing
When you receive an offer, check your pay, place of work, job duties, working hours, days off and other conditions in writing before you reply. Under the Labor Standards Act, companies are required to set out working conditions in writing or a similar form. If anything differs from what you were told verbally, ask about it before you accept.
Giving notice
It's usual to give notice verbally, to your direct manager first. Legally, if your employment has no fixed term, you're considered able to leave 2 weeks after giving notice, but many companies' work rules specify a notice period such as "at least one month in advance." Allow for the time it takes to hand over your work, and give notice with time to spare.
Handing over your work, and paid leave
- Write down the work you're in charge of, how far along it is and the contact details of the people involved, and hand it all over.
- Check how many days of paid leave you have left, and plan to use them alongside your handover schedule.
- Return the computer, employee ID card and anything else the company has lent you.
What to prepare before you start
- Gather the documents your new company asks for, such as something that shows your basic pension number (your pension handbook or Basic Pension Number Notification), your Employment Insurance Insured Person's Certificate and your withholding tax statement.
- If there will be a gap between your last day and your start date, check the procedures for health insurance and the pension.
Summary
- Expect a job search to take 3 to 6 months. Plan it out while you keep working at your current job.
- Write down your reasons and requirements, and put the requirements in order of priority.
- Combine several ways of finding openings.
- In your career history, describe your role and results with numbers.
- After receiving an offer, check the conditions in writing, and give notice with time to spare.
Your first job change is also a chance to take a fresh look at how you work. For more on choosing a workplace as an engineer, see How to choose a workplace where engineers can work for the long term.
