Employment Exam in Japan
Document-based exams, written examinations and interviews are often used as part of an employment exam in Japan even though it may differ depending on the company. What is especially distinctive in Japan is that you will need to write a Japanese essay in the document called entry sheet which is what international students struggle most with. Preparations must be made prior to taking the examinations, and you must also review certain rules and manners beforehand.
(1)Document-Based Exams
The first examination is the document-based exams.
T he documents that are submitted for the examination can be categorized into 2 types.
[Resume]
Resume is a document used for both new graduate recruitment and midcareer recruitment in which the applicant will need to submit a document with personal information such as birth date, address, contact number, academic and professional background, and licenses and certifications. Document format can be obtained at stationary stores or online and special resume format for each university is often sold at the respective university.
[Entry sheet]
By submitting an entry-sheet, you will make a formal application to take the employment-exam.
The entry-sheet is very unique in the following points. One is the fact that companies are adopting different test formats. Another is that it has a short Japanese writing section (approximately 200 to 400 letters) where you have to answer to questions from the company such as why you would like to enter this company or what did you work hard at when you were a student. International students struggle most with this.
(2)Exams
Exams generally include the aptitude test, general knowledge test, and Japanese writing or short essay. Generally speaking, many companies adopt the aptitude test. There are many types of aptitude tests but usually language related questions such as Japanese or English, or mathematic questions are on the exams. The questions are not particularly difficult but time is limited. You have to train yourself in advance to answer many questions correctly in a short time.
[Aptitude Test]
There are 3 types of aptitude tests: “Competency Aptitude Test”, “Personality Aptitude test” and “Synthetic Personality Inventory”. “Competency Aptitude Test” is to comprehend one’s basic academic skills and knowledge. “Personality Aptitude Test” is to evaluate one’s personality, behavioral trait and adaptability to professional duties and organizations. “Synthetic Personality Inventory” is a combination of both “Competency Aptitude Test” and “Personality Aptitude Test”. “Synthetic Personality Inventory” is the test most commonly used by Japanese companies.
[General Knowledge Test]
This test includes questions from a wide range including Japanese, mathematics, social studies, science, English, sports, and current affairs. The test is to evaluate one’s basic academic skills and knowledge. Preparation such as reading the newspaper regularly is necessary.
[Compositions and Essays]
This test evaluates one’s logical thinking, perspective, creativeness, and information collecting ability. Both the time and number of characters are limited so it is necessary to write comprehensibly and concisely. Preparations such as regularly writing Japanese writing is necessary.
(3)Interview Test
It is common for a company to have three or more interviews for new graduate recruitment. Companies conduct multiple interviews because they want employees of various positions to check the applicant's personality and way of thinking in order to ascertain if he or she is really suitable for the company.
There are several types of job interviews in Japan. The three most common types of interviews are the group discussion interview, group interview and individual interview.
[Group Discussion]
One group will consist of 4 to 6 people and the interview will be carried out by discussing a theme provided by the company and they will need to present the results. The interviewer will be evaluating the discussion objectively, from outside the group. This discussion is carried out for the purpose to see how well one performs within a group when addressing a task.
［Group Interview］
Companies that have many applicants will carry out group interviews to narrow down the applicants to a reasonable number so that they can have individual interview. This method is done by about 2 interviewers interviewing 2 to 5 applicants at the same time. Group interviews have features such as “each person’s response time is short” or “be compared to other applicants”. These features are not seen in individual interviews. The interview details are based on the entry sheet or resume submitted in prior and the interviewer will ask the applicants in turn.
[Individual interview]
Unlike a group interview, individual interviews are carried out with enough time for the interviewer to grasp an understanding of an applicant's personality.
Interviewers will not only check your response to the questions but also your attitude, posture, business manners, facial expression and way of speaking. The interview is carried out based on the entry sheet or resume submitted in prior.
