Questions that are always asked in interviews at Japanese companies and how to answer them

Communication skills do not mean N1 level Japanese language proficiency.

Communication skills are essential for the interview process in Japan.

Having high communication skills and being able to speak Japanese are completely different things.

In the case of foreign nationals, even if they have passed N1 and can speak fluent Japanese, many are rejected due to lack of communication skills.

What is important is not the Japanese language ability of N1, but the ability of communication skills.

In fact, there are many cases where even Japanese nationals are rejected due to lack of communication skills.

In this article, I will explain in detail what we Japanese think “communication is.

Please read the last part of the article as I will also share with you how to improve your communication skills.

 

What are the communication skills?

 

We will explain in simple terms the difference between having high communication skills and being able to speak Japanese.

High communication skills are

 

To be able to understand the intent of the other party’s question and answer in a short, clear and easy-to-understand manner.

 

I ask questions as a means to obtain the information I want.

High communication skills are the ability to understand the background of a question and to convey the information desired by the other party in an easy-to-understand manner.

Why did he/she ask such a question?

What does he/she want to know through this questioning?

If you can answer questions with these considerations in mind, you will be a person with high communication skills.

The bottom line is not to respond to questions in a way that is off the mark.

On the contrary, being able to speak Japanese is

 

To respond to a question in Japanese, regardless of whether or not the other party understands.

 

To be able to speak Japanese is to be able to talk about a lot of things you are not even listening to in response to the other person’s questions.

The result is that the speaker is rambling on and on, and in the end, we have no idea what he or she is trying to say.

They do not understand the questioning, do not understand the intent of the other party’s questioning, and simply respond in Japanese.

When interviewing for a job, a company wants to hire a person who understands the intent of his or her own questions and can answer them in Japanese in a short, simple, and easy-to-understand manner.

To improve your communication skills, it is a good idea to learn how Japanese people in the same company talk to each other at meetings.

They communicate from their conclusions, so you can understand what they are trying to say.

Let’s compare answers that have communication skills and answers that do not have communication skills using examples of questions you may be asked at interviews at Japanese companies in Japan.

 

Self-introduction

 

In the self-introduction, you will state your name and country of origin, your work in your home country, and your current work in Japan.

Let’s look at some good and bad examples.

 

〇GOOD

本日ほんじつはお時間じかんをいただきありがとうございます。
Thank you for your time.

日本にほんから来きました田中太郎たなかたろうです。
My name is Taro Tanaka and I am from Japan.

母国ぼこくでは機械設計きかいせっけいエンジニアとして自動車部品じどうしゃぶひんを設計せっけいしていました。
In my home country, I worked as a mechanical design engineer designing automotive parts.

現在げんざいは自動車じどうしゃのプラスチック部品ぶひんを設計せっけいしております。
Currently, I am designing plastic parts for automobiles.

どうぞよろしくお願えんがいいたします。
I look forward to working with you.

 

It is easy to understand what kind of work they have done so far.

It is not necessary to explain in detail about your work in your self-introduction

Because you will be asked questions about your job later, you can explain them there.

Then here is a bad example.

 

×BAD

日本にほんから来きました田中太郎たなかたろうです。
My name is Taro Tanaka and I am from Japan.

昔むかしから機械きげんが好すきだったため、機械工学きかいこうがくの大学だいがくに入学にゅうがくしました。
I have always loved machines, so I enrolled in a university program in mechanical engineering.

大学だいがくでは車くるまを一いちから作つくるプロジェクトに参加さんかしました。
I participated in a project to build a car from scratch at my university.

私わたしはマフラーを作つくりました。
I made a muffler.

この経験けいけんを活いかしてマフラー設計会社せっけいがいしゃに入はいりたいです。
I would like to use this experience to join a muffler design company.

日本にほんの車くるまはクオリティが高たかく、私自身わたしじしんとても勉強べんきょうになります・・・
The quality of cars in Japan is very high, and I myself am learning a lot from them….

 

It is not a self-introduction, and the interviewer may wonder, “When is the interview over?

I understand your desire to convey your entire career history, but there is so much information that it is difficult to understand what you are trying to say.

Your self-introduction should be brief and to the point, taking no more than one minute.

 

Reason for change of occupation

 

In the “Reasons for changing jobs” section, you should provide specific reasons why you want to change jobs and why you must quit.

Let’s look at some good and bad examples.

 

〇GOOD

転職てんしょくの理由りゆうは、スキルアップしたいからです。
The reason for changing jobs is because I want to improve my skills.

今いまの仕事しごとではコロナの影響えいきょうでプロジェクトが少すくなくなり、月つきの半分はんぶんが休やすみだったり、設計せっけいとは違ちがうお仕事しごとを担当たんとうしているため、今いまはあまり設計せっけいのお仕事しごとはできません。
At my current job, I am not able to do much design work at the moment because I have to take a break for half of the month due to the Corona, and I am in charge of a different type of work than design design work.

スキルを落おとしたくないので、設計せっけいのお仕事しごとをしたいと会社かいしゃに相談そうだんしましたが、プロジェクトがなく設計せっけいのお仕事しごとはできないと言いわれました。
I did not want to lose my skills, so I asked the company if I could work as a design engineer, but they told me that there were no projects and I could not work as a design engineer.

だから設計せっけいができる会社かいしゃに転職てんしょくしてスキルアップしたいです。
That’s why I want to improve my skills by changing jobs at a company that offers design experience.

 

It is very good to start with the conclusion that “I want to improve my skills.

The reasons for changing jobs are explained in an easy-to-understand manner, so there is consistency in the reasons for changing jobs.

This would make sense to the interviewer.

Here is a bad example.

 

私わたしの仕事しごとは設計せっけいですが、今いまは別べつのお仕事しごとをしています。
My job is design design, but I am currently doing something else.

コロナの影響えいきょうでプロジェクトがなくなり、休業きゅうぎょうしているので給料きゅうりょうも下さがりました。
Due to the Corona, projects have been lost, and salaries have been reduced due to the closure of the business.

だから転職てんしょくをしたいです。
That’s why I want to change jobs.

 

This reason is not necessarily incomprehensible, but it is not good for the listener if the conclusion (the most important message) comes at the end.

When communicating something, start with a conclusion.

After that, you should state the specific and concrete reason for your message.

This will help you to create a clean and easy-to-understand text.

 

Skills and experience that can be utilized

 

I would like to share with you two ways in which you can contribute your experience and experience to the company.

We should also provide the basis for this information.

You want a job offer, and you want to make a lot of appeals, but be careful not to give too much information, because you will end up with too much information and you won’t know what you are trying to say.

Let’s look at some good and bad examples.

 

〇GOOD

５年間ねんかんの設計せっけいの経験けいけんを活いかして、そして英語えいごが得意とくいなのでグローバルに御社おんしゃで貢献こうけんしたいです。
I would like to make the most of my five years of experience in design and construction, and since I am fluent in English, I would like to contribute to the company on a global scale.


前職ぜんしょくでは設計せっけいがメインでしたが、海外かいがいサプライヤーとの交渉こうしょうや通訳つうやくなども担当たんとうしておりました。
In my previous job, I was mainly involved in design work, but I was also in charge of negotiations with overseas suppliers and interpretation.

海外かいがいサプライヤーと議論ぎろんすることでコストカットだけでなく、商品しょうひんの改善点かいぜんてんなども見みつけることができ、コミュニケーション能力のうりょくも鍛きたえることができました。
Through discussions with overseas suppliers, I was able to not only cut costs, but also find improvements or positive points in product items, and I was able to develop my communication skills.


御社おんしゃでも設計せっけいだけでなく、社員様しゃいんさまと積極的せっきょくてきにコミュニケーションを取とり、様々さまざまなお仕事しごとに挑戦ちょうせんしたいです。
I would like to work not only in design projects at your company, but also actively communicate with your employees and challenge myself in a variety of different jobs.

 

It is good to put what you want to convey in the first sentence of a sentence.

Next, it is important to explain the basis of your contribution to the project by sharing your own experiences.

Here is a bad example.

 

×BAD

私わたしの最初さいしょの仕事しごとはCADオペレーターで、図面ずめんを作成さくせいしていました。
My first job was as a CAD operator, creating drawings.

２つ目めの会社かいしゃでは自動車部品じどうしゃぶひんを設計せっけいしました。
At my second company, I designed automotive parts.

今いまの会社かいしゃでは配管はいかんの設計せっけいをしています。
At my current company, I am designing piping systems.

この経験けいけんを活いかしたいです。
I would like to make the most of this experience.

 

Although this applicant have conveyed what he has experienced, he has left out some important details.

The number of years of work experience and the specific details of the job are very important.

In this text, it is not clear whether you worked for a year or just trained for a two-month training period.

Also, what is the design specification for automotive parts, whether it is interior or exterior, and

which parts are they made of?

Who is the manufacturer?

There is no information such as the manufacturer.

As mentioned above, good communication skills mean understanding and responding to the intent of the question (why are you asking this question?) and answer the question with understanding.

The purpose of the questions is to ascertain the applicant’s experience in order to determine whether or not he/she can play an active role in the company’s projects.

If you can’t give them the number of years of work experience and the details of the design components, they don’t know if they can match you to the project.

To find out information, the interviewers have to ask again such as,

“How many years have you been designing and designing? and

“What parts did you design and design?

And who is the manufacturer?

This is called a communication skill deficiency capacity.

 

Summary

 

Again, high communication skills means the ability to understand the intent of the question and to convey the information desired by the other party in an easy-to-understand manner.

When you are asked a question, be careful to consider the following points before responding.

 

Why is the other party asking these questions?

What does the other party want to know through this questioning?

 

The way to develop communication skills is to start with a concluding.

Once you have conveyed your conclusion, convey its rationale.

This will improve communication skills and facilitate communication.

Of course, you can also pass the interview.