Student Blog

Hello everyone.

In this article series, Job Hunting Tips for APU Students 2020, we asked students who have successfully found employment for the secrets to their success, including their thoughts behind job hunting as well as their activities. Take a big step into life after university and find the answers that are right for you from interviews with upper-year students. I hope job hunting leads to success for all of you.

Job Hunting Tips for APU Students 2020 -Vol.1 TSVETKOV Radoslav Tsvetanov

Job offer in the organization and personnel consulting sector 丸山迅（MARUYAMA Jin）
The second part of this series is about MARUYAMA Jin who received a job offer in the organization and personnel consulting sector.

Profile
Country: Japan
Graduating college: College of International Management (APM)
Graduation year: March 2021
Job hunting motto:
I want to create a society where as many people as possible can live their own way and follow their own path.
Experience during university:
Joined the AUA student group in my first year, became a leader in my third year, and am currently active as the longest participating member.

Question 1: When did you start job hunting?

In around October of my third year, I began looking for employment. I started participating in job hunting events in spring of my second year. At that time, I was more interested in internship experiences than actual jobs. In the summer of my third year, I participated in five summer internships. I chose the internships based on how much they would offer me in terms of growth. The job-hunting events I went to in my second year gave me opportunities to meet with companies I had never heard of before, and to connect with a job recruiting website mentor. I was also able to participate in company briefing sessions and job screenings.

Question 2: Why did you want a job in the organization and personnel consulting sector?

I chose this sector because of how much it had in common with the work I was doing in the AUA student organization. As a result of the company briefing sessions, I had job screenings with three companies. One of these companies provided organization and personnel consulting. During university, I was the department manager and representative of the AUA. As such, I constantly had to think about how to motivate our members, make our work rewarding, and improve the AUA’s environment. Since the tasks I performed in AUA relate to organization consulting, I thought I might be suited to a job like that, so I kept an eye out for this sector during the job screening process. I learned about the company I now work for, a company I was very interested in, from an upperclassman I knew who was scheduled to do an interview there. After I interviewed with the company, I participated in an internship, received news of my tentative selection, and then received an official job offer in March of my third year. During the interview, I thought about not only the environment I wanted to work in, including how much discretionary power I would be allowed and whether or not I would agree with the company’s philosophies, but also about how I wanted to contribute to society. I carefully considered what I wanted to achieve in society and put it into words. Of all the companies in organization and personnel consulting sector, I chose to join the one where I felt I could provide the kind of value I want to give back to society.

Question 3: How did you figure out what value you want to offer society?

I figured this out during university through my experience working diligently towards my interests.
I believe that the value one offers society continues evolving. Right now, I want to create a society where as many people as possible can live their own way and follow their own path. ‘Their own way’ means everyone embracing their own uniqueness. During my time at university, I learned the importance of being authentically me after I got so concerned with what everyone else thought of me that I lost myself. ‘Our path’ means acknowledging not only the individual, but how each individual fits into the whole as well. In AUA, instead of focusing on each member’s individual goals, we all share the same expectations and walk one path together as an organization. I want to create a society that fosters both that shared and individual experiences. It is because I worked diligently on the things I wanted to during my time as a university student that I have things to talk about and anecdotes to share. I think you should start job hunting as a first-year student. Even after starting job hunting activities, your motivation may fade. The important thing is to earnestly go over what you were able to accomplish to the best of your abilities in the organizations you participated in, and what you learned from those experiences. Taking the time to do what I really wanted to do for my own learning was certainly linked to my to job hunting efforts.

Question 4: What did you focus on during interviews?

There are three things I kept in mind during interviews. The first is ‘be yourself.’ I made a conscious decision to not be nervous and to show the real me. The second is ‘be aware of others.’ If you are not conscious of the interviewer, you will end up talking about only the things you want to talk about. In this situation, I become self-conscious and get even more nervous, so I try to consider what I want to clearly convey to the interviewer. The third is ‘be grateful.’ I decided to throw myself completely into job screening with a sense of gratitude for all the people who would be happy for me to receive a job offer. In preparation for my interviews, I wrote these three key points things down in my notebook. I can still clearly recall the moments when I remembered these key points during my final interview with the company I now work for.

Question 5: What do you wish you had done differently during university?

I wish I had done more self-analysis during my first year. I think that would have allowed me to make more meaningful decisions during university. Through high school, even when I made my own choices, the final decision was usually up to my parents. When I started university, it was the first time in my life that I had to make all my life decisions myself, including what to study, what student groups to join, and how to spend my time. At the same time, I was being evaluated by others every day, such as through course grades and extracurricular activities. The more praise I received on the things I was good at, the more I tried to develop only those things, to the point that I strayed from myself. Then, around the end of my second year, I realized how I was pushing myself, and I decided to do what I wanted to do without worrying about what others would think. Self-analysis for job hunting and decision-making in university go hand in hand. I think it is good to start self-analysis in your first year so that you can determine how and with whom you want to spend your time, including what student groups to join and where to focus your efforts.

Question 6: What actions did you take to change yourself?

You can’t change all at once, so I focused on two actions and in order to decide what I really want to do gradually. The first is repeated self-reflection. When I consider myself and my goals, I think about how the number of colors that make up a rainbow varies from country to country, even without seeing it for yourself. I realized that I was very conventionally thinking of myself as part of society rather than as an individual, just like the number of colors in a rainbow. Whenever I get frustrated or feel as though I am getting swayed by trends, I pause to reflect on myself as an individual. The second is to make time for yourself away from others. It is not until you step away from others and their opinions that you realize how much impact they have on you; only once you acknowledge this can you accept yourself as you truly are. I made time to understand my feelings and thoughts as an individual outside the influence of others.

Question 7: Finally, do you have a message for all the lower year students who are just starting their job search?

Value your individuality so that you can make your own decisions and job hunt in your own way.
I think the end of job hunting should not be determined by a length of time, but by your decision. You can continue job hunting until graduation, but the number of companies that will be open to job screening will become more limited. It is also important to decide that though there may be better companies out there, you will do you best at the company that chose to hire you. To that end, make time to reflect on yourself as an individual away from others, and go about job hunting with resolution and intention.

My next post will be an interview with a senior colleague who was offered a job in the Chemical industry! Enjoy!

Yumena Nakagawa