Job Hunting (就職活動) - 2: Narrowing the Gap

During the job hunting process in Japan that I've done until now, I have realized that although I have learned some conversational Japanese, some business Japanese including honorifics (wiki), my knowledge about educational Japanese is still very low. So what's this educational Japanese ? Well basically it includes everything a normal Japanese learns in his high school years, like Japanese mathematical terms, phrases (yojijyukugo), animal (including insects !) names, etc. A lot !

I don't think it's possible for a foreigner like me who first came to study as a master student to learn them all. Yet, given that almost all the companies need us to get good scores on job tests, so called as 適性検査(tekisei kensa) which primarily contain the aforementioned educational Japanese, in order to proceed to the next steps or interviews, it's wise to at least narrow the gap between me and an average Japanese person as much as possible. Otherwise, the chance is high that other Japanese people will get much better scores than me. Another problem is that given the time limit during the tests, I also need to adjust myself to Kanji so that not only am I able to read it, but I am also able to read it as quickly as an average Japanese person.

So I'd like to share here what steps I am planning to narrow the gap:
1. I am now trying to read Japanese news in Japanese, perhaps by reading newspaper, or reading news in Japanese news site such as asahi.
2. Podcast is a useful tool for learning a new language, and I have been using it to learn Japanese. However, a podcast directed to another language, for example English, speaking people tends to be simple and easy. A news podcast in Japanese, such as Yomiuri, however, will make us realize what an average Japanese listens to everyday, including the (slowest) speed of conversation and the common vocabulary.
3. I have bought several books about the job tests and had a look at what type of questions usually appear on those tests.
4. This is a bit extreme perhaps, but I am planning to record my voice while saying my answers of general interview questions. This is not for getting good scores on job tests, but rather for the interview later in the process.

Of course, it's also better to talk more to Japanese people in order to make your Japanese more fluent for the interview or any chance of conversation with company employees that you may have. But the caveat is that the Japanese friends tend to be very forgiving in listening to your grammatical and phonetic errors, and you are wise not to expect the interviewers or the employees to do the same thing without incurring bad impression.

This last paragraph is my personal opinion on people who are expecting their Ph.D degree, like me. Getting your school's recommendation or following another route to employment which puts you in advantage because of your Ph.D degree are also several possible options, but only a handful of companies provide such employment routes. If the company that you want to work for is inside that list, it's good for you, but if it isn't, doesn't it upset you to see your master or even undergraduate juniors able to work in the company that they want to work for, while you who have a Ph.D degree can't ?

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