By Wong Li Yee
Around two years of working in Malaysia since his graduation from Taylor's Business School, Sarawakian Edwin Sab, 24, finally had the chance to try working part time in Japan. Before that, he has to clear the initial stage, which is getting the job he wants.
Around May, He went for the interview to get a job as a part time worker in Seven Eleven, a convenience store, also known as コンビニ(konbini) in Japan.
It was his first interview in Japan. Sab had went through five days of orientation at his language school in Kitakyushu before going for it. The orientation had covered basic questions asked in an interview, the answers for them, mannerisms as well as body language.
"The lady who was interviewing me had spoke in rapid Japanese," Sab shared as we conversed through Skype. "And it was difficult to follow what she was saying sometimes. She has a thick Kyushu accent."
"Even in English classes we're not taught these things. We don't say, this is how you use y'all, this is how you use c'mon. Right?" he said.
Sab pointed out that working in a convenient store was a highly sought job by foreign students who are searching for part time jobs. It's a job which did not include heavy lifting and plenty chances for them to interact with customers.
He thought he had failed the interview because he panicked when asked about his motivation for choosing to work there.
Before he left the interview, Sab was told that he would get a phone call by the next Monday if he gets the job. That Monday, he did not receive a call. His advisor never got the call either, and they started finding another job interview.
It was the next Monday that Edwin got the call, and rejected the job offer.
His reason was that the shop manager stipulated that the part-timer will have to memorise all of the products sold and the price of each item in the shop.
Additionally, the average age of the convenience shop workers were older than 40 years old. He preferred to work somewhere with people his age.
Also, the call came a week later than he expected and he had already put it behind him and was looking forward to other jobs he could do.
The advisor acquiesced, saying, "Okay, we'll find a different job for you. What would you like to do?"
"A kitchen helper, maybe." he suggested.
On 5 Jun, which was a few months since the interview, he woke to find his bicycle stolen.
"I heard sounds coming from the outside, where my bike was. I didn't know it was the sound of my bicycle being stolen."
He recalled that the last time he had used his bike was when he had went home after going to the convenient store to buy some food that night.
This was something which normally does not happen in Japan, as each bike had to be registered with the authorities. His bicycle wheels had been locked, front and back, and placed in front of the building which meant that the thief had probably carried the bike away instead of cycling away.
"I lodged a report with the police, the police started searching for it very soon after I made it."
He later found out that new bicycle owners have the risk of their bicycle being stolen. His bicycle was bought three months ago.
"I should've bought a cheap bike or a second hand-bike. They never told me that new bikes are often the target for theft," he said. His bike is yet to be found.
In late August, the advisor told him that there was an opening for a job for making boxed meals, known as 弁当(bentou) in Japan.
Considering this much better than the job offer at the convenient store, Sab agreed to go to the interview.
"I was tricked by my advisor," he joked. "She said that the job for packing boxed meals wasn't confirmed yet, but she had another job interview lined up that day."
That was how Sab ended up going to Sunsky, an upscale hotel for his second job interview.
The manager of the reception area met them at the foyer. Lo and behold, it turns out that he wasn't the one who will be interviewing him.
"The man who was in charge of the kitchen, fully dressed in white chef uniform, even with his chef hat came and said that he was the one who was offering a job. It was for a waiter position in Tia, the restaurant on the top floors of the hotel." he said.
Sab's advisor, explained who he was, and moderated most of the interview. At the end of the interview, the chef decided that he could work there as a waiter.
"I was the first foreigner who was hired to work at the restaurant," Edwin said. "Thankfully, it was buffet style, which made it easier."
His working experience at the restaurant had taught him many things.
Japanese people are particular about the processes. They emphasise speed and efficiency, following the philosophy of Kaizen, which is the collective effort of every worker to make the operation of the business better, according to a book, The spirit of Kaizen by Robert Maurer.
He also said that learning shortcuts and slang that locals use is also important when working in a foreign country that requires speaking a foreign language.
Sometimes Japanese people shorten the words. Washable things, which are called あらいもの(araimono), can be shortened to あらいもん(araimon). できない(dekinai), which means can't do it, can be shortened to できん(dekin). The key to being good at picking these up is through listening attentively during daily interaction with locals.
Punctuality is also very important. Be there five minutes before appointed time. "If you are lucky, then your manager might be a bit more forgiving." he said.
Sab had just finished his first semester in his language school in Japan and is still working part time in Sunsky's restaurant, Tia.
Around two years of working in Malaysia since his graduation from Taylor's Business School, Sarawakian Edwin Sab, 24, finally had the chance to try working part time in Japan. Before that, he has to clear the initial stage, which is getting the job he wants.
Around May, He went for the interview to get a job as a part time worker in Seven Eleven, a convenience store, also known as コンビニ(konbini) in Japan.
It was his first interview in Japan. Sab had went through five days of orientation at his language school in Kitakyushu before going for it. The orientation had covered basic questions asked in an interview, the answers for them, mannerisms as well as body language.
"The lady who was interviewing me had spoke in rapid Japanese," Sab shared as we conversed through Skype. "And it was difficult to follow what she was saying sometimes. She has a thick Kyushu accent."
"Even in English classes we're not taught these things. We don't say, this is how you use y'all, this is how you use c'mon. Right?" he said.
Sab pointed out that working in a convenient store was a highly sought job by foreign students who are searching for part time jobs. It's a job which did not include heavy lifting and plenty chances for them to interact with customers.
He thought he had failed the interview because he panicked when asked about his motivation for choosing to work there.
Before he left the interview, Sab was told that he would get a phone call by the next Monday if he gets the job. That Monday, he did not receive a call. His advisor never got the call either, and they started finding another job interview.
It was the next Monday that Edwin got the call, and rejected the job offer.
His reason was that the shop manager stipulated that the part-timer will have to memorise all of the products sold and the price of each item in the shop.
Additionally, the average age of the convenience shop workers were older than 40 years old. He preferred to work somewhere with people his age.
Also, the call came a week later than he expected and he had already put it behind him and was looking forward to other jobs he could do.
The advisor acquiesced, saying, "Okay, we'll find a different job for you. What would you like to do?"
"A kitchen helper, maybe." he suggested.
On 5 Jun, which was a few months since the interview, he woke to find his bicycle stolen.
"I heard sounds coming from the outside, where my bike was. I didn't know it was the sound of my bicycle being stolen."
He recalled that the last time he had used his bike was when he had went home after going to the convenient store to buy some food that night.
This was something which normally does not happen in Japan, as each bike had to be registered with the authorities. His bicycle wheels had been locked, front and back, and placed in front of the building which meant that the thief had probably carried the bike away instead of cycling away.
"I lodged a report with the police, the police started searching for it very soon after I made it."
He later found out that new bicycle owners have the risk of their bicycle being stolen. His bicycle was bought three months ago.
"I should've bought a cheap bike or a second hand-bike. They never told me that new bikes are often the target for theft," he said. His bike is yet to be found.
In late August, the advisor told him that there was an opening for a job for making boxed meals, known as 弁当(bentou) in Japan.
Considering this much better than the job offer at the convenient store, Sab agreed to go to the interview.
"I was tricked by my advisor," he joked. "She said that the job for packing boxed meals wasn't confirmed yet, but she had another job interview lined up that day."
That was how Sab ended up going to Sunsky, an upscale hotel for his second job interview.
The manager of the reception area met them at the foyer. Lo and behold, it turns out that he wasn't the one who will be interviewing him.
"The man who was in charge of the kitchen, fully dressed in white chef uniform, even with his chef hat came and said that he was the one who was offering a job. It was for a waiter position in Tia, the restaurant on the top floors of the hotel." he said.
Sab's advisor, explained who he was, and moderated most of the interview. At the end of the interview, the chef decided that he could work there as a waiter.
"I was the first foreigner who was hired to work at the restaurant," Edwin said. "Thankfully, it was buffet style, which made it easier."
His working experience at the restaurant had taught him many things.
Japanese people are particular about the processes. They emphasise speed and efficiency, following the philosophy of Kaizen, which is the collective effort of every worker to make the operation of the business better, according to a book, The spirit of Kaizen by Robert Maurer.
He also said that learning shortcuts and slang that locals use is also important when working in a foreign country that requires speaking a foreign language.
Sometimes Japanese people shorten the words. Washable things, which are called あらいもの(araimono), can be shortened to あらいもん(araimon). できない(dekinai), which means can't do it, can be shortened to できん(dekin). The key to being good at picking these up is through listening attentively during daily interaction with locals.
Punctuality is also very important. Be there five minutes before appointed time. "If you are lucky, then your manager might be a bit more forgiving." he said.
Sab had just finished his first semester in his language school in Japan and is still working part time in Sunsky's restaurant, Tia.