Re: [tlug] looking for a job

[Pier Fumagalli <pier@example.com>]

On Sat, May 19, 2012 at 10:09 AM, Laurent K <laurent.kol@example.com> wrote:
>
> I’d also be glad to hear any tips about how to secure an IT job in Tokyo,
> how can I improve my profile, how can I put most chances on my side?

As I normally stand on the other side of the fence (playing recently
the hiring manager) these are the few tidbits that my team and I look
for when screening candidates:

* Curriculum Vitae / Resume

Make sure that your resume is brief (no 20 pagers) but not too short
(give a serious gist of what you've done). Under each position you
held in the past list not only what you've actually done (the down to
earth job), but highlight the achievements, what experience that
position gave you and more importantly the tangible benefits that the
company got out of your time there.

Be quantitative (how many servers did you manage? How big was that
application you wrote?) and extremely detailed (a "large number of
servers" doesn't mean anything, "one of the biggest sites in its
sector" is not as good as highlighting the exact number of
visitors/pageviews/hits/...), but don't get into troubles (remember,
some data is confidential).

Also, your resume needs to be as relevant as possible to the job
you're applying: if you have good experience both as a developer *AND*
as a system administrator, prepare *TWO* resumes with different
editorial cuts and different highlights. If (for example) you've
developed and maintained operationally a Python-based website,
consider the following two edits:

    Developed Python app and maintained it running over
    Ubuntu Linux 10.04 LTS. Integrated deployment of the
    application with APT-based package management
    (built an internal APT repository using "reprepro") and
    centralized monitoring of server and application
    using Cacti and ZenOSS, integrating SNMP for host
    and custom pollers for apps.

  or

    Developed Python 2.4 MVC app following. Architected
    the core design of the models and data structures, used
    Web2PY as a controller but implemented views using
    Jinja2 for better templatinf flexibility. Backend developed
    with PostgreSQL 9 (developed the core schema architecture)
    and worked with MemcacheD for caching and Sphynx for search.
    also managed deployment and integration with monitoring.


* Cover Letter

Let the hiring manager know the reasons why you think you're a good
fit for the position: don't let him/her figure this out from your
resume but look at what the company does, research its market
(competitors and whatnot) and try to understand the corporate culture.

A good cover letter that highlights the reasons why someone should
hire you for that specific position and what you can bring to the
table that could improve the hiring company's situation (if they are
hiring, they need you more than you need them) goes a long way.

Customize the letter for who is reading it: don't use phrases like
"I'd like to apply for the position at your company", but always cite
the company name "I'd like to apply for the XYZ position at ABC
Industries KK that I found advertised on your website/the Asahi
Shimbun/GaijinPot Jobs/...".


* Screening or Interview

If you make it past the CV phase and you get called up for a screening
or an interview, PLEASE, go the extra mile: research the company
you're applying for in details, if they have a website learn
everything you can from it: the most annoying thing we face when
interviewing is having someone showing up who has never opened our
site, or didn't register to see beyond the "welcome to Gilt" page.

Also, try to dig a bit deeper and look at the company's market, its
affiliates, its competitors, and how it compares against them. The
best question I've ever heard is "your competitor X has this
functionality, why haven't you implemented it in your product?"

And finally, if you don't know the answer to a question, don't be
afraid to say, "I'm sorry, I don't know this": honesty is better than
trying to come up with vague, unsubstantiated, random answers.


Good luck!

     Pier