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Wednesday, January 11, 2006
2:48 PM
a few mates mailed inquiring about the jet interview, so i figured i would post it here in case it can prompt anyone to come on over! (and of course select miyako jima as their teaching location of choice :) )
a few pointers for the jet interview:
1. be prepared, especially in all matters japanese. learn some names,
check out the current events in japan (they asked me to name 3), and
of course why you are interested in japan.
2. knowing a word or two in japanese helps. even saying `konichiwa`
(hello) at the beginning is good. personally, when they asked me about my japanese ability, i counted to ten, which i learned in jujitsu class as a kid. totally dorky but also endearing.
3. beyond teaching, our job is really about being open, friendly,
bringing cultures together, having ideas and a certain amount
of sponteneity, WHILST trying to fit into and contributing to the
japanese working environment. you are not expected to know all the
answers, but you have to be sensitive enough to learn them.
4.read up on some canadian news too, and things that you would want to
teach your students about canada.
5. show them you are confident. they don`t want to hire people who
will get homesick and leave 2 weeks later. at the same time, though,
be honnest about homesickness and culture shock. its a reality
everyone faces when moving to a foreign country.
6. situational questions. they will ask a few of these. try and think
about what they want to hear as well as what you want to say.
basically, display in your answers that you are flexible, and be
honnest if you are not sure.
7. relax. seems obvious enough, and i think it is what allowed me to
get through the interview and score a job. in all honnesty, i was not
that well prepared. they asked me to name 3 current events in canada,
and 3 current events in japan, and i couldnt even name one!!! but i
managed to stay cool, and discuss with them. it was a good atmosphere.
i displayed my adaptability and eagerness to learn.
8. finally, the best advice i have ever given and received when it
comes to interviews in general, is to BASE EVERY ANSWER IN EXPERIENCE.
For instance, in answering the question: What are your 2 best
qualities? , the answer `I believe that my greatest quality is
openess, which I acquired in part through my upbringing as well as my
travels throughout Asia and Africa. This quality contributes to my
life positively, for example...My second quality is that I am responsible.
Working in a financial institution for 2 years taught me the importance of..
May seem obvious, and if it does I apologize, but having been the
interviewee a few times, you would be surprised how many people
answer: I am open and responsible. It may be true, but that sentence
alone will likely not sell me. I need proof! evidence!
The basing in experience goes for all questions of course, not just
the obvious ones. For the JET interview, they asked me how I would
deal with a very difficult class that was borderline out-of-control. I
explained that I would stay calm and not raise my voice, and specified
that I had experienced on-the-job stress where I behaved calmly, which
is why I could say with confidence: `I know I have the capacity to
keep it cool when I need to.`
Ok, there you have it. Feel free to bitch and comment.
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