HELP attending an interview?
 

I''ll be attending an interview soon, the interviewers are a jap boss and a local manager
any idea how i should greet them first? what are the formalities?
should i give a handshake and bow first or wait for them to initiate, and greet the jap boss in jap
"hajimemashite watashi mo XXXX desu, dozoyoroshiko onegai shimasu"
to give a good impression and then follow by normal english to the local manager and finally saying Watashi wa nihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu and Eigo desu ka ?

the main mode of communication is english or i should just totally forget it and speak in english.

You better give more details.

Hi thanks for the quick reply,
I have been recommended for a job interview based in Tokyo assisting the local manager at the main HQ.
I would like to know the correct steps to take when greeting the japanese boss once he entered the room because i want to impress him and i heard that Japanese likes people who make the effort to converse in jap languages.
or i should just speak in the default business english and don't impress at all in case i screwed up.

Is the interview for an English teacher?

Isn't a "manager" and "boss" the same?

Probably "hello, nice to meet you" with a hand shake.

Forget the JP formalities as you are not Japanese and I guess they wouldn't expect it from you.

You may make yourself look like a shcmuck if you attempt the local lingo;)

Frankly, I don't think you're ready to live in Japan.

damn ya beat me to it.

Crap, me too. Oh well, he did it really well. :cool:

You might as well write that interview off completely.
Do you have any idea how offensive that term is?!?


Frankly Nagoyankee, I wouldn't be too thrilled to have soemone using that verbiage living here in the U.S. either (though they still do :mad: ).

I am rather stunned to see it used on JF, especially more than once!

The only reason most people don't use it on JF is cos it says not to use it in the rules:rolleyes: . Not everyone looks at it as an ethnic slur! In England, there are many shows or companies that have "Jap" in their name. I've never met a Japanese person that has taken offense to me abreviating with Jap!

That's because England didn't have internment camps...

What's your point? Whether they had concentration camps or not doesn't change the fact that the word "Jap" is used with no awkwardness. Even Japanese people use it. Heck, a pretty famous Japanese person opened a shop in Paris with "Jap" in the name

Actually I think it does change the fact. (Not taking a tone with ya, just to clarify; I'm just stating my opinion :) ) Because in America at that time of the war, Americans called the Japanese "japs" as a racial insult. It remains to this day to be considered a racial slur in America to refer to anyone of Asian origin (because most Americans can't tell Asians apart) a "jap". In the UK, you don't have that same context and cultural tension as we do leftover from the internment era. At least, I don't think. I've been wrong before. :)

That's fair enough, but the OP might not be American, and by surveys carried out in Japan, it seems the majority of Japanese don't really care about the use of "Jap". So, there is no need to say something like the person is "not ready" to live in Japan.

Gotcha :)
I haven't seen those surveys but that's interesting. I'm gonna ask around a little :D
Thanks for the knowledge!


(And THAT, internet, is how you carry out intellectual discourse and dissent.)

I'm with noodle on this one. I only see it as a short form of the word.

Definitely ignorance, and I do believe he posted as such in the hope of gaining a response. He will now have wished second!

Another kid that needs a spanking from his Mama, either that, or military school for a year!

I would not use any Japanese you are not fully comfortable with. If the interview is to be conducted in English, then I would just speak English until the topic of Japanese comes up.

Stand up when he enters the room and do not sit down until he does

i apologize to those who took offense at the term used.
anyway, i guess i shall stick to using english then.
It is not a teaching job but rather office based duties assigned by the local manager.
The Japaneses boss is the Head of Department and the the manager is the 2nd in charge.

Is this in Japan?

Hand shaking is not common among japanese interviews.

There are times when the interviewer is already in the room, if everybody is already present everybody usually stands up and start handing out BUSINESS CARD .. be sure you know how to receive and give it properly.

Everybody sits down and your are usually ask to give a self introduction about yourself. If you can speak the simple japanese greetings such as good morning /pm or hajimemashite then say it.

You will be interviewed by a Japanese? Be sure to speak slowly and surely and avoid using difficult words.

THe word "GANBARIMASU" goes a long way. so if there are things that you might not know but are willing to learn tell then and say GANBARIMASU...

oh and never be late for the interview :D good luck .

I'd show up at least 20 minutes early.

thanks for the reply !
the interview is based in HongKong and job location in Tokyo.
2 interviewers, a Japanese and a local but the interview will be conducted in English.
However i would like to show my sincerity by understanding simple phrases to advance my chance of securing the job.
If the japanese boss speak in english on job tasks, would it be awkward if i say "GANBARIMASU" a few times during the interview ?

No, I don't think that would be awkward. And since the job will be in Tokyo, it would probably be good to speak the Japanese you are comfortable with if the opportunity comes up. I wouldn't open with Japanese unless the Japanese boss speaks it first. Certainly your comfort with Japanese will come up, so let it happen naturally, or you might look like an over-enthusiastic show-off.

Again, be honest about your abilities. The last thing you want to have happen is be hired for a job you are unqualified for.

HAHAHAH oh my, I'm sorry, but that's so at odds with my experiences. There's still tension held against asia here in the UK. Not so much with my generation or that of my parents, but there's a lot of hatred from my grandparent's generation. Sure, the term 'Jap' isn't used as much or is considered as bad a word here, but then, whenever i've heard someone of that age want to commit a racial slur against the Japanese they just used 'slit eyed monsters'.
'Jap' almost seems friendly in comparison.

uh!
 

start by NOT calling them japs!

ahole.

Thanks for reading more than the first post.

Aside from "Jap" being considered a seriously offensive ethnic slur in the America, there is another reason not to use the term in business no matter where you are.

Job interviews are usually rather formal and one is better off not to use slang. Shortening any word, such as Japanese to Jap, is slang. Even if the word used is not offensive to anyone, it is still considered substandard vocabulary and should not be used in a professional setting.

BTW the mention of business cards was made, but in case you don't know what was menat by the proper way to exchange them it means with both hands. Both hands to receive and both to present. And take a minute to read, maybe even comment on the content, to show respect and that you are not just taking it as a casual gesture.

Advice on work in Japan
 

Here is some advice on finding work etc in Japan from yours truly-

Redneck Adventures in Japan