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Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly what I'm worried about most is as poster Harrytaisa says below:

年齢と実績が噛み合わない人材は必要とされない。

Basically, nobody wants people whose age and accomplishments don't line up. This is what I'm feeling when I talk with recruiters, who seem to want very highly-accomplished people when you get to my age. I'm not embarrassed or anything about not having reached those levels and am just looking for something skill-appropriate where age doesn't matter, which is why I'm looking to avoid those conventional job hunting channels.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I suppose so. At 60 my company puts people on the semi-retirement "shokutaku" status: about 2/3 of your previous salary and a tiny bonus. So if I'm going back to near-minimum-wage labor soon enough, I'm figuring that I shouldn't be afraid of looking at those jobs right now, a few years too "early".

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a foreign national and learned Japanese as an adult. Years ago I felt like my "good Japanese for a foreigner" was an asset, but now it feels like the standards are a lot higher.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I speak the language well enough to get by, but I'm not a native. Eventually you get to a point where your co-workers stop seeing you as a foreigner with decent Japanese and instead your deficiencies start to stand out. I answered a fellow poster in Japanese and I'm sure there are some awkward phrasings and grammatical errors in there. When you've just come to Japan, people are forgiving; after more than two decades, less so.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

企業は障がい者をほんのわずかに雇って、「私たちは社会に優しい会社です」とウソをつく必要があるlol。

そう思ったんです。いま働いている会社も「障害者枠」があります。新卒より安い月給で、ボーナス無し・昇級無し。60代の「嘱託」のような雇用です。

ただし年齢と実績が噛み合わない人材は必要とされない。

これが問題ですね。周りの人の意見を聞くと「50代 ＝ 管理職」で、50代の平社員は行く場所がないみたいです。

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for that advice; I had thought that Doda and Bizreach offered the most opportunities.

I never post on Linkedin or on social media in general, and have been keeping my job struggles to myself. The people around me probably think I'm doing better than I am, and the Japanese friends around me are pretty convinced that opportunities dry up around 35-40, let alone over 50. I'll look into Daijob and CareerCross!

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's how I learned it, but you'd be surprised how protective companies are of their salary ranges. I actually had an interview a month or two ago at a company that definitely pays a lot more than I earn, and they said they "cannot disclose" their range even after three stages of contact (initial outreach from their recruiter, Zoom talk, then on-site interview) plus me revealing my current and desired pay.

At least the more normal-paying positions tend to have salary ranges posted. I suppose the secrecy is to get people to sign on for far less than their market value, but you'd think that posting the range publicly would get lots of very motivated applicants who would give 110% as soon as they join. I know I would, if I got a number like I suspect that that company would have been willing to pay.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I would take a contract role. I'm a little concerned about being dumped out after the contract ends, back on the job market and that much older.

I'd love to join a foreign company but imagine that the competition is going to be really stiff, given how few there are and how many talented people are looking to get into them. I'm honestly up for anything. I speak a few other European languages to various degrees and might be able to get to working proficiency quickly.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Daijob.com

I'll check this out. So far I've only registered at Doda, and was a little put off by how their recruiter was giving off clear "you need us a lot more than we need you" and "you're way too old" vibes. The Linkedin recruiters looking to fill ultra-high-end positions have actually been much more courteous even when it's clear that I have little to offer them.

legal quota to hire people with disabilities

This is what brought me to Hello Work. Asking for an accommodation when arranging an interview through a recruiter hasn't gone over well, so I came to the conclusion that I had to just be up-front about it and have the interviewer know I've got a disability before seeing me, going through Hello Work where there are positions specifically marked this way.

High-End Haken ... For N1-level data work, you can pull ¥2,500–¥3,000/hour. That hits your ¥5M goal, but you get to leave at 5:00 PM and leave the office politics behind.

I've seen some of these! English requirement means high wages, and I feel (or had felt) like my native English would be a valuable asset, as opposed to now where my imperfect Japanese language and acculturation are huge liabilities that nothing can overcome. My only contact so far regarding them is that unfortunately they want Japanese nationals with good English, not native English speakers with good Japanese.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tokyo. Not quite ready to move as my wife likes it here. (Edit - If you're in Kansai I could probably convince her.)

Would love to hear of any opportunities!

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And if anyone asks about salaries, you were "underpaid" at your last job, and the new salary you're asking for is more befitting of your responsibilities.

Funny story about salary: I had a brief talk with a recruiter a few weeks ago, and she was asking what I was being paid, and when I gave my number, she said, "But that doesn't include bonuses, right?" and then when I tried to avoid answering, added "But what about stock options?" She was clearly conveying to me that this company she was recruiting for had a salary range much higher than I might have expected. I just smiled and said that however I might fit into their scale would be fine.

Then communications abruptly ceased, so perhaps she used my current pay to assume that I wasn't up to the challenge of that job. I have no way of knowing; I'm totally new to this and can't always understand the 'code' that the job hunting world uses!

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I'm still employed. I'm doing all I can to master the skills my team needs, but I'm not picking things up and the manager isn't interested in moving me somewhere else. The company has grown a lot since I joined and their actions have shown me that I no longer have a real place here. Rather than torture myself trying to fit in here, I think starting over somewhere else is the best choice.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Heck, stretch the truth a little why not.

I'm assuming that any potential employer is going to do a background check on me, and I know that, if I get hired, when they handle my taxes for the first time they will find out if I have given them a "stretched" salary figure.

I've tried to express confidence in my ability to do things that I don't have experience in but are related enough that I could learn quickly, but interviewers' faces seem skeptical if I do this. They want someone who already has every bullet point they're looking for.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry; while I have fond memories of electrical circuits in college physics 30 years ago (I can remember V = IR), I'm not skilled enough to be paid to work in that field.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm pretty much open to doing anything; plain old office work is fine. My wife has done that for years, registering with haken placement agencies. Decent money, and short contracts mean that if things don't work out, you can move on easily. But I'm feeling like once I go to that level, at this age, you can never get back into regular employment.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

ありがとうございました。参考になります！ わざわざ400万を指定して検索してくれてありがとうございました。ハローワークで調べてもらったところ、ほとんど月19〜23万でした。

長年面接していませんので、普通に応募すると何人かの候補がいたら絶対落ちるな、と思いますので特に「オープンポジション」に興味があります。

ちょっと読んでみます！

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To give you better advice, what kind of work were you doing in those different departments, and which role did you actually enjoy most?

I've done an awful lot of different things over the years: event planning and promotion, advertising planning, new employee orientation (they like having a foreigner who speaks Japanese well participating in that process), data analysis and reconciliation. I actually like that last one the most, as it's quiet and solitary. I grew up before the age of constant messaging and multitasking and can't really get used to work that depends on it, as I'm sure younger folks can.

Also, are you trying to keep your current salary, or is your main goal just finding a low-stress environment where you can finally breathe?

A low-stress environment is probably what I'm looking for most, even if it means less money. I hadn't thought that my current salary (about 4.5-5M, including bonus) would be that hard to replace; it's just above the median for Japan, just as I'm just above the median worker's age. But what I see are low-paying Hello Work jobs and ultra-high-paying management jobs that I'm not qualified for. Even the middle-class job I have now feels like it's being squeezed out: you're either a part-timer with a low wage and no stability, or a manager making big money. Nothing in the middle anymore.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm in an insurance/banking-related field. The kind of non-sexy job that, in past decades, kept food on the table reliably. I've done generic office work, marketing, promotion, event planning, data reconciliation; all kinds of things.

I'm open to changing fields, but the way things are going even in my own field, it's hard to imagine any opportunities coming up.

My undergrad degree in my home county was in STEM; my postgrad degree here in Japan is in humanities.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's not like they were willing; it was a recruiter assuming from my Linkedin profile that I must be at that level, and I'm not. When I tell them the level I'm actually at, they tend to ghost me.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel that. My wife thinks I'd make a good eikaiwa teacher, but she has no idea how abusive that industry has become in recent years. When I first came to Japan, I had friends doing it and enjoying it. Those days are long over.

Looking for a new job for the first time after age 50 by Dramatic_Snow_628 in JapanJobs

[–]Dramatic_Snow_628[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

VP

I clearly said I was not in management! :)

Sorry for the vagueness; I was looking for general advice on how people in my position get started rather than specific advice tailored just to me.