Hello, I am Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh from Vietnam. I am currently a 4th-year student at International Pacific University in Okayama. I study Business Management at the faculty of Contemporary Business Management. 

Before entering high school, I went to visit my uncle’s hotel who had many Japanese guests staying at his hotel and was impressed by the manners and work style of the Japanese people. My acquaintance studied in Japan 15 years ago so we talked about Japan’s education and society. Through the conversation, I think Japan is a really good fit for me. While in high school, I worked very hard to balance my Japanese language studies with my schoolwork since I was determined to study abroad after graduation.

I got JLPT N1 before I came to Japan, but I was not confident in speaking Japanese. Therefore I spent my 1st year of university life mostly studying Japanese. Then in 2nd year, I was busy acquiring a Japanese bookkeeping certificate. Then, I decided to join more activities when I was in my third year to improve my communication skills,expand relationships.I really enjoyed my experience in these events and am grateful to spend meaningful time doing them. I got to meet new people and learn a lot of interesting things.

• Extracurricular activities

I joined quite a lot of activities at IPU. These events gave me the opportunity to communicate with Japanese students so that I can learn Japanese better. 

• 1-day pop-up shop

The activity I put the most effort in was a 1-day pop-up shop in IPU. I did this project with my Vietnamese friends. It was called Fuwa Waffu（IG：@fuwa＿waffu) and we sold waffles. My friends from different universities in Okayama as well as faculty members came to support my business. I remember 50-60 people coming and it was a 3-week planning process that turned into a success.

Things that she regrets not doing during their university/college life: 

I think it was important for me to create a personal profile on social media during my job hunting. HR and recruiters from overseas usually check my Facebook to know more about the interviewee. If I updated my personal profile more often, I think they would know me better. I wish I made more friends at IPU as well.

Connecting with Senpais

I wasn’t confident with my Japanese level when I came to japan even though I already had my  N1 certificate. I practiced a lot with Japanese friends and  I think that really helped. I also got a lot of advice from my senpai who I met at a job-hunting event where they introduced this company for me which I will be working for. They also helped me learn from my past mistakes and I think they really helped me throughout my job-hunting journey

Utilize online information 

Nowadays, you can find beneficial information online. Not only do they lead you to find a job but it helps you find the important stuff. You can learn and practice your information analysis skills by learning to find what is helpful since not everything you find online is accurate. This is also an important skill to have for job hunting.

Generate and analyze information

One of the most important skills is the ability to generate and analyze information. You can find good companies, events, and relevant information if you have this skill. You will also know which company or industry is a better choice for you if you can generate enough information.

Communication/Social skills

Communication skills are also essential. As I mentioned previously, I met the senpai that helped me the most at a job-hunting event. It’s important to have social skills to keep building your relationship with your senpais and have good communication with them.