Hey there! I am Savanna from Indonesia but people usually call me Venna. I really like to put myself in an unfamiliar environment and expose myself to criticisms from people in order to always make room for improvements. A quick tip from me, create a mindset of a goal-getter in order to make the most out of your university years because of time sure flies!

Since I was in high school I have always been a diehard fan of J-Pop culture, Arashi was my favorite among them! There was a time in my life, where I would just watch their TV shows, ask my father to buy me Arashi’s CDs when he went for business trips, listen to their songs, and look for the translations of the lyrics online. Hence, J-Pop became one of the reasons why I was interested in pursuing a higher degree of education in Japan. On top of that,  my older sister also pursues her degrees in APU, so that’s a win-win solution!

Most people think when you are already a third-year university student, you can just relax and wait for your graduation, but I think it should be the other way around, your third-year should be the year you push yourself more. I had this goal of being able to speak Japanese fluently before I graduated from APU. Hence, in my third year when most students would choose universities in Europe, Canada, or America, I decided to go for an exchange program at Ritsumeikan University at Shiga Kusatsu in Kansai region, near Osaka.

Unlike APU, where there are more than 300 Indonesian students, I was the only Indonesian in the undergraduate program at Ritsumeikan. Unlike in APU where I can mix languages with other international and domestic students, all the classes were conducted fully in Japanese. What’s more, people do not gather with their own countries but rather grouped themselves with people from the same organizations or clubs. At that point, reality struck me, and it was like “This is the real ‘Japanese’ University”. During my time at Ritsumeikan University, I really pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I joined a martial arts club, something that I wouldn't think of doing if I had stayed in Indonesia or APU. I did a sit-in for a seminar class for the purpose of observing even though I didn't get any credits from attending the class. 

I was really proud of this decision to go to Ritsumeikan University instead of any other university outside Japan because I got to really put myself “out there” and make lifetime friends.

Expose yourself to criticism 

Job-hunting is like finding a life partner, not only looking at how the company is doing but also you need to see whether or not the philosophy and the culture of the company fit you and you can already sort of grasp these points during the interviews. 

Find your own way of how you want to approach job-hunting. For me, I did a lot of 自己分析(jiko bunseki) or self-analysis, the simplest way you can do is to ask someone to describe you and from that match it to what you think of yourself. Instead of researching what you want to do, you can narrow things down faster by thinking of the things that you definitely do not want to do! Then, expose yourself to more criticisms, exchange your entry sheets and resume with your friends, senpai, or teachers, that way you will be able to know more about yourself and give room for improvements. 

When you write your entry sheets, do not focus on your GPA or JLPT, because companies see your personality and your willingness to learn more than those two points. Lastly, it is really important to make your entry sheet personal and unique. Prepare more than one version, that way you can use it based on TPO (time, place, and opportunity), matching your skills to what the company is looking for.

Do not change yourself to become ‘Japanese’

The Japanese language is one of the most important skills you should acquire, both written and speaking because this will help you with your job-hunting process. Likewise, when you do get a job in Japan, you will do the job training, and join meetings, this is where Japanese skills come handy because if you cannot keep up with the meeting, it will be hard for you to follow the rest of the things and get your job done. 

In addition to Japanese, to a certain degree, you need to be able to accept the working culture in Japan, but do not change yourself to be a Japanese. Because when you try to change yourself too much to “fit” in Japanese society, you are actually getting rid of the “spice” to the company. You are hired because you bring value to the company by bringing diverse perspectives as well as ideas.