Career Paths in Japan: What to know about (Sougousyoku, Ippansyoku, Senmonsyoku)

Author: Saki Arimoto | Published date: 14 April 2020

As you probably know, Japan has a unique job-hunting system, but it's not only that. Something that is also unique in Japan is the different types of career paths that people take. Here are some common terms that you should familiarize within the working world in Japan Its divided into three types, General position (総合職-sougousyoku), Clerical Position (一般職 ippansyoku), and Specialist position (専門職-senmonsyoku). Sounds confusing as there is no proper word to translate it to English, but will explain more below! In this article we will explain mainly the general position, and how it differs from the other two positions. 

What is General Position (総合職-sougousyoku)?

A General position 総合職 (sougoushoku) is a job position involved in the core business of corporate activities. Sometimes also described as the Main career path.  Usually, after quite a period of time, a senior is expected to become a manager of a certain field in a company. The job content is very diverse so people in this position will experience a wide variety of occupations to have in-depth knowledge of each position in the company. Take a job posting by Nitori(ニトリ), a Japanese furniture and home accessories retail company, for example. The description of the generalist position includes the following tasks: 

1. Store operations
2. Product planning
3. Merchandising
4. Corporate division
5. Store development

This example shows how versatility is important to have a general position. Indeed, in general positions people are required to immerse themselves in different types of work, exposing them to various work environments. This will help the candidate support the enterprise, especially in human resources. 

That being said, this job position may require multiple job transfers within and outside the company. While the assigned department depends on the company, some candidates get to experience a number of occupations by following a rotation system called job-rotation (ジョブローテーション) every few years. This will test their suitability and they may change occupation as the company sees fit. 

In addition, some companies also offer what they refer to as “area general positions” which is very similar to a general position except that they are not required to relocate. It is said that this position was created mainly for women as it may be difficult for them to transfer locations every time especially when they have children. 

What is a Specific General Position?

Nowadays, a number of companies have also opened generalist positions specific to their field of expertise. 

 NRI(Nomura Research Institute - 野村総合研究所), a management consulting company, utilizes this form of job posting. Under the generalist course, there are five specific positions: 

1. Management consultant
2. Application engineer
3. Technical engineer 
4. Security specialist 
5. Accounting specialist

Some even have over 10 specific generalist positions and an example of this would be Shimizu Corporation (清水建設株式会社). They have 10 specific generalist open positions, and these are as follows: 

1. Construction management
2. Design
3. Machinery
4. Engineering
5. Civil engineering
6. Overseas 
7. Informatics
8. Sales
9. Real estate development
10. Management staff

The main difference is that a specific generalist takes on different tasks that are specialized for a specific department while a generalist has to transfer in every department and get to experience more or less every operation that occurs in the company. 

Generalists in the administrative field are responsible for handling tasks such as planning, sales, human resources, accounting general affairs and legal affairs. In the technical field, generalists are responsible for a specific department they are assigned in. For example, Tokyo Metro divides its generalist position into the two aforementioned fields, administrative and technical as stated on their recruitment page. 

Most companies in Japan tend to offer generalist job positions because of the position being highly comprehensive and highly involved in a wide spectrum of work, and candidates can also acquire valuable skills and further improve their career paths. Going back to Nitori’s job opening as an example, it has a system called “relocation education” where candidates experience different types of work in different departments in different locations. Aside from this, it also has other types of training for generalists like pre-training assignment, period-specific training, job title-specific training, overseas seminars, e-learning and more. Career-wise, generalists who become seniors are usually candidates for higher positions such as managers which is why it is important for generalists to be assigned to many responsibilities in order to gain valuable experience. 

Clerical Position (一般職 ippansyoku)

Clerical positions (一般職 ippansyoku) could be said to be the opposite of the General Position (総合職-sougousyoku). Sometimes also translated as “common position” or “general office work.” Usually the kind of work office work or paperwork. It generally involves day-to-day office tasks, such as answering phones and entering data into spreadsheets. They also have limited possibilities for promotion or advancement in terms of role or salary. Unlike the general position, people in the clerical position usually stay in the same area and do not need to move. 

Most foreigners that work in Japan do not have this career path in Japan but it is known in Japanese women to tend to choose this career path as more suitable for them because once they get married, it would be easier to have a stable position without needing to move and raise children in a stable environment. Because if they have a general position they would need to move around. 

Pros and Cons of having a General Position 

General positions tend to have higher salaries, more opportunities to learn and experience different operations in a company, a higher probability of pay raise and a higher chance of career advancement. But these advantages entail disadvantages. One of these is that this occupation would require a lot of overtime work, reducing time for private life. Most of the time, companies would ask people with general positions to work even during holidays, and it is a rarity to be able to return home on time so enhancing private life would be quite a challenge. Another would be multiple relocations. While area general positions are exempted, general positions are frequently transferred to locations and/or departments especially when they become familiar with the work and fellow colleagues. 

As an actual example, Imai, the manager of Paris Opera UNIQLO branch, has experienced being transferred multiple times. After being promoted to store manager, she moved to another branch, and eventually, she was transferred to France. She was happy but at the same time quite unsure if her skills were enough to handle a branch outside her country. Undoubtedly, adjusting to changing environments can be stressful. Lastly, having mentioned the various responsibilities and work, generalists might feel pressured which may influence quality in work, resulting in poor results if not handled properly. 

Indeed, this job requires a great amount of time, hard work and passion. This is why companies utilize higher pay as motivation and incentive for people who may be interested in applying for this position. In the long run, generalists gain a deeper understanding of corporate philosophy, corporate culture and business which are only acquired from experience. If you are a person who demonstrates a great desire to grow, this is the job for you.

General position (総合職) vs. Specialist position (専門職)

The main difference between a general position (総合職) and a specialist (専門職) is quite simple. In a general position a worker is responsible for knowing the activities of all departments while a specialist is responsible for performing tasks where they specialize in. A specialist job position is a profession that requires a certification that proves their special knowledge and expertise for their work. In Japan, the most sought-for certifications are TOEIC, residential land building transaction management, bookkeeping, small business consultancy, and a lot more. You can find the rest of the list from here.

Salary-wise, it is said that general positions tend to have a high salary as they heavily support the company. Specialists, on the other hand, also have high salaries, but possibly higher than a generalist, depending on their expertise and skills. 

Still confused which one is a suitable position for you? Book a free online career consultation with JPort, available in both Japanese and English from Here!