Universities/Schools/Busineses that don't reply to Job Applications

[yankee01]

I guess that Japan has caught up to the rest of the world in terms of HR practices.

Years ago when one applied for a position - any type of position - you always received a reply. It may not have been the one you were looking for, but there was always a phone call or letter.

It appears that the new practice is not to respond by phone, letter, or email.

For whatever reason: to save time, money, or maybe there are just too many people applying for positions.

My SWAG on reply rates from universities is about 12%.......and I live outside of Japan.

Is it higher for those living in Japan?

Do others have the same experience?

[hennagaijin]

Doing business in Japan it is also quite common not to get answers to emails.

Often it is because they don't have the balls to give you a direct answer to your question.

Many Japanese people are amongst the worst communicators in the world.

(Having said that, ignoring emails is a rudeness people from most countries also indulge in... it appears manners have not kept up with technology..)

[Glenski]

My SWAG on reply rates from universities is about 12%.......and I live outside of Japan.

Is it higher for those living in Japan?

Hasn't been for me.

[KansaiBen]

My SWAG on reply rates from universities is about 12%.......and I live outside of Japan.

Is it higher for those living in Japan?

Do others have the same experience?

Nowadays most universities here practice age discrimination. The older you are the more it costs to hire you. Cheaper to hire some thirty year old fresh out of TUJ.

Also do you need a visa sponsor? Many universities cant be bothered sponsoring foreign teachers.

[liamoko]

The IT sector is the same... quick review of keywords in the emailed CV, if no(in their eyes, of course) criteria met, then why bother writing you back. Seems perfectly normal to me. It's a numbers game, blasting your resume out to everyone and their pony, is like picking up women, eventually you'll get a response from one of them, and that may lead to either an initial interview, or a first date.

That said, Im not an English teacher, so perhaps I'm biased.

regards,

[yankee01]

"It's a numbers game, blasting your resume out to everyone and their pony..........."

Who can afford to do that?

Once you put everything together with the '3 copies of papers', the copies of degree certificates, and all the other crap that they 'need' for the application you are looking at least
A$13.20 for the cheapest registered post from Oz to Japan (without the copies of publications) or about A$10.00 for regular airmail with the publications and a little over $A21 for the same by registered post.

At least some allow apps by email so you are only out your time.

10 applications by snail mail and you are going to be set back anywhere between A$100 and a little over A$200.................

[liamoko]

"It's a numbers game, blasting your resume out to everyone and their pony..........."

Who can afford to do that?

Once you put everything together with the '3 copies of papers', the copies of degree certificates, and all the other crap that they 'need' for the application you are looking at least
A$13.20 for the cheapest registered post from Oz to Japan (without the copies of publications) or about A$10.00 for regular airmail with the publications and a little over $A21 for the same by registered post.

At least some allow apps by email so you are only out your time.

10 applications by snail mail and you are going to be set back anywhere between A$100 and a little over A$200.................

Perhaps you have never heard of a 'soft copy'...

[KansaiBen]

10 applications by snail mail and you are going to be set back anywhere between A$100 and a little over A$200.................

If you want to play the game then you have to pay the piper. They dont care if it costs you $100 or 500.

They want your CV on their template, even if you have to type it out each time.

Maybe you should not have moved back to the US (if you lived here previously) and withdrew yourself from consideration.

[trip_hop]

If you are blasting off anonymous emails or letters, don't expect a high response rate.
It's like direct mail, if you can get 5% replies, you are doing well.

If you do your homework and write a formal letter to an actual person, you'll get a much higher percentage of replies.

[liamoko]

If you are blasting off anonymous emails or letters, don't expect a high response rate.
It's like direct mail, if you can get 5% replies, you are doing well.

If you do your homework and write a formal letter to an actual person, you'll get a much higher percentage of replies.

^^ What she said^^

[vallient]

It's also an issue of face. Sending you a rejection letter, would be causing you to lose face. I just assume that no response is a negative response, if they were interested they would let you know.

[yankee01]

Gee, thanks for the replies.

Well, first of all I'd like to point out to one poster that I live in AUSTRALIA. That's what "OZ" (Australia) and the "A" (Australia Dollar) indicate.

Second, I really like the unsolicited advice on how to go about applying for a job when the poster knows nothing about the requirements of the job description or what I have been applying for. For that poster's information most Japanese Universities require HARD copies of publications and multiple HARD copies of such things as degree certificates along with multiple HARD copies of a resume as well. Some require the information in a certain format on HARD copy as well. So forget about the soft.

Third, for another poster's information the job description has an address to send the material to and for that poster's information there aren't or haven't been any "anonymous" letters or emails. Maybe I should try sending off some anonymous and unsolicited emails to see what the result would be.

Fourth, it appears from the ONE POSTER that actually managed to provide some information on the topic question that I asked, that my results appear to be the same. Thank you.

Fifth, gee I'm sorry for leaving Japan - wonder why the ads indicate applications from people outside Japan will be taken?

Maybe people could just stick to the subject matter at hand and remove themselves from the conversation if they are unable to contribute to the discussion by sticking to the topic and providing information.

[Glenski]

Yes, J unis usually require hard copies of everything, and most ads I replied to actually specified using registered mail, so the cost of applying can be staggering. What else can you do? As far as the costs of mailing go, you will have to pay through the nose whether you are in Oz or Japan.

Obviously, shotgunning (sending blindly to places regardless of ads being posted) is even costlier. The uni market in Japan is very competitive, with 20-100 (or more?) applicants per position. Many/Most unis will have a ranking system where they look at how many of the "points" you get just upon initial receipt of the application information. Forget something? Bingo! You just lost points.

Yeah, it may help to know someone (one should always strive to write directly to a person, of course, instead of a "To whom it may concern"), but even that's not possible all the time. Will it help? Hit or miss, IMO.

You have to figure that any organization/school/company that gets more than a dozen resumes will hesitate to try contacting applicants who don't pass muster. That's how I see it anyway. It's just too time-consuming and/or expensive. Best you can do is this:

1. See if they have a date where they mention in the ad that they will contact acceptable candidates. If the date passes and you don't hear, you didn't make the cut.
2. If you have a contact, reach them and POLITELY inquire if they even know the status of applications. Friend or not, they may not have the inside track, but try to find out.
3. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Yes, it IS a numbers game. (I applied to >30 places and heard back from about half a dozen, and only 1 wanted an interview.)
4. Be mentally prepared for that last-minute call which invites you to an interview shortly before the job actually starts. Why? They may have given up on previous candidates or had one bail out on them at the last minute.
5. Let them know you are available for any Skype-type interview, if you think it's warranted (living outside Japan, for example). They won't consider too many applicants outside Japan when there is such a pool already here, so you have to open the door a crack yourself.
6. Oh, and although this is a no-brainer, when you DO send in your application materials, have EVERYTHING and in the right format, perhaps even to the point of adding a checklist yourself and putting the items in that exact order to make it easier for them to find. Label everything the way THEY want, too.

[KansaiBen]

For the record when I was applying for full time jobs I would send off between 30 and 50 resumes each one costing 500 yen. I would travel half way up the country to attend an interview. One time I went from Kyoto and Shizuoka and spent 20,000 yen on Shinkansen fares. You will spend money on job applications, printing postage. You will spend gobs of time re-writing your CV for each employer. Its part of the territory. No point whining about how you have to spend $15 on each application. Its just the done thing.

You are getting upset because you apply to three places and then get upset when you dont hear back from them. Three schools is only really scratching the surface. You need to get the message that you need to be doing MASSIVE numbers of applications. Its a numbers game. I dont know how much clearer we can make it. You are putting eggs in a basket and watching the basket and wondering why nothing happens.

Even though they may invite applications from overseas, they may only respond to people on a short list of candidates, say the final five, Is it rude to just ignore you and send a reply? Yes it is. You just learn to suck it up. Most of the time I would get a rejection letter in a thin envelope so I would know I didnt make it.

As has been pointed out, I think your age is the biggest strike against you at this point. Not much you can do about it.

Gee, thanks for the replies.

Well, first of all I'd like to point out to one poster that I live in AUSTRALIA. That's what "OZ" (Australia) and the "A" (Australia Dollar) indicate.

Second, I really like the unsolicited advice on how to go about applying for a job when the poster knows nothing about the requirements of the job description or what I have been applying for. For that poster's information most Japanese Universities require HARD copies of publications and multiple HARD copies of such things as degree certificates along with multiple HARD copies of a resume as well. Some require the information in a certain format on HARD copy as well. So forget about the soft.

Third, for another poster's information the job description has an address to send the material to and for that poster's information there aren't or haven't been any "anonymous" letters or emails. Maybe I should try sending off some anonymous and unsolicited emails to see what the result would be.

Fourth, it appears from the ONE POSTER that actually managed to provide some information on the topic question that I asked, that my results appear to be the same. Thank you.

Fifth, gee I'm sorry for leaving Japan - wonder why the ads indicate applications from people outside Japan will be taken?

Maybe people could just stick to the subject matter at hand and remove themselves from the conversation if they are unable to contribute to the discussion by sticking to the topic and providing information.