Recording summary · August 2023
All Japan's STUPID Work Rules In 8 Minutes
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Overview
Applying for jobs in Japan entails filling out preprinted paper CV forms by hand in Japanese without correction fluid, as visible errors risk creating an impression of laziness.
Japanese retail and customer service roles involve scripted customer interactions, such as projecting greetings like irasshaimase, running standard register questions, handling point cards, and using ohayo gozaimasu with coworkers regardless of the time of day.
Japanese corporate workplace norms involve expectations of unpaid overtime until superiors leave to demonstrate loyalty, along with social obligations to join izakaya drinking outings to safeguard promotion and salary opportunities.
Daniel experienced significant difficulty completing a paper CV, had a Japanese friend write it, and later received criticism during a restaurant interview regarding errors and having only an average JLPT Level 2 qualification.
On Daniel's first day of work, training focused on projecting the irasshaimase greeting louder, and during a subsequent cashier shift, Daniel omitted asking for a points card and refused to process a refund after the customer produced the card.
Themes
Handwritten Japanese CV standards and difficulties with paper forms
Restaurant job interview experiences and JLPT qualification evaluations
Customer service phrasing, greeting training, and register operation procedures
Corporate workplace hierarchy, unpaid overtime, and after-work drinking customs
Developments
Daniel purchased around 15 to 20 CV forms from a convenience store following repeated mistakes while writing.
A Japanese friend wrote Daniel's resume after Daniel gave up completing it independently.
An interviewer at a restaurant criticized Daniel's CV mistakes and stated that JLPT Level 2 was only average.
Staff spent Daniel's first shift training Daniel to project the irasshaimase greeting more loudly.
Daniel omitted asking a customer for a points card and declined to execute a refund once the customer produced it.