The job hunt can be daunting for anyone. Where to look? What’s out there? Is it right for you? To talk a little bit about one of the options people have when searching for bilingual jobs related to Japan, Steve Hashimawari is here as our first guest blogger to discuss the usefulness of consulting agencies in the job hunting process and tell us a bit about his own agency, Interplace Inc. We hope this will be a helpful guide to those looking for employment who are wondering where they can begin.

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As we all know, the current state of the job market is not very amiable to the average job seeker at the moment.  Let’s face it, not many people have the luxury of waiting for that dream job, heck, most of us would be happy with the opportunity for an interview!  So how can we better our chances and what can we offer that a large majority of the unemployed population cannot?  How about a second language!  So, all you Japanese speakers let’s take a look at the positives.  In a recent ranking list of the main languages spoken in the U.S., Japanese was, are you ready…number 15! Right in between Persian and Hindi.  So it’s safe to say you have a valuable linguistic skill. Now, if we look at the rankings of the biggest economic powers in the world, after the U.S. and China, guess who comes next? Nope, not Wal-Mart. You guessed it. Japan.  So you possess a unique ability in a market of high demand.  Can you tell I’m an optimist?

So you have your degree in hand and can speak, read, and write Japanese.  Now what?  Here is where we come in. I represent a Japanese Bilingual Staffing Agency, Interplace Inc., as a Human Relations Consultant.  My company, Interplace Inc. (http://www.interplace-agency.com/), specializes in placing Japanese bilingual job seekers with Japanese companies in the U.S (日系企業) or with American companies who just need bilingual speakers in general.  Interplace Inc. has been in business for over 20 years, services over 2000 companies, and boasts over 20,000 people we have placed with jobs nationwide.  We are proud to say that we work with many of the major Japanese companies in any and every given industry from electronics manufacturing to financial planning institutions.  Our consultants are fully bilingual in the Japanese/English language and have many years of expertise in the field. As a result, our consultants have placed countless numbers of candidates in positions ranging from entry-level to executive-level with clients, both small and large, in various industries.

So why use a consulting company to find employment? Firstly, the service is entirely free for job seekers. We are essentially an employment agency who finds people jobs and receive our fees from the employer who asks for us to weed through countless resumes and screen and test applicants to find them the most suitable candidates for the position. We act as an intermediary between client company and applicant. Therefore it is a symbiotic relationship between us and those looking for jobs. We have countless listings of jobs from our valued clients that we can refer applicants to apply for and most importantly, without the applicants we would not be able to fill those empty positions for our clients. So, by working hard to make things easier for both our clients and our applicant base we believe we provide an invaluable service. For those of you who are unsure how to attain a job in this demoralizing job market, and trust me I have been there, I highly recommend using consulting services.  After all, how do you think I got this job?

If you would like a consultation please email us and forward your résumé in WORD format to OC@interplace-agency.com and feel free to visit us at www.interplace-agency.com.

Steve Hashimawari
橋廻　スティーブ
18552 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 497
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 250-7290

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If you are interested in being a guest writer on the blog, having us review your own Japan-related service, or simply including a link to your business on our website, be sure to contact us at shinpai.deshou@gmail.com.