CIR interview (JET) pt1

this place?
this is shinjuku in tokyo, where, if you're "lucky", you'll be spending a few days come next summer.

there are a lot of sites that give information on acing an ALT JET interview. however, what you must remember is that every interview is different and every consulate is different.

my former japanese teacher used to do the CIR interview in new york. when she was doing interviews, everything was conducted in japanese and the interviewers were all japanese.

other people i've talked to tend to have 3 interviews, of which one is japanese.

so. let's get started. (please keep in mind that, again, NO INTERVIEW IS THE SAME!)

1. Clothing
first of all, this is a professional interview, and you should be dressed professionally.
that means a suit.
if you don't have a suit either buy one or borrow one from a family member or friend.
i remember seeing women's suit sets at sears for about $30. (may have gone up in price)
heck, i know that second-hand stores like value village sell used suit sets (probably $10 and up). everyone needs a suit at some point, so, just get over it and buy one.
and for the love of god, buy something that FITS!

when you go into this interview, your clothing should be clean (it goes without saying, but still).
jewelry should be kept to a minimum. that means, for girls, earrings (if your ears are pierced), a necklace (nothing huge, and nothing garish), and a ring.
if you have more than 2 piercings in your ears, i would recommend keeping the earrings small. like studs.
if you have a nose piercing, it would probably be best to take it out.

please do not wear a shirt that shows your bra. if you can see your bra through your shirt, put on an undershirt.
do not wear jeans, wrinkled clothing, smelly clothing, print shirts, t-shirts.

2. The Interview
when you go to your japanese teacher's office, how do you enter the room?
do you knock and say "shitsureishimasu"?
that is the correct way to enter the room.
you will probably be escorted into the room. when you reach the door, stop, say "shitsureishimasu", bow and then enter and take your seat.

the interviewers will then probably introduce themselves.

next, you will be asked to read a passage in japanese. this is where your test of japanese comes in.
when you are handed the paper, read it. now, many...most people will say that they read the paper out loud in japanese. but, i would suggest reading it out loud if you are asked.
if you're not asked...then don't. (asking for clarification is fine too! "shall i read this silently or out loud?")

a. what kind of japanese should i use???
if you are most comfortable with desu/masu, use it. if you have no problem with keigo, feel free to use that, too.
however! don't force keigo. it's better to speak with desu/masu than to stumble over keigo.

after finishing the first reading, you'll be asked a few questions in japanese.
you are allowed to look at the sheet if need be.
typically, the first reading is "easy" with furigana above the kanji, and a "light" topic.

the second reading will be a bit harder in the sense that it has no furigana and may be related to a social issue. (environment, low birth rates, etc)
again, the japanese interviewer will ask you questions about the text, and questions related to the text.

depending on where you are, this is where your use of japanese will end and a switch to english will begin.

(to be continued...)

nengajo!

i think that i've finally got the last of my nengajo sent off. yessss!!
in the U.S. we send xmas cards, right? and usually they say something like "merry christmas and happy new year!"
since xmas is more of a decorative holiday in japan, people don't really do xmas cards. nengajo (new year's cards) are bigger and more traditional.

what do you think of those rabbits...bunnies?
cute, eh?

2011 is the year of the rabbit in the chinese zodiac. so, nengajo for 2011 will have something like a picture of a bunny/rabbit or a kanji on them. the post office sells plain postcards for about 50c each (pre-stamped).
i buy rubber stamps and hand-stamp mine every year. but printing places like fuji and supermarkets like fresta have pre-printed cards that you can order sets of. people with color/photo printers print theirs at home or take them to kinkos to be printed.

so...what's the point?
the point is to give a greeting to the people who've helped you out through the past year, and ask for their kindness to continue into the new year.
most cards say:
akemashite omedetou gozaimasu
あけましておめでとうございます
(happy new year)

kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu
今年もよろしくお願いします
(please look kindly upon me this year, too)

the post office asks that you post your nengajo by december 25, so that it can reach its recipient by....
*drum roll*

new year's morning!

yes, that's one of the fun parts of nengajo:
opening the mailbox on new year's morning and pulling out (hopefully) a thick stack of cards.
my co-workers say that looking through nengajo while sitting under the kotatsu and eating mikan is the best way to spend the early part of the day.

nengajo, however, are not without their problems.
city hall and many companies have actually banned? people from sending them out. or maybe, have a policy that discourages them.
let's say that you are working for sony. and you do business with a lot of people. without a policy in place, you'd be obligated to send those people nengajo. that can end up being hundreds of cards, which in turn would cost hundreds of dollars...and would also take up a lot of time.
quite honestly, i've seen people come to the post office carrying hundreds of cards!

so, me and my co-workers just send nengajo to friends haha!

one final good thing about nengajo...on the back of each card is a number.
if you are lucky, your number will win you a prize of some sort, including money!

so, you're applying for the JET program...pt1 application

I'm pretty sure that JET applicants in North America (and the UK, etc) have submitted their applications for the 2011-2012 year.
So, I know that this post is "late", but I did that for a variety of reasons...including me just being busy with work.

Let's get started.

Gathering the necessary materials for your application and writing an intriguing statement of purpose (SoP), is an incredibly nerve wracking process.
I don't so interviews for JET, but I have read over SoPs, and I think I have a bit of insight into how people are chosen. Since there is a wealth of information on the internet for JETs who are applying as ALTs, I'll be focusing on CIRs. But, I am sure that many of this applies to both groups.

Did the application instructions ask you to put your papers in a specific order?
Did you comply?
Showing that you can follow directions is one of the most basic things that the people at the D.C. Embassy are going to look for.
Next, were you able get letters of recommendation from people who you know are able to write strongly and positively about you? (Hopefully from people who can comment on your Japanese skills)
Finally, the most important, in my opinion, is your statement of purpose strong?

You are asked to answer a number of questions in a limited amount of space. Not only that, but you have to sell yourself as being a great candidate for the program. As most people should know, the SoP should be grammatically correct and written formally. Of the SoP letters I've seen posted online by JET hopefuls, the most common mistakes I find are:
- Rambling (use concise phrases and ideas to get your idea across)
- Too casual ("I really liked Japanese food"; "It was nice to talk to someone from another country"; etc)
The bolded words are ones that my elementary school teachers hated. Not only are they too casual for a formal SoP, but they also take up unnecessary space.
- Misspelled words (use spell check, yo!)
- Reads like a resume (you don't need to list all of your accomplishments, no one cares that you were the president of the student council in 4th grade)

Have you have experience abroad or helping foreign people in your area?
Cite a specific example, what you learned from it, and how it can *specifically* be applied to your job as a CIR.
What sparked your interest in Japan? Anime? Maybe you want to write that, but think about how many other hundreds of people are writing the same thing. Aside from anime/manga, what other things interested you in Japan?
I will go out on a limb and say that past girlfriends/boyfriends of Japanese descent shouldn't me mentioned either, unless you can skillfully connect it to a learning experience relevant to CIRs.

As a CIR, what would you like to accomplish (everyone wants to be a bridge between Japan and the US, what else do you want to accomplish?)
Some CIRs work with local foreigners, so, while you want to learn about Japanese culture, you also want to be able to help foreigners in your area.
Lastly, as I mentioned above, use the SoP to speak about what you will do/want to do as a CIR. Speak as if you have already been offered the job.