For the past few months, the main word on everyone's masked lips has been “coronavirus.” We've seen stories about its effect on health, the stress of self-isolation, the rise in teleworking and, more recently, its impact on the economy.
Reports say the pandemic could cost Japan more than 3 million jobs, and uncertainty in the economy has produced a stalling effect in the hiring mood of many companies in Japan. For someone who is in the middle of searching for work, the current situation may seem extremely daunting, even more so if you are not Japanese and not used to the particular characteristics of looking for employment here.
Fortunately, according to job-hunting experts, there are still many things that you can do to increase your chances of success in the current market. Benjamin Cordier is the managing director of RGF Professional Recruitment Japan, an arm of Asia's largest recruitment company Recruit. He says that, even if you're in a situation that makes job hunting difficult at the moment, you should still be engaged in kaizen, which in Japanese business philosophy is the idea of continuous improvement.