I know that at the end of my last post I said that I would begin talking specifically about the application process, but, considering there is PLENTY of time for all that, I thought it would be important to first talk about how to build up your resume before you actually dive into it.
When I say 'build up your resume', I don't mean it literally. You will not have to make a typical business resume for this job like you would most other jobs. However, you will be required to fill out an online application form, on which there will be places to list your past experiences and such. This being said, you should be using this time to do things that would strengthen your application. It would kind of suck to go to fill out your application and have to leave a whole bunch of blanks, right?
So what kind of experiences does JET consider valuable? Here is a list of things that pop up on the application that you should consider:
1) Extracurricular activites: This includes any club or organization you were in/are in at anytime during college. I would try to have at least one thing I could list in this category, because it shows that you are outgoing and like getting involved in something you are passionate about. On my application, I listed University Chorus, a music education organization, and Japanese club.
2) Leadership experience: Have you held a position in any other the clubs you've been in? There is a place specifically for it on the application. I'm sure that not putting anything here wouldn't make or break you getting the interview, but it would probably help in showing them that your peers trust you (and like you) enough to vote you in charge.
3) Teaching background: This section asks for any classroom or tutoring experience you may have. I believe this also extends to any work you've done with children, including camp counseling or volunteer work. Also, you can include any education/teacher training classes you happened to take in college. On my application, the only thing I had to put here was a child and adolescent development course I took. In other words, don't freak out if you've had no teaching experience. If you can, try to get some during the summer. If not, that's okay too. Even with my almost non-existant teaching background, I still got an interview.
4) International/Intercultural experience: This is where you can list any event/activity/volunteering work that you've done either with multicultural students in your home country (intercultural) or that took place in another country (international). Ideas for things to include in this section: helping at multicultural festivals, charity events, school trips, study abroad, or housing foreign exhange students.On my application, I mentioned that I helped organize an Art for Japan charity event on my college campus, as I worked with the Japanese students and teachers at my school to make that possible. Of course, anything you can put in this section would be a big plus. It shows that you've been exposed to other cultures, which means you are probably open-minded and interested in the world around you. Study abroad especially looks good, because that means you've probably had to deal with homesickness at some point, and that you now know how to get through it.
5) Employment history: Of all the sections on the application, this should be the least of your worries. I say that, because most people who apply for JET are those who are either still in college or just graduated, therefore they are people who still have crappy minimum wage jobs. All you do is list the job(s) you've had, how long you had them, and what your position is/what you do.As long as you haven't been fired a whole bunch, or anything like that, you have nothing to fear. If you have had any leadership experience within your job, even if it's just working at a fast food restaurant, it would be nice to include. Other than that, don't fret about it.
6) Japan related study: Any class you've taken in college that has anything to do with Japan can go here. Courses pertaining to Japanese religion, culture, film, politics, language, etc. is a nice touch to your application. I think this section really helps in proving that you're genuinely interested in Japan. Sure, you don't have to be a Japanese major or minor for the job, but a desire to learn more about the country is essential. If you are still currently in college and have yet to take any Japanese/Asian studies courses, I highly suggest you do so now.
7) Japanese language ability: You will be asked to rank your proficiency in the Japanese language. Do not stress out about this. Many people who are hired by JET have zero experience in Japanese, so just be honest. This is just to help them to figure out the best area to place you in if you are hired. Some schools request an ALT with at least a basic knowledge of Japanese, some don't. Either way, this will not effect whether or not you are hired. If you have prior experience, brush up on your Japanese and try to decide where you'd rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 in the categories of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. If not, learning how to say simple things like "Good morning!" (ohayou gozaimasu!) or "Thank you!" (arigatou) wouldn't hurt. **Keep in mind that if you say you have any knowledge of Japanese, you will be asked about it during your interview. About 3-4 minutes of my interview was in Japanese and I put 2 (intermediate rating).**
Now that I've thrown this huge chunk of information at you...you should take note of what relevent experiences you've had so far that could be useful and then take a look at what experiences are available to you in the near future that you could add to it. Especially if you're reading these blogs as I am writing them, you have plenty of time to do things to beef up your application.
On my next blog, I will write about the first thing you should get started on for your application: the Statement of Purpose essay.
