The guys from GaijinPot

GaijinPot aims at being the one-stop Japan portal. Maki Nibayashi spoke with co-founder Erik Gain about how this great site can make finding a job easy in a difficult market.

Please tell us a bit about your company and website.
Well, you' probably wondering how we came up with the name GaijinPot, or as we like to call ourselves, "the Pot." "Gaijin" represents the typical foreigner in Japan, the "average Joe" just stepping off the boat. "Pot" refers to the group or network of Gaijin in Japan (a cultural melting pot). Our site has gone through a fascinating transformation. We got started a couple of years ago, our original plan being to offer Japan a website that contains all of the info a Gaijin would need to get started, including info on housing, visas, entertainment, and so on. We decided, however, that we were trying to cover too much and downsized the site to the most important issue money i.e., jobs. In a short time, we became a "job site" that catered to the "other 90 percent market", meaning a huge range of jobs encompassing IT/finance guys to English teachers to bar room staff, but generally excluding the elite top ten percent that the headhunters like to chase. Ironically, of late, our site has expanded to include much of the original concept of being a one-stop Japan portal.

What kind of services does your website provide?
Job-seekers sign up to have jobs sent to them via email. And we send out a lot of jobs. To avoid being bombarded with super-long emails, job-seekers can select the categories of jobs to receive, such as Language/Education, IT/Finance, Entertainment, etc. Users can also search through our database of jobs posted on our site. You can send reume directly to companies through our website. Employers have their own log-in page, where they can add, delete and edit jobs. The system is quick and simple, and efficient. There is also a comprehensive resource section that covers issues like accommodation; health insurance; transportation; travel; telephone lines etc. The resource pages give an insight to the issues that affect your daily life, solutions to those problems and introductions/links to companies that provide services that cater to foreigners.

What kind of employees are most companies willing to hire?
Bilingual, bilingual, and bilingual! With the exception of the English teaching and entertainment industries, most companies are looking for bilingual staff, especially people who have some expertise in a second field such as, IT, finance or translating. But we have such a wide range of jobs there is sure to be something to suit everyone.

Do you have any tips on getting a job in Japan or working in Japan?
My immediate advice is to sign up for our Job Seekers eNewsletter at www.gaijinpot.com My long-term advice and recommendation is to learn Japanese - it will be well worth the time investment. Although many foreigners get by in Japan without learning any more than, "arigato," knowing even some basic Japanese opens up an entire new selection of employment opportunities. But learning Japanese should be part of your Japan experience anyway. It can really give you an insight into how Japanese people interact, and this ultimately gives you the edge in most situations in daily life.

One last question. Why did you choose Nagoya?
Everyone asks us that. And, given that 90 percent of our business is in Tokyo, I suppose it's a reasonable question. The three GaijinPot founders, myself included, were living in Nagoya when we met and decided to launch our business. So it was just by chance. We're planning to open another office in Tokyo as long as it offers the same convenience as Nagoya. Our Nagoya office is five min to the Shinkansen stn, three minutes to the squash courts, two minutes to the Starbucks and 15 minutes to the International Airport.

Contact information
Visit our bilingual website at www.gaijinpot.com  We can also be contacted by email, contact@gaijinpot.com, or Tel: 052-932-9996 or Fax: 052-932-9862.


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