So, you want to be a game developer in Japan? Part IV

I’ve only interviewed for game design positions so I can’t comment on artist, programming or sound specific interview questions but a lot of questions have me re-stating a lot of what I put on my paperwork, especially my cover letter and what what my career goals are.

Don’t be afraid to ask interviewers to rephrase questions if you don’t understand them.

General questions:

• 志望動機: Why are you applying?  Think about this for every company you interview at.  How do your career goals and talents align with that of the company’s?  Saying you’re going to be the greatest JRPG designer at Hideo Kojima Productions might not fly.
• Introduce yourself. Sure, the interviewers have most likely read your paperwork but they want to hear you say it for yourself.  Also when you have to say it, the interviewers pick up on what you emphasize the most. Don’t just recite your resume.
• What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?
• 長所と短所. One could say this is “strengths and weaknesses” but it translates more closely to “what are you proud of, what do you want to improve?”  which, IMO, is a more beneficial angle to look at things from an interviewee’s perspective.
• Where else are you applying? It’s not uncommon for companies to ask you where else you’re applying to and be ranked as far as your favorite choices go. Companies have sped up their decision making process when I said I’m expecting to hear back from other perspective employers around a given date. It’s hard to say what effect ranking a company below 1st has if any, as none of the companies I’ve had to rank hired me, even though I put them as my first choice. And no I wouldn’t pinpoint “they knew you were lying, you rat!” as the reason I didn’t get hired. I can think of plenty of other torpedoes I sent into my own hull.
• Are you ready to work hard?  It’s no secret to the internet that Japanese hours can be crazy.  This question seems to come up more often for foreigners than not, but a handful of my JP friends have been asked this. Especially by a certain employer in my history that’s notorious within Japan for absurd hours.
• Do you have any questions for us?  Think of something before the interview other than “when can I expect to hear back from you?” Use this opportunity to become the interviewer and get a feel for the company. Interviews are two way streets; they’re good chances for you to see if your interviewer is where you want to go or whether or not you need to send out some more resumes.