JETAA Toronto’s First Roadtrip to the Boston Career Forum 11/18-2016!
Toronto strives to provide great career-related events for our members in addition to the many top-notch social and cultural events we already offer. As part of this evolution, we sent our first envoy to the Boston Career Forum, the world’s largest Japanese-English bilingual career fair. The 3-day road trip was a ton of fun and was a great success from a career development standpoint as well.
Our two JETAA trailblazers jumped in a car early Friday morning, enjoyed a beautiful drive through autumnal New York and Massachusetts, making it into Boston by 6pm. After a little food and a walk around one of the many college neighborhoods in Boston, they rested up for a monster Saturday: the peak day of the 3-day career forum. Saturday was a full 9-to-5 day of orientations, company info sessions, elevator pitches, applications, interviews, follow-ups, and phone calls, hustling from booth to conference room to interview tent and back again. Evening libations with JETAA New England were well deserved, with local guidance through the crackling nightlife of famous Boston neighborhoods like Backbay, Kenmore, and Fenway. Sunday at the BCF is only a half-day affair, which allowed our intrepid road trippers enough time to follow up with any outstanding BCF connections while managing to drive back to Toronto before bedtime on Sunday night. All in all, a busy but fruitful weekend set against the backdrop of the breathtaking architecture of historical Boston!
Impressions of the BCF from our two JETAA attendees (all figures are rough estimates based on attendee observations):
-Over 200 companies were hiring, and many of the companies appeared to have quotas, particularly for entry level positions.
-roughly 95% of participants were Japanese, 5% were non. Non-Japanese participants were just as actively sought as Japanese participants
-All companies wanted candidates with both Japanese and English language skills. Some companies specifically targeted Japanese native speakers. Fewer companies targeted English native speakers. The vast majority were flexible.
-Staff at all booths were easily approachable in both English and Japanese. Early nerves were quickly overcome and the experience was enjoyable and built confidence.
-Candidate time management was key, as there was more opportunities in every field than hours in the day to meet.
-80% of candidates appeared to be no older than 25. That said, candidates of any age who were seeking entry level positions were actively recruited.
-90% of available positions required relocation to Japan