All English Language Joint Career Fair with Sophia University and Temple University, Japan Campus Draws 165 Students and 15 Companies

Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) and Sophia University jointly hosted a virtual career fair on September 15, 2022 that drew a total of 165 students. The event, which was conducted entirely in English, aimed to connect international and bilingual students with representatives of 15 companies that seek new talent with multicultural backgrounds.

The annual event offered opportunities for students to engage with representatives of companies that shared a common understanding of recruiting students with international backgrounds regardless of their Japanese language proficiency. TUJ and Sophia have held the event together since 2012 and both schools aim to support students who have strong English language skills and limited Japanese language ability.

Eirin Lysholm Hagan, a TUJ senior majoring in political science, said the participating companies were welcoming, approachable, and provided helpful information about their companies and hiring processes. “The event was beneficial when it came to getting to know a few companies and seeing what people hiring are looking for in various positions in terms of qualities and skill sets,” Hagan continued. “It was a good opportunity to network and start getting familiar with hiring staff.”

Ziyan Wang, a second-year student in the Graduate Program in Global Studies at Sophia University, said it was a good opportunity to talk with company HR representatives directly. “I appreciate the fact that there were a variety of companies who participated, so it was very informative in terms of learning about different industries,” Wang continued. “I would encourage students who are interested in working in an international environment in Japan to participate in similar events in the future.”

The event was conducted online for the third straight year. In a joint session, representatives of the companies introduced their organizations. In subsequent company sessions, they presented more information about their specific positions and answered questions from students. Most employers will be hiring students graduating by spring 2024.

John Tessensohn, executive director at Osaka-based law firm SHUSAKU·YAMAMOTO LPC, said he was fascinated with the quality of the career fair. “We were very impressed by the quality of the candidates. The questions and engagement with the TUJ and Sophia students demonstrated how very well they were prepared and how serious they are about their future careers in Japan. I was truly impressed with the careers staff organization and professionalism of the career fair.”

Participating companies included (in alphabetical order):
Amway Japan G.K., B2C2, Coto World, Daimler Truck Financial Services Asia, Inter-American Development Bank Group, ITCS Olympian Academy, Kuehne + Nagel, Point72, SHUSAKU-YAMAMOTO Law Firm, TEKsystems, Teneo Partners Japan, The St. Regis Osaka (Marriott International Group),
The Tokyo EDITION Toranomon (Marriott International Group), The Westin Yokohama (Marriott International Group) and Vega Project

“We have heard many positive comments about this year’s fair from students, especially from students who are having difficulty finding companies that do not require a high level of Japanese ability,” said Gary Auger of Sophia University Career Center. “We would like to thank the participating companies for giving our students meaningful opportunities that will be helpful for thinking about their future careers.”

“This year’s career fair gave students an opportunity to interact with a wider range of employers compared to previous years. We had recruiters joining us not only from Tokyo, but also from Osaka, Hong Kong, and Madrid, which is a clear benefit of an online event. I have heard from TUJ students who are already interviewing with some career fair employers and I hope we will see some job offers in the next few weeks,” said Erica Adams, director of the career development office at TUJ.

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