[Working Abroad] #8 How to Read Job Postings

In the previous article, I thought about the background of how job openings at overseas tech companies appear from an engineer's perspective.

The timing of when job openings appear is connected to various circumstances, such as the company's phase, priorities, budget, and replacing employees who have left.

In this article, as a follow-up, I will write about how to read job postings. While the content here is written with software engineers in mind, I believe it also applies to other professional fields such as accounting and tax-related roles.

When job hunting abroad, it is easy to focus only on whether you can apply or whether you meet the requirements.

However, if you read a job posting a little more carefully, you can gradually see what kind of person the company is looking for, what level of experience they are expecting, and which area they are trying to fill. I didn't read them that deeply when I was job hunting myself, but after working at an overseas tech company for several years, I feel that there is more to be read from job postings than I had thought.

Organizing your own position

When considering working abroad, it is better to first separate those who are already abroad from those who are aiming to work abroad from Japan.

If you are already attending a graduate school abroad or have the right to work locally, and visa or work permit issues are not a major concern, I think you should feel free to apply to companies you are interested in.

On the other hand, if you have issues with work permits or are aiming to work abroad directly from Japan, you need to change your perspective a little.

In that case, it is also important to look at whether the company is accustomed to sponsoring visas, rather than just looking at companies that seem interesting.

In my experience, companies that operate services globally or global companies with bases in multiple countries are relatively more likely to have know-how in this area. They may already be hiring people from multiple countries or working with external partners who are knowledgeable about immigration procedures.

When working abroad, having the ability does not guarantee you will be hired. Even if the company is interested in you, if the visa or work permit procedures are difficult, the selection process may not move forward.

Therefore, if a job posting explicitly states that they do not provide visa sponsorship, I think it is generally better to look for the next one, no matter how attractive the company is. Rather than persisting there, spending your time on a company that can proceed with the procedures to hire you should increase your chances of working abroad.

Looking at job titles and seniority

When I look at job postings, the first filter I use is the job title.

In my case, I had a focus on wanting to work as a software engineer. So, I first looked at whether the position was close to the direction I was aiming for, such as Software Engineer, Software Developer, or Backend Engineer.

What I want to be careful about here is not to think that anything is fine just to work abroad.

For example, if you want to work as a software engineer but apply for a position like a Japanese support engineer, there is a possibility that a mismatch will occur later.

Of course, I think there is also a way of thinking that you can use that as a stepping stone to enter an overseas company. However, within my observation, it does not seem that easy to change your job type significantly after you have joined the company.

Rather than that, I think it can be better in the long run to build your resume by gaining development experience at foreign-affiliated companies, mega-ventures, or startups developing attractive services while you are still in Japan.

The next thing to look at is seniority.

Even for the same Software Engineer role, there are various levels, and what is required at each level differs.

When titles like Senior, Staff, or Principal are attached, it often requires not just the ability to write code, but also design skills, coordination with other teams, project leadership, and involvement in decision-making.

When looking at a job posting, I want to read not just the job title, but also 'what level of person and what level of responsibility this company expects.'

However, I feel that seniority is not as important as the job title itself. There is no problem with challenging yourself for a higher position, but I want to be careful not to undersell myself.

You don't have to meet all the mandatory requirements

When you look at a job posting, you will see mandatory requirements and preferred qualifications listed.

Here, I believe you don't need to meet all the mandatory requirements. Of course, this is different if you are clearly lacking skills or if there is a mismatch.

However, just because you don't perfectly meet every single technology listed in the mandatory requirements, I don't think you need to give up immediately.

For example, suppose a backend engineer job posting lists Python, MySQL, and AWS.

In this case, I would consider applying if I had solid experience with Python.

The reason is that there are few situations where a backend engineer needs to perform detailed configurations for AWS or MySQL, and I believe the hiring side doesn't mind much if you have similar experience.

Also, even if it says a minimum of 5 years of experience, I think you have sufficient qualifications to apply if you have 3 or 4 years.

The important thing is to identify the truly essential requirements among the mandatory ones.

Look at the business content and the company's phase

When looking at a job posting, you should look not only at the technology but also at the business content and job responsibilities.

When working as a software engineer, you don't just face code every day. You will be dealing with many things, such as users, products, business constraints, team priorities, and coordination with other teams.

In that situation, if you have no interest in the business content at all, or if it is a declining company, I think it will be quite tough to work there for a long time.

Of course, you don't need to have a strong passion for that industry from the start. However, I would like to perform a basic check by reading the job posting and company description to see if the product seems interesting or if I would want to acquire knowledge in that field.

Another important factor is the phase of the company and the phase of your own life.

There may be a phase where you want to gain experience at a large company and build a strong resume. For those who already have a certain level of experience or a brand, there may be a phase where you want to target a startup or a rapidly growing company to aim for greater autonomy and equity upside.

On the other hand, if you are in a phase where you want to value time with your family, prioritize stability in your life, or work long-term without undue stress, choosing a large company or a company with relatively stable working conditions might be a better fit.

This is not a matter of which is better or worse.

The important thing is whether the company's phase and your life's phase are aligned.

In startups or rapidly growing companies, the pace is fast, there is a lot of ambiguity, and there are times when you need to work quite hard. Some people find that exciting, but if it overlaps with a period where you want to prioritize child-rearing, family circumstances, health, or life stability, it might become quite difficult.

You cannot understand everything about a company just from a job posting. However, you can get a sense of the atmosphere from the position being recruited, the scope of responsibilities required, and the description of the company and team.

Summary

No matter how much you read a job posting, you cannot know everything about the actual work. There is much you won't know until you talk in an interview.

However, by reading the job posting carefully, you can avoid obvious mismatches and think about how to convey your experience.

A job posting is not a screening checklist, but a document for finding common ground between the company and yourself.

If you wait only for job postings that perfectly meet your conditions, you will have a hard time moving forward. Even if you are missing a few things, if the job requirements, your experience, and your future vision overlap to some extent, I think it is worth applying.

Next time, I would like to summarize how the overseas IT industry views the topic of large companies vs. small and medium-sized enterprises, which is often discussed in Japan.