11 Years of Employment, 1 Year of Unemployment. And Now, After Changing Jobs: A Record of My First Job Change Experience

I have lived a roundabout and clumsy life.

I failed to get into my first-choice high school, and although I was accepted into my first-choice university, I wavered for a while between going to graduate school or finding a job. Even though I applied to dozens of companies and wrote countless entry sheets and resumes, I didn't receive a job offer from the place I wanted to work. I turned down a job offer I was supposed to take after graduating from university at the end of February of my senior year, and it was only a few days before the graduation ceremony that I decided to attend a vocational school for social welfare.

I was inflexible.

When I thought, "Something is not right," I would go to various places, meet many people, do everything I could, and search for an answer until I was satisfied.

Instead,
I believe in striking while the iron is hot; once my mind is made up, I act very quickly.

Everything depended on my heart.

At the vocational school for social welfare, I again went to various facilities for internships and volunteer work, and I looked for a place to work. Unlike general job hunting, when applying to social welfare facilities, if you were liked at your internship or volunteer site, you could get a job offer immediately. In fact, I was told, "Why don't you work for us?" at every place I interned. I was surprised that the volunteer sites reacted the same way when they had job openings.

Even though I had such a hard time getting a job offer during my university days, I was able to get offers immediately during my vocational school days. I keenly felt the problem of labor shortages in the welfare sector.

However, even though I received job offers, I didn't stop job hunting. I wasn't satisfied.

One of my internship sites, the facility where I most wanted to work, was famous for not hiring new graduates. I was repeatedly told by the facility director, "Why don't you work here part-time?" but I told them, "I want to work as a full-time employee," and I waited for a job opening until the very last minute. While my classmates were deciding on their jobs one after another, I was waiting for a call from the facility director.

Well, it's a facility that doesn't hire new graduates, so maybe I should give up and work somewhere else...

Just as I was a week away from an interview at my second-choice facility (where I had already been offered a job if I chose to interview), I unexpectedly received a job offer from my first-choice facility.

A facility that doesn't hire new graduates hired a new graduate.

That was nothing short of a miracle for me. The school was also very surprised.

Thus, after graduating from school, I started working at my first-choice facility. It was a welfare facility for people with disabilities. Although there were many challenges, I loved the facility, the users, my colleagues, and the guardians, and the work was rewarding. The workplace was where I belonged.

Time passed without me having any intention of quitting.

As a new graduate, I was entrusted with the responsibility (as a chief) of two new projects. I held the same chief position as colleagues who had been working there for over 10 years, and I was working energetically.

The only time I would quit my job would be if I collapsed or if the company went bankrupt.

That's what I thought. I intended to bury my bones at that facility.

My wish was to spend every day healthy and smiling with the users.

My dream was to continue working even after I got married.

However, neither my wishes nor my dreams came true.

I ended up having to leave the facility where I had been involved for 12 years and worked for 11.

I submitted my resignation while wishing strongly that I didn't have to leave.
I was strongly urged not to quit.

My resignation was a desperate affair.
It was a farewell where I, the users, their guardians, and my colleagues all cried and cried and cried.

That was in the spring of 2020.

It wasn't a resignation born from finding a new dream,
and because I was still hung up on the places and people I loved so much,
I didn't feel like looking for a new job right away.

With my savings and retirement money, plus unemployment insurance,
I wouldn't have any financial trouble for a while.
I job-hunted at my own pace, only a few times a month.

Given the circumstances of my resignation,
I couldn't give up the hope that the facility might contact me asking, "Won't you work for us again?"
In fact, even after I quit, I did receive messages from users, guardians, and colleagues,
and I was told many times, "We want you to come back."

If I could have gone back, I would have done so at any time.

My life of waking up at the same time as if I were going to work didn't change.

After quitting, I decided to update my note and other social media every day.
I wanted to spend every day without forgetting to have fun and smile.

Exercising every day, updating social media,
helping with housework,
helping take care of the fields,
reading books,
going out around the prefecture every now and then,
and occasionally job hunting—this routine continued for over half a year.

I was looking for jobs at facilities for people with disabilities or children with disabilities, elderly day care centers, after-school clubs, or work related to welfare or psychology.

I was thinking about a full-time position, day shifts only, no transfers or night shifts, no need to drive a HiAce van, not a management role, a base salary of over ●●,000 yen, within ●● minutes from home, a place specializing in rehabilitation or exercise, and if I were to be greedy, somewhere with lunch provided, and weekends off or a day off on Sunday and a weekday...

Job hunting during the COVID-19 pandemic seemed extremely difficult depending on the industry,
but the welfare industry didn't budge.
It is an industry that is perpetually short-staffed.

I received job offers 100% of the time at joint interview sessions and facility tours.
This is what it means to be in high demand.

I have over 10 years of continuous service, a Certified Care Worker license, and a Service Management Responsibility license. This was my first time job hunting.
That was a strength in welfare job hunting.
However, because of that, it was easy for the conversation to shift to hiring me as a manager even though I wanted a frontline position, which was a source of worry.

I was laid back.
As long as I was willing to compromise, I could 100% find a job in welfare.

I didn't need to work right away.
So, I just kept job hunting steadily.
I didn't want to quit soon after starting.
So I kept considering and examining my options.

I own my home, my family relationships are good,
and I received unemployment insurance sooner, for longer, and in a higher amount than I expected.
It was the result of the 2019 natural disasters and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides that, I had some unexpected extra income.

Strangely enough, I was blessed with money last year.
My annual income didn't change significantly from the year before last.
Until now, I had been playing around a lot,
but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities to spend money decreased.
So, even though my income went down last year, my annual savings didn't change much from when I was a working adult.


Last year was also a time when I thought, "I might as well try marriage hunting," and I did.
Even though it was during the pandemic, it was a year where I did various things within the limits of what was possible.

I used to work six days a week often, with unpaid overtime being common,
and I spent my days interacting with dozens of people every day,
but people get used to their environment,
and I gradually got used to a laid-back life of unemployment.

I wanted to keep working even after marriage, but
I seriously thought that being a full-time housewife might be an option.

That said,
as a thirty-something unemployed person with no marriage plans at the moment,
I had no choice but to work.

I finally started to feel a bit anxious
when I didn't land a new job by the end of the year and my unemployment benefits were cut off.

I had been looking at job postings moderately and had received job offers, so
despite everything, I thought I would be able to change jobs within the year, but
due to various circumstances, I declined the offers.

The pressure from my parents gradually increased, and I was forced to face the reality that the facility where I previously worked didn't ask me, 'Why don't you work here again?'
I set a goal to change jobs by March or April 2021.

January and February of this year were months where I really went on the offensive.
My planner was completely filled.

However, even though I worked hard on my job search, things remained the same.
I could easily get job offers from companies and facilities that were neither good nor bad,
but I didn't feel like it somewhere inside.

No matter how hard I tried in my job search,
the conditions and my hopes didn't align,
and I wasn't satisfied.

There were plenty of jobs, and I could get positive responses from facilities and companies, but my heart wasn't settled, and I also became anxious about what I would do if I couldn't find a job like this forever.

Is there no other way but to compromise...?
Why is there no place where I can truly say I want to work from the bottom of my heart...?
If I compromise, I'm the type to run away immediately...
I can't go back to my previous job... and there's no contact from them...
Should I just get a qualification instead...?
I was worrying about this at the beginning of February when

I encountered that facility.

In February of this year, I found two job postings I was interested in at the Hello Work office.

Facility A matched my detailed conditions almost perfectly, and I couldn't believe my eyes.
The desired conditions matched so well that it was scary.

Facility B had very attractive job content. The conditions were also fairly good.

I was surprised that there were two job postings I was extremely interested in among all the ones I had seen so far.
It's not exactly 'good things come to those who wait,' but this was the first time those two places had posted job openings since I resigned.

Welfare facilities are perpetually understaffed, so it's common for job postings to be up for months, and it's also common for them to be posted again even after they've been taken down once.

I first visited Facility A.

In the case of job hunting or changing jobs at welfare facilities, there are many cases where they hold facility tours, and even if they don't, it's recommended because you can learn a lot by applying.


I felt some reservations at the time of the visit, but
there were many points that were better than I imagined after hearing their story,
and even looking at their social media, it was attractive.

I told my family about the pros and cons of that facility,
and even from my parents' perspective, the facility seemed extremely good, and they said, 'You should go with that one.'
Indeed, the conditions were so good that I thought it was rare to find such favorable terms.
What I felt, including the visit, was, 'It's not bad. I'll think about whether to apply after visiting Facility B.'

Staff at welfare facilities are not easily decided.
It was just favorable conditions for me,
and I was confident that from a general standard, the staff for Facility A would not be decided immediately.

In terms of job content, I was interested in Facility B.
My top choice was Facility B.
Actually, I visited Facility B after Facility A, but
as for the work content, this one was more attractive.

I decided to apply on the day I visited Facility B and submitted my resume,
but I was informed that a job offer had actually already been given to someone else at the time of the visit,
so I couldn't work at Facility B.

Facility A...
It certainly is attractive...
There are a few reservations, but in terms of conditions, it's the most favorable one in my year-long job search...
...It's so favorable that it's scary. It seems like the disadvantages might appear after I join the company.

However, on the day I was informed by Facility B that there was already a successful candidate,
I went to Hello Work and got a referral letter for Facility A.
There were a few other job postings I was interested in,
but Facility A and Facility B were overwhelmingly the best.
First, I wanted to have interviews at Facility A and Facility B before applying elsewhere.

Usually, welfare facilities conduct document screening and interviews on the same day, but
Facility A conducted the document screening first.

In terms of being cautious, I was happy with that approach by Facility A.

After the document screening passed safely, I arrived at the interview day.
There were three staff members in the interview room.

Until now, my job offers were decided within 30 minutes of talking to one interviewer.
That is because I am a service manager, a certified care worker, and a 10-year veteran.
My resume was barely looked at.
All they looked at were my qualifications and background.

However, Facility A was different.
They seemed to have read my resume and job history thoroughly in advance, and the three of them asked me various things in great detail.
They nodded at my answers and took notes on paper.
Furthermore

"Why did you quit the job you worked at for 11 years?"
"What did you spend your time doing for about a year after resigning?"

They asked me.

............Tears welled up in my eyes.
I was happy to be asked that.

Until now, I had been asked by people at Hello Work or job placement sites, but
I had not once been asked that at any facility or company where I participated in tours, joint interview sessions, or interviews.

During my one year of unemployment and while job hunting,
I was always looking for a facility or company that would ask me that. I was waiting.
I had even secretly decided that I would choose to work for a facility or company that asked me that.

The reason for leaving my job and my prolonged job search were the very essence of who I am now and my heart itself.

Of course, I couldn't say everything in the interview, but
I felt that they had seen me, tried to understand me, and were considering hiring me based on that.

After the interview, which lasted over an hour,
there was a workplace experience session.
The interviewers stepped in to carefully observe how I interacted with the users and how I behaved.

The interview and workplace experience lasted half a day,
and I left Facility A.

I was told that they had other interviews scheduled for later, so it would take a few days to get the results, but
on the day of the interview, I felt clear-headed.

Of course, I would be grateful if I could work there, but
since I didn't have a 'must-work-at-all-costs' mentality,
even if I were rejected, the shock would be minimal.
More than that, the fact that there was an interviewer who asked about my reason for leaving and about me after leaving
made me happy.

A few days after the interview, I received a job offer.
When I received the call about the job offer, I felt happy and relieved.

"It's been decided that I'll be working from March."

When I told him that,
my father confessed that he had dreamed of me this morning.
My father rarely dreams of me, but
in that dream, I was smiling.

"So, I somehow thought today, when the job offer call came, that maybe that workplace isn't a bad place for you."

That is what my father said.

Congratulations!!!

My mother hugged me, and I felt myself tearing up.

After I quit my job, for some reason, I occasionally felt an intense desire for my mother to hug me.
Perhaps I wanted her to accept me as I am,
or perhaps I just wanted to be loved,
as a failed, unemployed, single woman in her thirties.

Since elementary school, I hadn't felt the need to be hugged by my mother.
I was an adult now, and I couldn't possibly say, "Hug me."
But for some reason, ever since I quit my job, I
had wanted to be hugged all along.

So, when I landed the job,
I was genuinely happy,
and when I heard my father had dreamed about me,
and when I was hugged by my mother,

I felt that this choice I made was not wrong.

At my previous workplace, when a capable staff member resigned and changed jobs,
most people quit soon after.
The fastest ones quit in three days.

Since this wasn't a job at a place I was dying to work at either,
I was afraid I would end up quitting just as quickly as my other colleagues.

So, I only told my parents that I had received a job offer,
and I didn't even tell my sister for a while.
I didn't tell my friends for a while either,
and I still haven't told most people.

On my memorable first day of work,
I couldn't sleep at night and couldn't really eat anything,
but the residents were all lovely and kind from the very first day.

During my first week on the job, I couldn't fit in, and I felt frustrated and sad, even crying on my way home,
but from the second week on, I started to have a little more breathing room.

As someone who is slow to learn, I took notes constantly, took pictures when necessary, and asked questions repeatedly.

I memorized all the staff members' names before my first day (since I received the shift schedule in advance),
and within the first week of work, I memorized the faces and names of all the residents.

In welfare work, nothing can begin unless you match names to faces.
When I spoke to them, I made sure to call them by their names
as I tried to build communication.

That is how I gradually learned the job,
closed the distance between myself and the residents and colleagues,
and reached where I am today.

There are still many things I cannot do or do not understand,
but the things I can do are definitely increasing every day,
and the work I am entrusted with has also increased.

"Masaki-san, I really understand how you feel."

The two interviewers told me that.

They were from my same generation and had worked at large-scale facilities.
There were things they could do precisely because it was a large facility,
but they said they had felt a growing disconnect year by year.

I am the second youngest in the facility, and everyone else is a veteran who has worked as a welfare professional for over 10 years.

The facility's tasks and activities are wide-ranging, and their initiatives are truly wonderful; they had largely shaped what I thought, 'If I were to become a facility director, this is the kind of facility I would want.'
There were many initiatives and rules I hadn't thought of, and I was very impressed.

I felt that everyone was a comrade who carried the same wounds.
Including myself, everyone is a job-changer.

I felt that the current workplace was built on initiatives and routines that everyone had created by applying what they learned at large facilities and their previous jobs.

"If the staff doesn't enjoy the work, the residents won't enjoy it either. First of all, please enjoy your work."

That is what several senior staff members told me.

"Masaki-san, you always look like you're having fun every day. How is the work?"

Two weeks after I started, the facility director spent over an hour and a half listening carefully to what I had to say.
I was grateful.

While I don't know much about welfare, there are many companies that enter the field just to make money, but
this was a workplace where you could tell they truly loved the work of welfare.

Something that surprised me after I started working was
that the staff never engaged in idle chatter, bad-mouthing, or gossiping while on the job.
The staff never spoke ill of colleagues, users, guardians, or business associates at the workplace.

There was no shouting, no bad-mouthing, and no power harassment there.
Even though there were many people gathered, it was pure peace.

Also, the local people are incredibly friendly and kind.

I do some kind of work outside every day, like going for walks,
and every time, someone would call out to me.
It might be the local character, and the relationship between the community and the facility must be good.

Anyway, the variety of activities and tasks is abundant, and the daily routine is different every day,
and while there is a lot to learn,
I don't have trouble sleeping at night or lose my appetite.
At the beginning of the job, I was so tired I would just collapse,
but now my mind and body are quite balanced,
and I feel a good sense of fatigue and accomplishment every day,
so I am very fulfilled.


In any case, the users are adorable, and I am able to spend every day laughing.
According to my colleagues, "Until now, when a new staff member joined, the users would become unstable or it would take time for them to get used to them, but Masaki-san fit in smoothly."

It is true that from the beginning, there wasn't a single user I felt uncomfortable with.
There are parts where I can utilize what I learned in my previous job,
and I hope to become even closer with them.

Before I knew it, a month had passed since I started working, and I received my first paycheck.
The pay envelope was handed to me directly by the facility director, who said, "Thank you for your hard work this past month," and I almost cried.

When I had no choice but to leave the workplace where I wanted to be buried,
when I was unemployed and job hunting,
I never imagined such a future was waiting for me.

Even after being unemployed for a year,
once I got re-employed, my mind and body adjusted to the environment,
and so far, with no tardiness or absences,
I am working as a member of society.

At this point, my new workplace is a great company and I am very blessed,
and I feel that I had various experiences and was unemployed for a year just to meet this workplace.

...However, my attachment to my previous job is still not zero.

My current goal is to work hard at my current job
and increase what I can do, my knowledge, and my experience.

And someday, I want to meet the colleagues, users, and guardians I met at my previous job with my head held high.
I want to meet them again with a smile.

Because I have that wish, I am able to work in my current place.
Even while I am laughing with the users at my current workplace and spending time by their side every day,
I have not forgotten everyone from my previous job.

Even so, I am very fulfilled right now.
I am spending my days calmly with a positive attitude.
I laugh every day and savor the small happinesses.

The current me and my happiness
exist because there were all of you who listened to me a lot
and supported me during my time of unemployment.

I am very grateful to my family, friends, and everyone I met through social media.
Thank you very much.

Thank you truly.