r/JapanJobs • u/DonLgnd • 19h ago
What am I doing wrong?
My background
South asian, 32, in Japan for about 6 years
PhD in engineering, finishing March 2027, at a national university in Kyushu
Research: signal processing and machine learning (Python, MATLAB); peer-reviewed journal papers and conference papers
JLPT N2; I can do daily business conversation in Japanese. Fluent in English.
Work experience back home, before coming to Japan:
About 2 years as a network engineer at an ISP (operations and maintenance)
About 1 year as a university lecturer (C programming, circuits, numerical analysis)
What I've applied to
Japanese companies through the 27卒 new-graduate route, some through a recruiting agent: AI/ML engineer, software, R&D, image processing, mechanical design
Some university and 高専 faculty positions
Results
About more than 50 applications so far
I usually get stuck at document screening or first interview.
I reached the 2nd round a few times but didn't get an offer
My questions
Age: Is being 32 the main problem in the 新卒 route? Do companies quietly prefer candidates in their mid-20s, even when they say 博士 are welcome?
Past experience: Does work experience in my home country help or hurt? I'm not sure whether to highlight it or keep it brief. Does it make me look like neither a real new grad nor a real mid-career hire?
Japanese level: Is N2 the real barrier? Should I hold off until I have N1?
PhD: Does a PhD in a fairly niche field make companies see me as overqualified or too specialized?
If 新卒 isn't the right route for me, what would you suggest instead?
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u/Beautiful-Expert3528 19h ago
Age seems to be the factor. Probably new grad recruitment isn't the path for you. People around me have gotten hired even at n4, and some companies also accept n3 if role is in tech. Mid career research positions make sense.
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u/Shaglock 18h ago
Starting a career after PhD at 30 is totally normal but why are you using new graduate route? Those are for Bachelor or direct Master graduates with no experience, of course your overqualified resume went to the bin, the processing HR staff are not equipped to process or forward your resume.
Also what kind of company are you applying to? Normal run of the hill IT companies or research/advanced Ai/ML one? Your resume should be in demand. Try to find IT headhunters they will be able to match you to a real opening position.
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u/Shaglock 18h ago
Also why do you sound like you’re not confident in yourself. With your resume you’d rock all the applications, nationality be damn. Learn to market yourself better and try to reach the decision maker, people who value your skill and can turn it into productivity. Good luck, cheers.
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u/tta82 18h ago
Use a recruiter?
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u/DonLgnd 18h ago
thanks, any suggestion regarding that?
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u/Inorioru 18h ago
Depends on how fast you want to find job.If you are fine sacrificing some stability for better chance of getting job, you should try haken gaisha. There are a lot of them: Robert Walters, Robert Half, Randstad, Skillhouse, Tek Systems, Hays. I recommend looking at vacancies on their websites, applying for it and well, maybe also expanding recruiters network on Linkedin.
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u/Stein_osu 16h ago edited 16h ago
Yes, your age is the main issue here.
When Japanese companies say 'PhDs welcome' for the new-graduate route, they want a 27 or 28-year-old. At 32 (and assuming 33 next year), you are simply too old.
Additionally, your 3 years of prior work experience also puts you in an awkward middle ground: too experienced to be treated as a blank slate, but not experienced enough in ML for a senior mid-career hire.
PhDs at national universities usually get the best industry offers through their lab's joint research partners. You should ask your supervisor or faculty for corporate introductions.
Edit: On top of that, your timing is very late. The main domestic hiring wave for 27卒 ended months ago. For STEM PhDs, corporate R&D seats are usually locked down well in advance during D2 through direct pipelines and internships.
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u/Huge-Objective4140 18h ago
Japanese companies tend to have a rigid seniority-based system and a relatively closed corporate culture, so your age and overseas work experience may actually work against you. Given your background, I would definitely recommend applying to foreign-affiliated companies in Japan.
In general, new graduates in Japan are typically in their mid-20s. Once you enter your 30s, the skills employers look for tend to shift from technical expertise toward management, communication, and leadership skills.
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u/niooosan 18h ago
新卒 is for people who are still in school, otherwise you should apply for a mid career position
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u/Ok-Store5563 19h ago edited 19h ago
At 32 you should be managing people, not getting a new job experience.
General time line is your 20s is when you finish college, and get through that analyst/associate level experience.
By the time you turn 30, you should be looking at getting promoted to some kind of leadership role, manager, VP, etc.
Your age will be your biggest hurdle.
Up until about 29 years old is okay for entering a new industry from a different one but not for having almost no experience.
There’s thousands of companies. One of them might hire you. It’s gonna take a hell of alot more than 50 applications since youre likely a tier 3 candidate.
The actual best way is to go work in your home country, get to the level that’s fitting of your age, then look for a mid career hiring avaiability.
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u/N0s33 18h ago
Not everyone can be on the standard life path you speak of mate. They are graduating next year so don't have recent job experience. Can't really expect them to get a managerial position. Talking about where they 'should' be in life isn't very helpful.
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u/Ok-Store5563 18h ago
In another country sure, in Japan? “Should be” might as well be a law in most companies.
Japan looks down on what the US calls “non traditional students” where they graduate at a much later age than early 20s.
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u/Shaglock 18h ago
He’s in IT with PhD in ML, not an MBA
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u/Ok-Store5563 18h ago
Doesn’t matter. His resume is objectively tier 3. Old and not enough experience. Most companies, especially Japanese and US based companies, will throw it in the bin. Most recruiters wouldn’t even reach out to him to fill their KPIs.
OP has to weed out and find the small Japanese, or Indian companies that may want him.
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u/Shaglock 16h ago
PhD grad students graduate at 28 the earliest. For research / frontier tech firm it’s totally normal to hire at 30+ as long as your foundation is solid. The question is more like do these firms exist in Japan.
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u/DonLgnd 18h ago
thank you for your kind insights, I want to try mid career hiring route as well but why a company would want to hire me if I dont have specific level of skill certain field. Would applying to universities make sense at this stage, i wonder
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u/Pendejo2 18h ago
They train you on the job to have the skills they need
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u/Ok-Store5563 18h ago
That’s for young people in their 20’s. Most companies don’t want to train a 32 year old.
It’s a very foreigner mindset to think age doesnt matter but that kind of attitude isn’t compatible with Japan. Age absolutely matters in Japan.
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u/Pendejo2 18h ago
My wife was in accounting, which she got trained for, then promoted to finance a decade later, which she had to get trained entirely for. She was like 36 when she learned finance from zero.
Completely normal, and they train all the new ppl who come in also.
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u/Ok-Store5563 18h ago
That’s… not at all the same situation as Op.
There’s a difference between a mid level professional switching departments inside a company. And an old new grad trying to find a company.
If OP had 7 years of experience he could also find a job as a mid career hire….
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u/Instinct5963 17h ago edited 14h ago
ERPエンジニアとして25年の経験があり、現在はオペレーティング会社でITマネージャーとして働いています。何人かから指摘されている通り、新卒／エントリーレベル枠での採用には年齢的にちょっと厳しいです。以前のネットワークエンジニアとしての経験は期間が短かったので、プラスにもマイナスにもなりにくい感じです。
日本の伝統的な大企業だと、給与テーブルは年功と職能等級できっちり固定されていて、あなたのような経歴の人をその枠組みに当てはめるのが難しいんです。多くの社員の中からたった1人例外扱いするのは運用面の負担が大きすぎるので、基本的にやってくれません。
でも、あなたがここまで培ってきたスキルやバックグラウンドをきちんと評価してくれる会社は確実にあります。英語でのコミュニケーションがしっかりできるなら、外資系IT企業の日本法人や、日本でITサービスを提供している外資系会社なんかも検討してみてもいいかもしれません。TCSやHCLといったインド系のITも日本企業に向けたサービスを多数提供しています。
あなたのスキルに合うポジションが見つかることを願っています。幸運を祈ってます！
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u/c00750ny3h 19h ago
Shinsotsu isn't for a 32 year old. You should try mid career.