Job hunting in Japan can be a difficult and overwhelming task. One way to ease your stress is by utilizing Hello Work, a Japanese government-run employment service. This service is provided for free and can help with finding employment, among other employment assistance programs. Foreigners can also find support in searching for a job through Hello Work in English. There are recruitment agencies and job search websites in Japan however, in this guide, we look further into Hello Work and how you can benefit from utilizing its services. You may also be interested in reading about Recruitment agencies in Japan and job search websites in Japan.

What is Hello Work?　

Hello Work is a government-run organization that aims to provide help and support to those looking for work and working in Japan. They have a number of jobs available via a database and can help with matching jobs to job-seekers. These can be full-time, part-time, or temporary jobs, and are largely aimed at those who have difficulty finding employment.

Hello Work also manages unemployment insurance in Japan, as well as low-income benefits. Unemployment insurance can help cover some living expenses while job-searching if you meet certain criteria. Hello Work can also provide employment consultation with job counselors, various types of job training, and guidance on how to approach resume writing and interviews.

Because Hello Work is a free service, it does not require a fee from companies for job postings and is often more comprehensive than private job postings websites.

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How to Find a Job Through Hello Work

To make use of Hello Work’s services you need to register at a Hello Work office. There are 544 offices countrywide, although some of these are specialized.

Making Use of Specialized Offices

An example of a specialized office is one catered predominantly to young job-seekers or mothers seeking jobs. However, most major cities and many towns around Japan have a Hello Work office available for general job-seekers to visit.

The offices are generally open during business hours on weekdays, although some offices are open until 7 pm and some have Saturday business hours.

Seeing a Job Counselor

After registering with Hello Work, you will be able to view various job postings. After finding job postings you wish to apply for, you can see a counselor to ensure you meet the job requirements, and the advisor can put forward an application for you. This includes a letter of introduction to the company.

Letter of Introduction

This letter of introduction is often viewed favorably by Japanese companies as Hello Work is considered reliable and safe. From here, the process will continue as a normal job application would—if the company is happy with your application, they will offer an interview, and ideally, a job offer will follow. If there is no job offer, you can continue to apply for more jobs through the Hello Work process.

Hello Work is also working towards streamlining this process and making it more online-based. This should help speed up the process of job applications, as well as help avoid some of the language barriers sometimes faced by foreign job-seekers.  

Hello Work’s Support for Foreigners

So far, we have described Hello Work’s general employment support services as they are provided to both Japanese and foreigners. However, this isn’t always useful to foreigners with language barriers or visa restrictions.

English Support & Other Languages Available

Many Hello Work offices do provide support in a range of languages, including English, Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese. However, if you’re not confident in your Japanese ability, it is a good idea to check the language availabilities of your local Hello Work office before registering or attending a consultation.

Guidance Centers

There are also some Hello Work offices that specialize in support for foreigners, such as the Shinjuku Foreigners’ Employment Assistance and Guidance Center. These centers will be able to provide a more focused service catered to the unique situations of a foreigner job-searching in Japan. Most offices can also offer job search support based on your visa type and restrictions.

Some offices can also help with Japanese language learning in order to help you upskill and improve your resume.

Training Programs

Hello Work also provides a training program centered around employment support and general settling-in support. This 100-hour seminar program addresses a variety of issues that can arise in the workplace and helps teach workplace Japanese and business etiquette.

You are also able to visit workplaces to learn more practically. This is a unique way to learn more about Japanese workplaces and make your resume more attractive to a variety of Japanese companies. 

Hello Work Can Give Your Job Search in Japan a Much Needed Boost

Hello Work is an employment service provided by the Japanese government which can be very useful when tackling the daunting task of job-searching in Japan. The features and services provided can help with your search for work, including English support (in addition to other languages), visa support for foreigners, along with general employment services. With this guide, you should be able to utilize the services of Hello Work to best suit your job-searching needs.

If you’re buckling down to build a life here, be sure to read all our other useful content about living in Japan!

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・Business Card Etiquette in Japan

・Japanese Job Titles in English

・JLPT for Studying and Working in Japan