During your student year in Japan, have you heard the word, “GAKUCHIKA?” Any idea as to what it means? DON'T WORRY! In this article we will explain and give you tips on how to do job hunting; as well as some helpful tips to live in Japan. Be a Jimoto-min aka jimomin, a local with us!
What is Gakuchika (ガクチカ)?
Gakuchika or (ガクチカ) is the short form for 「学生時代に力を入れたこと」 explaining mainly on your experience during your student year. It emphasises on the processes that were followed to obtain some kind of outcome or result.
While job hunting during your university year, writing gakuchika is needed as it is part of writing an entry sheet. It is different from writing a self promoting or “jiko PR” (自己PR) as in gakuchika you will explain a process in detail, such as "this is how I thought about it" or "this is what I did."
What would be the merit of it?
To begin with, why write a gakuchika?
Companies check this part to determine if the person is capable of playing an active role after joining the company. They primarily focus on two points when reading your gakuchika:
・Motivation and Personality: This reflects your what and how motivates you when you are given a responsibility or face an obstacle.
・The process of effort which can also be applied at work: Companies will see how you overcame an obstacle or how you tackled it.
How to write a Gakuchika?
Usually gakuchika is written in one or two paragraphs, therefore, it does not need to be lengthy. However, it is important to express your actions and experience in a concise way. The following points might help you when writing one:
- Motive or reason (why you did that action)
- Goals, difficulties, challenges
- Initiatives (for issues)
- Results
- What you learned and how can it be applied to the company/job
Keep in mind
You can write your experiences from your part time jobs, school circles/clubs, study abroad programs, academic research and/or seminars. Try to be as specific as you can (i.e. includes numbers) when explaining; however, make sure not to lie or exaggerate them.while enjoying their student life, Japanese students also look for activities that will be helpful when looking for jobs in the future.
Summary
We have covered the gakuchika part of the entry sheet. Writing one based on the structure and precautions explained in the article can help companies better understand you when reading your document.
How can we help you!
In jimomin.work, we offer career counselling where you can discuss your problems and understand what sort of jobs you want to do.
We aim to spread awareness and give tips and information which are not taught in school or universities. Changing residence card, what is an Entry sheet, how to reserve a moving company; we cover all sorts of topics.
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