The Dreaded JET-terview
Everybody who applied has probably heard by now whether they will be interviewing this year for JET or not. If not, try again next year! If yes, then I'm sure you found this post because you are nervous about what to expect. No worries. Take a deep breath, because it's only an hour out of your life and you can do this!
When I went to interview, I had barely prepared anything. I was so very sick before going down (severe laryngitis that required nebulizer treatments and subsequent medication) that I wrote in my teaching journal "Better luck next year". I thought I wasn't going. Ends up, I could take off from student teaching for one day and drive to Nashville, and get my interview underway. Here is my experience. You will hear "ESID" more than you ever care to, but take it with a grain of salt. Your experience will be whatever it is, and that's kind of nice!
DRESSING FOR THE INTERVIEW
You will hear a bunch of people telling you that you that you need to buy a suit to interview for JET. Let me tell you right now, I wore a gray cotton dress that came to my knees, a black belt high on my waist, a black camisole underneath that, and a gray bolero jacket in sturdy material over it. It was professional when paired with black tights and shoes, but it was NOT a suit. Do not freak out and spend a shit-ton of money on a suit if you already have separates that you can mix and match. You can look professional without resorting to the black-and-white penguin ensemble. If you have a suit, great! If not, look at what you can pair from your wardrobe before freaking out. It does have to look conservative, professional, and muted. Don't wear bright yellow all over, basically. I went with gray because it was what I had, and I saw people in mostly shades of that color. Ladies, you shouldn't have to pull your skirt down or your shirt up at any point. Guys... I always feel like guys have it easier, wear a nice tie and not a lot of cologne. Both sexes, make sure your clothes are not wrinkly or nasty! Basically high-school career fair rules apply :)
I made sure that my clothes fit me, too. For girls, this means having either a pantsuit whose pants fit you well on your waist and a jacket that doesn't look like it will pop open from your bust, or a skirt suit with same rules, or a dress that comes down to at least your knees and covers up to your collarbone in the chest-area. Guys, don't pop a button by having a jacket that is too small, and by the way.... khakis are too casual for this. Saw it happen, don't recommend it. You should wear clothes that you don't have to constantly adjust, and that look mature. You can still wear colors and ruffles and stuff, just make sure they are muted, toned down, and calm. One of the girls I interviewed with had a pale, butter-yellow scarf tied around her neck for some reason, as if she were breaking up the monotony of the black and white suit. We ate lunch together twice on the way to Tokyo Orientation in the various airports.
Also, do not let your clothes swallow you. I saw a girl in the interview prep-room that was wearing a suit three times her size. It made her look very young. On the flip side was a young man who had bought a suit that could not be buttoned up. Basically, whatever your body type, wear clothes that make you feel powerful and capable, not engulfed by fabric or strapped-in. You will be able to gesture more, be more confident in the image you put off. And honestly, I got my jacket at Ross for 7$. You do not have to go expensive to go fancy, no sir.
DISCLAIMER: when all of this is said and done, you should STILL feel like you are dressing at least ONE STEP ABOVE what you feel is professional enough for the interview. You should not feel uncomfortable, and you should be you, but please... PLEASE... be conservative and business-formal no matter what you pair together.
ARRIVAL
I know of people who were coming from several states away, who had to be out of their hotel they were staying at by 8am but whose interviews were not until 5pm. If this is the case, make sure that you have things like combs, hairspray, makeup, sweat-rags, whatever, available on hand in a bag to prep before being interviewed. Ask if you can keep luggage someplace out of the way of other applicants. Be kind, be calm, and do not worry if something goes wrong. Most likely something will go wrong.
I came and did not have the right size of passport photo glued to my sheet. Instead of freaking out, I asked what could be done. The lady said to go get one at Kerr Drug right after my interview and she would put it on my sheet. She was super kind, and I did not show her I was freaking out. Why didn't I?
Because. The moment you step into that waiting room, a former JET will take notes on your demeanor. They will jot down things if you complain about the interviewers, if you curse, if you sit inappropriately, if you reek of booze. This does not mean being fake, or being over zealous, or over talkative. This does mean that you need to smile, be calm, and show them that you are friendly and can take some curveballs. Trust me, curveballs are the norm. If you can't handle something like a passport photo slip-up in your own country where you speak the langauge, you should stay home.
Also, I did not freak out because I arrived early. I had time to think about what I could do, map out a game plan, and also had time to study the book they gave me.
Now, each interview process is different. I can't tell you what yours will be. But if you get there a tiny bit early and bring a good attitude, you will be fine. Make conversation with the person next to you. There are plenty of job slots. If they are comfortable, show them that you are both trying out for the same team, not competing for the last donut in a bake shop (I forgot my lunch today, sorry for the bad food metaphor, but I would fight someone for the last donut, krav maga style).
THE INTERVIEW ITSELF
My strategy when I went in was to be kind, professional, and show them that I do not take myself too seriously. I was not rude, but I did try to show them that I was a person. I told them funny stories, answered one question kind of sarcastically, and I tried to get them to see that I was not someone they would regret hiring. There was one question I blanked on.
They asked me, "What was your first memory of Japan?"
I stammered, not sure where to start. Suddenly all my ideas had left me. I could have said Studio Ghibli, or kabuki, or talked about my family's exchange student. Instead of making shit up when my mind went empty, I blurted the only truthful thing that I could think of: "Sailor Moon." They tilted their heads, kind of confused. They asked, "Nothing else?" and I said honestly, "No, just Sailor Moon. I remember being in preschool and my mom braiding my hair to that show, and my mom and grandmother started getting my sister and me some gifts from the show. It opened the door to music, TV, and movies from Japan. It domino-ed from there."
They laughed, smiling, and said it was a nice memory.
So moral of that is do not lie; be honest, just maybe try to spin your honesty into a smart and collected answer. For all I know, you could only want to go to Japan to pretend that you are Japanese and try to hang out with high schoolers like you are in some anime AU (don't snort, I met someone like that from my consulate, she's in Fukuoka right now). No matter the reasons, be real with them. And to be on the safe side, monitor yourself. If you're gushing, STOP. Allow them time to ask all the questions they want, until they feel satisfied. Oh... and if you can make them laugh, that's especially great.
They asked me to try my best to read a Japanese paragraph. They gave me two minutes, and I could literally only read one word: "nihon". So I read it out loud, and they waited for a beat. One of them asked, "Continue?" and I said, "That's all I got for you!" with a smile. They laughed, and said it was fine.
LEAVING THE INTERVIEW
Once you leave, you need to hold it together and say thank you to the person at reception. Hopefully you tried to make brief and polite conversation with them. Make yourself memorable, in a very good way! I made myself memorable because they asked if my husband was my brother (he had accompanied me and was reading silently in the lobby). We had a short chat about it. Upon leaving, see if you can shake hands with them! Leave a smile on their faces.
After you leave that waiting area, make your way through the lobby with as much professionalism as you can. Then, go to your car, park in a parking lot someplace nearby like a Wendy's or something, and freak out in happiness because you just finished the second stressful part of applying for JET!!!
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If you have any questions please ask them. I'd be happy to elaborate. And dear lord I cannot stress enough how you don't have to be dressed in a suit, ughhhhh. I read so many blogs that said that as the first thing that I cried the night before the interview because I couldn't buy a new suit yet. Guys, you will be fine. Just buy that suit once you know you're going to Tokyo, because you DO need it there.
So.... are you feeling any better about it?