Departments
Intermediate Japanese - Free Online Course
December 1, 2006
Interview: Andrew Hankinson of Japanese Travel Jobs
Andrew Hankinson is the Director of Japanese Travel Jobs, (www.japanesetraveljobs.com), a Tokyo-based firm that specializes in providing information for Japanese/English bilingual job-seekers in the travel industry. Andrew recently spoke with Japanese123.com about Japanese Travel Jobs, current opportunities in the travel industry, and the outlook for the future:
J123: Tell us a little bit about your company. What is your mission? How did the idea for Japan Travel Jobs come about, and how has the business evolved?
A. Hankinson: JTJ is an on-line recruitment /advertising site specializing in the travel industry for bilingual Japanese/English speakers. We provide on-line travel job information for job seekers and focused candidate sourcing for employers. Our mission is to be the leading source of travel industry job opportunities on the net for bilingual candidates.The idea for JTJ came about five years ago, after working years in the on-line recruiting field. In the mid 90's I was working in Tokyo for a travel industry publisher. At that time I traveled around the world meeting travel suppliers, mainly hotels. And at many of these hotels, there were many GM's asking me "Do you know any Japanese who would like to work at our hotel as a guest relations officer"? I had no idea but that question really stuck with me. JTJ was finally launched less than a year ago.
J123: What percentage of the job candidates that use your site are non-Japanese, versus native speakers?
A. Hankinson: When you say "use" there are various determinates for that. Internally we track registered users, applications, and where visitors view our site. Over 50% of our registered users are located in Japan and over 50% of applicants come from Japanese nationals.
J123: How would you rate the Japanese language skills of the average non-Japanese candidate that you are able to place in a position?
A. Hankinson: JTJ is not an executive search or headhunter in the traditional sense so we don't really "place" people. We do pre-screen candidates for the employers and then forward all relevant resumes to the employer. It is then up to the employer to follow up directly with the candidate. To date, most of the hires which have come through JTJ have been Japanese nationals. But overall, the quality and language-level of foreign applicants has been very good.
J123: Do you have listings for Japan-related jobs all over the world? Outside Japan itself, what locations have the most jobs available? In which geographic areas to you foresee the most growth in the future?
A. Hankinson: Most of JTJ's listings are overseas. S.E. Asia is big now and growing. China, Vietnam, and Thailand are growing. The major areas such as Hawaii, Singapore, and Guam are difficult due to visa restrictions. Domestically, there are a lot of new international hotel chains coming into Japan and many of these properties do have openings for interns or other Japanese-speaking foreign nationals.
J123: Apart from language skills, what training/experience would you recommend for individuals who are interested in working in the Japan-related travel industry?
A. Hankinson: As with the hospitality industry everywhere, it's a person to person business. Outgoing and friendly personality, an ability to adapt to changing conditions and last, attention to detail, after all, it is the Japanese industry we are talking about.
