The Beginning

Hello,
    Welcome to my Japan Co-op blog.
 In celebrating getting a job offer from Japan, I will start with a blog post about how it began and what the process was like.

Application to the program
    The very first step was deciding on whether or not I wanted to participate in such a program. I started deliberating about this when I found out from my co-op coordinator about this program.
During my first co-op terms working downtown, I started researching more into the program and decided that I should go for it. I was a little hesitant at first (I don't recall why, probably something along the lines of the culture in Japan and how it might be difficult to adapt and whether they're willing to accept an immature looking Chinese girl who doesn't know what she's capable of... ).
In the process of researching, I read every single section of the official website in detail and made sure I knew everything there is to know about what I was getting my self into... [http://www.thecoopjapanprogram.com/]. The experiential reports shared on the website made me even more excited about working there.
Near the end of my co-op term I was set on applying for the program and even started reviewing some of my rusty Japanese.
    In September I started the application process. After making a few email exchanges I had a brief interview with the Director of Science co-op to get the recommendation and then with the CJCP Assistant. After that, I also had an oral language assessment test (worth $30!!) which wasn't all that bad. Soon after that, I received a couple of emails with the job postings form Japan!
    I was kind of disappointed that there weren't many jobs to choose from as CJCP is dominantly for Engineering students and was barely advertised for the computer science students (and to make things even more complicated, I am not a Computer Science major but in the Cognitive Systems program and in the Computer Science co-op program). I had to find out from an engineering friend of mine when the info session for the program was. @_@.Also, this was one of the reasons why I was hesitant about applying. What are the chances of me, a student that's not entirely a computer science major, of getting hired in Japan through a program dominantly aimed at engineering students?

Applying for jobs
   Looking through all of the jobs, I only found a few that I felt I barely met the requirements for. After sifting through all of them, I found two jobs that I decided to apply for. Both of them were from the same company, "AAA". One of them was a researching position on xx and the other one was also a researching position on yy. I was a bit worried when applying because I added a new things on my resume and modified the layout so it could fit more information and I didn't have the time to get anyone to proofread it!! As part of the application process, they also required a letter of recommendation. I quickly emailed my mentor from my previous co-op term so I could submit the application before the deadline in the end of October. Of course, it was midterm month and I was super stressed but I managed to pull through and submitted my two applications on time.


Interview
After finishing applying, I didn't hear anything from the coordinator so I was a bit worried that my two small applications were thrown out. It takes me back to the time back in high school when I was so confident that I was going to get hired for this candy position at the PNE. I was quite disappointed when I wasn't hired and I still remember it to this day. :P So, I thought it was a mistake telling (almost) everyone my plans about applying for this program because there was a chance that I won't get a job offer in Japan. Also, especially my mom!! It seemed as if she assumed that getting a job in Japan was easy and quick. She even showed me an ad on luggage bags that were on sale and asked me which one I liked.... I really dislike disappointing people. Anyways! DURING my crazy final week, when I was studying like a mad woman for my 4 finals in the first week of exams, right in the middle, I was scheduled for a video conference with the second position that I applied for! Of course it was good news, but not good news for my computer science final in which I did not begin studying for yet.. I really wanted this interview to go well so I spent a good whole night trying to prep myself for typical interview questions and wrote down things I might say. The day of my interview I went to school, practiced with a few friends and they gave me valuable input :). Regardless, during my interview which was at 6pm I met the panel of interviewers on a laptop in a small room of the engineering coop building. I'd love to say I did excellent on the interview but I felt my answers weren't very well articulated... I had a pang of disappointment after the interview because there was also a lot of mis-communication and I couldn't really  hear them too. X_X. I thought to myself, "oh well, I tried my best?"

The Offer
A week later, I get a brief email from the CJCP coordinator saying she wants to schedule a time where she can discuss my application status. For the rest of the night I asked "But what does it mean!??!! What could she possibly want to call me for regarding my application status?!" I hoped for the best-- Of course I couldn't sleep till 3am that night thinking about how my life would change if I was offered  job... (I had one more final left, I couldn't concentrate that night at all). The next day when she gave me a call, I was offered the job!!! I was given all of the details about the next steps in getting ready for my 8 month work term researching for a big company. So now I'm preparing all of the documents and I hope for the best. (Would it be possible that they take back the job offer upon further investigation? *crossfingers* no please!)

That's all for today, I just finished my last final today, cleaned up all of my notes and papers for this stressful school term (which, I think went pretty well) and I'm now ready to take a warm shower and go to bed...

Goodnight!!

Bessie