The later

Happy New Year everyone!

Long time not to write down here. It was a long time since I wrote before. A half year and over has been past since got back to Japan from Canada as it was last May. I was really busy for a while so I feel it was a long time ago.

I was trying to get a work permit since the beginning when I arrived in Canada but now I am working for a company in Japan.

As I wrote here so far, the LMO which you need to apply if you want to get a work permit had been applied with ex-company at the end of year before last. And we got the LMO last May in safe. Basically, the LMO would be sent in 2-3months if no issue. In my case, it took for 6 months eventually. Then I got a time to apply my work permit finally but I was going back to Japan because my visitor visa has been expired last May and I was trying to seek a job in Japan. After that time, I got a job from one foreign company fortunately on the same time when the LMO was out. The company has some of branch in the world is from Israel. It was hard to make a decision to go back to Canada or catch the new offer in Japan as the job offer is a great which my experience in Canada is needed, English and Android skills, moreover my Web application skills are needed which I was doing in Japan before.

My decision was to work in Japan. Because the job offer was the one which I wanted to do at the time when I got back to Japan in the future though my mind was to get a work permit and to stay in Canada at least 2 years. Why at least 2 years was to improve my English skills. Another reason why I made the decision was that I thought I would be able to improve my English skills even in Japan although quality is not enough. And I felt to let the wave take me to work in Japan at this time.

On the way to get the LMO, I really appreciate many of people in Canada. Of course I feel to thank for the company which could apply my LMO and it it not easy to say how I am feeling to thank friends who helped a lot me as giving advices or cheering up. In spite of getting the LMO, I made a decision to work in Japan. Though it is really hard to say my mind, I would like to do the best on new place as the decision is a better choice to me.

I started to work for new company since last July. They would like me to show great performance as following my experience and more but I am doing fine as co-workers could help me to get better.

Last year, I went to Israel on business so I could have an experience which is business trip to another country though at new work place! As those experience,got to work at several development place of Japan/Canada/Israel. I believe IT is global. My boss is planning to take me to China office in this year. I am looking forward to seeing new development place! We need to release new product these days and we are crazy busy at work so I am not sure if my decision was better to coma back to Japan or go back to Canada. But one result may be out if the hard time is over.

Anyway, I have wrote some articles at this Blog for tow years. But I would like to close by this article. At the first, my theme which I want to write is to work in another company as IT engineer and I got new work place in Japan so it is not following the theme. It meant objective was done on this Blog.I don't think I was a good writer but I really appreciate that you read this so far. I got some comments to cheer me up. It was really helpful for me!

At the beginning, this Blog has four means as following.

-Report my status
-Improve my English
-Public my information of the challenge
-To get a job in Canada

Reporting my current status to my family or friends or improving my English by writing English articles or giving the information to people who has same object as working in another country and effect to get a job in Canada.If you write like this Blog, it may be easy to tell your self to English speakers even if you cannot use English very well. I thought the chance to get it may come to you. Actually, some recruiter contacted me to give an opportunity to work via this Blog. To write Blog by English helps to get a job and improve your English on my experience.

I am happy to close this Blog with the real result to work for Canadian company. It was good to report real information in Canada. I believe to have proved you can get a chance if you prepared enough to it and do fine.

Though my Blog is closing at this time, I have a lot of things I want to do or challenge on my life. I don't want to feel satisfy at all. And I would like to keep improving myself.

My current aim is "Going to Canada on the business"!

Thank you so much for your reading!

Canada and Japan Part 3 -Food Culture-

Japan still is getting hot the further. How are you doing? I did went to Toronto a few month ago. On the same year, both summer season hit to me. It was so nice. Canada doesn't have heavy humidity as difference from Japan so you could be easy to spend though hot a little. So patio which you can stay at outside as restaurant provide was great location to have some beer. Anyway, I would like to write down about foods culture in Toronto in this time. This article might be about Toronto mainly rather than Canada. Here we go.

What are Canadian foods features?
Canadian specific features are maple and salmon. You can find some products related to those item surely. Starbucks, is located at there, has the coffee including maple leaf and hamburger shops also has the hamburger using salmon. But it is hard to find Canadian foods as not Japanese. Only Canadian foods which I know is "putine". It is the fries foods put cheese and gravy sours on the top. Probably, the taste is following looks. It is popular menu at pub in Canada.

Regular Coffee Shops
Canadian people loves to drink coffee. So you can find some coffee shops easily.




Those of coffee shops are popular in Toronto above. Tim Hortons is the most reasonable coffee shop as $1.25 for a cup of coffe. If you compare with Canada and Japan, it is cheap to have a cup of coffee in Canada. Around $2 for tall size even Starbucks($4 in Japan)

Restaurant of variety culture
You can  have variety of foods in Toronto instead of no feature Canadian foods. As mosaic city to Toronto, there are a lot of nation's people so you can have foods which is pretty close to local one.

-Italian
-Chinese
-Indian
-Greek
-Arabic
-Turkish
-Thailand
-Korean
-Japanese

Toronto has Chinese town, Korean town or Italian town so that it is easy to have close to local foods. I think there are many places which is providing good Chinese foods, Italian foods and Indian foods. In Toronto, the feature is hard to make a decision what you want to eat.

Regular fast foods
Canada doesn't have many feature foods. But as located in North America, the regular foods are pizza and hamburger certainly. If it is in Japan, "Gyuu-don" and "Soba" can be put to there. So there are a lot of pizza and hamburger shops in the city.

<Pizza>



<Hamburger> 





Especially, I can recommend Pizza Pizza, Hero and A & W for on trip as Canadian shops. Another hamburger shops also are there.

Pub menu
<Starters>
If you want to have some drinks in Canada, pub is eligible place. In Japan, "Edamame" and  "Oshinkou" are two of regular menu at Japanese style pub. Also Canada also has some foods like that.

Fish &Chips, Putine, Chicken wings, Nachos, Calamari

fishandchips.JPG

putine.JPG

chickenwings.JPG

Those of menus are Canadian regular pub foods. Almost pub has Nachos which cost is around $5-7 and amount is big so you can share with some people. I prefer chicken wings so that I used to have some chicken wings with beer.

<Alcoholic drinks>
They love to drink beer or wine in Canadian. There are some brewery pub and you can drink Germany or belgium beer for draft easily. Also variety local places are making wine so you can drink domestic wine easier.

Following place is one of brewery pubs in Toronto. Their beer is made originally by themselves. Moreover nuts are free for customer.


I wrote down about foods culture in Canada shortly. People who are coming from others and has own mind as religion or vegetarian are living in Toronto. Therefore you can feel variety of country's foods culture. If you are in Japan, you should think what to want to eat in Japanese foods. But you need to think what country's foods you want in Canada. Other hands, the another difference point from Japan is to think which place's brewery beer you want.

I have written what differences Canada and Japan have as three articles so far. As you know there is wide ocean between Canada and Japan which pacific sea, Canada has the culture which is really different from Japanese one. Not easy to know actual their culture unless you live there though you can touch their culture by media like movie. I hope I could introduce real information for Canada at this time.

Now, It is closing to write what differences there are between Canada and Japan. I wish my articles help people who are going to Canada or is living in Canada the further.

About my situation which I was going to say, I have already started to work at new place! It meant I joined one company in Japan. One good opportunity was come up fortunately and I decided to join the new place which I would be able to show my experience which I got in Canada. This story will be written at next time surely.

Talk to you soon!

Just completed short term job a few days ago. I am on "vacation" again. I had three months when I don't have a job since this year started. So I became a person who really prefers long vacation lol Now, I would like to write down about a theme, "Seeking a Job", which is serious issue for "Seeker". My article will be for IT engineers mostly but I think concept, the way and mind, is almost same with others so I am glad that you read those things.

Resume
The first thing for seeking a job is to make your resume. It is like "Rirekisho" in Japan. But some of parts are difference. You don't have to put some information, your picture, birth of date and sex. As experience and record are more important than those information in Canada, you don't have to include on your resume. Here are required information.

Name, Address, Contacts(Tel/Mail)
Education(School name and Major)
Career Experience(Company name, Job tittle, Term, Summary)
Skills and Certification(Programming language, OS, Hardware, Software, Tools)
Your Targets in the future

That is resume which has those of information briefly in around 2 pages at most. Especially, they don't have a basic format so you can make it free. Of course, it not necessary to write by hand. In my opinion, to make simple is better than to make cool design. It is easy to read for interviewer on the interview.

It is real my resume which I had used on the time to seek. At the time, I asked my English teacher at Language school to review it.
Resume
View more documents from Shinya Hasegawa
Where? How?
There are some of ways, at web site, with agents and on newspaper, which is to seek a job in Canada. I think the part of difference from Japan is that you don't need to take a complicated process. You can apply to a job easily without making account on web site and just you can make a call in the newspaper case. Surely, they have a big web site like "Riku Navi" which is the most famous website in Japan. On the web site, needing to take a time to register to use. But most of web sites are providing the service which connect to Linkedin which is web site to seek a job so a little bit easy to make an account if you have an account on Linkedin. I would like to introduce the ways.

<On Web Site>


That are famous classifieds web site in North America. Not just seeking a job, you can do to rent a room, sale/buy and make a community on the site. Everyday, they are updating the information. You can send your resume to mail address is given on if you find good job tittle. I think there are variety of types of jobs from private like contract to permanent. On the jobs, it might be posted by small to medium size company mainly. In my opinion, craigslist has many information in comparing with Kijiji. I got a job offer from the company which I applied on craigslist actually.



Those of web sites are major in Canada like "Riku Navi" in Japan. You need to register your account to use. As wrote before, though it is going to be easy to register if you connect to your Likedin account, still hard. But it has some great jobs like bank and most of Canadian people are using it. I got a phone interview through it but I couldn't get well at the time because my English skill was not good :( Even major company, they gave the opportunity to have a phone interview so foreigners would be able to have a chance.

<On Web Site for Japanese>


That is a classified site for Japanese. It is like craigslist or Kijiji. It has many job information which are at Japanese restaurant for Japanese. There is not enough information for IT engineers. You can find short term opportunity to make web site or design web site sometime.

<With Recruiters>
Canada also has many recruiters to seek jobs. Though it was via Linkedin, some of recruiters contacted me since I got a job in Canada. In my case, they need to be a sponsorship to get a work permit and I was seeking a job with them while a short terms. The advantage of recruiters is that you don't need to choice from many job information as they can bring it which they already selected good one for me from their information. Also you can get an interview soon if it is possible so it might be closer way than by yourself.

<Newspaper>
You can find some job information on newspaper, Metro or JOB Classified.ca. It doesn't have many information for IT engineer but it might be useful for others. The way to apply is by phone mainly.

JOB Classified.ca
201207122.JPG

<Introduce>
That is just my opinion, there is "Introduce". When I met new people, I was telling them that I am seeking a job and what I was doing in Japan during seeking. Then they can give good information to find a job which I didn't know also some of guys introduced a company which was hiring. As Canadian people are frank, they can listen to you warmly even if we just met at first time. The target which I can recommend is social place where many of middle and old ages are coming.

Hiring Process
Canadian hiring process has a phone interview, interview and technical test. For example, candidate's document review, phone interview, technical test and interview. As IT engineer, technical test was required. Whole of company gave some quiz about IT skills. I am going to write later.

<Phone Interview>
They will usually ask when you are available for the phone interview but just call you suddenly sometimes. They will give some easy questions about your career or your visa status. And they were asking about software development thing mostly. That questions depends on the position which you applied. It is like resolving when some trouble is happened or real programming thing.

<Interview>
The interviews were with person from Resource Department or senior engineer at first round. After that, you will have an interview with executives. I can recommend you can wear suit for your dress.  As doesn't matter for IT engineer, there are some guys whom looks are casual but it is better to wear suit basically. On the interview, you need to tell your experience and record briefly, your personal information, what you want to be and what your current interest or what skills you want to learn. Those of things are same with Japanese. They will give technical question as well. It is like how to develop easy software. As Canadian doesn't have a concept which is new graduation or not, the question should be on the interview to know your experience and record.

<Technical Test>
Technical test must be on hiring process. They will give before interview or on it. There were many algorithm questions as I had been applying for the position which is "Developer". You might need to take a time for 5 to 30min for one question to make an answer. For example, Please count number of existing of each character from "Shinya Hasegawa". There were variety of ways for answer like on  a piece of paper or on the white board. I think there were many question which are about actual programming rather than knowledge about development of Web site or Smartphone apps.

Intern
There are not many hiring information for new graduations. You can find it which is including "For New Graduations" sometimes but it is almost like X years or up experience for IT engineer. So new graduation will take a time to do "Intern". Intern means you work for company without salary like volunteer to make your career. New graduations who doesn't have a experience can be hired at same company or another company as permanent position through intern. Some of them makes their career as intern on summer break. I think you need to take for 3 months to 6 months to get a permanent position. As writing before, craigslist and Workopolis has many intern jobs as well as permanent jobs. Many company has an intern system as it is popular system in Canada if you compare with Japan. But you can hire someone without salary so there is a case which only hire without salary unfortunately.

Today, I wrote down about seeking a job in Canada. I just felt one of part of difference from Japan that they really want to know candidate's "experience" and "record" as resume, intern system and technical test. Therefore when you listen to others, in Canadian case, they say "I can do it!" but in Japanese case, "I might do it..." as no confidence. It is just cultural thing and hard to choose which one is better. You would be able to get a many chance to seek a job if you took Canadian case. And it is better to have your app or web site which you develop yourself as IT engineer. Technical test also works but most of important thing is to show your records which they can just see to prove what you can do. It can be proved your resume too. To make this web site also has the mean in my case. Canada is the country which is positive to hire foreigners for better or worse. You would be able to get a good chance easily if you have an experience and record.

I am saying experience and record but actual work is not hard. Co-workers can tell frankly and they don't have a mind like senior and junior which is like Asian culture so it means more frank. It feels easy if you compare with Japan. You can do well if you are doing the best with being honest and reliable. Don't be afraid!

Lastly...
As I told top of this article, I am on "vacation". Actually, I am in Toronto using this vacation! It has been for 2 months since I left. My mind has already gotten Japanese mind totally but I remembered Toronto life which I used to do now and having enjoy everyday. Anyway, my decision what to do with myself has already been set. Don't want to put on airs. I would like to write it later.

20120712.JPG

Talk to you soon!

I soon got used to living in Japan. Now, I had been working on software development project in short term which one company gave by today. I was busy recentry so it has been a long time since previous update. As I just came back from Canada, I am aware of some parts of difference of working space which is between Canada and Japan. Therefore, feeling it is new though I used to work a long time in Japanese working space. In this article, I would like to write down about topic what working space is different from Canada and Japan. This is the first article which theme is "Canada and Japan" as I told previous article. I am going to write about "Canada". But not sure that is totally Canada. Because I had worked for just one Canadian company. It would be just my opinion. Don't be bothering.

Welcome party within office hours
The thing which welcome party and farewell party are held on is same. In Canada, they also have some drinks at pub near office at the time. Just a part of differece, it is held on within office hours. In Japanese case, basically you have it around 7 or 8 PM at any pub. But it is basic way to have within office hours like around 3 PM in Canada. Even if you don't go to pub, they order pizza delivery and have lunch together. Anyone is there who start drinking even lunch because office is always suffering some beers in their fridge. The company which I was working has a good relationship with Canadian pizza chain so they have pizza lunch together a couple of time in a month even if there is no reason.

Easy friendship
There are some of relationship in world, Boss and assistants, senior and junior, client and vendor. In Japan, you need to use some way to be polite like respect words. But though I cannot say no manner, it is much frank to have a relationship if you compare with Japan. On the email, you don't have to use "Dear Mr. Shinya,". You can do "Hi Shinya," or "Hey Shinya," as the way to send to friends. Also they don't have a way which you need to make a bow so the first make shake hand or easy hug with lady. It is like same way with anybody. But I don't think there are no manner. It is hard to explain. They absolutely show their respecting mind with small behaviour as action or words. For example, when junior developer is asking something to senior developer, They show their respect mind in actual words as "I know you have many experience and high skills so my opinion might be wrong. But I think my way is better, don't you?". This is the thing which I can say any parts of culture, not just make to be polite. I think they don't make standard as "way" and they want to make polite with own way if they want to be polite for the person who should be . But it might be strict to act "lady fast".

Delayed certification
You need to show delayed certification when you are late for start time to work. In Japan, it is needed by big company, more and more bigger.  TTC which is subway in Toronto is going on and it is happened to be running late some times. But I have never seen that subway stuffs are giving a paper as delayed certification at any stations. Although it might be one reason the company is not big, they don't manage what time you come to office or leave. You can come by 11AM and if you are running late, it is better to tell them. As the thing, you can leave early if you come early.

Nomi-nication
It always comes topic up when you are talking about "Young people is ..." in Japan, "Nomi-nication". The word is created by Japanese people which means that it is connected "Nomu(Drinking in Japanese) "and "communication" as drinking and communicating. I guess that it means to hang out to drink with not like boss or co-workers as they are thinking of it badly. I don't think there is an opportunity to have some drinks with them a lot in Canada. As I did say before, they have relationship to frank so you are not forced to hang out with co-workers as don't have drink drinks with not like person on private. They have welcome party and farewell in office hours therefore it is not "force". Just work. Anyway, I really like to drink so I don't think that is forced if it might be forced lol But There weren't  no chance to drink with co-workers. We used to drink one time a week or two weeks after work or even weekend. Because there are many co-workers who much like to drink. That was good thing for me. Then I could learn about Canada and improve my English. In my opinion, welcome to me for "Nomi-nication".

Development Office
Our work space was the office which is easy to see with glass wall. My desk was much wide in comparing with Japanese one. You can have a seat with 2 or 3 people at two desks. It has many cushions which would be chairs and table tennis field, table hockey and Wii as TV game hard so exactly like foreigner office. I felt strange when we were playing "Mario Party" on Wii using big screen of office in Canada as we are playing it which I used to play Japanese game with many kind of national people. And The events which Apple or Google has are famous. We had watched on office's TV with all. I thinks it was excited in that to IT developer. Actually, some of co-workers was joining last WWDC in this year and you can feel much close to trend topics which is in IT industry.

Sports
The company has some of sports team and we are playing at team each seasons. On summer, beach valley and on winter, Ultimate Frisbee inside. Torontonian really likes to play sports like fitness. There are many chance to play some sports. Periodically, Some place, inside field or beach, provides sports leagues and you can join them easily. Also our company is joining it. They are playing every weeks after work. Of course, it feels free to join or not. As you wouldn't play "Ultimate Frisbee" which sound like playing football if you are in Japan, it was very worth experience. I could learn some of words in those experience. "Over", "I got it", "Good try" and "Good game".

Event
It might be special with the company which I had worked. There were many events. Especially, Halloween and Christmas. Both of events are much important in North America. We were enjoying at the time. At Halloween, they mentioned to need us to wear a fancy dress and it was held on party at their office. There was a guy who wear like Captain America which was famous in North America or who wear like Robbin Food so everyone have "fancy" then I could know how it is important thing for them. Basically, they decorate pumpkins. They are really fast to make decoration and I was interesting in the skill ti decorate punmpkins. At Christmas, we have a time to give gift for each other also have a holiday party as Christmas. We had a great dinner at Steak House like s little bit expensive. In other side, We went to night club which is in Hotel also they booked a booth for us and had a dancing with co-workers. I cannot expect that go to night club with whole of employees in Japan. "Big beer and fun for employees!", "Boss, Take care of employees!". That was a rule for the party.  So I had some of thing and they kicked me out from the hotel. But my boss brought me to my house... It is my memorial thing they called me "Mr. Holiday Party" later.

Also in Japan, I could see many offices because I used to change company to work on project. But I knew it is difference of atmosphere and environment at their office if county is different. Not sure, but I can say Family for Work in Japan", "Work for Family in Canada". It meant which one is important, work and family. I knew the thing and had some experience because of going abroad to Canada. Seeing is believing.

Talk to you soon!

2 weeks is past

2 weeks will be past after going back to Japan. The first a few days, I was feeling strange thing like my half part was still in Toronto. But now, I exactly remembered my Japanese life which I used to have and doing well everyday. The first thing which I felt about "Japan" was "humidity". Although recent air temperature is similar to Japanese one in this season, I felt humid air when just got off airplane and I knew I was back to Japan. Nowadays, I had some of reunion with my friends and we had some kind of drinks which I couldn't drink in Toronto, I am going through great days.

As it is hard to know about own mind, I had really wanted to miss Japan since making a decision to go back. But when you just go back, it was going to be no big deal to me... Also when I had Ramen(Japanese style chinese noodles) which I had really missed, it was going to be no big deal... I don't get it lol But there is a big deal thing. It's "Rice with Natto(Japanese beans food)"! I haven't eaten it so much in Toronto. The combination which Japanese rice and Natto made a deep impression to me. Simple menu like Japanese breakfast made me very very happy.

I was fixing my jet rag for a first couple of days and doing to restore my Japanese official living status or Japanese pension etc. I would like to mention what to do recently. I am seeking a job in Japan with mind to go back to Canada and also I am looking for a short term job. I don't think it is fast to get a job even if I am in Japan and I don't want to make a decision in too fast so I am looking for a short term job(1 to 3 months) in the first. Though I am worry if I am ok with an obscure turn of mind like that, there is no choice so I am just doing.

Of course, I have a mind to go back to Canada. In connection to LMO which I already wrote about the thing, actually, my employer called to me a few days ago of my departure and she said "We got a phone call from an officer at visa office. And she told they approved(probably) our LMO application.". But our company doesn't have official LMO paper which is approved as over 2 weeks was passed since the phone call. Also recent budget cut activity of Canadian government has closed visa office at Canada embassy in Japan so it meant you need to take a longer time to get your work permit even if LMO is approved officially so that it seems hard to get back to Canada when you are considering about variety of conditions. I am not sure if the ways works for me which you can apply your work visa at airport immigration when you enter in Canada or once you get in Canada as a visitor then apply inside Canada if you are with LMO. I would like to announce about what I will be at another time when I make a decision.

By the way,  I am thinking about closing update this blog which I has started writing since 2010. Because I am writing with a theme so far, "Work in another country" and If the decision is out to work in Japan, that theme is going to be out. It is not right now. I would like to write about new theme, "Canada and Japan" for a while by output of my decision as there are many things which I felt over again or noticed after going back to Japan on the contrary. For sure, I would like to continue to update as well when I can be back to Canada!

This blog is in trouble to continue but I would like you to keep in touch for a while.

Thank you for reading!

 

PROFILE

Hi I'm Shinya Hasegawa
I was born in Kanagawa,
Japan and 30 years old.
I'm IT Engineer of year 8th.
I'm challenging globalize
by IT engineer.
I arrived in Canada on February 2011.
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