Waseda WeeklyWaseda Weekly

Television, transportation, advertising... each person is active in a different industry. What is the reality of job hunting and why did you choose your current company?

First of all, please tell us about your current job.

Hasegawa-san: I returned to my hometown of Niigata and work as a reporter for a TV station. I cover events that happen in the prefecture, such as crimes, accidents, disasters, and seasonal topics, and I write articles and see to the broadcast.

Yamamoto-san: I work as a general employee at a bus company whose business area is Tokyo and Kanagawa. Currently, my main duties are operation management at the office and attendance management of drivers. Operation management involves adjusting the operation status when there are delays on the route, and attendance management involves creating monthly shifts for the 230 or so drivers belonging to the office, and adjusting shifts when a driver is suddenly absent.

Katsube-san: I work at an advertising agency in Tokyo. I have built relationships with people in the production department for TV commercials and media, such as the TV station where Hasegawa works.

Left: Hasegawa-san giving commentary during a news report in February 2024
Photo on the right: May 2024, in the garage of the sales office. Yamamoto-san, who works in uniform at the sales office.

When did you start looking for a job and how did it go?

Hasegawa-san: I started thinking about job hunting around July of my third year of university. More and more people around me were doing internships in the summer of their third year, and many people were starting to get serious about it. I myself did an internship at a local TV station, and fortunately I got a job offer from the first company I worked for.

Yamamoto-san says he thought he would be more motivated if he could do what he likes as a job. When he was a student staff member, he also experienced and reported on the manufacturing workshop.​

Yamamoto-san: It was also around the summer of my third year. I did internships at several transportation companies, including my current company, but it wasn't long-term, and I only attended a few company information sessions and work experience sessions. Like Hasegawa-san, I had narrowed down my job search quite a bit, so I was able to stay calm and proceed with my search, and I was able to get a job offer.

Katsube-san: Wow! I'm jealous. I started at the same time, but at first I didn't have a clear focus for my job search and looked at various industries. I didn't know which company was best, so I went to every company information session I could get my hands on and I think I applied to about 15 to 20 companies. As I applied, I began to see industries with interviewers I got along with and companies that I was particularly interested in, and I was able to narrow down the companies that were right for me. When I got rejected, I thought to myself, "That wasn't a good fit for me," and was able to move on and look for other companies.

Please tell us what motivated you to choose your current job and company.

Hasegawa-san, who once wrote a company visit report when he was a student staff member, confessed that he had been dreaming of his current job since he was an elementary school student.

Hasegawa-san:I wanted to get a job where I could convey the current situation and issues of my hometown through video and contribute to a better society. I decided on this company in particular because I felt that they value work-life balance and that they have an atmosphere where even young people can take on challenges. I feel very blessed to have been in charge of the news corner since my first year.

Yamamoto-san: I've always loved buses and trains, so I chose the transportation industry, and in particular the bus company that runs around my house and is the one I'm most attached to. I applied for a general position because I wanted to take on various challenges while building my career.

Katsube-san: Unlike the other two, I didn't have a clear goal in mind from the beginning. However, I did theater when I was a student and loved performing arts, and I also lived abroad when I was young, so I wanted to be involved in a creative, global job. So I researched various industries and companies and attended information sessions, and was torn between a trading company and the advertising industry, but after seeing the atmosphere of the people working there and the company culture, I ultimately chose the advertising industry.

What about salary and benefits?

Hasegawa-san: I am receiving the same salary as I would if I were working in Tokyo. I think the benefits are pretty standard, but I'm glad that it's easy to take time off. If you combine regular holidays and paid vacation well, you can take long consecutive holidays.

Yamamoto-san: I don't think the salary is particularly high, but I'm happy that the base salary increases steadily with age. We also receive a good bonus. Maybe because it's a group company, the employee benefits are very good. For example, if you stay at a hotel in the same group, you get a subsidy of 4,000 yen per person per night.

This photo was taken when I visited Paris using my company's vacation system and reunited with a friend I had studied abroad with as a student (Katsube is second from the right). You can read an article reporting on my experience studying abroad at the time here

Katsube-san: I love traveling, so I'm really jealous! My company has a unique vacation system. It's similar to Hasegawa's company, and it allows employees to take five consecutive days off at any time twice a year. If you combine that with weekends, it becomes nine consecutive days off, so I use that system to travel abroad. The other day, I went to visit my twin sister in France.

The difference is so great! The gap between student life and working life The real daily life of seniors

Do you feel that working life is different from your student days?

Yamamoto-san: By joining this company, I realized that there are so many people working behind the scenes of the bus operation, which I had taken for granted until then. Also, because the bus runs from early in the morning until late at night, there are times when I have to work overnight. This was something that concerned me a bit before joining the company, but once I got used to it, it wasn't a problem. Also, before joining the company, I was prepared for it to be an athletic company, but in reality, that wasn't the case and it's a very comfortable environment for me. On my days off, I sometimes go out with people from work, and I run model trains or play golf with people who also like trains.

While checking the "bus navigation" that shows the bus's current location and the time required between bus stops, the bus operator adjusts operations using a radio. Sometimes the operator also writes information on the diagram while doing so.

Hasegawa-san: If there's one thing that's different from when I was a student, it's that my schedule is more fluid. My work hours vary depending on the day's interview schedule. However, I find it stimulating and fun to be able to do different work every day, so I'm not dissatisfied with that. More than that, I was surprised by the speed at which a TV station works. The content of a day's interview is aired on the evening news that same day, so the schedule is extremely tight. There's only half a day to interview, write the manuscript, edit, and air the story. When covering a crime or accident, even appointments are often made on the day. The way time passes is completely different from when I was a student.

Katsube-san: Advertising companies may have a strong image of hard work. It's true that busy periods are tough, but because I'm doing what I love, I often feel a sense of accomplishment. However, my lifestyle has changed a lot since my student days. On busy days, the day really goes by in the blink of an eye, so I've started to think about how to make the most of my days off.

Do you think what you learned as a student is still useful in your current job?

Hasegawa-san:​ ​I was able to make use of my experience in reporting and writing for Waseda Weekly during my student days in my work as a reporter, and the data analysis I majored in at my seminar has also helped me to think about the background of things. Also, when I was covering the recent Noto Peninsula earthquake, I was able to make use of the people I met and learned when I went to Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, for a regional collaboration workshop organized by my university.

This photo was taken in February 2024, after the Noto Peninsula earthquake, during an interview at an evacuation center in Ishikawa Prefecture. The interviews were usually conducted by a single person, the photographer and the photographer.

Yamamoto-san: Same here! I also feel that it was great to have the opportunity to work with adults through student staff and on-campus volunteering. When you become a working adult, you have more opportunities to interact with older people, but thanks to my experiences, I am able to communicate with them without feeling intimidated.

Katsube-san: I think the experience I gained as a student staff member is really useful. For example, even with an email, I can write it from the other person's perspective because of my experience in interviews. Also, I have many opportunities to use English at work, so I feel that my experience studying abroad while I was a student is useful.

Students should try anything that interests them at least a little while they're in school! A message of encouragement from a senior to Waseda students

What are your future plans regarding your working life and work?

"In the case of a sudden accident or fire, I sometimes rush to the scene alone to take pictures, so I always carry a digital camera with me. I also need a pen, notebook, and binder so I can take notes wherever I go," says Hasegawa-san.

Hasegawa-san: I would like to continue my current job and eventually produce a documentary program in which I will be the director in charge of the interviews and composition. One of my current goals is to have that program broadcast nationwide.

Yamamoto-san: I want to build my career in my current company. However, the company still has a traditional feel to it, so I want to be someone who can change the company when I advance in the future. When that time comes, I want to make sure I don't forget the feelings I have as I work in the field now.

Katsube-san: My current company has a variety of areas, including creative, media, and digital, and there is a lot I can learn. I'm still in the exploration stage, but I want to further deepen my knowledge in the areas I like and improve my expertise.

Left: "Because I have a lot of online meetings, I need a PC, headphones, and coffee every day." (Katsube-san)
On the right: "Calculators to calculate the working hours and rest times of drivers, as well as stationery such as pens and seals are essential items." (Yamamoto-san)

Lastly, please give a message to Waseda students who are about to enter the workforce.

Hasegawa-san:Your student days are the time when you have the most free time in your life. If there is anything that interests you, such as a hobby, travel, or volunteering, I encourage you to give it a try. I'm sure it will lead to something in the future.

Yamamoto-san: Hasegawa-san said everything I wanted to say (laughs). I was able to turn what I love into a job, so I encourage all students to try to do things that interest you.

Katsube-san: When I talk to my juniors, I hear that a lot of students start thinking about finding a job from their first year. But I think it's okay not to think too much about it from the beginning and spend your time doing what you like. I think that in job hunting, they look at how hard you've worked at what you really like. Waseda in particular has a lot of opportunities for each student to shine, such as student club, volunteer work, student staff work, and events, so I hope they will take advantage of them and gain experience.

Photo on the left: A photo taken in November 2023 when Hasegawa participated in a choir competition with her student club club classmates from her student days (Hasegawa is on the far left in the back row)
Right: Katsube-san says that he has also gone to beer gardens with his seniors from work.

If you are thinking about your career or job hunting, make use of Career Center!

Career Center provides support for job hunting regardless of faculty, graduate school, or year, as well as career support for first- and second-year undergraduate students. Please feel free to take advantage of the individual consultations and events for specific targets regarding careers and job hunting.

■ Usage Guide
https://www.waseda.jp/inst/career/students/guide/

■Before using Career Center
Please register your career aspirations through MyWaseda “Career Compass” in the following order.
1. After logging in to MyWaseda, click on "Student Life" → "Career Compass" → "Company and Job Information Inquiry"
②When using for the first time, enter information in the following order: "Initial registration screen" → "Student information registration" → "Career aspirations registration"

*You can change your desired course at any time.

■Event details
In June and July, there will be a lot of events for those graduating in 2025, 2026, first and second year undergraduate students, international students, and those aspiring to become civil servants! Event information will be posted from time to time, so please check it out. Details can be found here.

[Next Focus Preview] "Special Feature on People Working at Waseda" to be released on Monday, June 10th