Changing Jobs in Japan as a Foreigner

Two very different job markets, one word (転職)

転職 (tenshoku) is the general Japanese word for changing jobs, but it covers two markets that barely overlap. The first is the bilingual/global segment: foreign-capital companies (外資系, gaishikei), Japanese companies that have gone global and run parts of their hiring in English, and specialist fields like software engineering where English-speaking teams are common. This segment is usually reached through bilingual recruiters, and English gets you surprisingly far — sometimes all the way through the interview.

The second segment is the domestic 転職 market: the vast majority of job openings in Japan, handled by mainstream Japanese agencies and hiring managers who work entirely in Japanese. This is the bigger market by a wide margin, and it's also the one most newcomers underestimate. Knowing which segment you're actually in changes everything about how you should approach a job change.

How the domestic 転職 process actually works

If your Japanese is solid, the standard path runs through a 転職エージェント. These agencies are free to job seekers — they're paid a placement fee by the hiring company, not by you — which is why so many people use one rather than applying cold. The typical flow looks like this:

• An initial 面談 (consultation), usually in person or by video call, where the agent asks about your background, goals, and constraints.
• The agent introduces 求人 (job openings) that match your profile, often ones not publicly advertised.
• They help you through 書類選考 (document screening) and coach you before interviews — sometimes rehearsing likely questions with you.
• If things go well, you receive a 内定 (job offer) and negotiate start date and terms.
• Only after signing do you formally hand in your 退職届 and go through 退職 (resignation) from your current job.

Alongside agencies, 転職サイト (job boards you search yourself) and direct or referral applications are the other two common routes. Boards give you more control but less support; referrals can move faster but depend on having the right network.

The paperwork and unwritten norms

Two documents matter more than a Western-style resume: the 職務経歴書, a detailed work-history document listing your responsibilities and achievements role by role, and the 履歴書, a more formal, standardized resume with a photo and personal details. Agencies typically help you draft the 職務経歴書 since it's the one hiring managers actually read closely.

The old expectation that you should stay at least three years before moving on has loosened considerably, especially in tech and among younger workers, but it still shapes how some interviewers read a short tenure — be ready to explain gaps or quick exits plainly. Counteroffers from your current employer to get you to stay are also rare in Japan compared to markets like the US; don't plan your negotiation around receiving one.

Visa continuity: don't let this be an afterthought

If you're on a work visa, the new job has to be consistent with your existing 在留資格 (status of residence) — a status for engineering/humanities work doesn't automatically cover a completely different type of role. After you start the new job, you're required to file a 契約機関に関する届出 (notification about your contracted organization) with immigration within 14 days. If you want extra certainty before accepting an offer, especially for a role in a different industry or function, you can apply for a 就労資格証明書 (certificate of authorized employment) to confirm the move is valid under your current status. None of this is exotic, but missing the 14-day window is an easy, avoidable mistake during a busy transition.

The money side: look past the headline 年収

Job offers are often quoted as an annual 年収 figure that bundles in bonus assumptions, and bonuses in Japan are not guaranteed the way base salary is. When comparing your current job to a new offer, weight the guaranteed monthly base more heavily than the bonus-inflated total, and run the actual numbers rather than trusting the headline — see 年収 vs 手取り: what your offer really pays for how gross and take-home diverge, and use the calculator to see what a new offer actually nets out to. If you're negotiating the offer itself, our guide to salary negotiation in Japan covers what's realistic to push on. One more thing that catches people off guard after a job change: 住民税 (resident tax) is billed based on last year's income, so a tax bill tied to your old, higher salary can keep following you into the new job — see the resident-tax year-two shock for why this happens.

Match the service to your situation

Agencies are genuinely useful, but only if you fit their audience. Many specialize by industry — engineering, finance, professional services — and by language level, and a generalist Japanese-market agency will struggle to place a candidate who isn't yet comfortable interviewing in Japanese, just as a bilingual/外資系-focused recruiter may have thin coverage of purely domestic roles. Before signing up with anyone, be honest with yourself about which of the two markets you're actually competitive in, and check our FAQ for more on visa and tax questions that come up mid-transition. Don't sign up blind — match the channel to your language level and your target industry first.

A note on 転職エージェント (job-change agencies): these services operate in Japanese and are realistic for candidates at roughly conversational-business Japanese (日本語ビジネスレベル) and up. They are free to you — employers pay the placement fee. Several specialize by field. If that fits your situation: