Its that time again! I'm looking for staff who can work full and part time on Smart Doll production. Everything from flash cutting, building Mirai Frame, building the body and so on.
If you are interested in graphical design or video production then read on too.
Why CV's are not important at Culture Japan
A typical Japanese company requires a resume (using the standard Japanese format with photo attached). Apparently the way you look says a lot about your abilities.
As a hiring manager at Amazon, I never ever looked at school qualifications on a resume and only barely skimmed through the work experience section.
This is not to say that I don't think qualifications are important - they are if you plan to work for pretty much any other company that requires a resume and having a sharp resume format will probably help too.
To work for us however, I don't care about the claims candidates make on paper, about what they have done in the past, I don't care what age or race they are and I don't care about what they look like. What I do care about is what they can do for us right now.
I always encourage folks to make time for side projects to learn stuff - it doesn't matter if you are a student or salary wo/man - its something you should do. If you can make time for sleep, food, poo and checking Facebook then you got time for side projects - the particular ones that I'm on the lookout for is things like illustrations, apps and physical creative stuff like cosplay, kitbashes and so on.
Folks who work for me need zero qualifications - but you need to pass the Mirai Frame Challenge.
Our Entrance Examination
Folks who are creative and like making stuff are most suited to the company culture here at Culture Japan. For this reason, everybody we hire has to pass a single test called the "Mirai Frame Challenge" - regardless of the position that they are applying for.
"Working with ambiguity" was a requirement during my days at Amazon and this requirement lives on at Culture Japan. Candidates need to be able to achieve without specific instructions. Not only does the "Mirai Frame Challenge" test ones ability to make stuff but also one's ability to work with ambiguity as we do not include written instructions to make Mirai Frame. This test also adds the element of dexterity as we need folks to be nimble too.
Some may say that this test is a lousy measure for somebody applying for a marketing position. I will tell you why this is not so for our company.
During my time at Amazon, all senior members including Vice Presidents had to participate from time to time in Customer Connection programs which had them working for a few days at places like the Fulfilment Centers or Customer Service which keeps them in touch with the customer.
At Culture Japan, everybody needs to fully understand the product and the amount of work that goes into creating it. This means that departments (like marketing) who are not directly involved with production can make better judgement calls in their job through the experience of actually creating the key component for our products.
Mirai Frame Challenge
The challenge is to build Mirai Frame within 1 hour and at the moment the challenges are done at our offices in Tokyo. There are no instructions and candidates need to work out how to build it by looking at the completed samples that we provide.
We give folks 2 hours to complete their first Mirai Frame, 1 hour to complete their second one and their third one should also be completed in 1 hour - a total of 4 hours.
At the end of each round, the judge examines each frame to make sure everything is in the right place and that joints are not too loose or too tight. If candidates can complete the first frame in 2 hours, we point out any mistakes made in the first frame and expect the second frame to be made with zero mistakes.
Folks who can't complete their first frame in two hours will be asked to leave and you can do so in one piece unlike the Hunger Games.
Candidates who do manage to pass the Mirai Frame Challenge are pretty much hired straight away if they are applying to work on Smart Doll production - as long as they are not spooky.
Candidates are not paid to take the challenge - the candidate invests their time while we invest our time and resources and cost of materials and frames - frames made during a challenge cannot be sold as they will usually have some sort or mistake or damage which is expected for a first timer - frames used in the test and frames used for products are completed in a slightly different way.
I must also mention that candidates can only take the test once.
Folks should watch the video on how to make the frame before taking the challenge. No note that half of our staff members took the challenge in an era where there was no video - and passed. One person completed their first frame in 30 mins! No one has broken the record since.
This post contains a video, click here to view.
Folks who think that doing tests for free is a no no should read about the things I done for free to build my career.
Jobs available right now
This photo was taken at a recent Mirai Frame Challenge - we did this on a Friday - 3 of them who completed the challenge started to work for us the following Monday.
Right now I'm looking for folks who can work on Smart Doll production which you have read about in detail in the About Culture Japan post.
REQUIREMENTS
#These positions are for folks who are already in Tokyo who can start work straight away.
#You must be able to speak conversational Japanese
#If you are a student, you must be able to work in the afternoons from 2pm - 4pm for at least 3 days/week.
#If you taken the challenge before and failed then you can't take the challenge again (sorry)
#All positions start off as Arubaito regardless of whether you can work 12 hours a week or more.
#Students need to apply for a work permit which they can get from the Shinagawa immigration office.
#Photos and video are taken all the time in the office. If you prefer to remain Anony Mouse then you should not apply.
TERMS
While you do not need any qualifications to work for us because what you can do for us right now is more important, I do have a few terms.
#We can't hire anybody who smokes. Even if you don't smoke near the company, smell of smoke from clothes can get absorbed by the products which we won't be able to sell anymore - the same goes for smelly people!
#Folks can have pets but make sure you got no fur, spikes, scales or tentacles attached to your clothing when you come to work.
#Our premises are monitored by security cameras and guards 24 hours a day - some people don't like this and if so should not apply.
GET
Folks who work for us get free Smart Dolls - as much as they want but only after two months of working for us - one Smart Doll every 2 months meaning no need to steal!
Folks who take the Mirai Frame Challenge and end up working for us who also have other skills such モデル原型、3D原型、表面処理、ロウの型取り、メイクなど will be given the opportunity to make use of their abilities too.
Other information about transport and pay can be seen on the Japanese version of this post which contains more info about our parttime jobs.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ICXVB5BJuxYfAhRNjDG6byI10Mu03KQfpCtNM4djNWg/viewform
That's it for now - look forward to working with you!