Study at university
Use for club activities
That experience came in handy
Job Hunting
Department of Marketing 4th year
Tokyo, private Aoyama Gakuin Senior High School From
OVERTURE
Our university offers consistent career and employment support from early in the first and second years until the job-hunting period in the third and fourth years. We support students to understand the meaning of work and to make concrete preparations and actions to build a career that suits them. We will introduce a student who has made progress over four years and secured a job offer at a specialized trading company.
Athletic Association Lacrosse Club
Appointed as a leader while still a third-year student
I was able to utilize what I learned in Department of Marketing of School of Business Administration in the lacrosse club where I served as an executive, and was able to receive a job offer from a steel trading company. I think that my studies, club activities, and job hunting activities all worked well together, allowing me to spend a fulfilling four years.
My activities in the lacrosse club took up a big part of my university life. I hate to lose, so before I entered university I thought, "I want to be the best in Japan at something." Many people start lacrosse in university, so even now I can aim to be the best in Japan. With that in mind, I joined the university's lacrosse club. I worked hard at practice, expressed my opinions clearly, and worked hard to be recognized by those around me for my skills.
I was recommended by my seniors who trusted me, and I became a member of the executive team as a vice offensive leader in my third year. From that point on, I started to think more deeply about "what I can do for the Athletic Association Lacrosse Club" than about the sport itself. It was rare for a third-year student to become an executive, and it was a lot of pressure, but I wanted to change the situation, so I took action.
Lacrosse Club
For the future,
Taking on challenges without fear of change
In 2016, the Aoyama Gakuin University Lacrosse Club was demoted from the first division to the second division. As we aimed to be promoted to the first division, we looked at the differences between the strong schools and ourselves, and realized that each strong school has its own identity and symbolic image. It is because of this that we can unite with the supporters and take on the game. This is something we did not have.
So we decided to create a nickname and logo for the team, establish an identity and image, and brand the team as an image that people would look up to. However, it was not easy to achieve this. Many people want to stay in the stability of the status quo and are afraid of change. There was also an atmosphere within the lacrosse club that was averse to changes such as creating a team name and logo.
We had to convince the members, so we carefully explained the benefits of branding over and over again. At the same time, we made a presentation to the alumni executive committee, saying, "This is an investment in the future," and we received funding for the branding from the alumni.
Once the team name was finally decided upon as "Eagles" and the logo was completed, we made an effort to spread the word by asking members of other clubs to help spread the word on social media, so I think the lacrosse club's image strategy was successful. In fact, the number of spectators at games increased by 2.5 times, and sales of original goods such as towels also increased. And the greatest benefit of all was that a sense of unity was born within the team. Even the members who had been afraid of change were very happy in the end.
Putting classroom learning into practice in club activities and proving its usefulness
The reason I was able to successfully brand my team was because of what I learned in Department of Marketing. In particular, while studying the required "Marketing Theory" course, I eagerly absorbed everything I learned, thinking, "This is all something I can use to brand the lacrosse club!" Thanks to my hard work, I was able to achieve good results in my grades.
Another thing that was very helpful was the content of the class "Strategic Management Accounting." In this class, I learned how to eliminate waste using the Toyota Production System as an example, and as a leader of the lacrosse club, I applied that to "eliminating waste in practice menus." Since I was in the position to decide the practice menu, I was able to think about what kind of practice would eliminate waste and lead to efficient improvement of everyone's skills.
What is important in job hunting is
What I put effort into
Communicate clearly
The experience of putting what I learned at university into practice through club activities was a big advantage in my job search. I am looking forward to starting work as a member of society this spring. I participated in a winter internship at the steel trading company where I plan to work, and received a tentative offer in early April through early selection.
I received permission from the company that offered me a job to look at more companies, so I continued my job search until June, broadening my horizons and helping me decide on a company I was happy with. In the process, it was great to be able to promote the lacrosse club's branding. Many companies were interested in hearing about what I had to say. Also, there is a common perception that students in sports clubs don't study much, but I think I was able to dispel that image by studying marketing thoroughly and linking it to branding.
The company told me that the deciding factors for hiring me were "good intelligence, stress tolerance, and communication skills." While that may be necessary, I think it's important to clearly communicate what I did as a student. In my case, I think they recognized my ability to take on new challenges and my ability to approach my goals from multiple angles, which I gained through branding the lacrosse club.
The reason I ultimately chose a steel trading company was because, first of all, I had lived abroad for a long time and wanted to do work with an eye on the world. I lived in Shanghai for five years immediately after I was born, then in Taiwan for five years, then in Japan only during my upper elementary school years, and spent three years in Canada for junior high school. I have lived overseas for more than half of my life so far.
I have few memories of Shanghai, but my life in Taiwan remains as an old memory. At the time, the country was still developing, and in my early elementary school years, I walked to school passing between buildings whose walls had peeled off and exposed steel beams. After that, the city was developed rapidly, and by the time I was in the fourth grade, the roads had been paved and the buildings had been rebuilt, and I remember being amazed at the state of things. When I thought about finding a job, I thought that heavy industries such as steel were essential for the development of a country, so I became interested in a trading company that specialized in steel. I would be happy if I could contribute to the development of a developing country.
I don't know yet exactly what I'll be able to do when I enter society. However, I want to take on new challenges without being afraid of change. There seems to be an opportunity to work overseas from a young age, so I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of changes I'll be able to experience.
Yao's job hunting schedule
-
April 2019
Participating in job guidance sessions
-
August 2019
Participate in a summer internship (1 company, 1 day)
-
October 2019
Winter Internship Application
-
January-February 2020
Participate in a winter internship
(Multiple companies 1-5 days)
Studying for SPI (aptitude test) -
March 2020
Submit ES (entry sheet)
interview -
April 2020
Informal job offer
-
May-June 2020
interview
-
June 2020
End of job hunting
Faculty/Department
School of Business
With a long-term vision for the 21st century, the two departments, Department of Business Administration, which thinks from the perspective of companies, and Department of Marketing, which thinks from the perspective of consumers, aim to be a cutting-edge research and education center that will illuminate modern management from two perspectives, namely, companies and society (consumers), and contribute to its rapid growth and development. Department of Business Administration, which has more than 50 years of history and tradition, provides cutting-edge theories and practical techniques in accounting, finance, and management that are universally required of management professionals. Department of Marketing takes advantage of the international and creative location of Sibuya / Omotesando area, where Aoyama campus is located, to bring into business the aspects of culture, information, and sensibility that consumers truly desire, and aims to establish a unique marketing study called "Aoyama Marketing." The two departments will share academic results and enrich classes that allow students to come into contact with cutting-edge business information, cultivating the ability to make decisions and carve out the future without being swayed by the flood of information.
Student Athletics Association Athletic Association
Lacrosse Club (Boys)
We, the Student Association Athletic Union Athletic Association Lacrosse Club (Men's), are currently in the Kanto Student Lacrosse Division 2 League. We were founded as pioneers of university lacrosse in Japan, and in 2020 we will celebrate our 34th anniversary as a historic team in the lacrosse world. We practice six times a week with the aim of being promoted to Division 1 and then becoming number one in Japan.
