Preparation for Marketing Job in a Foreign Country - Essay Example

Preparation for a Marketing Job in a Country Where You Are NOT A Citizen Recruitment at McCann World Group Japan: Marketing Executives Job McCann is among world companies which are leading in innovative integrated communication and advertisements. It is based in Tokyo, Japan where its head quarters are located with several branches in cities and towns in Japan, as well several sales representatives in several countries globally. The company has been in existent for over five decades and has invested in business both in Japan and in foreign countries. It has widely experienced staff with very high academic qualifications. The company offers services globally to both private and public agencies. In Japan alone, we serve Hitachi, Sony Pictures, Seiyu, Nestle, Sunstar, Johnson and Johnson, L’Oreal, Master Card and their partners in business among others. We specialize in creating advertisements, consultancy services in brand creation, targeted marketing, activation of brands, health care communication and marketing, public relations, planning in media, buying media works and buzz creation. We are best known for advert creation for new and existing brands of products (Dev, 2005). The company has progressed well at all times even during the great depression and has laid a firm foundation through great investments in its staff and strategic business building. Innovations and extensive research are very critical for any company. We are seeking very committed, talented, self driven marketing executives to join our dynamic and experienced management and marketing teams. The incumbent will be placed at the headquarters with extensive travel to our new branches in the Middle East, India, Africa, Latin America and anywhere else where need may arise. Key Competencies This position requires a person with extensive work experience in the marketing field and leadership in the corporate sector. Since our clients come from diverse industries, it’s critical to have somebody who has had hands on experience in customer care in a corporate organization. Academic Qualification 1. A master’s degree in business administration, sales and marketing, public relations, commerce, insurance, or any other related field. 2. A minimum experience of five years mostly in a busy business organization at management position or an equivalent; or 3. At least a bachelors degree in business administration, sales and marketing, public relations, commerce, insurance, or any other related field with not less than nine years experience in a dynamic business organization. 4. Additional marketing and business related certificates will be an added advantage. Required Competencies 1. Knowledge of research strategies in marketing 2. Strong analytical skills 3. Practical project management skills 4. Confident, self motivated, and highly determined 5. Results driven 6. Detail oriented 7. High degree of organization 8. Culturally sensitive 9. Can work under pressure and under minimum supervision 10. Integrity 11. Accountable 12. Capable of handling stress whether personal or job related 13. Team leader and player 14. An excellent communicator in English and Japanese both in written and verbal 15. Possess proven track record of achievements and recommendations 16. Has worked in harsh conditions before. 17. Capable of representing the company in local and international forums 18. Can travel to any destination 19. Capable of solving problems 20. Can work independently 21. Available throughout the week and willing to commit some private time for work activities due to customer demands 22. Can work well with computers using both basic and advanced applications Responsibilities 1. Supervisory of field assistants. 2. Identification of new customers. 3. Retention of customers through development of protocol for the same. 4. Recruitment, training and supervising sales and marketing assistants. 5. Set targets for staff being supervised and monitor progress. 6. Hold meetings regularly with staff. 7. Attend feedback sessions weekly. 8. Write and submit progress reports weekly to the CEO. 9. Address queries and concerns of clients and staff. 10. Beat deadliness. 11. Keep track of market trends and advice on marketing strategies. 12. Create and maintain databases. 13. Create and maintain networks. 14. Organize for marketing and promotional activities. 15. Identify potential partners and build and establish relationships and interest. 16. Draw development plan for the business and implement in it in the specific area assigned. 17. Advice on cost minimization and business strategy development. 18. Advice on brand promotion. 19. Ensure contact with legal authorities. 20. Support sales and marketing teams in the daily work through capacity building and mentorship. 21. Perform any other duty upon consultation. Additional Requirement This is a full time position that requires total commitment to the organization. Apply if you are ready for a challenging global employment. In case of foreigners who feel competent, you are advised to understand some of the cultural characteristics of Japanese people which may impact your working capacity in this foreign country. Further ensure that you clear with Japanese embassies in your country upon qualification and assurance of placement in our company. Obtain necessary travel and work documents to enable you to work in Japan. It may be necessary to prove that you can communicate well in English by undertaking some proficiency tests (Gillaume, 2010). Mock up Though the world is now interconnected, there are still specific elements of culture which define life in different countries. It is therefore important when advertisements are done that they include careful consideration of cultural tastes appreciated in different countries. Colour choice is one of those elements which must given due consideration as it can in most cases have an effect which was never intended when an advert was being drawn. In Japan, colour is given significant weight compared to other countries like in North America where colour is not specifically defined or associated with specific phenomena or meaning. In addition to countries, colour can also have very different meanings among people based on their gender and age. It is important that employees take such considerations when designing advertisements. Use of red in Japan is a symbol of life, danger or anger. Orange use on adverts symbolizes love and courage. Courage can also be represented by colour yellow. Different meanings are attached to different colours in Japan. Japanese are known for their vale of appearances. Business in Japan is still influenced by traditional cultural practices despite the high rate of infiltration by Western cultures (JobEra.com, 2013). Background to the company McCann World group is an established company which continues its expansion plans to countries where there are prospects of economic prosperity. In dealing with clients, the company listens to the needs of clients since there are those with need of one brand or several products for given products to be promoted either new or already in existence but are not faring well in the market as would be desired by the client’s company or organization. There are also those customers who need adverts which will be presented for a given period of time on local and international media so as to create desired impression (JobEra.com, 2013). All customers go through the same procedure before they can have final products, which are a true reflection of what they desired. The foremost thing that the company is to analyze the market trends on the products the customers seek to promote. It is very important that products are branded well so as to ensure success of promotion of the new product in the market. This research component of the company can cost customers so much, but they do appreciate the effect it adds to the brands which are created thereafter. The products are branded in an irresistible manner that attracts the desired customers to buy the products or demand for the services. Through research the company is able to understand what the impact of existing brands have had in promoting products branded in a particular manner, and the reasons behind the success or failure to promote promotes. Through this way cultural forces which influence the market trends are observed and well recorded. This lays a foundation for success in brand creation (JobEra.com, 2013). The next very vital stage is to collect information from people who are expected to be the consumers of the new product which is being created. Information collection is biased towards those who are targeted by the manufacturers of the present products. Through this approach the taste of the people is captured in order to transfer it when creating brands. In order for a product advertisement to catch a certain group of people it is necessary the particular things which matter most to these people be known. This combined with present current trends in the markets enables a product to earn fame within a short period of time. This is where the cultural components which influence this group of people are known. It needs someone who understands the various aspects of Japanese culture to be able to interpret the trends observed among a certain group of people in terms of their purchasing or consuming behaviours. In interacting with the potential customers, the company gets to understand their current concerns, and how they would react if a particular product was released into the market that would meet that concern. Their general attitude towards life is well captured and incorporated in the brand creation to ensure that the product brands attract the majority of these people (JobEra.com, 2013). Japanese is a national language in the country and one must be prepared to encounter linguistic problems when working in Japan. Over fifty percent of employees on McCann are drawn from within Japan. Only a few especially in the outlets in other countries do not have a Japanese origin. This is important in reflecting that the company is truly Japanese, and in order for the diverse demands of clients of Japanese to be met, most of which have cultural tastes which must be met. Working in this country can be challenging especially in this company. It will be difficult to be immersed is such a strong culture without being influenced. On every side of life in Japanese there is a culture behind it, am sure that it will be hard to resist being swayed to live like Japanese in the long run. McCann World group has existed for over fifty years in Japan. In all these years the company has been able to gather a wide range of cultural experience in Japan since the clients of the company have different cultural tastes and they insist that their brands be in corporate into their promotional brands created by the company. The staffs of the company are also drawn from the wide Japan in order to enable the company to interpret clients’ interests appropriately and transfer these exactly the way customers demand to the products they seek (Peter, 2006). The company has continued to invest substantial resources in understanding Japanese culture so that they design products which will suit the desire of their customers. In creating adverts the company has over years learnt that there are very basic features an advert must have in order to be appealing to a particular set of customers. These research activities have enabled the company to offer informed counsel to their clients. The company has continued to receive positive feedback from the customers on how attractive their products have been to consumers and how they have been able to receive more customers due to the appealing and compelling taste of brands as portrayed in the adverts (Peter, 2006). Among countries in the world where culture defines almost every aspect of life including what to buy or not to buy, Japan is among them probably in a leading position. Advertising in Japan demands a thorough understanding of the culture. It is also expected of any person who works in Japan or who intends to work in Japan and has an origin different from Japan, to take some time to learn some of the cultural expectations of the people so as not to appear without manners before Japanese. Some acts can be so innocent like greeting a senior person without bending, which can amount to lack of respect according to the interpretation biased to Japanese culture (Peter, 2006). The ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ of interviews Several information sources are available for foreigners to be able to learn Japanese culture in order to prepare for life in a foreign country. There are also several laws which exist in Japan regulating how people are supposed to enter into the country legally and find a job of their desire. In Japan there is dress for every occasion; one must be careful how to dress in a formal setting like when one is seeking for employment. How you appear during an interview matters. In Japan appearances matter so much even to a very high extent than you may have experience anywhere else in the world. The initial image is very critical and determines if one will qualify for the job or not. If employers or panellists are impressed with the way you appear, they easily see you as the most suitable for the opportunity even before they interview you for the job. The kind of questions which you will be asked will simply be about yourself and your work experiences and most likely things in your resume which you will most likely be able to address in a competent manner. It is easy to get what you real want out of a job if you take your time to prepare your appearance and dress. If there are things which interviewees should not make mistake on is the way they appear to the panellists. It is something anybody can manage only that it requires you to real prepare for the interview in reading the content as well as the way you will dress for the interview (Peter, 2006). Men should not allow heavy metal hair on their face; rather they should shave clean their beards and trim or comb their hair well. The presence of heavy hair on the face can easily be a symbol of untidiness and might put you into problems while you are trying to express yourself during the interview. This will have created a bad image in people’s minds. It should appear to the panellists that you took your time to prepare for the interview in a manner that can be impressive. This can also tell them you real value this job and might influence their final decision on your qualification for the job. The presence of any disfiguration on the face or any other visible part of the body must be covered. These tattoos could have a very different meaning in a Japanese culture tan anywhere else. Anyway, tattoos are made for a purpose most likely identification for a particular purpose especially for a particular group of people. In Japan, the presence of tattoos and work places do not go together. The clothing that is most preferred for such a formal meeting like interview should be a plain suit. Any extra unnecessary clothing can be associated with extravagance. The value of a suit is equivalent to that of a tooth brush; it is so basic and fundamental that it cannot be left behind. There are some jobs whose nature does not require one to wear a suit; it will be recommended for the sake of the interview that you carry a suit a long with your tools of work in case you are given a practical assignment. Shoes should be selected such that they are complementary to the suit. Neither men nor women should wear flip-flops, sandal, and sneakers for interviewers no matter what the situation (Peter, 2006). Similarly for women, they should be descent. They should wear a suit and avoid unnecessary. One can settle on a skirt suit or a pant suit. This is a wonderful way to communicate to the panellists that you are confident and ready to take up the job if you are given an opportunity. Try as much as possible to cover as much of your body as possible. Exposing the top of your chest can make you risk losing a job to which you are the best in terms of qualification. The best way is to dress as formal as possible as one going out for business. Ensure to come with your own clothing since it can be very difficult to get an appropriate size for yourself in many Japanese stores. Although it would be very good to obtain clothing from local stores so that you can look Japanese. This might need you to place orders earlier with some of the online stores. Other things which matter for you include punctuality and how you address the panellist during (Mike, 2013). References Dev, R. A., 2005. National Factors and Employment Relations in Japan. Japan Institute of Labour Policy and Training, Tokyo. Retrieved from http://web.jil.go.jp/profile/documents/Adhikari.pdf Gillaume, E., 2010. How to find a Job in Japan? Retrieved from http://www.guillaumeerard.com/life-in-japan/articles/how-to-find-a-job-in-japan JobEra.com, 2013. Japanese Interview Tips. Retrieved from http://jobera.com/international/ Mike, J., 2013. The Japanese Job Interview: Preparing for an ESL Interview in Japan. Retrieved from http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/articles/job-interviews-in-japan- for-foreigners.shtml Peter, M., 2006. Beyond Lifetime Employment: Re-Fabricating Japan’s Employment Culture. Perspectives on Work, Employment and Society in Japan, 58-78. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/379594/Beyond_Lifetime_Employment_Re- Fabricating_Japans_Employment_Culture Read More