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Jobs in Japan
Image by Danny Choo
As a Web Manager for Rinkya, you will be working full time in Komae Tokyo where the Rinkya offices are located and will be reporting directly to Heather. This position is open for immediate hire but can wait for folks who need to give notice to their current boss (if any) and move over to Tokyo.
Apart from sponsoring your visa, Rinkya will also be your guarantor which you need when looking for an apartment to stay at. The Japanese Housing post contains useful info that you will need when looking for a place to stay.Technical requirementsYou will need to have hands on experience with PHP, MYSQL, HTML, CSS and JQuery. You will also be seasoned with Photoshop or any other graphic tool to help you produce graphics for the UI.
Your work will involve working with business owners like Heather, customer service and logistics. You are expected to prioritize tasks and execute in order of business priority.
You will be working on all aspects of the website including backend and frontend UI.
You will also be expected to work with packages like OS Commerce (Experience preferred but not necessary).This position does not require any level of Japanese fluency but I recommend that you learn the lingo if you are to live here. Learning the language will help you enrich and enjoy your life in Japan even more.You need to have a previous online profile (not one registered just for the job application) like Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin. An online profile will help potential employers to make a hiring decision - its helped me in the same way previously and if you don't have one then I urge you to create one as soon as possible - it *will* help your career.HomeworkYou do not need to have any previous work experience with an employer but need to give examples of your previous projects that you may have worked on in your own time. I'm helping Heather look for the right person and when I hire I don't care about qualifications at all - its about what you can deliver and not about what a piece of paper says you can deliver.
Some of my previous employers hired MBA's and PHD's who looked good on paper but turned out to be incredibly poor performers.
To judge whether you are good at what you say you can do, we ask candidates to do tests - its the same method that Nature used when I applied for the job. They provided me with a week worth of tests ranging from translating to subscription forecasts - came through with the results and was handed my one way ticket to Japan. Come up with the results and you will be handed your one way ticket too.Your homework is to redesign the top page of Rinkya. Study the site to understand the business needs and proceed to redesign the top page - then create in HTML with separate CSS and JS files. The design task is to have a look at your design and UI capabilities and the HTML coding is to evaluate your coding skills. The design is completely up to you. Use CSS3 for any shadows and don't use tables for layout. You should QA your work in the latest version of IE, Firefox (Windows) and IE, Firefox and Safari (Mac). As a developer you should have access to means to QA on these platforms even if you don't use both.Your work should be in the following folder structure which should be self explanatory:-
rinkya/html
rinkya/css
rinkya/img
rinkya/js
rinkya/php
Once you are done, zip everything up and sent it to us via mail. Once we unzip your files, we should be able to see your work immediately by clicking on index.html.We need to asses your PHP coding skills too.
Create a text field on the top page that allows users to enter some arbitrary text that will be tweeted to an account that you set up - call it twitter.com/rinkya-test-or-something. Use JQuery to post the results through a PHP script and wait for the response - then display a message to the user notifying her that the post was successful. There should also be a counter to let the user know how much of the 140 characters they are using up for the tweet.You also need to be able to work with little direction - nobody wants to micro manage you. This is why the above information should be enough for you to complete the task. You are expected to fill in any gaps though recommendations and make decisions to get the task completed.Send your work zipped up to [jobs at mirai dot fm] and CC [heather at rinkya dot com]. Your mail should contain a text based resume in the body of the mail (not an attachment) introducing yourself and outlining examples of your previous projects ( need to have links to your work online ).
Also include your Facebook or other online profile. You do not need to include previous work experience or list up previous education but bear in mind that you must have a university degree as that is a requirement when it comes to sponsoring your visa.
Please include your address and phone number too.Good LuckI think that's it. While the initial salary range (will depend on your abilities) wont enable you to buy a Nissan GTR in your first year (neither did mine when I first got to Japan), I think its a great opportunity to work with a dynamic international team in Tokyo. You will learn a lot about running a web business in Japan and also learn much about the various business areas involved such as logistics, costumer service, fulfillment and so on. Heather is a great lady who has years of experience at this game and you will learn a lot from her. All you have to do is to show that you can deliver.We will review and consider applications as soon as they arrive. A seasoned developer should be able to do this in no more than 3 days. We will wait a few weeks however and will announce when we have found the right candidate.
Candidates will be contacted by mail and followed up with interviews through video chat on Skype. If you are already in Japan and applying for the position then you would be called into the Rinkya offices at Komae for further interviews.Don't ask when the deadline is - because if you are really interested in the position and want to live and work over here then you will take the initiative to prioritize your time to work on the task and get it in as soon as you can.After I have advised Heather on whether I believe you can do the job, I will hand you over to her and will leave both of you to continue the rest of the interview process - its then up to you ask Heather everything that you want to know and call out any concerns that you may have - I'm sure Heather will do her best to help you. An Interview is a two way process - you must evaluate and make the decision on whether to join a company and you must do that through asking questions so that expectations on both sides are set.And a message for those who are interested in this position but feel they don't have the skills.
Life is very very short indeed. Get out of that comfort zone that you are in and take the initiative to do something for the future you. I took the initiative to learn HTML in my spare time when I was working at Japan Airlines back in London - it was that experience with HTML that helped me get through the tests at Nature and without it I would not have been able to seize the opportunity when I discovered it.
Don't wait for life changing events to happen - make them happen and make them happen now. The Tokyo Photo Walk 4 article should give you a kick start if you need one.
The original article for this image lives at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25597/Jobs+in+Japan.html
Andrews Branch Library Re-Opens as the Center of an Exciting New Civic Complex
Image by South Carolina State Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2011
Contact:
Dwight McInvaill, Director
Georgetown County Library, 405 Cleland Street, Georgetown, SC 29440
dmcinvaill@georgetowncountysc.org
843-545-3304
Andrews Branch Library Re-Opens as the Center of an Exciting New Civic Complex
The Andrews Branch Library celebrated its Grand Re-Opening Reception jubilantly on Wednesday, March 23, at 5:00PM with over 75 attendees enjoying an expanded and innovative civic complex along with an important surprise ,750-funding-announcement from the United States Department of Agriculture. With construction completed, the newly-expanded public library has doubled in size to 10,000 square feet and is ready for business with some key new services. Two added wings of about 2,500 square feet each feature an expanded technology hub and also an adult learning center. In addition, a beautiful new open-air meeting structure behind the Andrews Branch Library completes this innovative complex which altogether will serve as a central community service crossroads in the very heart of the Town of Andrews, South Carolina.
The Library Technology Wing includes a new computer center and additional technology exploration spaces for young adults and children. The Adult Learning Center is made possible by a new public-library collaboration with the Georgetown County School District which will provide the necessary personnel for that space. This area has individual tutoring rooms, a large teaching area, and a separate computer location to enhance adult literacy abilities and test-taking skills. The creation of the new outdoor pavilion depended in part upon the generous contribution of ,000 from the Andrews Rotary Club along with a ,000 grant from Rotary International.
“We think that the community will be excited by this complex and will utilize the highly adaptive areas and equipment there fully,” said Georgetown County Administrator Sel Hemingway. Hemingway added that “The library’s furnishings, fixtures and equipment also received a much needed face-lift after over 20 years of intensive usage since being originally built in 1989.” Georgetown County government also funded two new part-time positions in the expanded library. In addition, this summer, a dynamic new Andrews Branch Library Manager, Rose Lewis, was hired to replace the much-beloved long-time manager Dale Wade who retired last spring. “Rose’s attention to detail certainly contributed a lot to the excellent appearance of the new library and to the smooth transition,” said Library Director Dwight McInvaill. The building’s renovation along with the new outdoor pavilion was designed by Architect Michael Walker of the Georgetown County firm Tych and Walker Architects, LLC. The General Contractor was Coastal Structures Corporation, also of Georgetown County.
In addition to the ,000 Rotary gift and the ,000 Rotary Grant, the approximately .5 million dollar complex and renovation was made possible by a 0,000 Community Development Block Grant from the Department of Commerce, a ,673 Community Facilities Grant for Rural Libraries from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and additional funding from the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation. The balance of funding came from the Georgetown County Capital Improvement Plan developed during years of planning involving citizen volunteers from throughout the district. The plan also led this year to the creation of a new Heritage Center at the Georgetown Library. In July 2012, it will lead to the building of a new Waccamaw Neck Branch Library, too.
The Grand Re-Opening Ribbon was cut by 16-year-old, long-time library user William Gaskins who also spoke at the event. Other speakers included State Librarian David Goble, Georgetown County Library Chairman Bill Gaskins, Former Library Board Chairman Virgil Grayson, South Carolina State Representative Carl Anderson, USDA State Director Vernita Dore, Georgetown County Administrator Sel Hemingway, Georgetown County Council Chairman Johnny Morant, Georgetown County Councilman Austin Beard, Georgetown County School Superintendent Randy Dozier, Andrews Town Mayor Rodney Giles, and Georgetown County Library Director Dwight McInvaill. The auditorium was packed with excited citizens.
In a surprise announcement, USDA State Director Vernita Dore proclaimed that the USDA was awarding an additional grant of ,750 to the Georgetown County Library for a new bookmobile to serve the Sampit-Santee Community. This money would be in addition to the ,673 that the Andrews Branch Library had just received for new computers. Director McInvaill said, “We are grateful for both of these substantial gifts from the USDA. This money will assuredly provide important services to benefit citizens in two of our county’s most rural and impoverished areas. This funding certainly gladdens our heart!”
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“Ribbon-Cutting at the Andrews Branch Library Re-Opening” Pictured left to right:
Virgil Grayson, Former Chairman of the Georgetown County Library Board of Trustees;
Sel Hemingway, Georgetown County Administrator;
Dr. Randy Dozier [behind & partially hidden], Georgetown County School Superintendent;
Leona Miller, Georgetown County Council Member;
Dwight McInvaill, Georgetown County Library Director;
Austin Beard, Georgetown County Council Member;
Johnny Morant, Georgetown County Council Chairman;
William Gaskins [cutting the ribbon], Student;
Vernita Dore, State Director, USDA;
Carl Anderson, South Carolina State Representative;
Sarah Keith [front], Georgetown County Library Board of Trustees Member;
Bill Gaskins [behind], Georgetown County Library Board of Trustees Chairman;
Rosa Williams [front], Georgetown County Library Board of Trustees Member;
Rodney Giles [behind], Mayor, Town of Andrews;
Rose Lewis [front], Andrews Branch Library Manager;
David Goble [behind], South Carolina State Librarian.
