Second to None

18. doomed

Well-rested and adjusted to her new lifestyle, Mayu started job search the second week. It turned out her arrival in Tokyo coincided with shukatsu season—a time in spring when recent graduates dye their hair black and put on crisp monochrome suits to land their all-important first job.

Up against a sea of competition, she bought job guides and visited agency websites in search of policy-related work. Fortunately, this specialized field sought experienced candidates rather than new faces. With her impressive experience in Europe, Mayu was able to land several interviews after submitting less than twenty applications—an astounding ratio in the Japanese job market.

Knowing public official positions were stoic and traditional, Mayu bought a navy women's suit and black pumps for interviews. Most of them had a panel of interviewers, with a couple being group interviews. Having chaired multiple large stakeholder meetings, these settings didn't faze her. The interview questions were mediocre—ones she was able to answer easily after applying quick analysis. When the week of interview marathon ended, she predicted that multiple offers would come.

Yet a week and then two passed by with no news. Not wanting to waste any time, she continued applying to new positions and effortlessly received more interviews. When another few weeks passed by without answers, Mayu started growing antsy.

Noticing she was in an unusually restless mood, Tezuka sat down next to her desk one evening and asked what was on her mind.

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong," said Mayu, her eyes glued to her list of crossed-out jobs. "The job descriptions for these positions are practically identical to my resume. I consistently receive interview invitations and I can answer all the questions from the panel. But I never make it to the next round or hear a callback. This cycle has repeated three times now." 

Bunching up her hair, she pushed the paper aside. "I can't figure out what the problem is! Does anything sound off to you?"

Tezuka mulled over her words. "You said you hear nothing after the interview is done?"

She nodded.

"All of these are policy positions? Usually with the government or government agencies?"

"That's right."

"Were any of these phone interviews?"

"No, they were in-person—" Catching the implications behind his questions, her head snapped around, "Are you saying this silence has to do with my appearance?"

"Not exactly..." Resting a hand over hers, Tezuka said, "From what I know, Mayu, non-nationals don't get selected for public servant positions in Japan. That's probably the panel's concern after meeting you."

"Why not? Does it have to do with language barriers?"

"I doubt that's an issue for you. The main reason likely has to do with political appearance."

"But I'm half Japanese! Can't they tell from my name?"

He stayed silent.

She stared at him in disbelief. "So you're saying that even if my qualifications were outstanding and I have the appropriate visa, they'll still pick an inferior candidate because of how I look?"

"I'm afraid." Squeezing her hand gently, he said, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but that's the way things are—"

She shook him off flippantly. "What kind of backwards society is this?! It's not as if I'm trying to be the prime minister or a political official—I simply want to continue my work in public policy! Yet you're saying that's just not possible because I'm not fully Japanese, because I wasn't born and raised here."