Tips for practicing Japanese interview language skills

Here are tips for practicing Japanese interview language skills based on recent research and best practices:

• Focus on mastering polite and formal language appropriate for interviews, including keigo (honorific and humble expressions). These are essential in Japanese interview settings to show respect. ¹

• Practice common interview phrases and self-introduction (jikoshoukai 自己紹介) since it is a typical start to interviews in Japan. Knowing how to introduce yourself clearly and politely is crucial. ²

• Use role-play or simulated interviews to gain confidence and realistic practice. AI-simulated patient interaction in medical interviewing showed improvement in language skills and can be adapted for Japanese interview practice. ³

• Develop socio-pragmatic skills such as turn-taking, eye contact, and polite listening cues. These soft skills improve the natural flow of conversation beyond vocabulary and grammar. ¹

• Engage in project-based or integrated learning activities that incorporate speaking and listening, like group presentations or poster sessions, to develop communication skills in realistic contexts. ^{4, 5}

• Overcome second language anxiety by practicing conversation regularly, including with AI chatbots or language partners, to reduce silence and hesitation during interviews. ⁶

• Utilize platforms like Google Meet or Zoom for virtual mock interviews, especially focusing on kaiwa (conversation) practice for more interactive skill-building. ⁷

• Build vocabulary and idiomatic expressions frequently used in business and job interviews through apps or daily word learning strategies. ⁸

In summary, combining polite keigo practice, realistic role-play interviews, socio-pragmatic skill development, and anxiety reduction techniques will effectively improve Japanese interview language skills. Regular speaking practice in realistic formats is key. ^{2, 3, 4, 1}

References

• Probing Socio-Pragmatic Skills of L2 Learners of Indonesian on Japanese Politeness

• SELF INTRODUCING AND WORK ETHICS IN JAPANESE COMPANIES

• Enhancing Medical Interview Skills Through AI-Simulated Patient Interactions: Nonrandomized Controlled Trial

• Implementation of Project Based Learning Independent Learning Curriculum in Japanese Speaking Skills

• Poster Presentation: A Project-Based Integrated Language Learning to Enhance Soft Skills of Japanese Language Learners

• 雜談AI與台灣華語母語中級日語學習者聊天（文字輸入）中第二語言焦慮的研究－－基於訪談調查之SCAT分析及談話分析｜Analysis of Second Language Anxiety in Small Talk by Typing between Chat AI and Taiwanese Intermediate Japanese Learners–Based on SCAT Analysis of Interview Survey and Discourse Analysis

• Students’ Perspective of Acceptable Online Learning Platforms for Japanese Language Skills Courses

• LIKARI (Five Words in A Day) Application to Improve Vocabulary Mastery in Japanese Language Learning

• Efforts to Improve Japanese Language Skills of Prospective Workers at Mirai Jaya Indralaya Job Training Institute

• THE NEEDS ANALYSIS OF FOUR PRIMARY LANGUAGE SKILLS IN DEVELOPING JAPANESE TEACHING MATERIALS FOR TOURISM PURPOSES

• Question Difficulty Decision for Automated Interview in Foreign Language Test

• Beyond the threshold: Exploring English language proficiency, linguistic challenges, and academic language skills of Japanese students in an English medium instruction programme

• Improving Japanese English pronunciation with speech recognition and feed-back system

• The Communication Strategy Used by Japanese Learner at the Basic Level

• What Is the Best Interview Format to Measure Student Aptitude for Medical School? (Course name: What does a test measure?)

• Direct and Indirect Language Learning Strategies in Japanese Language Acquisition

• Rural Easy Japanese as a Method of Mitigating Language Barriers Among Foreigners Seeking Medical Care in Rural Japan

• Gender Based Conversation Topics of Japanese Native Speakers on Contact Situations with Japanese Learners of Indonesia: First-Time Meeting Encounter