Useful information for those who want to apply for a trademark job OR are looking for a new job in the trademark field

I want to post a job offer related to a trademark in Japan.

I need to strengthen the IP department as our business expands. I would like to recruit people with experience in IP operations in Japan.
What kind of recruitment web sites do people like that look at?

What specific conditions would you like to recruit under?

I’d be happy to have someone who has experience in trademark registration and trademark searches, who speaks good English, and who can review license agreements. A Japanese patent attorney license holder would be a plus.

I see. So you want to recruit someone with a fairly specialized skill set.

This article will be of benefit to both those wishing to recruit trademark personnel and those looking for trademark-related jobs.

To those who Looks for a person in charge of trademark

Because advertisements offering employment are expensive, the web site of your job posting is a concern.
Here are some recommendations and trends in Japan.

Recommended places to post your recruitment

1. Patent Salon Job Square
   This site is used by experienced IP professionals and patent attorneys in Japan. It is easy to catch the attention of people in the IP industry, so it is a good site to consider when you want to recruit experienced personnel in Japan.
   http://www.patentsalon.com/jobs/offer/
   
2. Other job sites
   When finding people who want to be involved in intellectual property-related work, it is also advisable to post recruitment on private-sector job sites.
   Recently, more and more job offer web sites allow you to select “intellectual property” when narrowing down the job category.
   Although larger job sites are likely to receive more views, there is no denying that as new job postings come in, they may be relegated to the back pages and become less and less visible. Therefore, we believe that it is better to assume that the jobs will be posted for a short period of time.
   Basically, since the job information will be listed in parallel with other companies and IP firms, it is easy to be compared with other companies and IP firms. It is essential to appeal the advantages that other companies and IP firms do not have.

3. Your website
   There is no cost to post a job opening on your website.
   Therefore, it is a good idea to post jobs on your company’s website first.
   However, you may only be able to approach people who are interested in your company from the beginning, and the number of job applicants will inevitably be small.

4. Personal connections, etc.
   Especially when changing jobs at a IP law firm, it is likely that patent attorney will be pulled out of the IP law firm, or that people who are close to each other will start a joint management company. Patent attorneys sometimes participate in events organized by the patent attorney association in Japan.

What to include in the job offer

Typical items are as follows

• Work location, including the nearest train station.
• Work Type: Remote work, telecommute, flexible work, staggered work hours, etc.
• Full-time, contract, part-time, part-time, temporary, etc.
• Annual salary, monthly salary, daily salary, hourly salary, and salary increase. For example, annual salary from 4 million yen to 6 million yen, 5 million yen to 8 million yen, etc.

• Working hours: How many hours per day and how much overtime is required? For example, no overtime, how many hours of overtime per month, etc.

• Holidays: 2 days off per week, 2 days off per week, weekends off, vacations off, more than 120 days of vacation per year, percentage of paid vacations taken, etc.

• Work, specific case contents Paperwork from domestic and foreign applications to registration, technical searches, finding patents and designs, handling interim correspondence, general renewal management, brand strategy development, sales, etc.

• Transportation expenses, support for childcare, various assistance programs, company housing available, utilization rate of maternity leave, social insurance, retirement benefits, etc.

• About the staff: For example, the staff is mainly young, how many people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s make up the group, the number of women, working environment, etc.

• Conditions Required and welcome conditions. Required and welcome conditions, main abilities required, no academic background required, no experience necessary, etc.

• Selection procedure: Resume only, interview, etc.
• Others: Whether the position is urgent or not, details of the expected position, future career, plans for listing, whether the company is listed or not, training programs, support system, commitment, etc.

If you can include keywords that are likely to be caught in a search (full remote, remote work, Tokyo, Osaka, etc.), we recommend that you actively include them.
When posting on private job sites, please follow the terms of use of each site.

If the company’s name has brand power to begin with, it seems like it would be a good idea to simply post job openings on the own company’s website.

Yes, there are a few companies here and there that do not post job openings on job offering sites.
On the other hand, there are many companies that post their job openings on multiple job sites. It would be a good idea to compare several private job offering sites.

Yes, I’ll give it some thought before I post it. Hope we get some applications!

To those who looks for a job in the trademark field

If you want to work in the trademark field, you have several options for employment.

First, you may work for a public organization such as the Japan Patent Office or WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization).
For more information about employment as a trademark examiner at the JPO, please refer to this page.
https://www.jpo.go.jp/news/saiyo/kokka/shohyo/index.html

If you want to work at WIPO, you can apply for a Junior Professional Officer position if you are young, or you can apply for a fixed-term position at WIPO’s website.
https://wipo.taleo.net/careersection/wp_2/jobsearch.ftl

If you are thinking of seeking employment in the private sector, there are two main options: an IP law office or a IP department of company. Below we explain the differences and the skills that are often required in each.

IP law firm or Corporation?

1. IP law firm

Some firms hire new graduates, although the number is relatively small.
Mid-career hires tend to require some experience in IP work.

By applying for a position in charge of trademarks, you are more likely to be able to engage in your desired work than in the IP department of a large company.
Compared to the IP department of a company, you may be able to be involved in a wider range of work. For example, in an IP department, you may only be involved in cases related to the company’s products, but in a IP law firm, you may be able to be involved in licensing agreements, infringement lawsuits, copyrights, seed laws, etc., as well as all domestic and international rights acquisition work for all technologies.

Many firms are performance-based, so if you want to test your personal abilities, we recommend that you find a job at a IP law firm.
If you are competent, the salary may be better than working in the intellectual property department of a corporation.
However, in terms of public welfare, it is often inferior to employment in the IP department of a corporation.

2. IP department of Company

If you are a new graduate and want to be involved in trademark work, you will basically be considering joining a large corporation with an IP department.

In companies with large IP departments, the division of labor for efficiency is progressing, so responsibilities are sometimes divided even within the department, such as only contract-related work, only patent applications, etc.
Therefore, just because you are admitted to the IP department does not necessarily mean that you can do trademark work.
If you are hired mid-career because you are required to have some skills related to intellectual property rights, you will have a much better chance of getting the job you want.

In companies that do not have an IP department, trademark work is often handled by a department such as legal or general affairs. Since there are many other tasks to be handled besides trademarks, the range of work you can experience is broad.

Compared to a IP law firm, most of the work is done in a team environment, so it is important to check the corporate culture and whether the department allows employees to communicate well with each other.
While the welfare is strong, there are also risks such as relocation and working outside of Japan.
Salaries are generally higher than the average salary of full-time employees in all industries and the average salary of IP firms in Japan, because companies with IP departments are large firms. Since salary is often based on seniority, if you are looking for a stable income year after year, it is recommended that you find a job in the IP department of a company.

Skills Often Sought

The following is a list of skills 1-5 that are often required for jobs in the trademark field.
Please refer to the following list if you are considering upgrading your skills in light of a career change.

Please contact us!

Although there is an option to recruit a Japan trademark attorney, if you use Amazing DX, you can complete the trademark application and registration process at an overwhelmingly lower cost than personnel expenses.

In addition, we offer “Online Intellectual Property Department,” a service that allows you to consult with our patent attorneys as easily and conveniently as if you were consulting with our in-house Intellectual Property Department by using our online reservation system and web conference system.
We offer both a fixed monthly subscription plan and a one-time payment plan at an overwhelmingly low cost.
https://www.harakenzo.com/jpn/online_IPD/

By using “Amazing DX” and “Online IP Department” together, you can secure a workload and a sense of security as if you had more IP department members and trademark attorneys in your company.
Please give it a try.