ข้อสอบเอ็นทรานซ์ ภาษาอังกฤษ มีนาคม 2542

     Adversity  presents  opportunity.  Just  ask  Iwao  Keiichi.  Forced  by  illness  to  close  his  

restaurant  management  and  food  manufacturing  firm,  Iwao  began  life  anew  

in  1993  when  he  established  Tokyo’s  first  job  placement  firm,  Way  Station.

           The  Japanese  economy  had  just  crashed,  and  Iwao  expected  that  many  people  would  soon  

lose  their  jobs.  He  was  right.  Last  year  his  turnover  was  $4.1  million,  and  he  expects  a  

four-fold  increase  this  year.

          Job  placement  services  are  new  to  a  nation  which  is  used  to  lifetime  employment.  In  these  

jittery  times,  Iwao,  54,  is  helping  Japanese  who haven’t  a  clue  how  to  look  for  work.  His  firm  

retrains  job-seekers  and  refers  them  to  prospective  employers.  Big  firms  also  pay  Iwao  for  

advice  on  how  to  deal  with  layoffs  and  restructuring.  “My  services,”  he  says.  “offer  a  soft  

landing  for  all  parties.”

            At  Way  Station,  every  client  facing  the  chop  is  assigned  a  “job-hunt”  counselor.

Counselors  spend  about  three  months  studying  a  candidate’s  word  skills  and  matching  them  

to  job  prospects.  Clients  also  learn  how  to  write  resumes,  use  PCs  and  face  interviews.

             Last  year,  450  job-seekers  went  through  Iwao’s  training  centers  in  Tokyo,  Osaka,

Negoya  and  Fukuoka.  He  expects  1,200  this  year.  Since  competition  for  jobs  is  trough,  he  advises  

clients  to  change  their  way  of  thinking  and  look  beyond  Japan’s  major  corporations  to  small

firms.  Iwao  has  succeeded  in  part  because  he  is  much  like  his  clients--  a  middle  -  aged  man  

facing  a  mid-career  setback  setback  who  took  a  gamble  and  won.