Vol.13 – Making the Dream of Working Abroad Come True – The First Step in a Recruitment Career
Continuing our Meet the Team series, we spoke with Kana Kondo, who is coming up on her 1-year anniversary at Centre People, to learn how she kicked off her career in recruitment after coming to the UK.
Briefly, how did you get started in recruitment?
“I was one of the candidates at Centre People, and Mayo san, who is our Lead Consultant, introduced me to this job. I had a really good impression of Centre People since I registered, so I was very happy to hear about this role.
After university I worked for an English language school mainly doing B2C sales, and then moved to work as a Buyer for a car exporter, so I learned B2B – the key for the previous jobs was communicating with customers, so I felt the communication part was something I could use in this job as well.”
What’s something your clients and candidates might be surprised to learn about you?
“I’m not too sure, I don’t have any interesting things… I don’t know, but it might surprise people that I used to be a long-distance runner, not many people think I’m a sporty girl. I used to be in the track and field club, in school I ran 15 kilometres in the morning, and 20 kilometres in the evening. My high school was very respected for their club activities and sports, but I think 30 minutes running might be the maximum for me now.”
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Any hobbies or passions?
“I think cooking, I like the most. Since going out in London is really expensive, I started to cook a lot. I really enjoy it, almost all the time now I’m thinking what to cook tonight, or what I’ll cook at the weekend. Cooking is not expensive, and there’s so many choices.”
Is there a moment from your career that you’re proud of?
“Personally, since I was 20 years old, I wanted to work abroad, so I’m really proud to be working at Centre People. So it’s not a specific time or moment, but I’m really pleased to be working here with everyone.”
How has working in recruitment changed your personally?
“I was already used to working in a time-sensitive environment, so I’m used to it being fast paced. I don’t think my personality has changed much, but I have been very inspired by all my colleagues, they really impress me so I try to keep up with them.”
What advice would you give to someone that’s going to start working in a Japanese company?
“That’s an interesting question, let me think… I say that even if you don’t speak the language at all, it’s nice to learn a little bit for when you start. Just learning how to say hello to the Japanese staff can be nice, and it puts a smile on their face, or saying “Otsukaresama desu” at the end of the day. It’s a good way to break the ice, and Japanese people are very friendly – it shows you’re trying and motivated to learn the culture too.”
We’re lucky to have Kana on our team, and that she’s enjoying her first year here! Feel free to connect with Kana here on LinkedIn, and follow us to meet more of our fantastic consultants!
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