Vol.9 – Bridging Recruitment Cultures: A Career Journey Between Japan and the UK
Today we met with Haruka Yamada, to talk about her 2-year career so far at Centre People. With previous experience working in Japan in recruitment, we got her insights into how different the countries are, and her thoughts on her time here so far.
You previously worked in Japan in a recruitment role, but how did you get started in recruitment at Centre People?
“I think it’s pretty similar with other consultants, but I was looking for a job in the UK, and Centre People introduced this role, and it felt like a dream job for me. I never imagined that I would be able to do the same thing that I did in Japan in the UK, and I really liked worked in recruitment in Japan.”
What’s something your clients and candidates might be surprised to learn about you?
“That I’m from Niigata, I don’t really meet other people from my home area! I’m from a small town. When I told my parents that I’m going to the UK, my parents were saying “How could you do that scary thing?”. It’s surprising for my hometown people at least!”
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Any hobbies or hidden talents?
“I really like cooking, so most of the time I’m either cooking or looking for a new recipe that I can try. I recently cooked orzo pasta for the first time – I’ve been wanting to try, as you know, the shape is like rice. It was very good.”
“My signature dish is miso soup! People laugh when I say this, but it’s my signature – I make it from scratch, the broth, and draining the bonito flakes. It’s not hard to get the ingredients in London, but it’s expensive.”
Is there a moment from your career that you’re proud of?
“It’s not one particular moment, but when the candidates need advice from someone to make a decision, and I can advise on something and could give them that push to go into a better career path in the future – even if it’s only a small thing, it’s very rewarding.”
What do you think are the main differences between recruitment in Japan and the UK?
“So, recruitment in Japan is mostly only for the Japanese people, and there’s a lot of people and jobs so it’s more relaxed in terms of the time scale. In the UK, especially for the recruitment for Japanese people, you need to be super quick because it’s a small world and also, it’s very competitive.”
“In the UK, I can talk to the people from other countries and it’s more diverse and they have their own culture. So every time I talk to someone, I learn something new.”
How has working in recruitment changed you personally?
“The most positive thing is that I get interested in people more, especially about what they do and what they enjoy. Our job isn’t just understanding the job spec and the company operation, it’s about the candidates too – understanding their personality and how they think. So in general, I think I’ve learned how to connect with people more deeply through conversations and getting better at asking the insightful and engaging questions in my daily life.”
What do you hope will be the future for Centre People, and how do you see yourself in this future?
“I hope, and I’m certain that it will, that Centre People will be bigger in operation in more locations in Europe”
“Personally, I’m really into training at the moment and I get the chance fortunately, to train three people now across the Netherlands and the UK, and I really enjoy it. Hopefully I can be a better trainer and training more people that are coming into Centre People in the future.”
We’re lucky to have Haruka on our team, and our new consultants are certainly in good hands! Feel free to connect with Haruka here on LinkedIn, and follow us to meet more of our fantastic consultants!
#Recruitment #MeetTheTeam #TalentExperts