Talented JET Participants – The Global Personnel that ...
Transcript of Talented JET Participants – The Global Personnel that ...
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schoollovesinging.Rightnow,theyarelearning‘Sing’bytheCarpenters.Pleasewatch.
(Videoof‘Sing’bytheCarpentersassungbythechildrenofSakiyamaElementarySchool)
Mr. Cohen:Ihopeyouenjoyedourpresentation.Gotoisawonderfulplace.
Natsumi:Pleasecomevisit!
Yuudai:Wearewaitingforyou!
Ms. Tsutsumi:ThatisallforourpresentationaboutGoto.Thankyou.
Everyone:Thankyou.
MC :Thankyouforaveryenjoyablepresentation.
MC :Next,wehaveapresentationfromMr.YojiAbe,ManageroftheGlobalHRandHRDevelopmentSection,
HumanResourcesandGeneralAffairsDepartmentofSojitzCorporation,andMr. JamesRegent, a former
participantintheJETProgramme.Thethemeoftheirpresentationis‘TheAppealofJETParticipants-TheGlobal
PersonnelThatCompaniesAreSeeking.’Thankyou,Mr.AbeandMr.Regent.
Mr. Yoji Abe, Manager of the Global HR and HR Development Section, Human Resources and General Affairs
Department, Sojitz Corporation :Goodafternoon,ladiesandgentlemen.AsIhavebeensokindlyintroduced,I
amYojiAbeofSojitzCorporation’sGlobalHRandHRDevelopmentSection.
Mr. James Regent, Controller Section, Sojitz Corporation :AndIamJamesRegentofSojitzCorporation’s
ControllerSection.
Mr. Abe :Weareveryproudtohavebeengiven time topresenthere today. Thankyouverymuch for this
opportunitytotalktoyouaboutSojitz’sinvolvementwiththeJETProgramme.
AsIwilldescribeinmoredetail,weatSojitzreallylovetheJETProgramme.WehavelovedJETforfiveyearsnow.
Talented JET Participants – The Global Personnel that Companies Want
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IthinkI’vealreadydecidedI’mgoingtogotoGotōformyholidaysattheendoftheyear-JETisthatamazing.
I’d liketoexplainbrieflyaboutwhatcompanies lookfor inglobalpersonnel.Ourpresentationwill followthe
followingagenda.First,abriefintroductionofthecompany,ourreasonsforwantingglobalpersonnel,then,we’ll
introduceourJETemployees,likeJameshere.Then,I’dliketotalkaboutwhattheappealisofJET.
Firstly,allowmetogiveabriefexplanationofourcompany.SojitzCorporationhasundergoneamergeronly
relativelyrecently,soyoumaybemorefamiliarwiththenames,Nissho-IwaiandNichimen.Thesetwocompanies
mergedin2004,andSojitzCorporationcameintobeing.Weareageneraltradinghouse.I’dliketobrieflyexplain
thecurrentnetworkofourgroup.IfIcouldaskyoutolookatouroperatingbases,asyoucansee,becausewearea
tradinghouse,wehavemoreoperatingbasesoverseasthanwedoinJapan.JustfourbasesinJapan,asopposedto
83overseas.Itisthesameforthenumberofourgroupcompanies—113inJapanversus283overseas.So,asyou
cansee,weareaveryglobalgeneraltradingcompany.
It isnoteasytoexplainwhatageneraltradingcompanydoes,butsimplyput,wecurrentlyhaveninebusiness
units—fromautomotive,aerospace,environmental infrastructuretofoodand,morerecently,overseas,wehave
enteredtheretailsector,suchasconveniencestoresandsupermarkets.Jameshereisinvolvedinoperationsprimarily
supportingourmachinery-relatedbusinessesofthesethreedivisionshereatthetop,whichmean.
Next,I’dliketotouchonwhySojitzwantstoemployglobalpersonnel,andwhyweemployformerparticipantsof
theJETProgrammeeveryyear.Firstly,weareatradingcompany,whichmeansthatourbusinessoriginallystarted
withexportsandimports.Thismeansthatourcompanyhasbeendoingbusinesswithothercountriesforavery
longtime.However,doingbusinessoverseashasbecomeextremelycomplicated.Inthepast,itwasjustimportsand
exports,andtheyusedtosaythatinstinct,experienceandgutswouldbeenoughtogetthejobdone.Ofcourse,it
wasneverreallythatsimple,butbusinesshasbecomeextremelycomplicated,anditisbecomingmoreandmore
difficulttodobusinessoverseas.Doingbusinessoverseashasalsobecomemoreimportantthanever.Andwiththat,
thetypeofpersonnelweareseekinghasbecomemoresophisticatedandglobal.
Assuch, forusasageneral tradinghouse, thenon-Japaneseemployeesweemployatouroverseasbaseshave
becomeincreasinglyimportant.Atthesametime,ithasalsobecomeimperativetomakeouremployeesatSojitz
headquartersmoregloballyoriented.WestartedwithtrainingourJapaneseemployeesandreinforcingtheirEnglish
languageskills,butthereare limitstowhatthatalonecanachieve.Thatledtotheneedtorecruitnon-Japanese
personnelatourJapaneseheadquarters.Thisisthemainreasonwearelookingforglobalpersonnel.
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I’dnowliketomoveontointroducingJames.I’llcallonJamestoexplainwhyhejoinedSojitz,andwhySojitz
recruitedJames.
Mr. Regent : Goodafternoon,ladiesandgentlemen.IfImaytakethisopportunitytointroducemyselfoncemore,
IwasbornandraisedinPittsburgh,intheAmericanstateofPennsylvania.Asyoucanseefromthisphotograph,
PittsburghisnotasbigasLosAngelesorNewYork,butitisnotasmallcityeither.AfterIgraduatedfromhigh
school,IattendedGeorgetownUniversityinWashingtonDC,whereImajoredinlinguistics.Mysecondlanguage
andminorwasJapanese.ThisgavemeastronginterestinJapan,andIappliedfortheJETProgramme.Fortwo
years, from2009to2011,IworkedasanALTinelementaryand juniorhighschools inWashimiya-machi in
SaitamaPrefecture.WashimiyahassincemergedwiththecityofKukinextdoorandisnowpartofKuki.
Thephotographatbottomrightshowssomethingthatmanyofyoumayalreadyknow. That isWashinomiya
Shrine,whichissaidtobetheoldestshrineintheKantoregion.Themaincharacterinthemangacomicbook,
LuckyStar,hasapart-timejobatthisshrine,soeventhoughWashimiyaisarelativelyquiettown,itgetsverylively
atNewYear’s,whenlargenumbersofotakuwhoarefansofthemangacometovisit.IworkedasanALTfortwo
yearsinWashimiyabeforejoiningSojitzin2011.
Mr. Abe :WhenJamesfirstjoinedSojitzin2011,IwasactuallynotinJapan.IwasworkinginourUSofficesat
thetime.WhileIwasintheStates,Iheardthatthecompanyhadstartedrecruitingforeigners inJapan,andin
somerespects,Iwasbothsurprisedanddelighted.Sojitzheadofficehadneverbeenveryenthusiasticabouthiring
foreignersinJapan,however,in2011,Jamesjoinedthecompany.Thiswaswonderfulnewsforus,butJames,what
madeyoudecidetojoinSojitz?
Mr. Regent : Therewerethreemainreasons. Thefirstwasthat itwasatradingcompany,butmorethanthe
possibilityofworkinganywhereintheworld,Iwasratherattractedtotheaspectthatitisanindustryinwhichyou
cancreateworkanywhereintheworld.
AsforthesecondandthirdreasonswhyIjoinedSojitz,toexplainabitofthebackground,inmysecondyearof
JET,IattendedtheannuallyheldConferenceforReturningJETsforJETProgrammeparticipantswhoareplanning
toreturntotheirhomecountries.Aspartofthatconference,therewasacareerfair.Sojitzwasparticipatinginthat
fair,andthatwasthefirsttimethatImetSojitz’srecruitingteam.AsItalkedtothem,Iwasveryattractedbythe
factthat,eventhoughIwasn’tanewgraduate,theywouldtrainandeducatemeinthesamewayastheydofor
newgraduaterecruits.Thatwasthesecondreason.ThethirdreasonwasthatIgotthesensethatthiscompanywas
engagedearnestlyandsincerelyinthepromotionofglobalisation,soIreallywantedtojoinSojitz.
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Mr. Abe :So,youjoinedSojitzin2011,andyouwerefirstassignedtotheHRandGeneralAffairsDepartment.At
thattime,thecompanyhadofficiallylauncheditsglobalHRstrategyandwasengagedinavarietyofinitiatives.As
partofthat,youhadthreemainduties:firstly,cultivatingtheglobalattributesofourJapaneseemployees,people
justlikeme,providingtrainingforournon-Japanesepersonnelatouroverseasbases,andrecruitingnon-Japanese
personnelforheadoffice.DidyourexperienceontheJETProgramhelpyouinthosethreefields?
Mr. Regent :Itdefinitelyhelped.Whenwestartwithatrainingplan,forexample,somekindofevent—atschool
itwouldbealessonplan,foracompanyitwouldbeatrainingprogramme—thereisanoverarchingprocessfrom
conceptproposalthroughtoimplementation,andthatissomethingIlearnedthroughmyexperiencewithJET.To
giveaconcreteexample,sayyouhaveaprojectorevent,andthereareanumberofstageswithinthatproject.Before
youmoveontothenextstage,youhavetoaskyourself,haveyouconsultedappropriatelywiththeappropriate
people?Haveyouengagedeveryone involvedproperly?Haveyou shared informationproperlywithpeople
whomighthavenothingtodowiththeprojectnow,butwhocouldbeinvolvedata laterdate?Thiscultureof
nemawashi,orlayingthegroundwork,thatisuniquetoJapanissomethingthatIlearnedonJET.Ofcourse,there
weretimeswhenIfailedinthisevenafterIjoinedthecompany,whenIfeltthatwhatmymanagerwasaskingwas
toomuchbother—notyou,ofcourse,Mr.Abe.
Mr. Abe :That’sokay.(Laughter)
Mr. Regent :SoIlearnedthatkindofthingandhaveputittouseintheHRandGeneralAffairsDepartment.
Whenitcomestorecruitmentaswell,andthisgoeswithoutsaying,whenIwasteachinginfrontofaclass,I
naturallydevelopedpresentationskills,andbecauseofthateveryday,Iwaslookingatthingsfromtheotherperson’s
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perspectiveandthinkingaboutwhatIneededtodotoengagethatperson.AsthatwassomethingIdideverydayin
class,IthinkIhavebeenabletodrawonthoseskillsinmyrecruitmentworkaswell.
Mr. Abe :Isee.SoyouacquiredyourexcellentnemawashiskillsatJET?
Mr. Regent :That’sright,thebasicsatleast.
Mr. Abe :So,youlearnedthebasicsatJETandhonedthematthecompany?
Jamesis,ofcourse,aforeignnational.Later,Ihadmany,manydiscussionswithJameshimselfabouthow,ashis
boss,IcouldmakethemostofJames’sstrengthsthatourJapanesepeopledon’tpossess,andhowIcouldleverage
James’scareer.BythatImean,formostJapanese,whentheyjoinacompany,theircareerjustkindofhappensas
theyworkforthecompanyovermanyyears,butnon-Japanesepeopletendtowanttobuildtheirowncareer,and
naturallythecompanywantstosupporttheminthat.SoItalkedtoJamesonmanyoccasions,askinghimwhathe
wantedtodo.
Ofcourse,oneareainwhichheexcelledoverJapaneseemployeesisthathehasanexceptionalabilitytoanalyse
thingsinveryfinedetail.BasedonJames’sownwishes,weactuallytookadvantageofthecompany’sshort-term
trainingschemetosendhimtoJakartainIndonesiaforsixmonths.James,howdidyoufindthatsixmonths?
Mr. Regent :Ienjoyeditverymuch,thankyou.
Mr. Abe :Justsayingyouenjoyeditisn’tenough.Tellusabitaboutwhatyoudidthere.
Mr. Regent :Ofcourse,JETwasmyfirstexperienceoflivingoverseas,soIthinkthatexperiencehelpedmetoget
usedtolivinginIndonesiamorequicklyandsmoothly.HerearesomephotographsofIndonesia.
Mr. Abe :ThesephotographsareofIndonesia.Theoneontheleft,wasthatawelcomepartyorsomething?
Mr. Regent :Itwasawelcomelunch.
Mr. Abe :Whatistheoneattopright?
Mr. Regent :Thatoneisofamachinery-relatedprojectIassistedwith.Itwasahydro-electricpowergeneration
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project.Iwenttosurveythesitewithsomelocalemployees,andthisphotographwastakeninthemiddleofthe
jungleinSumatra.Inthisphotograph,averysmellyfruitcalledadurianhadfallenoffthetree,andwecutintoit
andateitrightthereonthespot.
Mr. Abe :Isee.Soyouwereexperiencingthelifeofatradinghouseman,weren’tyou?
Mr. Regent :That’sright.
Mr. Abe :Thephotoatbottomright.That’stheresortofBunaken,isn’tit?Thatlookslikefun.
Mr. Regent :Itwasfun.
Mr. Abe :Isee.Nowthen,finally,couldyoutellusalittleaboutwhatyoudonow?
Mr. Regent :Currently,IamworkinginadivisioncalledtheControllerSection.Thenameofthedivisiondoesn’t
reallydescribewhat itdoes,butbasically, themachinery-relatedsalesdepartmentwillbringaproject to the
ControllerSection,and,forexample,ifitisanacquisitionproject,wewillconductasimple,preliminaryvaluation
ofthetargetcompany,dosomemodelling,andexplaintheoutcomesofthevaluationsandmodelling.Basedon
that,thesalesdepartmentwillmakeadecisionaboutwhetherornottoproceedwiththeproject.That’sthekindof
workIdo.
Mr. Abe :Isee.Thankyouverymuch.
Aswehaveexplainedinourpresentationtoday,theappealofJETparticipantsforusatSojitzis,ofcourse,thatthey
areforeignnationalswhonotonlyknowtheJapaneselanguageandculture,buttheyalsoknowabouttheunique
waysthatbusinessisdoneinJapan.Forthisreason,weareveryreliantonourJETpeople.BesidesJames,wealso
havefourJETalumniheretodaywhoworkforus,sojusttoshowouraudiencethatitisn’tonlyJames;couldIask
youtointroduceyourselvesbriefly?
Ms. Murphy :Goodafternoon.MynameisAshleyMurphy.IamfromIllinoisintheUnitedStates.Iworkedasan
ALTinthecityofFukuiinFukuiPrefectureforfiveyearsfrom2009,andIjoinedSojitzCorporationin2014.
Mr. Beckerman :Goodafternoon.MynameisGabeBeckerman.IamfromConnecticutintheUnitedStates.I
workedininternationalrelationsinatowncalledNantoinToyamaPrefecturefrom2014to2016,andIjoined
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SojitzCorporationthisSeptember.
Mr. Clark :Goodafternoon.MynameisDentonClark,fromtheUnitedStates.IjoinedSojitzin2012,butbefore
that,IwasanALTontheJETProgrammeforthreeyearsinasmalltowninSaitamaPrefecturecalledSatteCity.
Mr. Kim:Helloeveryone.MynameisBryceKim.IamfromLondonintheUnitedKingdom.IworkedasanALT
inKagoshimaforfiveyearsfrom2009.IjoinedSojitzCorporationinSeptember2014.Thankyou.
Mr. Abe :Thankyoueveryone.WeatSojitzhopetocontinuetogrowwithourJETalumniintothefuture.Thank
youverymuchforyourkindattentiontoday.
MC :Thankyouverymuch.