From a Badminton Coach in Canada to an IT Recruiter in Tokyo
By Vladyslav Matseychuk and Ryosuke Ito
Hello, my name is Vlad and I am a marketing intern at Talisman. I would like to encourage you to read this interview article with Edmund Ho, who is an IT recruiter here at Talisman. In this article, you will be able to find out what makes Talisman different from other recruitment agencies in Japan, the difficulties of job hunting processes in Japan in comparison to Western countries, how recruitment is related to sports, and many more.
Hi, I’m Edmund Ho, I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta in Canada. Currently, I am working as a recruiter for Talisman, specializing in the IT field.
Background
Throughout my life, I was always amazed by Japan, its traditions, culture and after coming here a couple of times as a tourist, last September I have decided to move and settle down here.
What Kind of Difficulties Have You Faced In Regards To Job Hunting Process in Japan and How is it Different From Canada?
Frankly speaking, it is a long and hard process. The first time I was looking for a job, I did consider applying before coming to Japan, however, I decided that it would be better and easier to come first and then apply.
I have sent approximately 50 resumes to different companies in various fields, went through 20-30 interviews. And based on my experience and observations, it is very different from Canada for sure. First of all, it is different in terms of how interviews are taken, the majority of interviews are taken in business style for at least 1 to 2 and sometimes even 3 hours, but in Canada, interviews are taken in more casual style for just 15 minutes, because it is enough time to tell whether we want this person to be hired.
Because I didn’t have any recruitment experience, some things were new to me and therefore challenging. One of the hardest things was getting interviews because as I already mentioned it is very different from Canada. Also, there was a lot of other aspects that I had to work on, such as communication, business dress code and learning Japanese traditions/customs when it comes to the interviewing process.
What Was The Biggest Difference Between Interviews at Talisman and Other Recruitment Companies?
For some of the other recruitment companies, I had to undergo an interview process of 4-5 interviews and personally felt that was long. With Talisman, I did some interviews, but there were fewer than other companies. One of the interviews took two hours long, but I liked how they were able to immediately decide rather than me taking more time, unlike other recruitment agencies. So, in this way, the interview process at Talisman was much more efficient compared to other companies.
What Do You Find To Be The Most Rewarding Part About Your Job?
Honestly, I enjoy making connections, speaking to my candidates and developing a friendly relationship. With some of them, we even became really good friends. Unfortunately, for some of my candidates, we were not able to get the desired position, but they would often message me to know how I am doing and if we have any new positions for them. This shows me that they trusted me and for this reason, I want to work harder to try to find new opportunities for them.
What Particular Things Do You Like the Most About Working For Talisman?
I find multiculturalism and communication to be the biggest advantages of working for Talisman. At Talisman, I have a great opportunity to meet people from different countries and backgrounds. This diverse and more importantly friendly environment creates a very positive mood, which helps me to stay energetic throughout the day. Talisman is different from typical Japanese companies, where people are too busy with work and simply don’t have time for communication. Also, at Talisman I am constantly receiving support and trust from my managers and colleagues, therefore such treatment makes me want to work even harder to show them my commitment and appreciation for their support.
How Your experiences, which were before coming to Japan, Help You With Your Current Job?
Before coming to Japan, I worked as a Badminton coach and restaurant server. Although it may sound like that there is no connection with what I have been doing previously and now, however, this experience does help me today. As a restaurant server, I was able to develop some essential skills that also apply for recruitment as well, particularly communication and organization skills since I always had to keep track of what is going on in the restaurant and communicating with customers to know if they needed my advice.
Sports experience does help me a lot with my current job. For the majority of athletes that I know, the feeling of losing is stronger than the feeling of winning. Of course, it is satisfying to win all the time, but when you lose it helps you to look back and work on the mistakes that lead to that loss. So, competitiveness and desire not to lose stimulates me and gives me the necessary energy to move forward in the right direction.
What Advice Would You Give To People Who Are Considering To Find A Job Here In Japan?
First of all, you must have the right mindset, since it may take time to find a job, so it is important not to give up. Also, because at the end of the day you will feel tired and depressed due to the workload sometimes, it is important to find something you like to fulfill your free time, this will help you to refresh your mind from work and stay positive throughout the week, otherwise it would be really hard to handle everything by yourself. Activities and hobbies are essential to keep one’s mind fresh and positive.
Vlad’s Comments
From my point of view, Edmund is a very ambitious and positive individual. While taking an interview I felt that he has a goal and a clear vision of his future. Moreover, I believe that Edmund has all the necessary characteristics to succeed in this field because from an athlete background he knows what it takes to win. But what is more important is that he cares about his candidates and he does not hesitate to spend more time on them to determine what exactly he or she wants. For the people who have own purpose and passion like Edmund, I believe that Talisman is a great place to start your recruitment career since it provides a great opportunity to learn step by step alongside a multicultural and friendly environment.
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