Whether it’s about the reward, working environment, salary, opportunities for skill development, or possibility of career development – everyone's job requirements and priorities are different. But what many of SThree's employees are citing as a major attraction of building a career at SThree is "being properly valued and rewarded for their abilities and achievements, regardless of age, year, experience or background".
We spoke to our Senior Recruitment Consultant, Koki Adachi, who specialises within the cybersecurity sector and has built a successful career with four promotions since joining us in 2020, about what motivates him in his work and what he has gained in his career at SThree so far.
What made you decide to join SThree?
“I decided to join SThree because I had studied global communications abroad in Oregon, USA, and wanted to make use of what I had learnt during the course and experience of working in an international environment.”
“I’ve also heard that either it is difficult to get a salary increase until you reach a certain age in most Japanese companies, or that it is difficult to get promoted until there are enough seniors in your team unlike most gaishi-kei companies (foreign companies), where salary and promotions are mostly dependent on your own effort and results. This is why I decided to join a gaishi-kei company and have been very lucky to find SThree.”
What were one to two things you kept in mind that helped you gain your current success as a recruiter?
“When I first joined SThree, I didn't know what I was doing as it was my first recruitment experience. So I kept asking questions about things I didn't understand, and to have an attitude of learning from those around me.”
“In addition, I tried to put myself in an environment where I could be exposed to as many different opportunities as possible, especially by sitting close to seniors who were doing well, and by listening to their calls, attending and observing their meetings.”
What motivates you in your work?
“One thing that really motivates me is the financial rewards I get. When I first joined the company, one of my personal goals was to buy a nice car that I really liked. Fast forward two years later, this dream has come true for me.”
“SThree really offers great rewards for results. In addition to salary, commissions and promotions, there are monthly lunch clubs that reward the high performers where you are invited to high-end restaurants that I wouldn't normally be able to afford on my own. Other incentives include company-paid luxury trips to both domestic and international destinations. This is an environment where even people in their 20s can receive big rewards depending on their efforts and results which has highly motivated me.”
SThree offers great rewards based on your results, and this is a variety of rewards in addition to salary and commission. Even people in their 20s can be rewarded depending on their efforts and results and such a working environment has been highly motivating for me. Koki Adachi, Senior Recruitment Consultant
Are there any areas of your work that you would like to focus more on in the future?
“My English language skills are still not up to scratch, so where possible, I would like to further improve them through the communication in my daily work. In addition, I would love to acquire knowledge and develop my expertise even further within cybersecurity to better assist my candidates and clients. As I’m mainly in charge of technical positions such as pre-sales and customer success in the cyber security field, this is an area which requires in-depth knowledge and one that I believe still have a lot for me to learn about.”
Is there any advice for graduates who are planning their future careers?
“Some people may be concerned about whether they need to be fluent in English or have specialist knowledge in their field (e.g. IT, life sciences, manufacturing, etc.) in a foreign recruitment company. However, if you are willing, you can learn almost anything after you join the company especially those with a robust training programme.”
“In fact, SThree has an award-winning Learning & Development programme which consists of online modules, classroom training, on-the-job mentoring and more. You will be able to receive professional training which can help you to develop both soft and technical skills such as communication, negotiation techniques, business development and other sales related toolkits.”
“In Japan, there are not many opportunities for people to have their abilities and achievements recognised and rewarded at a young age. This is why it’s important to get hold of the right opportunities. I also believe that the environment around you can have a huge impact on you. In order to improve your abilities, put yourself in an environment that allows you to grow, learn and develop.”
Do you want to build a career for yourself?
“Vision for Future Human Resources” recently published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry emphasised the need to break away from traditional Japanese employment system in various aspects – such as the declining competitiveness of Japanese companies, employee engagement that is amongst the lowest in the world, promotion within aging population and stagnant annual salaries.
In the near future, there will be an increasing need for individuals who can solve problems with a high degree of autonomy, rather than waiting passively for a solution to be given from a seniority-based system. At the same time, it is the responsibility of companies to create an environment in which employees can play an active role and are properly evaluated, which will be an essential factor in increasing the competitiveness of businesses in the future.
SThree is proud to provide an environment where people can work, be rewarded and supported, regardless of age or experience. We support all employees in achieving their best performance through clear promotion targets, a good commission system, and training and development programmes that enable individual career progression. In addition, we play an active part in ESG, both on a local and global level.
If you wish to build a career for yourself like what Koki did, click here to see what SThree can offer in greater detail or get in touch with us where we can share more. You can also take a look at our EVP (company brochure for employees) here or watch this video to get a sneak peek of our people.
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