This week on the podcast we revisit an episode that originally aired on 15th March 2023.  Love or hate them, great Human Resources professionals are worth their weight in gold to organizations when you have the right person. Without them, businesses struggle to retain and attract top talent, navigate compliance and legal labor laws, and create an inclusive company culture. In Japan, hiring the right HR director is absolutely critical for successful businesses, not least because they need to...

This week we revisit an episode of the podcast about navigating the Japanese business landscape that aired on 26th May 2023. Are you doing business in Japan, or would like to, and feel like you could use some guidance on how to maximize your time and effort?  If you are an APAC or global business leader, and looking to navigate the business landscape in Japan and build successful, long-term partnerships with Japanese companies, it's essential to approach business in Japan with a mindset of...

This week we revisit an episode that covers David’s top five steps he uses with his career coaching clients based on his decades of experience in the recruitment industry. You might be thinking about your next career move if you have stumbled upon this episode. You know you need to craft your resume, apply for a few jobs on LinkedIn, and then you cross your fingers that your resume gets a look and you get an interview. And then you need to jump through hoops with multiple interviews. It’s a...

We’ve talked about employer branding on the podcast before and today we go a bit more in depth, exploring employer branding with Brad Corbet from Motionworks. Motionworks is an employer branding and talent attraction consulting company that supports companies for building their brand to hire the best in the Japan market. In the episode, Brad shares with us some of his specialist knowledge of employer branding, talent attraction and recruitment content, and how Japanese companies can utilize...

Welcome to another episode of the FocusCore podcast. Join David Sweet in this episode as he discusses how to hire a talent acquisition professional for your team. A lot of companies have brought the recruitment side in-house and are looking to hire talent acquisition professionals. However, it can be difficult for businesses within Japan to decide who is a good TA for the company and what exactly they should be looking for. Listen to the episode to learn more about hiring the right Talent...

Post COVID and employers are looking for ways to entice employees back to the office. In this episode my colleague William and I visited Jones Lang LaSalle's beautiful offices in Akasaka Mitsuke to sit down with Joris Berkhout and Felicien Dumas and talk about best practices for businesses as well as explore more into the Tokyo real estate market. We discuss the current trends in the market, especially in terms of stabilizing and recovering after COVID, and we learn about how JLL specifically...

Are you about to start a hiring process for a difficult position in Japan? In this episode of the podcast David Sweet discusses some important things to do when hiring for difficult positions in Japan. Listen to the episode to get some invaluable insights gleaned from David’s experience of recruitment in Japan and how it differs from other countries. Learn how your company can get the most out of your time and money spent on recruiting for difficult positions in the Japanese labor market. In...

David Sweet speaks to Jonathan Cant, Executive Consultant at FocusCore Japan on the steps needed to transition from an accountant to a trusted business partner at a Fortune 500 company. In this episode you will hear: What is finance business partnering?How do to tell a story with numbers What are the important benefits of business partnering for finance professionals?What are the essential skills a finance professional needs to improve and grow beyond the numbers on a spreadsheet?Why...

David Sweet, CEO, and Founder of FocusCore Japan discusses the single most critical skill a manager needs to succeed - how to lead up. Leading up has many names in the English vocabulary; sucking up, brown-nosing, minion, and lackey. But what these terms don’t recognize is the importance and the skill it takes to manage upwards and the value it can add if you want to develop your career in management. Connect with David Sweet: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/ Twitter:...

With June and another Pride Month celebrated we're resharing an episode with Yuta Hasumi, Managing Director of Ikigai Authentic. We dive into diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace and discuss the key difference between Japanese and international organizations' approaches to diversity and inclusion.   When foreigners make up only 2% of the population of Japan, you would be forgiven for thinking that diversity and inclusion in the Japanese workplace just don't apply. Yuta has...

In a world where Google Bard and Chat GPT can effortlessly craft resumes, generate job descriptions, and provide interview questions in minutes, the future of the recruitment industry seems uncertain. Host David Sweet engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Jason De Luca, Managing Director of Smart Partners KK, a recruitment consultancy firm. Together they explore the profound impact of AI on their sector. While the fear of AI replacing human jobs looms, the question remains: Can...

Welcome to the latest episode of the FocusCore Japan podcast! In this captivating discussion, David sits down with Thomas Gassner, the General Manager of tesa tape KK Japan and Head of Automotive Asia Pacific. Currently based in Tokyo, Thomas joined tesa in his native Germany straight after completing his engineering degree at university and has been with tesa for over 25 years working in Germany, China, Moscow, Belgium, and now Japan. Thomas offers valuable insights into his extensive...

Simon Jelfs, Managing Director at FocusCore Japan is back on the podcast sharing the latest trends, hot topics, and challenges that the recruitment industry and companies hiring in Japan are seeing in 2023. And Simon and David discuss everyone's favourite AI - Chat GPT and whether it's going to be the saviour or the killer of the recruitment sector. In this episode, you will hear: The challenges the tech industry has been experiencing in JapanWhy the decreasing value of the Yen is great for...

Are you doing business in Japan, or would like to, and feel like you could use some guidance on how to maximize your time and effort?  If you are an APAC or global business leader, and looking to navigate the business landscape in Japan and build successful, long-term partnerships with Japanese companies, it's essential to approach business in Japan with a mindset of respect, cultural sensitivity, and a willingness to adapt to local customs and practices. In this episode I discuss ten factors...

Eelco Modderman, a Dutchman, has spent the last 15 years living in Asia and considers himself a bridge between East and West. It's no surprise that he is now as the Managing Partner, Asia Pacific for The Gap Partnership, a company specialising in negotiation training. He started his journey with The Gap Partnership in 2017 in Hong Kong before relocating with his family to Tokyo last year to expand the reach The Gap Partnership’s reach. The Gap Partnership works with clients to become...

Finding his perfect career was no easy feat for this podcast guest. He is an inspiration and a great example of how pivoting can lead you to where you are meant to be. Hiroki Kosugi shares how he grew up in Sapporo, was recruited to a Shizuoka soccer club, became a salaryman and burned out, backpacked around the world and learned English in New Zealand, studied a Sports Business Management degree and an MBA in the USA, and found himself back in Japan wondering where to next? Hiroki joined...

Pascal Gerbert-Gaillard is the APAC Manager for SES-imagotag, the world leader in smart digital labels and retail IoT solutions for physical retail. He’s had a long love affair with Japan, first visiting in 2002 when he learned Japanese.! He also loves martial arts and has trained in Kendo, the Japanese art of cutting. Pascal shares his insights on the digital technology space and how retail is changing in Japan, drawing from his extensive experience working in the country as well as his...

Love or hate them, great Human Resources professionals are worth their weight in gold to organisations when you have the right person. Without them, businesses struggle to retain and attract top talent, navigate compliance and legal labour laws, and create an inclusive company culture. In Japan, hiring the right HR director is absolutely critical for successful businesses, not least because they need to understand the local landscape due to a unique market with its own cultural norms, its own...

Simon Jelfs, Managing Director at FocusCore Japan, makes his debut on the podcast. Simon has trodden the path many who come to live in Japan have walked - as a JET teacher. Those early years as an English teacher set him up for a lifelong career as a teacher, coach, and recruitment consultant. He’s a keen runner, a former Morris Dancer, a rugby fan, and a YouTuber at Just a Rugby Dad in Japan. In this episode David and Simon cover: Important career lessons learned from 20 years of working in...

Recruitment expert, Hisato Wakaizumi returns to the podcast in 2023 to chat with host David Sweet on: Difference between Japanese and Western companies and how to make it work for youInternal career development versus external career development and what you should consider before you look for a new role The secret to delivering a successful webinar How to beat the competition in a competitive job market Important career lessons Hisato has learned in his recruitment career journey Hisato...

David Sweet, CEO of FocusCore Japan talks about the three sins of hiring executives in Japan and the common mistakes he has seen over the last 25 years in Japan when hiring. And not one to just point out the problems, he’s also sharing how hiring managers can avoid them. This episode is a short and jam-packed listen with insights for anyone who is looking to hire in Japan or for APAC professionals working in Japan. Connect with David Sweet: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Instagram Website David...

Rob Williams is a British financial planner based in Tokyo, and started AP Advisors Limited in 2004 to provide financial advice to expatriates. He Co-founded Knights in White Lycra with a few fellow British friends out of a desire to get fit and give back to the communities impacted by the March 2011 disaster. They began a fundraising bike ride in 2013 and have not looked back since. Since then, Knights in White Lycra have expanded their fundraising efforts to support children in need in...

David Sweet, CEO, and Founder of FocusCore Japan discusses the single most critical skill a manager needs to succeed - how to lead up. Leading up has many names in the English vocabulary; sucking up, brown-nosing, minion, and lackey. But what these terms don’t recognize is the importance and the skill it takes to manage upwards and the value it can add if you want to develop your career in management. David share’s his top three guidelines to help you manage upwards’ and accelerate your...

Jonathan Cant, Executive Consultant at FocusCore Japan is back for round two on the podcast. This time, David and Jonathan chat about the steps needed to transition from an accountant inputting data to telling a story with those numbers and becoming a valued and trusted business partner at a Fortune 500 company. In this episode you will hear: What is finance business partnering? What are the important benefits of business partnering for finance professionals?What are the essential skills a...

The windy road to work in Japan has been a long one for today’s very special guest. Nina Michels-Kim is the Director of Partnerships, Korea and Japan for the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). She’s bilingual in Japanese and English, born in Japan having been raised by a Japanese mother and an American father, and received her college education in the United States. However, her dream was always to come back to work in Japan and so with that goal in sight, her extensive career in...