Human Resources

E.S. (From Inner Mongolia, China)
Professional Background: Talent Acquisition Specialist (Experienced Hires), China branch of one of the largest privately held grain companies in the United States

To recruit the talent who will shape the future of ONE DEJIMA, I primarily lead professional recruitment (experienced hires) while collaborating with the new graduate recruitment team as needed.

Specifically, I oversee the full recruitment cycle—from formulating strategies based on hiring plans and building or improving selection processes with performance metrics, to drafting job descriptions, managing agency partnerships, and executing day-to-day operations.

Beyond simply gathering candidates, I focus on designing a seamless end-to-end journey—from enhancing the candidate experience to structured onboarding—ensuring that the first encounter between candidates and the company is both professional and impactful.

Mission

My sense of fulfillment comes from constantly asking myself, “What can I do right now for the growth of ONE DEJIMA?” and taking proactive, forward-thinking action.

Because I am involved in the entire end-to-end recruitment process—from strategic planning to post-hire follow-up—I place great importance on viewing the organization through a holistic “big picture” lens rather than as isolated points. I believe that by elevating my own perspective and continuously updating my skills through HR work, I can truly contribute to building the best possible teams and organization.

My mission is to be an engine of growth, unafraid of change, and to build a solid foundation that enables ONE DEJIMA to keep taking on new challenges far into the future.

Challenges and Solutions

In a rapidly changing market environment, our primary challenge is transitioning from reactive hiring—simply filling vacancies—to “proactive” recruitment that actively accelerates business growth.

Beyond just increasing the speed of the selection process, we aim to maximize offer acceptance rates by designing a high-quality candidate experience that ensures every applicant resonates with our vision. Furthermore, in addition to strong partnerships with recruitment agencies, we are strengthening our proactive outreach through direct recruiting and active scouting.

Beyond Expectations

A defining feature here is the opportunity to work in very close collaboration with the executive management team, including the president and senior managing director. In the large organizations where I previously worked, touchpoints with top leadership were limited, and opportunities to directly experience the company’s overall strategy were rare. However, at ONE DEJIMA, I not only participate in recruitment strategy meetings but also build our operations through daily, direct communication with the management team.

In a positive sense, it was beyond my expectations to find an environment where I am not simply “executing instructions,” but rather learning the true intentions and thought processes of the leadership team regarding how they want the company to grow. This allows me to develop and refine our strategies with a deep sense of alignment and conviction.

Being able to tackle my mission of “Strategic Talent Acquisition” while staying connected to frontline executive thinking has become a major source of growth. It is an environment that significantly elevates not only my HR expertise but also my overall perspective as a business professional.

The Most Memorable Experience

I have been with the company for just four months, and every day is a continuous learning experience. What stands out most is my collaboration with other departments. There were moments when I thought I had everything organized, yet when I requested cooperation from other teams, things didn’t progress as intended due to a lack of clarity in my explanations and a misalignment in how I communicated priorities. It was a wake-up call that made me realize I was sometimes speaking from past habits or my own logic, failing to fully consider the other person’s situation and perspective.

The grand goal of “how to strategically acquire talent” cannot be achieved without the cooperation of those on the front lines. It is not just about conveying information; it is about “putting oneself in the other person’s shoes and finding the most efficient and positive way to move them to action.”

Following this experience, I am now striving to incorporate a “third-party perspective” into every piece of communication as I work on my professional development. By embracing failure and committing to continuous improvement, I aim to grow into an HR professional who can maximize the collective team power of ONE DEJIMA.

Background

The foundation of my career lies in my undergraduate degree in Japanese, followed by my studies abroad and graduate school in Japan. With a deep understanding of Japanese culture as my background, I spent two years after graduation at the “front lines of business”—managing overseas sales and raw material procurement for a Japanese health food and cosmetics manufacturer.

Later, I moved my base to China, where I dedicated eight years to HR as a talent acquisition specialist for professional hires. During this time, I independently managed recruitment for the Japan branch through continuous remote collaboration. By staying attuned to Japanese market trends and maintaining deep ties with Japanese organizations, my desire to “challenge myself once again while based in Japan” grew stronger.

While my achievements to date have centered on recruitment operations, moving forward I aspire to be more than just an executor of tasks; I want to be a true partner to the management team and frontline stakeholders. With a firm determination to “address frontline challenges and co-create recruitment strategies,” I decided to join ONE DEJIMA.

Background

The foundation of my career lies in my undergraduate degree in Japanese, followed by my studies abroad and graduate school in Japan. With a deep understanding of Japanese culture as my background, I spent two years after graduation at the “front lines of business”—managing overseas sales and raw material procurement for a Japanese health food and cosmetics manufacturer.

Later, I moved my base to China, where I dedicated eight years to HR as a talent acquisition specialist for professional hires. During this time, I independently managed recruitment for the Japan branch through continuous remote collaboration. By staying attuned to Japanese market trends and maintaining deep ties with Japanese organizations, my desire to “challenge myself once again while based in Japan” grew stronger.

While my achievements to date have centered on recruitment operations, moving forward I aspire to be more than just an executor of tasks; I want to be a true partner to the management team and frontline stakeholders. With a firm determination to “address frontline challenges and co-create recruitment strategies,” I decided to join ONE DEJIMA.

Why ONE DEJIMA?

When considering a career move, I prioritized two key elements: “challenges that go beyond operational boundaries” and “an environment where I can work authentically.”

The first was advancing my career. While my past experience centered primarily on recruitment operations, I found the opportunity at ONE DEJIMA to be deeply involved in recruitment planning and strategic development immensely appealing. I was confident that in an environment with a global perspective and a rapid pace of change, I could further hone my professional expertise in HR.

The second was the living environment. During my job search, while companies in major metropolises like Tokyo and Osaka were options, I personally was looking for a place where life is more comfortable and I can work with peace of mind.

ONE DEJIMA was the place where I could ideally fulfill both my passion for “building the ultimate team as a strategic HR professional” and my desire for a high quality of daily life. Looking at my future career and life holistically, I felt this was the best choice for me and decided to join the company.

The Uniqueness of ONE DEJIMA

The greatest uniqueness I perceive in ONE DEJIMA is the high-level fusion of the rock-solid stability characteristic of a large corporation with the explosive energy and sense of speed found in a startup.

I believe this is an incredibly rare environment that you won’t find elsewhere. It is precisely because we have a solid foundation that we can take bold risks, yet we maintain the rapid decision-making of a venture firm. This balance provides employees with both a great sense of security and a constant source of inspiration.

Just as the original “Dejima” served as a free gateway for Japan to embrace unknown cultures and technologies, there is an atmosphere of freedom here—one that seeks to create new value without being bound by conventional wisdom. “Building systems with our own hands and driving them forward with speed.” To me, this place, where members with such a mindset gather, is truly the modern-day incarnation of Dejima itself.

Introduction to ONE DEJIMA Culture

At ONE DEJIMA, we don’t just “do as we’re told”—we “take the lead in updating our culture ourselves.” I feel that this level of transparency, combined with a mindset where everyone takes ownership of the future, is the very culture we can be proud of.

Empowering global business from Nagasaki through “Excitement for the Future” × “Empathetic Thinking.”

I look forward to taking on the challenge of proactive recruitment strategies with the same excitement as drawing a blueprint for a “future that has yet to take shape” alongside all of you. By consistently seeing through the eyes of candidates and colleagues, and by valuing the imagination needed to deeply empathize with their aspirations, I will contribute to building the ultimate team where everyone can shine as their authentic selves.

A Message to Future Colleagues

If you desire to be someone who defines their own questions and builds a “future that has yet to take shape,” rather than simply following a “predetermined track” within a pre-existing system, then ONE DEJIMA is an incomparably exciting and rewarding place to be.