JAC Recruitment Pte Ltd.
Client Advisory – Japan Market
Team Lead
Saki Yoshida
interview=Ken Mitsui | Text=Aya Rikitake | Photographs=Kohei Nishiyama
Trust Built Through Conversation Outweighs the Accuracy of AI Matching
In Singapore, where the criteria for obtaining a work visa are stringent, one consultant has consistently met sales targets in the Japanese recruitment market for four consecutive years. That consultant is Saki Yoshida, team leader at JAC Recruitment Singapore. Her outstanding performance is driven by a deep passion for supporting the growth of global careers.
With the Goal of Supporting Japanese Professionals in Building Careers Abroad, She Entered the Recruitment Industry
The first time Yoshida left her hometown of Miyazaki to go abroad was during the summer of her junior year in high school. At the time, she wasn’t particularly dedicated to her studies or extracurricular activities. Concerned about her indifferent attitude, her mother suggested, ‘Why not spend the summer overseas?’ Yoshida then participated in a homestay in Santa Maria, a small town in California, USA. During her one-month stay, she was deeply impressed by the friendly communication style of Americans and developed a love for English. For the first time in her life, she used her own pocket money to buy a small English-Japanese dictionary and began studying voluntarily. This newfound passion for English eventually led her to pursue a degree in English literature at university.
During her time at university, Yoshida gained experience in volunteer work in the Philippines and Cambodia. After graduating, she joined Benesse Corporation, where she spent four years as a sales consultant, focusing on academic improvement, exam preparation, and career guidance for high schools in rural areas. She later decided to study abroad and resigned from Benesse. Following her work as an educational volunteer in a small village in Uganda, she pursued a master’s degree in global education and educational development at a graduate school of education in London. In 2014, Yoshida rejoined Benesse Corporation, spending three years as a study-abroad counselor and corporate sales representative, assisting universities in expanding their global education programs.
Afterward, Yoshida transitioned to a study-abroad agency in Nagoya, where she continued supporting high school and university students in their global education and study-abroad endeavors. However, she began to feel disheartened by her inability to assist these students in building their careers after they returned from studying abroad or graduated.
“I was confronted with the reality that many students invest significant money and time in studying abroad, yet return without fluency in English or acquiring other essential skills. While many have the dream of ‘building a career overseas,’ I struggled to clearly and convincingly explain what was truly necessary for global success—what skills were required and the types of people actually thriving in the global workforce. This was a challenge I felt deeply.”
Motivated by her desire to support global career-building, Yoshida obtained her national qualification as a career consultant in 2019. In 2020, she began working as a consultant at JAC Recruitment, in Singapore. Since joining, she has consistently been responsible for placing Japanese job seekers in back-office roles such as accounting, finance, HR, labor management, legal, administrative, secretarial, and corporate planning. In 2023, she expanded her role to include Japanese-speaking candidates of non-Japanese nationalities. In April 2024, Yoshida was promoted to team leader of the Corporate Services Team within the Japan Market Division, where she now also specializes in consulting firms.
The Challenges for Japanese-Affiliated Companies in Improving Their Presence
Singapore has particularly strict criteria for obtaining work visas, making it challenging to employ foreigners. As a result, companies tend to seek Singaporeans who speak Japanese or Japanese individuals with permanent residency in Singapore. This accounts for about 70% of the cases handled by the Japan Market Division at JAC Recruitment Singapore. While there are a number of individuals over 40 who have passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test at the advanced level (N1 to N2), there are fewer young Singaporeans who speak Japanese. Their shortage means these candidates often secure job placements quickly, leading to intense competition for talent within the recruitment industry.
Generally, Singaporeans prioritize career advancement and remuneration when considering job changes. However, working for Japanese-affiliated companies often presents challenges, such as the presence of Japanese personnel in upper management, which creates a glass ceiling effect that makes it difficult for employees to envision their future career paths. Additionally, salary increases tend to be slow, even after several years in the same role. As a result, many employees leave Japanese-affiliated companies in search of better career growth and salary increases, with some achieving raises of 20 to 30%.
“Japanese-affiliated companies need to design HR function that align with the career paths and salary standards of the Singaporean market. Additionally, flexibility—such as remote work and flexible hours—is often highly valued by Singaporeans. To prevent talented employees who have been with the company for many years from leaving easily, it is essential to prioritize communication with them, review career advancement and salary increase systems, and implement measures to enhance engagement and retention.”
However, Yoshida notes, ‘Many Singaporeans have a strong desire to work for Japanese-affiliated companies.’ From the perspective of Singaporeans, one of the appealing aspects of these companies is their tendency not to lay off employees, even during times of economic instability, which fosters a long-term, stable work environment. While these companies may not promise rapid or dramatic growth, they are often favored by individuals who prefer gradual and steady career advancement.
Creating a Sense of Security Through Consulting by Native Japanese Speakers
In Singapore, where many recruitment agencies compete, JAC Recruitment Singapore has earned the trust of its clients through meticulous support and extensive consulting experience. The company flexibly addresses talent needs both domestically and internationally. One of its key features is that a single consultant manages both candidates and hiring companies, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of both sides and enhancing the accuracy of introductions. For candidates, consultants provide detailed insights beyond the basic information listed in job postings, including company culture, team dynamics, managerial styles, and career paths. Additionally, the company has specialized teams organized by sectors such as finance, IT, industrial, healthcare, corporate services, and temporary staffing, enabling them to offer highly tailored services.
Particularly within the Japan Market Division, the individuality of each member is highly prominent, with approaches to candidate interviews and selection support varying greatly among them. Yoshida respects each consultant’s strengths and encourages their development through praise. By enhancing individual strengths, she aims to elevate the overall capabilities of the team. Additionally, she values knowledge sharing and strives to create an environment where successes and failures can be discussed casually, even outside of meetings. This approach likely fosters psychological safety and trust throughout the entire division.
Delivering “Heartfelt Recommendations” to Clients that Go Beyond What is Found on Resumes
Since joining in 2020, Yoshida has successfully achieved her sales targets for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023, and she has already met the sales target for 2024 as of August. She considers her ability to consistently pursue and achieve numbers to be one of her strengths. Instead of only sharing information that is convenient for the other party, she prioritizes honest communication of both the positive and negative aspects, creating an environment where clients can make informed decisions with a high level of confidence.
“Since my early career, I have made empowerment—connecting and expanding people’s potential—my mission. I enjoy the process of considering what options I can provide to the people in front of me to help them find happiness; this is my foundation and my motivation. Additionally, I love the consultant role because I can directly see the total amount of my efforts and the number of clients I have helped reflected in tangible numbers, making it impossible for me to leave this profession.”
One reason Yoshida continues to achieve excellent results is her expertise in providing nuanced introductions that AI cannot replicate. Although certain elements are not stated in job postings—such as personality, aspirations, values, cultural fit, alignment with the company’s vision and mission, and career plans—these factors are crucial for companies. She prioritizes matching these often difficult-to-articulate aspects, which require careful listening to uncover. Additionally, she explores the unarticulated challenges candidates face and their future aspirations, making proposals that align the expectations of both candidates and companies. Clients often praise her by saying, “Yoshida’s recommendations are heartfelt.” As a result, these heartfelt recommendations have led to numerous successful placements. However, building relationships in which companies are open to her proposals has required significant effort on her part, including extensive groundwork.
“Short phone interviews often fail to capture true needs, making it challenging to provide quality introductions. If I’m going to do this, I want to give it my all. That’s why I value the time spent visiting companies and meeting with representatives in person, allowing for in-depth discussions that cover not just business matters but also a variety of other aspects.”
Yoshida also actively creates opportunities for lunch and dinner with corporate clients, taking an interest in the personalities of the representatives and fostering open communication. By observing how they interact in casual settings, she gains valuable insights into the underlying company culture, which helps her make more effective introductions. With this approach, Yoshida remains fully committed to her work, consistently aiming to achieve twice the targets set by her company.
“I approach my work with the mindset of delivering services at 150% effort to ensure 150% satisfaction. I strive for more frequent and deeper interactions with clients, aiming to become a trusted resource they think of when faced with challenges. I am dedicated to tackling my daily tasks with sincerity.”
We closed the interview with a question on her future dreams.
“My work goal is to establish a strong presence as a Japanese consultant in Singapore. In the future, I hope to support children in my hometown by helping them broaden their global perspectives and providing options for careers abroad.”
JAC Recruitment Pte Ltd.
1 Raffles Place #42-01,One Raffles Place Tower 1, Singapore 048616
www.jac-recruitment.sg
A recruitment service agency providing hiring and career transition support through consultants specialized in various fields of expertise, it is the Singapore subsidiary of the JAC Group, which operates in 11 countries with 34 locations worldwide.
After graduating from university, Yoshida worked in consulting sales for Benesse Corporation, focusing on mock exams, assessments, and teaching materials for high schools. In 2014, she completed her master’s degree at the Institute of Education, UCL (formerly University of London) and returned to Benesse Corporation as an overseas study consultant. While involved in study-abroad support, she realized her desire to help individuals work abroad in the future, leading her to obtain her national qualification as a career consultant in 2019.
In 2020, she joined JAC Recruitment Singapore, where she serves as the team leader of the Corporate Services Team within the Japan Market Division, specializing in administrative positions for corporate entities, consulting firms, audit firms, and accounting offices.
