■What did you do before joining RGF Professional Recruitment (RGF PR)?
I am originally from South Africa, however, due to my family being part of the embassy, I spent 6 years in Toronto, Canada growing up and I have been in Japan for the last 6 years. I did a double major in Economics & International Business at Temple University Japan and decided that Japan was where I wanted to start my career. Right after university, I joined the recruitment industry working for a boutique recruitment firm in Tokyo.
At this firm, I focused on Accounting & Finance Contract/Haken recruitment. After just over half a year of working for the firm, I decided I wanted to be part of something bigger. RGF PR presented me with an opportunity to utilize my knowledge of contract recruitment and join the contract team that had recently started. This seemed to be the opportunity that I was looking for to help build something bigger.
■What do you currently do at RGF PR?
When I joined RGF, the contract team only had 6 people. In the last year, we have managed to make a name for ourselves in the market.
We have now grown to 18 members and specialize in two different teams, Contract IT & Contract Back Office. I am a consultant on the Contract IT team and we specialize in placing professionals from Helpdesk/Developers to as high as Senior Project Managers or IT Managers. Contract Recruitment is one of the most successful industries globally in recruitment and is even more regulated in Japan compared to other countries. My job is not only to help these professionals find new opportunities but also to help candidates/clients navigate the rules and regulations involved in contract/temp hiring.
■What makes RGF PR unique?
When I joined RGF PR on July 2018, there were 115 people in the company. In the last year, RGF PR has grown to 180+ people. The company has managed to grow at an exceptional rate while still making it an environment that is enjoyable.
Additionally, in university, I told one of my professors that I wanted to have a job that was challenging and also fun at the same time. He responded saying “that is something that most people only get when they are 10+ years into their career, if even”. RGF PR is an environment where people are very driven and professional – however people can still enjoy and have fun at work as well.
■What do you want to do/achieve at RGF PR in a few years’ time?
When I joined RGF PR, the company goal was to become a dominant player in the market. We, as a company, have achieved that, now being recognized as one of the TOP 3 bilingual recruitment firms in Tokyo.
My goals are similar to this. I want to become known in the market as a dominant player. The path to achieving this, I think, is to continue developing relationships with clients/candidates/co-workers and even with the other competitors in my specialization.
■Why do you recommend RGF PR to new-grads?
Recruitment is one of the only industries in the world where someone my age can be on the same level in a meeting with CIO/CTO/CEO etc.
Within my first year, I have managed to get promoted from associate consultant to consultant and be one of the top 15 billers. The opportunity to advance quickly based on results is something I think most new-grads would appreciate.
Recruitment also teaches you and gives you opportunities to develop useful skills such as communication, negotiation, sales, HR, marketing, planning skills. RGF PR is a company that is growing and has a lot of opportunities for new grads who are looking to develop business skills as well as make mistakes and learn from them.
The second reason is diversity. I have a very diverse background and when you talk to many people at RGF PR, they have similar or even more complex backgrounds. This means that there are over 35 countries and 15 plus different languages.
All these people are working together and sharing their different views and different thought processes. This is something that I think is very rare in a society like Japan where less than 2% of the total population is foreign.
