Career Consulting and Interview Preparation

A VP in the Internal Audit department at a Japanese financial institution in his early 40s.

• The client had extensive experience in internal audit positions in the financial industry.
• He was considering a career change to compliance due to the anticipated decline in demand for internal audit professionals.
• He desired a position with a good work-life balance and a salary comparable to his current position, as he had recently had a second child.
• He was proficient in English for daily conversation but wanted to apply for positions at global financial institutions.

• We fully understood the client's desire to change careers due to his family circumstances. However, we explained that there were three potential hurdles to overcome:
  1. Motivation: His motivation was based on external factors such as the supply and demand for internal audit and compliance professionals.
  2. Work-life balance and salary: He wanted to achieve a good work-life balance and maintain his current salary while transitioning to a new field with no prior experience.
  3. English proficiency: He needed to improve his English skills to pass the English interview at a foreign financial institution.
• We worked with the client to develop strategies to address these challenges. We helped the client articulate how he could contribute to the target companies.
• For the motivation: We constructed a story based on the client's experience as an internal auditor, specifically his collaboration with the company's compliance department. This helped to clarify why he wanted to make a career change to compliance at this time.
• For the work-life balance and salary:
  • We analyzed the essential skills required based on the industry and job description of the target companies.
  • We identified transferable skills from the client's experience, such as systematization and performance improvement through collaboration with multiple departments in the field.
• English Preparation:
  • We understood that English proficiency cannot be acquired overnight, so we started working on it immediately after the consultation. Considering the following factors: location of the foreign company's headquarters, backgrounds of the employees, communication style of the HR manager and required communication skills within the company.
  • We had the client study business scenes and interview questions using English videos and apps everyday and receive feedback on their self-study progress during the lessons.
  • We especially focused on Q&A preparation, using the STAR method and other techniques to help the client effectively communicate their experiences in English.

• As a result of the consulting and interview preparation, the client received an offer and joined a global financial institution as a VP in the compliance department.
• He was able to maintain their previous salary level, and his workplace is now only 15 minutes from his home, which has improved his work-life balance.
• The client is still working in the same position as of March 2024.

A Senior Associate at a Japanese financial institution in her late 20s

• Changed careers from sales at another Japanese financial institution 3 years ago.
• Had been in her current position as a management accountant for 3 years.
• Satisfied with her current job, but after 3 years, she was ready for a new challenge and came to us for consultation.

• We first digged into the underlying reasons for her desire to "switch careers after 3 years" and "do something new. "We did this through a collaborative and insightful conversation.
• During the counseling sessions, it became clear that she had underlying frustrations with her current supervisor and the perceived lack of opportunities for career advancement. This led us to identify her true reasons for considering a job switch, which she had not previously focused on. We then worked together to develop strategies to address these issues.
• Initially, she had the humble ambition to learn financial, accounting, and bookkeeping skills independently to catch up after her first job change. However, she became passive in her current position and blamed her supervisor and colleagues for her lack of progress. This victim mentality led her to give up on career advancement in her current role.
• Through further consultation, it became clear that her dissatisfaction with the lack of career advancement opportunities in current position was not based on concrete facts or company policies, but rather on vague and subjective impressions. This was likely due to the strong impression left by her successful career change 3 years ago, which made it difficult for her to take the next step and focus on skill development.
• Therefore, we advised her against rushing into a job change and instead focus on gaining further experience and skills. This will allow her to build an environment that supports both career advancement and performance improvement in her current role. Specifically, we recommended the following next steps:
  • Prioritize clear and effective communication within the company.
  • Request a weekly 1-on-1 meeting with your supervisor.
  • Agree on and set short-term and medium-term goals and actions for career advancement with your HR department and supervisor.

• After following all of the advice given, the client decided against an immediate job change and experienced significant improvements in their work performance and workplace environment.
  • Increased communication with their supervisor.
  • Gained clarity on the expectations placed on them.
• These positive changes led to her promotion to a team lead position one year later (March 2024). She continues to thrive in her current role.