Megumi Horiuchi is in charge of recruitment and human resources in Earth Technology. Earth Technology is an IT company that supports IT development, network construction/operations, bilingual services, etc.

Name	Ms. Megumi Horiuchi
Company	Earth Technology
Department	Management Division – Human Resources Group
Industry	IT and Communication
Location	Tokyo
Related interview	Mr. Christopher Howell

Please tell us your reason for recruiting foreigners.

Our company does not have a particular limit or quota when it comes to hiring talents from overseas.  We hire bilingual engineers or global engineers where we do not put nationality as one of the deciding factors of our recruitment process.

When did your company start hiring foreigners as employees?

The same time we established this company in January 2013.

Any challenges or struggles when hiring foreigners?

Due to cultural differences like growing up in a different environment and cultural background, leads to differences of perception – like say, work etiquette or your job in general. Of course, there are no rights or wrongs in how you perceive your work, but in our organization we wish that everyone has the same vision and walking in the same direction as a whole, thus sometimes I do feel there is a challenge in choosing the right candidate.

What are the advantages of hiring a foreigner as an employee?

Working with both a foreigner and Japanese employees, the level of imagination, creativity, and range of ideas has broadened and changed in a way that will benefit the company.

There are plenty of local employees that have sufficient language skills and overseas experience to a certain extent, however being in Japan, it is not easy to grasp on these skills without constant exposure; which is pitiful. However, together with an employee from overseas, you get to keep the language communication going – which is very helpful for those who want to maintain or improve their language skills.

Will you continue to promote foreign employment in the future?

Yes, of course.

How much Japanese do you think a foreigner should learn to be sufficient enough to get a job?

• The ability to not only understand Japanese used in everyday situations, and in a wide variety of other circumstances to a certain degree（around JLPT – N2）

Any advice for those who wish to work in Japan?

Most people probably think that the Japanese perception of work is a little strange!  However, I think that there are a lot of hidden benefits and good points about working with the Japanese that most people don’t realize. I hope that everyone looks at the bright side of this, and also let me know about what you think about your work too!