Room to Grow, Support to Succeed: An Interview with Ayaka Asai

Could you tell us about your career before joining Johzen?

I spent approximately six years at a recruitment agency specializing in engineering positions. I entered the recruitment industry without any prior experience and worked my way up to Principal before transitioning into a management role. I managed a team of up to five consultants while continuing to handle my own sales targets.

One of the most valuable parts of that experience was learning how to develop strategies, execute them, evaluate the results, and continuously improve. Things certainly didn’t always go according to plan, but that made it even more rewarding when our efforts eventually produced results. I think those experiences continue to influence how I approach my work today.

What made you consider changing jobs, and why did you ultimately decide to join Johzen?

I was thinking about the next stage of my career when a friend reached out to me about an opportunity. I spoke with several other recruitment agencies during my job search, but what ultimately convinced me to join Johzen was a conversation with Daisuke (Daisuke Hara, Managing Director of Johzen).

Something he said really stayed with me: “Recruitment is just one way of supporting our clients. We want to grow into a broader recruitment consulting business, and if there are other things we want to pursue, we should be willing to challenge ourselves.”

I loved the idea that we wouldn’t be limited to a predetermined framework. Instead, we could create new opportunities and expand what the company is capable of doing. I’ve always valued the idea of freedom and responsibility, and I felt Johzen would be the best environment to put that philosophy into practice.

What surprised you most after actually joining Johzen?

The biggest surprise was how little stress I feel at work! (laughs)

Of course, we’re in sales, so there’s always some pressure to achieve results. But I see that as a healthy part of working toward meaningful goals. Outside of that, I rarely experience stress related to workplace relationships, company culture, or the way we work. I genuinely look forward to coming into the office, which is something I didn’t fully expect before joining.

Another surprise has been how quickly decisions are made and how open everyone is to trying new things. I’ve never suggested something I wanted to try and simply been told “no.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean every idea is automatically approved. But instead of immediately focusing on why something can’t be done, people here think about how we could make it happen. That attitude makes it much easier to share ideas and take initiative.

What areas do you currently specialize in, and what do you value most in your work?

My primary specialization is IT and Web Engineering recruitment. Most of my previous experience was focused on supporting engineers with their career transitions, but since joining Johzen, I’ve also been expanding into the IT consulting sector.

One of the things I enjoy most about recruitment is helping candidates understand career concerns or aspirations that they may not have been able to clearly articulate themselves. Through our conversations, we sometimes uncover priorities or values that even the candidates hadn’t fully recognized.

That’s why I believe recruitment should be about much more than simply introducing job opportunities. I want to help people make the best decisions for their careers, even if that means advising them not to change jobs. Perhaps because I’ve maintained that approach, I still have relationships with many candidates I supported more than three years ago.

I also place a lot of importance on communicating quickly and clearly with clients, making sure everyone stays aligned throughout the recruitment process. I don’t think any of these things are particularly extraordinary. It’s about consistently doing the fundamentals well.

Johzen doesn’t manage consultants through detailed KPIs. How has that affected the way you work?

At Johzen, there aren’t detailed activity KPIs or prescribed processes for achieving placements. We’re expected to decide for ourselves what actions will help us reach our goals.

For example, shortly after joining, I wanted to start generating results quickly, so I proactively reached out to people I had supported in their previous career moves. Those conversations led to new opportunities and helped me achieve an early placement. Being able to make those decisions and act immediately is one of the things I really appreciate about Johzen.

At the same time, that freedom comes with a significant need for self-management. You have to think independently, take action, and accept responsibility for the results. It’s not always easy, and I’m still learning, but I believe those are essential skills for any business professional. Johzen gives me an environment where I can continue developing them every day.

What challenges have you faced since joining, and how would you describe the support from your colleagues?

Actually, I’m right in the middle of a challenging period! (laughs)

Alongside developing new business with companies in areas I’m familiar with, I’m also working to generate revenue in the IT consulting sector, which was a completely new area for me. Not everything I’ve learned in the past translates directly, so there’s a lot of trial and error involved.

Fortunately, my managers and colleagues are incredibly generous about sharing their knowledge and experience. Whenever I have a question, people respond quickly, and there’s no sense that anyone is trying to keep valuable information to themselves. What I particularly appreciate is that even when something doesn’t work out, the fact that I tried something new is never treated negatively.

Everyone is responsible for their own results, but there’s also a very natural culture of helping one another. I’m still figuring things out, but I see these challenges as opportunities to expand my capabilities.

What advice would you give experienced recruiters who are considering joining Johzen?

I think Johzen is a great environment for people who enjoy setting their own goals, developing strategies, and experimenting with different ways to achieve results. In a positive sense, there are relatively few prescribed rules or methods. If you want to apply your previous experience while developing your own approach to recruitment, I think you’ll find it very rewarding.

On the other hand, people who feel more comfortable with clearly defined KPIs and detailed processes might initially find the environment challenging. With greater freedom comes the expectation that you’ll think and act independently.

I also believe one of the biggest differences between an excellent recruiter and an average recruiter is the ability to reflect on their own actions. When something doesn’t work out, rather than simply blaming external circumstances, strong recruiters ask themselves what they could have done differently and how they can improve next time.

There are many people at Johzen who share that mindset, and I find that very motivating. If you’re someone who wants to challenge yourself in an environment built around freedom and responsibility, I would definitely recommend considering Johzen.

Finally, what are your goals for the future, both professionally and personally?

Professionally, my immediate priority is to generate strong results and contribute to the company’s growth. Looking further ahead, I want to become someone who can help clients solve a broader range of hiring challenges, rather than being limited to traditional recruitment services.

I also have previous management experience, and I’d like to find ways to use that background to contribute to Johzen’s organizational development. For example, we already share a lot of information between colleagues, but I think there’s an opportunity to build better ways of preserving our collective knowledge, successful approaches, and best practices. That could help new team members become successful more quickly as the company grows.

At the same time, I wouldn’t want us to introduce so many rules that we lose the flexibility and speed that make Johzen special. I’d love to help build the right structures as the company develops while preserving the culture we have today.

On a personal level, I have a two-year-old child. I want to create an environment where my child feels free to try anything that interests them. And as a parent, I want to make sure I never stop challenging myself either. I hope we can continue trying new things together and experience many different things as we grow.