Gen Z Working at HighChem: Young Professionals Roundtable #1
This time, we gathered three young employees with various backgrounds to talk about HighChem’s culture and the rewards of their work.
Sales Support Office, Trade Division, Joined in April 2022
After graduating from university in the UK, Chen obtained a master’s degree in pharmacy. He returned to China and took up a research position at a pharmaceutical manufacturer, but struggled with the gap between his expectations and reality, and resigned due to the pandemic. After resigning, he learned Japanese through half a year of self-study at home and one year of studying in Japan. He was hired by HighChem for his knowledge of pharmacy and trilingual abilities.
C1 Business Division, Sustainability Division, Joined in July 2022
After graduating from a liberal arts university in Japan, Takayama joined a travel agency specializing in overseas travel as a new graduate. However, due to the pandemic, he was unable to work in the travel industry for about two and a half years and was seconded to various companies. he was unsure whether to stick to the travel industry, but I thought that he could achieve what he really wanted in another industry, so he decided to change jobs. He joined HighChem by chance.
Human Resources Department, Corporate Division, Joined in February 2021(Hired as a full-time employee)
After graduating from university, Sugiyama found his first job unsuitable and resigned. While exploring what he wanted to do, he joined HighChem as a temporary staff member. Initially, he was in charge of general affairs in the General Affairs Department, and his administrative skills were evaluated and he became a full-time employee. His boss suggested that he should build a career, so he transferred to the Human Resources Department. He is currently active as a force in the Human Resources Department.
——Why did you decide to join HighChem?
I was working in a research position at the company I joined as a new graduate, but I wanted to do a job that was closer to the field, so I was attracted to HighChem as a trading company. I thought it was good that it was a job where I could interact with people and learn the knowledge of various fields and industries.
I was born and raised in Japan under Chinese parents, so when I saw the slogan “Bridge between Japan and China” on the HP, I nostalgically remembered talking about something similar at a debate contest in junior high school. The reason I originally wanted to work for a travel agency was because I wanted to do a job that would remain in people’s memories. I thought that if it was a company with such a philosophy, I might be able to find a job that could move people’s hearts.
It’s a bit of a negative reason (laughs). I felt that I was not good at communicating with people at work, so I thought that office work would involve less talking than sales work, and I expressed such a hope to the staffing agency. Also, my previous workplace had many young people, and I felt that it was a workplace where the student feeling did not disappear. HighChem was mainly career recruitment with almost no new graduate recruitment, so I wanted to work in a company where a wide range of age groups are active.
——Weren’t you surprised at first that there are many Chinese people at HighChem?
I studied abroad in high school, and I also liked traveling during my university days, so I traveled to many countries. Wherever I went, there were Chinese people, and I was attracted to their straightforward personalities and sensibilities that Japanese people don't have. So, that wasn't such a disadvantage for me.
——What is your current job?
I work in sales support for the entire Trade Division. My main responsibilities are coordinating research and development between the technical leaders at our Tokyo headquarters, Chinese manufacturers, or our research institutes when developing new products, and conducting preliminary negotiations and business development when dealing with countries other than China because I can speak English. I was also involved in the development of a translation software. I used to do programming as a hobby, so I developed a translation software that is easy for salespeople to use. This was recognized last year as it led to cost reduction.
The C1 Division does a lot of business with large companies, including Chinese state-owned enterprises, and this year, after the Corona pandemic calmed down, there have already been about 10 delegations, mainly consisting of management, visiting Japan, and HighChem has been in charge of attending them. When delegations from China come to Japan, they not only visit related Japanese companies, but also wish to do sightseeing and meals since they have come all the way to Japan. I was in charge of arranging these shops and transportation.
Also, this year I was appointed as the secretary-general of the Doujin-kai (an organization mainly composed of young people who plan internal events), so I am planning and operating the 25th anniversary party, employee trips, and internal events for the purpose of interaction. It feels like my dream of planning a trip has come true at HighChem (laughs).
My main duties are recruitment activities for young and mid-career employees, internal personnel-related work, and support for my boss. Regarding recruitment, sometimes a specific image of a person is conveyed from the department, but sometimes I need to think about and find the image of a person that will be needed in the future from the business development talks I have with executives and department heads. HighChem’s business moves very fast, so it’s difficult to have to consider various elements immediately and connect them to recruitment. I originally joined HighChem because I was not good at meeting people, but now I meet 100 people a year.
——What do you think is HighChem’s culture?
Speed is definitely HighChem’s strength. When developing a new business, if the direction is right, we start moving immediately, so I think it’s a company with a lot of execution power.
I have little social experience myself, so it’s hard to say specifically, but HighChem has an atmosphere where the good points of Japanese companies and foreign-like places are nicely mixed. Japanese companies have a strict image, but HighChem is loose and flexible in a good way. But where it needs to be tightened, it’s properly tightened, and I think it’s a culture where you can pick the good points in a good way.
Yes. I think HighChem is a company without a manual in a good way. This is my personal impression, but I think that in general Japanese large companies, the same job is done by multiple people, and there are many jobs that cannot be completed unless they are in step. But at HighChem, even young people can do their own work in their own way, I think.
——So, even if you’re young, you’re given a lot of responsibilities.
Indeed. We’re given responsibilities, and things start moving at an incredible speed. Sometimes I get anxious, wondering if my ideas are okay and if it’s okay to proceed as is.
——I see, then what do you think needs to be improved?
I feel that routine tasks such as logistics and payments could be a bit more manualized.
Yes, I agree. We often need to ask the accounting and logistics departments. There are still many tasks that could be resolved immediately if there were manuals.
Regarding the manualization of tasks, I think it’s something we need to tackle and change ourselves, as it allows us to see the company from a new perspective.
——Finally, could you tell us about your future goals?
The main business areas of HighChem are Japan and China, so there are already people who can successfully conduct business between Japan and China. I want to work hard to become a force when HighChem expands to Southeast Asia and the West in the future.
This is a basic attitude towards work that I’ve had since I entered the travel industry, but I want to do work that remains in people’s memories. Whether it’s attending duties, internal events, or any kind of work, I want to make every time special and memorable for the person.
HighChem is becoming more well-known and attractive to Chinese students and others. In the future, I want to do work that can make us attractive to Japanese people who have no connection with China and global talents. Even in terms of industry, there have been cases recently where we hire people from fields such as apparel that are far from our main business of chemistry. I want to become a multi-talented person who can handle various cases.
