Getting a Job With Japanese Consultancy Padeco

Padeco is continuously looking to hire junior and senior staff for permanent and short-term engagements. The Japanese consultancy has been looking to hire two fresh university graduates for 2009, and plans to add three or four permanent employees and several dozens of project-based staff by the end of the year. Padeco is “continuously hiring new staff,” according to Yuichiro Motomura, the Japanese consultancy’s president, and Yukiko Hotta, director and chief financial officer, director and chief financial officer. Senior experts are a category that the company usually has a hard time finding, especially if needed on a short-term basis, they add. Padeco posts vacancies on its Web site, as well as on other Web sites and magazines of partner organizations such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and in sector-specific media like devex.com and the international development journal Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Both Japanese and foreign candidates are encouraged to apply. Padeco tends to hire Japanese staff when handling projects for Japanese clients, whereas foreigners have a better chance of handling projects by international organizations. Foreigners may have better chances than their Japanese counterparts to win short-term assignments, since Padeco has concluded that Japanese experts and consultants are often bound by stricter contracts that do not allow them to jump on a new project easily and quickly. Given the company’s involvement in a number of different sectors, the skill sets desired in applicants differ. At a minimum, however, candidates should be independent-minded and comfortable taking on responsibility, and they should have a great interest in and passion for their job, according to Motomura. Read more career advice articles.