How long has Spencer Stuart been active in Japan?
Spencer Stuart has been doing business in Japan since 1986. Overall, the company has more than 40 years of success in placing top executives at leading companies worldwide.

What is your present business focus?
Spencer Stuart concentrates on executive search services at the very top end of the market, namely, country managers and their direct reports. In the future, board recruiting and leadership appraisal services will become increasingly important.

How do you see recruiting opportunities in Japan in the near future?
We believe the Japanese market for executive search services will expand dramatically. Along with the recent deregulation in Japan's financial market, there has been a groundswell of restructuring activity between both Japanese companies as well as Japanese and foreign companies Ð mergers and acquisitions, downsizing, and consolidation are relatively new concepts to Japan's corporate world. With few experienced professionals here who have been through the process, companies across the board need highly qualified personnel to guide them through uncharted territory.

Tell us about your strategic activities for 1999/2000.
Our strategic focus at present is to strengthen our industry coverage by adding new professional staff. We are already well staffed to cover a wide range of industries, but with the current increase in our volume of business and the forecasts that say this trend will continue for some time, we want to take the necessary steps to maintain our reputation as the quality leader in executive search services.

What are your company's major activities today?
We carry out executive search and consulting services at the top level in such industries as finance, consumer, manufacturing, life sciences, aviation, and IT, which includes telecom, hardware, software, and services.

How do you view the overall state of IT recruiting in Japan today?
We see a very active market, with strong demand for high-quality executives who can serve as country managers, sales & marketing directors, and CFOs. We also see strong demand for engineers, although we do not typically conduct searches at that level.

What about opportunities for the future?
Based on our own experience as well as industry trends, we firmly believe that there will be increased opportunities for recruiting and human resource services in the future. Deregulation is attracting foreign competition into the country and restructuring is releasing qualified executives into the job market, creating quite a dynamic environment for us. Younger people are taking a more proactive stance toward furthering their own careers and are open to changing companies and to seeing just what the job market has to offer them now that it didn't, say, five or ten years ago.

What differentiates your company from your competitors?
Spencer Stuart can best be described as a provider of high-quality, client-driven, and high value-added consulting services.

What skills are currently most in demand for IT professionals?
We see demand increasing for highly skilled IT professionals in general management, start-ups, change management, sales & marketing, customer solutions, and relationship management.

Tell us about your clients.
Spencer Stuart has a broad range of customers, from major global companies to small, technology start-ups. Ninety-five percent of our clients are foreign companies with established operations or start-ups in Japan.

What can English-speaking IT people do to upgrade their skills?
It is important to develop functional expertise, such as marketing, engineering, or solution sales, for example. At the high end of the market, English is only a tool, and business development and general management skills are a must.

How do you perceive growth in Japan's IT sector next year?
Once the Y2K issue is behind us next year, Japan should see a surge of investments in the IT sector, with the Internet and e-commerce gaining momentum. Along with North America and Europe, some of the largest expenditures in IT and telecommunications are already taking place in Japan. The growth of the IT industry will create new opportunities for highly skilled, talented professionals from a wide range of disciplines.

Do you have any advice for IT job seekers?
It is important to constantly evaluate your functional strengths and weaknesses against market needs and trends. Be sure to develop customer-handling experience and especially management skills early on.

Why should companies use a recruiter instead of advertising directly?
Advertising is a hit-and-miss operation and does not work well at the top end of the market. Retainer searches under exclusive contract guarantee delivery of high-quality candidates who meet client requirements.

Company Highlights
Spencer Stuart Japan Ltd. Kawakita Memorial Bldg., 8F 18 Ichibancho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0082
Tel: +81-3-3238-8901
Fax: +81-3-3238-8902
URL: http://www.spencerstuart.com
Established in Japan:
January 16, 1986 No. of Staff in Japan: 19 Main Products or Services: Senior executives recruiting for IT and other industries; consulting
Target Market:
Senior executives recruiting only, for companies of all sizes Current Positions Open: Consultants, research associates, administrative assistants, accounting manager
Human Resources Contact:
Joji Hara, Managing Dir. JHara@SpencerStuart.com
Fax: +81-3-3238-8902

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