When people hear “consultant,” many imagine a “demanding job.” But what does a consultant’s day actually look like? In this article, we follow a day in the life of Kazuki Tomita, a working consultant, and ask him about both the rewarding moments and the tough parts of being a consultant.
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Profile
Kazuki Tomita
Mirai Works Inc., Mirai Digital Division
After graduating from university, worked in store operations at a major retail company. He then moved to a major internet services company, where he handled sales and inventory analysis as well as sales-promotion and advertising work. After moving to a software company, he participated in many HR and payroll system implementation projects. He then joined Mirai Works, where he currently works as a consultant on system implementation projects.
A day in Tomita’s schedule
8:30
Wake up. On telework days, he tends to wake up later.
9:00
The workday officially starts at 9:30, but he starts a bit earlier. He checks today’s schedule and goes through email and chat. Instead of postponing responses, he tries to handle them right after reading.
9:30
Prepares materials for tomorrow’s client meeting. He puts effort into writing and presentation so the message lands clearly with the audience. Because he will be facilitating the meeting, he prepares the materials with the actual talking points and the intended landing for each agenda item in mind.
12:00
Lunch at a nearby spot. On work-from-home days, he tries to step out for a change of pace whenever he can.
13:00
Prepares for a 14:00 client meeting. He reviews the materials and organizes the issues to report. With an internal meeting following right after, he handles all the preparation in one block.
14:00
Client meeting. Reports on progress, discusses how to resolve issues, and explores solutions. He facilitates carefully to keep the conversation from drifting off topic.
17:00
Writes the meeting minutes. He focuses on summarizing what was discussed and decided in a concise way. Writing minutes for a meeting that lasted several hours is tough, but he treats it as a chance to look back on the work and focuses to get it done.
18:00
Internal meeting. The team discusses how work is progressing internally and externally, and what to improve. Today’s topic is the training program for mid-career hires.
19:00
Reviews tomorrow’s schedule and the materials he will use, checking for any gaps or missed tasks before wrapping up.
19:30
Without taking a break, he starts studying for a professional qualification. He is currently studying for the Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant qualification, devoting two hours a day to it. Stepping up as a consultant is always on his mind.
- [What is a consulting firm?] Types of firms and the work involved
- What is MECE? Examples and frameworks explained simply
Tomita’s thoughts and feelings about being a consultant
― What do you find rewarding in your daily work?
It is when the client’s point of contact says thank you. When they say things like “It went smoothly because it was you, Mr. Tomita,” all of the effort is rewarded. Because the work is hard, those words of thanks feel especially meaningful. Sharing that sense of accomplishment with the team is also rewarding. Because projects are achieved as a team, reaching the goal feels even better. I think aiming for those goals is what keeps me motivated day to day.
― What do you find tough about the job?
Because this is client work, I’m always conscious of task deadlines and delivery dates. Even when unexpected trouble hits, “it can’t be helped” doesn’t fly. You have to think through the impact of any delay, what adjustments need to be made and with whom, and recover. If I can personally pick up the work to clear the delay, I’ll often take it on myself.
“How to move people” is another thing I pay close attention to. For example, an IT initiative agreed in a meeting will not necessarily roll out smoothly in the field. You need to think about how to explain it to the front line and earn their understanding before moving the initiative forward. You need supporting arguments, look for compromise options, and care for everyone so they can proceed with the initiative on the same page.
― What gaps did you feel between being a consultant and what you imagined before becoming one?
The popular image of a consultant might be standing in a large meeting room, smoothly presenting slides to executives. Of course, I knew that wasn’t all of the work, but in reality I spend a lot of time on the ground with the client’s employees. To find the root of the issues the front line is facing, I focus on truly understanding their work.
On the other hand, I expected research and document creation to be tough, but in practice the grind is more intense than I imagined. It’s hard work just to find an enormous amount of information that may or may not even make it into the deck — and then deciding how to organize it and present it clearly is another challenge. The way consultants pursue precision in their deliverables is something I felt a big gap on between before and after becoming one.
― What kind of consultant do you want to be going forward?
I want to become a consultant who is strong in both IT and HR. I’d like to take part in projects across various industries and types of business, build experience, and become a consultant who can support a wide range of areas anchored in IT and HR. The IT-enablement of back-office work in particular still has a long way to go. There are still many companies where paper culture remains and applications and management continue to rely on paper documents. I want to be involved in supporting many companies facing these challenges.
To do that, I need to deepen my knowledge of HR and labor. I want to earn the Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant qualification and, eventually, become a consultant who is active in areas such as recruiting and training as well.
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Mirai Works Inc. — Company information
| Company name | Mirai Works Inc. |
| Established | March 2012 |
| Business | Recruitment / talent sourcing support – Paid employment-placement business license: 13-Yu-305507 – Worker dispatching business license: Ha 13-305405 |
| Representative Director | Yoshiharu Okamoto |
| Capital | JPY 68,315 thousand (as of June 30, 2023) |
| Offices | [TOKYO OFFICE] Prime Terrace KAMIYACHO 2F 4-1-13 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001 [OSAKA OFFICE] Nomura Real Estate Midosuji Honmachi Building 8F 4-2-12 Honmachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0053 |
| Memberships | Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) Japan Association of New Economy Professional & Parallel Career Freelance Association |
