When people hear “consultant,” many think “demanding work.” But what does a consultant’s day actually look like? In this article, we follow a day in the life of Kaede Okayasu, a senior consultant at Selection and Variation, and ask her about both the rewarding moments and the tough parts of being a consultant.
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Profile
Kaede Okayasu
Selection and Variation Inc., Senior Consultant
After graduating from university, she joined Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. After being assigned to a branch, she worked in sales to individuals and corporations. She then moved to Indeed Japan K.K., where she handled job-ad sales for small and medium-sized enterprises. Wanting to be involved in more fundamental organizational improvement, she joined Selection and Variation Inc. Today she works as a senior consultant on HR system reform for clients.
A day in Okayasu’s schedule
9:00
Before heading to work, she spends time on her daily self-development habit. Lately she has been actively reading specialist books on HR system design, along with business books and primers that help her see things from a management perspective. She makes a point of checking any books recommended within the company. Her focus is on inputting knowledge she can apply to real work.
10:00
Arrives at the office. She prepares materials for next week’s meeting. Today she is simulating the impact of a possible change to the client’s compensation structure. While considering how a redesigned compensation system would affect employee motivation, she works carefully to avoid errors.
12:00
Lunch. Looking out at the area around the Imperial Palace from the office naturally helps her relax. There are plenty of stylish cafés and restaurants nearby, but lately she often brings a homemade bento.
13:00
Online meeting with the client. The discussion covers not only HR system design but ongoing support extending to training and recruitment.
15:00
Internal meeting with her manager. Based on the earlier client meeting, they surface the upcoming discussion points and tasks. She then writes the minutes and shares them with the client. She struggled with minutes when she first joined, but after handling many of them, she has learned to capture the key points well.
17:00
1-on-1 with the company’s representative. These take place at least once a month and serve as a forum for discussing both personal concerns and work matters. She has even discussed her own sales strategy ideas, received feedback on the spot, and put them into action immediately. She finds it a meaningful chance to bring her thinking and proposals directly to the representative.
18:00
Heads home. She often spends a little time on self-development before leaving. Lately she also attends online courses and webinars to gain new knowledge. Because everyone at the company is mindful of work-life balance, she usually finishes on time. There are occasional overtime stretches during the busy phases of a project, but the next day is adjusted to allow an earlier finish, so she feels the environment supports a sustainable pace.
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Okayasu’s thoughts and feelings about being a consultant
― What do you find rewarding in your daily work?
It is when I feel I am able to discuss things on an equal footing with executives. I had chances to speak with executives in my previous job too, but at SMEs the conversation tended to center on HR contacts. Now, through HR system design, I genuinely feel I am involved in decisions that touch the very foundation of a company. Moments like when a client says “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that,” or when my proposal leads to organizational change, give me a huge sense of accomplishment.
The process of building a relationship where executives are willing to listen to my opinions is also exciting. At first, just keeping up with what they said was a stretch, but as I gradually grew able to express my own views and engage in discussion, I felt myself growing. Being able to feel that growth day to day is a major source of fulfillment for me.
― What do you find tough about the job?
Work where the goal is not clearly defined is tough. In sales, I had clear goals like “hit X yen in sales,” so all I had to do was figure out how to move toward that. But consulting has no “this is the correct answer.” Even in document creation, you have to constantly think about what the client is really looking for. Not knowing where to land was a real struggle at first. Especially in HR system design, simply building the system is not enough — it has no meaning unless the client accepts it and actually executes it. So it is essential to fully understand the client’s expectations and keep aligning while moving forward. Working while reading the client’s intent is always tough and difficult. But the sense of accomplishment when you bring something you devised to life with the client’s buy-in is all the greater.
― What kind of consultant do you want to be going forward?
I want to be a consultant who can speak on equal footing with anyone — especially someone who can engage in deeper discussion with executives. I do have opportunities to speak with presidents and board-level executives today, but I still feel my perspective is not yet at the same level. Executives view things from one level higher, and I sometimes feel the gap in their thinking and the issues they focus on. So my near-term goal is to design HR systems across many more industries and companies and build broad knowledge and experience.
Like our representative, I want to be a consultant who deeply understands client challenges and can deliver essential value. Ultimately, I aim to become someone who can engage in deep, equal discussion with any executive.
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Selection and Variation Inc. — Company information
| Company name | Selection and Variation Inc. |
|---|---|
| Established | Founded as a Yugen-Kaisha in March 2006 Reorganized into a Kabushiki-Kaisha in June 2011 |
| Capital | JPY 10 million |
| Representative Director | Yoshihiro Hirayasu |
| Main business | HR consulting for employees ● HR evaluation and performance review system design ● Compensation and pay system design ● Behavior-grade (competency-grade) and job-grade system design ● Training and HR-development system design ● Recruitment criteria and hiring-process design HR consulting for senior management (directors, executive officers) ● Design and operation of executive appointment criteria ● Performance management and executive compensation design ● Design and operation of next-generation executive development programs ● Design and operation of HR-related committees (nomination committee, compensation committee) Training programs ● New-graduate development training ● Professional development training ● Management appointment training ● Senior-management (director / executive officer) training ● HR evaluator / reviewer training ● Training for HR department heads, HR staff, and HR business partners Recruitment services ● Senior-management candidate referrals (directors, executive officers) ● Management-level candidate referrals ● Early-career candidate referrals (Paid employment placement license No. 27-Yu-303648) |
| Banks | MUFG Bank, Dojima Branch Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Umeda Branch |
| Tax advisor | Windrose Tax Corporation |
| Tokyo Office | Kishimoto Building 7F, xLINK Marunouchi Palace Front, 2-2-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005 Tel: 03-6869-1563 Fax: 03-6893-3931 |
| Osaka Office | Honmachi Grand Building 7F, 1-2-17 Nishi-Honmachi, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0005 Tel: 06-6695-7351 Fax: 06-6695-7352 |
| Nagoya Office | Central Nagoya #1101, 2-34-17 Meieki, Nishi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 451-0045 Tel: 052-766-5552 Fax: 052-766-6315 |
| Memberships | Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry |
| Academic societies | Japan Association for Evolutionary Economics; Japanese Industrial Relations Research Association |
| Partners | SMBC Consulting / The Japan Research Institute / Nagisa Audit Corporation (Osaka) / Hayabusa Audit Corporation (Tokyo) / Business Publishing (publisher of HR Management Monthly) / HR Vision Inc. / HR Business Partners |
