Why I stopped relying on others for my self-esteem and now I care about "helping others"

Takahiro Matsushita joined XICA as a human resources manager in January 2020. Despite having no experience in human resources, he achieved a 1% response rate (compared to the average response rate of 3%) by improving his scouting emails, greatly contributing to the recruitment goals his team pursues. In October 30, he was awarded the company's monthly MVP.

Matsushita says, "In the past, my self-esteem was influenced by other people's reactions," but now he has overcome that and is working hard at his job, driven by his unwavering desire to "support people" since his student days. We asked Matsushita about his life so far.

I stopped relying on others for my self-esteem

-- I think you have a strange balance, with a calm personality, but also a strong desire to achieve your goals and an active personality.

It's true that I'm usually described as laid-back and laid-back, but I think I have an active side too. When I was a student, I liked traveling abroad alone, and I went to a total of 25 countries, including Myanmar and Bolivia. I wanted to experience new stimulation in places where my common sense was not common sense.

But I'm not the type to aggressively post on social media. I don't have a strong desire for self-expression or recognition.

── Do you place more importance on your own sense of accomplishment and satisfaction than on the approval of others?

Yes, that's right. Do you know the book "The Courage to be Disliked"?
I read that book,I stopped relying on others for my self-esteemHm.

── Is the desire for approval something that can be easily given up?

At one point, I thought, "This isn't good."
If there is no one around you who praises you, your self-esteem will gradually decrease.

In the past, I often had negative feelings when I saw people's reactions, wondering, "What do people think of me?" I think there are people who grow when others give them advice, and people who shrink back when they do, but I was definitely the latter.

I didn't change immediately after reading the book, but once I started to pay attention, my feelings gradually began to change.

── How did it change?

I consciously changed the points at which I felt a sense of accomplishment. I changed my way of thinking so that I felt a sense of accomplishment when I achieved a goal I had set, rather than feeling it when others evaluated me.

Then, for example, when I'm doing sales, even if the customer's reaction is not good, I no longer mind, and when I achieve my quota, my self-esteem goes up a little.

Even now, working in human resources"Achieving our recruitment goals" leads to a sense of accomplishment and self-affirmation.

The consistent focus is "supporting people"

── Mr. Matsushita, you started at Sangetsu, a major interior design company, as a new graduate, then Synchro Food, which runs a recruitment advertising media, as your second company, and XICA, as your third company. How did you decide on the focus of your career changes?

Can we "support people"?was the focus.
This hasn't changed since I entered university.

── You went on to study international studies at university. Was "helping others" also a factor in your decision at this time?

In a broad sense, you're right.

For example, chocolate sold in Japan is cheap. That's because cocoa beans are produced in emerging countries where children are forced to work. This is a well-known story, but it shocked me when I first heard it.

I want to utilize my agility to learn about and support these issues through fieldwork and on-site research.So I decided to go on to study at the Faculty of International Studies.

── You joined Sangetsu, a major interior design company, as a new graduate. What kind of work were you in charge of?

I had a strong interest in overseas countries and was good at English, so I wanted to work in overseas sales someday. I was also interested in human resources and corporate sales, but the company judged me to be more suited to sales, so I started my career in business support work for sales.

── After that, at your second company, Synchro Food, you were in charge of sales for recruitment advertising.

The food and beverage industry is said to be constantly short of manpower. When I was a student, I worked part-time at a restaurant to save money to go on a trip abroad. However, there were not enough staff, so we had to work the minimum shifts every day. People would suddenly quit. Someone was always overworked. It was always busy. That was the situation I was in.

Because I have personally experienced the challenges facing the food and beverage industry, I want to attract people through job ads and support those who are struggling.I thought.

── After that, you moved to XICA, where you were first challenged with human resources.

I still love Synchro Food. I felt a sense of fulfillment from achieving my sales goals. However, I suddenly became worried, "Are the people who were hired through the advertising space that I acquired through my sales efforts happy to work after that?"

I want a job where I can see the people I hire thrive, not just succeed in recruiting.I started to think that way and decided to change jobs.

── How many companies did you apply to while you were looking for a new job?

Actually, I only applied to two companies.

Because my core goal was "supporting people," I only applied to companies whose mission, vision, and values ​​aligned with my own.

Among them, the following was the policy that XICA was promoting at the time:"Create a world where everyone can choose their best life"I was really struck by this vision (※1).

*1: As of January 2020. In September of the same year, the vision and mission were redefined, and the current vision is"Creating a fair world where talent can flourish"The name represents our desire to support people who take on challenges with determination through our solutions, and to create a world where the value created by companies that create products, services, and content is maximized through XICA's business.

XICA was a much better company than I expected.

── How do you feel about joining XICA?

In the recruitment advertising that I handled in my previous job, for example, if you invested 100 million yen, you didn't know in advance how many people you would be able to hire.ROI (return on investment) is hard to seeThat's it.MagellanWe have a sense of these challenges in the marketing field.Visualize with statistical logic and predict ROI in advance international success.

Even before I joined the company, I thought that XICA's products were amazing, but after I joined the company, I realized that Magellan and the services that include Magellan were amazing.ADVAIt was a more amazing product than I had expected, making full use of specialized statistical and mathematical knowledge.

Another thing that surprised me was,"A team-driven company"That is to say.

In the corporate sales field that I was working in, it was basically a one-on-one battle. But at XICA, sales, analysts, customer success,We have a corporate culture where everyone on the team strives to achieve our goals. We respect others, encourage each other, and take our colleagues' work personally.I find that very appealing.

Logical and honest

── Mr. Matsushita, I'm sure you have many opportunities to talk with candidates, but are there any characteristics that make you think a person would be a good fit for XICA?

First,LogicalI think it 's.
In order to provide consulting to the management of Japan's leading national clients with large advertising budgets,Able to answer questions clearly, concisely and preciselyI think you will be able to play an active role even after joining the company.Marketing and statistics enthusiastsI think that I can enjoy my work even more. These are the skills aspects.

In terms of personality, the young people I talk to areHonesty and a desire to growI think it 's.
XICA, through ADVAWe are trying to do something that no one has done before, so it will be difficult if we are stuck in conventional ways.maybe.People who can flexibly absorb new things and enjoy unknown environmentsIf so, I think XICA would be a good fit for you.

Choose the best life for that person

── Please tell us about your current main job.

Now, I am in charge of all mid-career recruitment tasks, from forming a pool of candidates using direct recruiting and agent relations, to interviews and closing the deal. My strength is direct recruiting, where I send out scouting emails to people who want to work with me.

── In October, Matsushita-san was awarded the company's monthly MVP. Not only did he achieve his recruitment target, but he also recorded a 10% response rate to scouting emails, despite the average response rate being 3%.

In my previous job in recruitment advertising sales, I helped clients come up with job descriptions and scouting message texts, and I use the knowledge I gained there about writing sentences that resonate with people and get replies in my current job.We look at each person's background and come up with a customized message.Hm.

In particular, we are focusing onTitle and first three lines.and,If what you sent doesn't resonate with the candidate, immediately make the next approach..

Keywords that resonate differently depending on the medium, such as "No experience necessary," "Job change welcome," and "Hiring for potential," and responses also change depending on whether the kanji or katakana is used. As we went through the PDCA cycle, we began to see the characteristics of each medium.

── How about in terms of your own growth?

My boss, Nakazawa-sansets goals for me with my long-term career in mind. I feel like I'm being entrusted with a lot of different things, and I'm really enjoying it and thankful.

── Has XICA helped you fulfill your wish to "help people"?

I believe it has come true.

Many of the people I meet in interviews are in their 20s, close to my age, and are considering changing jobs for the first time. I don't just tell them the appeal of XICA, I also help them think about how to proceed with their job search, and while we talk, I can help them take stock of their careers and organize their career plans, so I feel like I'm doing an ideal job in terms of "supporting people."

That's how I talked to people who joined the company.It's really nice to be able to see someone's growth up close.That's right. Even if you don't join XICA,I hope that by meeting you, you will make a good career change and choose your ideal career and life.,I think.

── Finally, please tell us what challenges you would like to take on in the future as a human resources professional.

We are currently in the process of developing a system for onboarding and support for employees to succeed after joining the company.We want to help our members live their best careers and lives.I think.

*The affiliation and title of the interviewee are those at the time of the interview.