On the latest episode of the podcast FocusCore Managing Director, Simon Jelfs, interviews FocusCore’s Singapore Director, David Chong. David has over 17 years talent acquisition experience across internal TA roles, RPO, and Recruitment Agency. He has lived and worked in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and China. In this discussion David Chong shares with us some of his vast knowledge of recruitment, both internally and externally, and explores the current recruitment landscape in Japan, and internationally.

In this episode you will hear:

• What made David Chong join the FocusCore team
• Why Japan's recruitment landscape can be a mystery to international recruiters
• Advice for hiring top talent in Japan and Singapore
• The importance of trust and communication when recruiting
• Common pitfalls for those pursuing a career in Talent Acquisition
• Keys to building a great team

About David Chong:

David started his recruitment career in Tokyo covering Accounting and Finance. By now he has over 17 years Talent Acquisition experience across agency, internal function, and RPO, gained from working in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Singapore. He has a proven track record to implement and improve Talent Acquisition function, lead delivery, and sourcing.

At Toll Group (a Japan Post company), David implemented a new RPO across APAC, EMEA & USA. Partnering with multiple stakeholders, he led process simplification and increased productivity across the team of 22 recruiters. To help build the Toll digital brand and talent communities, David optimized sourcing strategy via job boards and social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and WeChat.

At Pall Corporation (a Danaher company), David led the APAC Talent Acquisition RPO team in direct sourcing across China, India, Japan, Korea, Australia, and Southeast Asia. To align with Danaher practice, he helped rollout change management in Talent Acquisition Processes & Systems and promoted Diversity & Inclusion policies.

David is Singaporean and holds an MBA from University of Southern California and MIS degree from University of Washington. He was born in Malaysia, and has lived in Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, and USA. He speaks fluent English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and basic Japanese.

Connect with David Chong:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidchongy

Connect with David Sweet:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejp

Facebook: :https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focuscorejp/

Website: https://www.japan.focuscoregroup.com/

“Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher Davis-Shannon. To find out more, check out www.thetinman.co. Support independent musicians and artists.

This week on the podcast we talk sustainability in Japan with Heather Prosser from Morrow Sodali Japan. In the episode we discuss what sustainability is and how Japanese corporations can start to initiate sustainable change in their workplaces. If you are a business leader in Japan considering the benefits of making your company more sustainable, or if you are an employee wondering how you can influence your employer to make meaningful changes, this is the episode to listen to!

In this episode you will hear:

• How Japan compares to the rest of the world in terms of sustainability
• How business leaders can institute formal sustainable change within their companies
• What smaller sustainable actions employees can take in their workplace
• Where you can go to find out more about sustainability
• What Heather has learned about doing business in Japan

About Heather:

Heather has over 15 years of impactful experience in the Asia-Pacific financial services and sustainability sectors. Having worked in Tokyo and Hong Kong, she has a strong track record of significant contributions to business development, advisory, strategy, fundraising, and investor relations.

Heather joined Morrow Sodali Japan after playing a crucial role in launching and growing the Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) team at EY Japan from 2015 onwards. She excels in navigating Japanese companies towards ESG risk mitigation, driving sustainable initiatives, and harmonizing environmental responsibility with corporate growth.

Originally from the United States, Heather embarked on her career in venture capital in Silicon Valley, before moving to Japan in 2001. As a committed community leader, her contributions include board member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), leading the ACCJ Sustainability Committee, and Executive Committee member of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ).

Her philanthropic efforts include board membership for Shine On! Kids, a charity supporting children with long-term illnesses in Japan. Heather's dynamic career spans the media industry, including as a regular guest presenter on NHK's 'Cool Japan' program since 2007.

Heather Prosser has earned the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing.

Connect with Heather:

Morrow Sodali Japan: https://morrowsodali.com/

Shine On! Kids: https://sokids.org/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/heather-prosser-350bba1a

Corporate email address: h.prosser@morrowsodali.com

Connect with David Sweet:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejp

Facebook: :https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focuscorejp/

Website: https://www.japan.focuscoregroup.com/

“Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher...

In the latest episode of the FocusCore podcast we talk to the CEO of Scaling Your Company, Tyson Batino. Tyson advises small business owners and startups on how to scale their business in Japan from six figures to eight figures and also provides coaching to executives on running an organization. In this episode Tyson shares with us his invaluable insights into how businesses can improve their recruitment pipeline and processes. This is an episode that you'll want to listen to for APAC companies looking to open businesses in Japan, and small companies in Japan looking to scale and grow their organization.

In this episode you will hear:

• The importance of a positive interview experience for candidates
• How companies can use a well designed interview process to improve employer branding
• How a bigger applicant pipeline can help improve recruitment outcomes
• Tips for leaders on how they can help improve recruitment processes

Things mentioned in the episode:

FocusCore podcast episode on Topgrading

About Tyson Batino:

Tyson Batino is the CEO of Scaling Your Company. He advises small business owners and startups on how to scale their business in Japan from six figures to eight figures and also provides coaching to executives on running an organization. He was a co-founder and director at Japan Switch and One Coin English, Japan's 8th largest English school for adults, and a 2x resident mentor at 500 Global Japan, one of the top startup accelerators in the world. With expertise in scaling companies and a passion for mentoring business leaders and founders, Tyson brings invaluable insights into improving your recruitment pipeline and processes.

Connect with Tyson Batino:

Scaling Your Company: https://scalingyourcompany.com/

Personal Site: https://tysonbatino.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tysonbatino/

Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/Tysonbatino

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tysontbatino

Connect with David Sweet:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdavidsweet/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejp

Facebook: :https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focuscorejp/

Website: https://www.japan.focuscoregroup.com/

“Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher Davis-Shannon. To find out more, check out www.thetinman.co. Support independent musicians and artists.