Hijiri’s Career Journey with Dell Technologies, From Sales to Talent Acquisition

Hijiri Y. | Recruiter, Talent Acquisition Search | Tokyo, Japan

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Hijiri, but I go by Hiji. I was born in Indonesia, but I grew up in Germany, Palau, and India. I have three children and enjoy playing golf on my free time. After graduating from Sophia University, I started my career in Sales at Rakuten in April 2007. As a Public Relations Specialist of the CEO office, I was assigned to the “Englishnization” project. The project consisted of assisting the company with changing its’ internal language from Japanese to English to help motivate its’ employees to try to achieve an 800+ TOEIC score. During this time, Rakuten was expanding their global footprint by hiring people from all across the world. Since I wanted to leverage my global experience, I decided to request a transfer to the Global HR Recruiting Team. In August 2016, Microsoft Japan offered me the chance to join the “Microsoft Academy of College Hire” team.

What is your role at Dell Technologies?

I joined Dell Technologies in July 2017, and I’m currently assigned to Talent Acquisition Search within the Japan HR Team. I focus primarily on finding the best candidates in the market for Professional Services roles such as Consultants, Service Account Managers, Solution Architects, Technical Supports, Field Service Engineers, etc.

Why did you choose Dell above our competitors? You’ve worked in similar Talent Acquisition roles at several companies. What differences do you find?

During Dell’s screening process, the interviewer had a professional mindset towards recruiting and I was really attracted by their kindness. I was also pleasantly surprised to be invited to dinner after the final interview. That made it easy for me to decline my other offers and accept the offer from Dell Technologies. Dell was also the only company that gave me an opportunity to challenge myself. I was allowed to step into a new role and project, which gave me new experiences and skillsets.  

What is your favorite part about working at Dell?

Their “Winning Together” culture is one of my favorite things about Dell. In Japan, I think many people have the perception that working at a foreign company is very individualistic, and the people are impersonal only focused on their own job. To be honest, I also had a similar perception about foreign companies. However, after joining Dell I discovered quickly that this was not the case. According to Dell Technologies Culture Code, “culture is the key factor to make the company great, and we believe in and value our people.” When we work as a team, we perform better, collaborate smarter and have more fun getting the job done!

What is it about your position that challenges you most?

Nowadays, since COVID-19 the recruiting market has gotten much more competitive than before. It is really challenging at times to attract top talent because they likely have multiple offers from other companies. When I successfully attract a top candidate, it gives me a great sense of accomplishment.

Is there a piece of advice that you would share for someone who may be starting out in their career?

We never know what will happen tomorrow and it’s getting more difficult to predict the future. Which is why I think the most important thing is being adaptable and flexible to changes in the business environment. I recommend staying up to date with new information and trends, so that you won’t miss out on opportunities.

What traits and/or skills do you think are necessary to enjoy and thrive in their career at Dell?

I think some traits that are important for a career at Dell are: speed of work, act first and think later, not being afraid of challenges, and always try to think outside the box.

Outside of work, what do you enjoy? What does that work and personal life balance look like for you here at Dell? Has it been what you thought it would be?