TOPINTERVIEW People Working in KobeLinjung Chiu

Linjung Chiu

Linjung Chiu

Company name /
P&G Japan G. K.
Job type /
Consumer Business(foreign company)
Countries &  
Regions /
Taiwan
  1. Job
    Description
  2. Why
    I work in Kobe
  3. Life in Kobe
  4. Message
  5. From
    the company
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Job Description

Creating a welcoming working environment in which everyone can be their best self - This is what I want to achieve in my work

I’m responsible for three areas in the Human Resources Department: Employee Communications, Employee Data Analysis, and HR for IT function. Employee Communications includes issuing company newsletters, managing internal websites, hosting internal events and employee safety confirmation when crisis occurs. Employee data analysis includes work like drafting reports based on the analytical results of the massive employee data we have in the system.
As for HR for IT Function, I offer a wide range of support for the IT function employees based on the organization business needs.
The primary mission for me in my current role is to create a welcoming working environment that can enable everyone in the workplace to understand our business strategy and ignite their potential to achieve the best performance.
Aiming to create a comfortable working environment for such a diverse composition of employee population in the company, I am paying extra attention on treating every employee fairly regardless of their roles, levels, or backgrounds. Furthermore, I also established an editor corner to share my personal small discoveries and stories which everyone can enjoy and feel included.

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Why I work in Kobe

I did job hunting in Kansai area, and eventually chose to join P&G; before that, I was an international student of the graduate school of Kyoto University

The starting point of me getting to know Japan was because of my father, a captain of a cargo ship, stayed in Kobe when I was 16 years old. I visited my father and stayed in Kobe for about a month. At that time, I was busy with my other studies and didn't think of studying Japanese. However, I changed my mind and started to study Japanese when I became a junior in the university and started to think about doing job hunting or overbroad studies.
Eventually, I took advantage of the opportunity of the scholarship program provided by Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association. I majored in agriculture when I was doing undergraduate studies, thus, I chose to do researches about food consciousness of the food themed picture books published in both Taiwan and Japan. Looking back, it is not closely related to what I do for work now.
When I was doing my research in Kyoto University, I also got a chance to practice Japanese dance and eventually was lucky enough to become an accredited dancer in the Wakayagiryu.
As I needed to help my teacher as a disciple, I started thinking about job hunting in the Kansai area, which eventually led to me working in Kobe. Although I got a job offer from a company in Kyoto as well at the time, I chose to join P&G because I feel the purpose and value of P&G resonates with who I want to become in the future. This is my first job. I joined P&G in April 2019.

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Life in Kobe

Kobe is the kind of city where you would feel this is where you belong

Kobe is a city full of diversity. There are residents of various nationalities and races. When strolling down the streets, the city's atmosphere provides a sense of belonging. The nature beauty of Kobe is also extraordinary: I live in Sannomiya, a relatively urban area of Kobe, it is possible for me to do mountain climbing and walking alongside the seashore within a day as all of them are within walking distance. This is what I couldn’t have enjoyed when I was in Taipei. Kobe also has convenient access to neighboring cities, such as Osaka and Kyoto. I can go to Kyoto for Japanese dance lessons on my days off.
As I am progressing into the life stage which marriage is now becoming one of my options in the future, I would be very happy if I get to live in Kobe and start a family here. As for my work, I am very happy with my choice and will continue to work for P&G.

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Message

Visit Kobe first and come work here if it fits

If anyone is wondering whether to come to Kobe or to work in Japan, I think it's best to decide using one’s intuition. Come to Kobe in person, feel the air, and then decide to come to work here if it fits. As for job hunting, from my personal experience I would say that it is the culture fit that matters. There are too many things about a company that one will never know until actually started working there. So, my advice would be to choose to join a company that holds the value that one can also resonate with.
P&G enables me to be myself when I am working. I don't see myself as a typical Taiwanese. There are times when I felt not included while I was in Taiwan; on the other hand, it does not make me Japanese even I currently live in Japan now. While P&G provided me the sense of security and belonging, it granted me the environment in which I feel comfortable, and don’t need to worry about whether I am a black sheep in the herd.
When talking about the Kansai area, many might think of Osaka and Kyoto first. However, from my personal point of view, I think Kobe is the city that is just about right in terms of population density and urbanization. Come visit Kobe, where everyone can go to a cafe or Meriken Park without having to be self-conscious of their race or nationality.

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From the company

P&G is a company that is able to unleash the individuals’ potential and strength coming from the diverse backgrounds

P&G does not set specially preserved hiring quota for non-Japanese candidates. This is merely a result of the P&G’s determination of recruiting the best talents that possess the personalities that can succeed in P&G; we are to hire such candidates, regardless of their nationalities. Also, we have been promoting the concept of Diversity & Inclusion, even though we haven’t been recruiting foreign employees on purpose, all of the functions in P&G Japan have non-Japanese employees. P&G is a manufacturing company producing products for daily use in households. We have been providing various kinds of products to many customers and consumers. Therefore, in order to know the consumers’ needs when doing product developing and branding, it is very important for our employees to have diverse points of views. Employees with diverse backgrounds have the strength to provide different ideas and this leads to our product innovations.
P&G values the difference of our employees. The diverse and inclusive atmosphere is enabling the foreign employees to unleash the potential coming from the diverse backgrounds they are from.
(Senior Manager Japan Human Resouces Product Supply Yasuko Kadota)