Jun Ishihara is an extremely curious person who is prepared to give anything a go. A recommendation by one of his senior colleagues, who works for a transfer pricing consulting firm, led Ishihara to make his career decision.
“One of my senior colleagues from the orchestra I belonged to told me a lot about transfer pricing consulting. Those consultants obtain extensive knowledge about a range of businesses and contribute to the businesses with expertise in international tax affairs and a high level of analytical skills. I thought, ‘How interesting this job seems!’ That was the beginning. I contacted Deloitte immediately. While you can learn something from any job, I thought that this job would enable me to obtain more knowledge and experience. I was very excited.”
In the job interview, he perceived the charisma of the people working for the company and its corporate climate. Having lived overseas for many years since his childhood, Ishihara says that the company was ideal for him.
“My appearance is completely that of a Japanese, but my mind is that of a foreigner. I am poor at Japanese, if anything. I thought that I was by no means suitable for an environment with a conservative atmosphere, and that I would never be in demand in such an environment, either. I was interviewed by someone who was in the top position in transfer pricing services. He was very frank. Casually speaking, he was kind of cool [laughter]. I was sure that this company would definitely respect my personal qualities and allow me to demonstrate my strengths. That’s why I decided to join the company right away.”
OUR TP CONSULTANTS
Interview
Frank and kind of cool?
I enjoy the job because I can take the initiative.
At present, Ishihara supports projects as an Associate. He serves a wide variety of clients. He can see the details of their businesses with his own eyes. He works together with uncompromising consultants who demonstrate a high level of expertise. He learns something new every day, which he says motivates him a great deal.
“Different analytical methods are employed in different projects. Ways of thinking and ways of proceeding with work differ from project manager to project manager. I am puzzled by so many things, which makes this job rather interesting. I also have multiple opportunities to take tours of our clients’ factories and inspect their subsidiaries’ offices to gain an in-depth knowledge of their businesses. I truly enjoy encounters with worlds that I am unfamiliar with. While I am curious by nature, I get bored with things easily. However, I don’t think I will ever be bored with this job.”
He makes exciting discoveries and learns a lot of things every day. Despite this environment, Ishihara never permits himself to remain passive. He says that this reflects his desire to enjoy working at full strength.
“A job is not interesting at all if I cannot take the initiative. I don’t have sufficient specialized knowledge, but I try to express my opinions and ideas in every analysis with room for discussion. When an experienced Manager or Partner takes up an issue that I have presented, I become aware of my own development and find the job very rewarding.”
A job that I handle by myself gives me a sense of achievement like no other.
There was one project that Ishihara will never forget. It was a project with a foreign-affiliated company that he took charge of six months after he joined the company. He was left to do everything on his own, from negotiations with the client to practical tasks and the creation of the deliverable, to billing the client.
“To be honest, they were very simple tasks. Besides, the Manager showed me all the steps to take. I think they were far from the best parts of this job. However, I worked face to face with the client and provided value on my own, rather than providing assistance to someone else. In this sense, the project provided me with a greater sense of achievement than any others. Moving forward, I will be required to be a human resource who can do these things at a higher level. I still have a long way to go, but I want to fully enjoy the attractive field of transfer pricing while facing immediate projects, first-class consultants, and our clients.”
