“My brother and I are sharing the responsibility for the family. We’re only 11 months apart which makes us more like best friends than brothers.”

After school Jacky enrolled for a double Master’s in Marketing and Administration & Human Resources but he knew that in order to support his family he had to get a job as well.

“I hadn’t graduated yet, so I needed to find something that I could do while finishing my degree. My first job was at a call center. I worked the graveyard shift from 11pm to 7am. That was quite exhausting, so I started to look for a daytime shift. That’s when a friend of mine who worked for a domestic recruiting agency introduced a company called Circa Systems (later Boyd & Moore Intelligence Center, BMIC) to me.

I didn’t know anything about the industry or the company, but the hours from 6am to 3pm were perfect so I took the offer without hesitation.”

In October 2007 Jacky joined the BMIC as a research analyst.

“From the moment I joined I felt that this company was very different from the usual call centers and the job I had done before. I realized quickly that there was a lot for me to learn. We were connecting with people not only across APAC but also across a variety of industries, companies and positions. I got very excited about the job and was eager to find out where this journey would take me.

After a few weeks in the job I had already gotten very good at it. I started to train other researchers on the floor and to expand my scope of work.

Back then, researchers would only call up new people and then hand them over to the Consultants in Japan. However, I was wondering if we researchers could do the follow up as well to make the process more efficient and build better relationships with the candidates we were engaging with. I discussed this with the management and they allowed me to move forward with my idea and teach my colleagues the new process. Now, follow up is an integral part of a researcher’s job at the BMIC but I was the one who started it.”

After several years of contributing innovative ideas, improving the workflow and providing training to his colleagues, Jacky felt that it was time for a new challenge.

“I had become the most senior manager in the BMIC which meant that all opportunities for further advancement in India had been exhausted. I had seen other team members move to Japan and start their careers as Consultants. And, I wanted the same. I knew that this would be my chance to not only make very good money but also lay the foundation for an international career.

I talked to the management and they told me to be patient. They set targets that I needed to achieve.”

And Jacky did. He cleared all obstacles and in 2016 he finally went to Japan.

“It was and still is an amazing experience. The culture is so different and fascinating.

Of course, it was tough at the beginning. It was the first time being away from my family. I needed some time to adjust myself, but now I feel that I could make it anywhere.

I also enjoy working here a lot. We have no politics in the office. It’s all about performance. The harder you work the bigger the rewards and with that I don’t only mean money but also personal growth. I get to meet the top people of some of the most successful companies in the world like Microsoft, Dropbox or Adobe. That’s is extremely motivating for me.”

And, motivation is key in a job that is all about engaging and connecting people.

“Being a Consultant is all about building trust to clients and candidates. Especially candidates rely on us not only in terms of their careers but also their lives, their families. We can’t put them in the wrong place. That’s why I always make sure that I know exactly what they’re looking for regarding work-life balance, compensation, scope of work and so on.

Of coursing, gaining somebody’s trust can be extremely difficult and take a lot of time. My first placement for example was quite a challenge in this regard (laughs). I was working on a position for a big tech company. I found the perfect candidate and called him every single day. I just knew that he is the guy for the job. But he wouldn’t even pick up. Until one day, he finally did. It was a 4 minutes phone call. He asked me if I wouldn’t get tired calling him and I said no, because there’s this great opportunity I really wanted him to know about. I explained the details shortly and he said he would meet me but only me and that he would be only interested in this particular role. 2.5 weeks later he got placed. He’s still in the same position and enjoys it a lot. I think it was his and my destiny (laughs).”

It seems that Jacky always had a 6th sense for the right candidate.

“I had this big argument with the former head of the tech team. I thought I had found a great candidate for one of our open positions, but he completely disagreed. He felt that this guy was not suited at all. I submitted the candidate anyways and he got placed within 2 weeks. After that the manager who had argued with me came back to me and said something I hadn’t expected at the time but encouraged me a lot. He said ‘Jacky, well done. Not because you placed this guy but because you showed that you can make decisions by yourself.’”

Jacky says one of the biggest advantages of working at BMES is being surrounded by great mentors who are always willing to give valuable advice or support. Another one is having a strong career outlook.

“If you join the BMIC and you are willing to put in the work you can find yourself on a very smooth career path. You can climb the ladder in India and then make an internal transfer to Japan or another country in APAC.

I for example have been promoted every single year since I came to Japan – Consultant, Senior Consultant and lately Associate Vice President. I am very proud of this and I feel that the BMIC prepared me well for the work here.

The next step is becoming Vice President. In the long run, I am thinking of expanding my scope. I love being a Consultant and I want to continue helping companies hire great people. But at the same time, I am interested in empowering other Consultants get better at what they do. I am confident that I will be able to combine these two passions here at BMES and I am looking forward to growing even further with the company.”

The BMIC is always looking for talented and motivated people who enjoy communicating with a variety of people across the globe. If that sounds like you, check out our open positions!