In this special interview series, I spotlight professionals who cross borders and industries, sharing their journeys of challenge and growth. In a world full of career choices, we hope these stories inspire you to shape your own path.
My fourth feature introduces Yukino, a dynamic recruiter at our company, Cogs agency. Her career has taken her from graduate school in the Netherlands to market research at Yamato Transport Europe, followed by event planning at Cartier in Japan. Today, she works as a Nomad recruiter, blending cultures and lifestyles as she moves through different parts of the world. I spoke with Yukino about how she built a career on her own terms, with flexibility and a global mindset.
Crossing Borders, Starting Anew: Yukino’s First Steps in a Global Career
Yukino’s career story begins during her time as a student at Waseda University’s School of International Liberal Studies. The curriculum there includes a mandatory one-year study abroad program, where students apply and are selected for their desired destinations through an internal screening process.
“I applied to four countries: the U.S., Thailand, Sweden, and the Netherlands. I wanted to study sociology, but honestly, I partly chose based on where seemed interesting to live,” she recalls with a laugh. In the end, she was selected to study in the Netherlands.
After completing a one-year exchange program, she returned to Japan, finished her final semester, and graduated. However, instead of starting a job in Japan, she found herself thinking, “I want to go back to the Netherlands and study in graduate school.”
An Unexpected Start to Her First “Real Responsibility”
Before starting her graduate studies in the Netherlands, Yukino found herself with some free time and began working part-time at a well-known restaurant in Japan. This experience became her first encounter with what she would later describe as a “job with real responsibility.”
“One morning, I arrived for the 7 a.m. opening shift and found the restaurant still closed. I manually opened the automatic doors and went inside, where I found the owner waiting. He explained that the manager had suddenly taken the day off and wouldn’t be returning. Then, right there on the spot, he asked me to take over as manager.”she recalls.
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But Yukino reacted with anger. At the time, she had been experiencing bullying from one of the full-time staff members. Although she had continued working without making a fuss, she later discovered that the owner had been aware of the situation but chose to ignore it. For him to now come to her only when it was convenient and try to shift responsibility onto her, she felt, was unacceptable. She clearly expressed her feelings, saying, “Why is it that you only come to me when you’re in trouble?”
This confrontation became a turning point. From then on, Yukino began speaking up and negotiating on various matters. Even as a student, she was able to communicate her opinions as an equal, and successfully secured the working conditions she wanted.
Running It All: How Taking Full Ownership Shaped My Work Ethic
Following the earlier events, Yukino took on the role of acting manager and was entrusted with overseeing the restaurant’s operations. From handling finances and inventory to creating staff schedules, she experienced a wide range of responsibilities and came to truly understand the weight of “running an entire store.”
“There were times when I even trained people much older than me. I was given so many responsibilities, it was a period when I worked with real accountability,” she recalls. During this time, she quickly honed her practical skills and management abilities.
Through this experience, Yukino found herself confronting, through her own actions, fundamental questions like “What does it mean to work?” and “What does it mean to take responsibility?” The global perspective she had gained from studying in the Netherlands, combined with the hands-on experience she earned in the Japanese workplace, together formed a strong foundation that would go on to shape her career.
Understanding People Through the Lens of Cultural Sociology and Gender Studies
Yukino eventually made her way back to the Netherlands, where she pursued a master’s degree in cultural sociology. Within the broader field of sociology, she developed a deep interest in the culture and values that shape how people think and behave.
She also took a minor in gender studies, which helped her become more aware of the diverse roles and perspectives that exist within society.
Opportunities Sparked by Community Connections
While studying, Yukino also worked as a freelance content project manager. This opportunity, like many others, began through meeting people.
“There are several Japanese communities in the Netherlands, such as Waseda and Keio alumni groups. These gatherings were great places to meet all kinds of people. That’s where I met someone who coordinated overseas shoots for a Japanese TV network, and they invited me to help out,” she recalls.
When Japanese TV crews came to the Netherlands, she assisted with on-site support, basic interpreting, and full scheduling coordination. In serving as the team’s central point of contact, she naturally developed strong skills in management and logistics. This experience became a valuable hands-on learning opportunity for her.
At the Forefront of Cross-Border E-Commerce at Yamato Transport
Yukino’s first full-time job was at the local branch of Yamato Transport in the Netherlands. At the time, Yamato was developing a unique business model that closely resembles what we now call cross-border e-commerce.
“I started out working in the warehouse. Even though it was Yamato, it wasn’t like the image people have of a regular delivery service. We were acting more like intermediaries, delivering items sold on German eBay to customers in Japan,” she explains.
For example, someone might find a Mercedes part listed at a great price on eBay in Germany. Buying the official product in Japan would be more expensive and have a longer delivery time, but buying from eBay could be faster and cheaper. However, language barriers and customs procedures often made people hesitant to import things themselves. That’s where Yamato stepped in, offering a one-stop solution that handled translation, shipping, and customs clearance.
“In the warehouse where I worked in the Netherlands , we inspected each item and prepared it for shipment to Japan. At the time, cross-border e-commerce wasn’t as common as it is now, so it felt really exciting,” she recalls with a smile.
Discovering the World’s Uniqueness Through Inspection Work
The items handled at the warehouse were not limited to Mercedes parts. Old stamps, traditional German porcelain dolls, collector’s items, and many other unique goods were being bought and sold through eBay and delivered to Yamato’s warehouse.
“We had to carefully check whether each item matched the online listing. If there was a mismatch, it could cause serious problems, and we had a responsibility to protect the Yamato brand,” she explains. This attention to detail made thorough inspection an essential part of the job.
From Warehouse to Marketing: An Unexpected Career Shift
One day, a turning point arrived out of the blue. It started when Yukino was approached during a staff gathering by the president of Yamato Europe, who oversaw operations across the continent.
“He said, ‘We heard you’ve done some research work in graduate school,’ and I replied, ‘Yes, I have.’ Then he told me, ‘Actually, we’ve been looking for someone to handle research.’ That conversation led to me officially taking on a marketing research role,” she recalls.
It was a completely different role from what she had been doing. Yukino suddenly found herself applying her research and analytical skills in a business setting. It was a moment where her hands-on experience in the warehouse, her practical knowledge of the field, and her academic perspective all came together.
Diving into the Field and Gathering Real Voices
During her time handling marketing research at Yamato Transport, Yukino worked on a new project focused on bringing high-end Japanese eyeglasses to the European market. The main goal was to explore how to promote and distribute finely crafted Japanese eyeglasses in Europe.
“Since Yamato is a logistics company, I wasn’t researching the products themselves. The focus was more on how to transport them and what the market conditions were like,” Yukino explains. Her role was to travel across Europe and conduct on-the-ground market research.
London, Paris, Germany: Hearing Firsthand About the Realities of Logistics
Yukino visited various cities including London, Paris, regions in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. She went from shop to shop, speaking directly with staff in eyewear stores to learn how products were being shipped.
“When I walked into a shop, the staff would often say, ‘May I help you?’ That opened the door for me to ask questions like ‘Where do these glasses come from?’ or ‘How often do you receive shipments?'” she says.
“Some would say things like, ‘We get deliveries from Germany a few times a week,’ or ‘These come from a warehouse in this area.’ They shared so many details with me, and I compiled all of it into reports to submit to headquarters.”
By listening to real voices from the field, Yukino was able to gather valuable data that would form the foundation of marketing strategies. This project gave her a deep appreciation for the value of hands-on field research.
A Natural Path into the World of Research
Yukino’s career at Yamato began with warehouse work, but before she knew it, she had transitioned into a role that made full use of her research background. What started as market research gradually expanded her interest into areas such as the potential of logistics and cultural differences.
“It was truly enjoyable. I never imagined things would turn out this way, but I’m genuinely glad I got to do this kind of work,” she reflects.
She held this role for one year and four months under a fixed-term contract.In the Netherlands, employment laws state In the Netherlands that if a fixed-term contract is renewed twice, the third contract must be permanent. When her second renewal ended, Yukino’s contract also came to a close.
“Employment systems in Europe are very different from those in Japan. Fixed-term contracts are a very common way of working, and it wasn’t unusual at all for someone like me to work for a set period,” she explains.
An Internship in Gibraltar: A Unique Corner of Europe
After finishing her job in the Netherlands, Yukino’s next destination was Gibraltar, located at a unique corner of Europe. This region is a British territory and holds a somewhat unique position within Europe.
“I happened to find the internship on a job board. It was a listing from a small company, and I thought it looked interesting, so I applied right away. I was lucky to be accepted and decided to go,” she says.
During the internship, she worked on tasks related to managing Airbnb apartments. Rather than on-site operations, her responsibilities were mainly back-office work such as managing bookings and adjusting prices through PC-based systems.
“I was doing behind-the-scenes tasks like updating reservation data and confirming bookings. Living in Gibraltar was also a fresh experience and gave me the opportunity to work in yet another culture,” she recalls.
After finishing this internship, Yukino returned to Japan.
A Turning Point: Meeting with a Recruiter
Yukino’s job search in Japan began with interviews with several recruiters. At the time, it was still common to visit offices in person rather than meeting online.
Among the opportunities presented to her, one that caught her eye was a position as an event planner at Nike. As a runner herself who had participated in many Nike events since her student days, she felt a strong connection to the role.
“I told them right away that I wanted to apply, but the aposition closed on that very day. I was really disappointed,” she recalls.
Instead, she was introduced to a position as an event planner at Cartier. That opportunity would go on to shape the next chapter of her career.
The day I had the first interview with the recruiter, she said something unexpected: “You know, you might be a good fit for recruiting.” Yukino had never considered that path before, but she believes it was her way of speaking and the impression she gave that prompted the comment. Little did she know, the idea would be full circle 5 years later..
The Beginning of a Career at Cartier
Yukino first joined Cartier as a temporary employee. It was a completely new world compared to her previous experiences and marked her first step into a different kind of environment.
“Even though I started as a temp, I felt that just having the chance to work at a prestigious brand like Cartier was a valuable experience,” she recalls.
At the time, she stepped into this new workplace with a mix of excitement and a little nervousness. Eventually, her time at Cartier would have a profound impact on how she worked and how she viewed her career.
From here, Yukino’s career would deepen further and reach new turning points.
Her story reflects a flexible and intuitive approach to building a career in diverse environments, always valuing meaningful connections and staying true to herself. No matter where she is, she chooses her own way of working and continues to grow, which leaves a lasting impression.
In the second part, we will dive deeper into her full-time role at Cartier, the path that led her to her current position as a recruiter, and her reflections on human connection and the meaning of work. Stay tuned.
Cogs is an executive search and recruitment agency specialising in connecting creative-minded individuals with global career opportunities.
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