Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

I run the Japan desk from our regional HQ in Hong Kong. My team raises cash from retail/institutional investors which supports our land acquisition and development operations in North America.

Sales presentations in Japanese to potential investors and wealth managers.
Communication with clients & business partners via email and telephone.
Planning and implementation of sales and marketing campaigns for the Japan market.
Proof reading of translated materials (E to J)
Design and implementation of processes to efficiently manage growth.

Very challenging, entrepreneurial. High level of responsibility. Ability to deal with many different kinds of people. In a sales job, success is directly rewarded.

Building a market entry plan from scratch was tough. Working out what works and what doesn't is an ongoing process. I had to work hard on my Japanese language in the early years, but that gets easier.

Successfully growing business in the Japan market requires a deep understanding of the culture and language. The job gives me an opportunity to use all the business and language skills I have acquired over the years.

Sales and presentation skills (in Japanese), marketing and campaign planning, business process planning, efficient use of technology, self-learning (you can find everything you need with Google)

In house training on all aspects of the business.
Company sponsors external training where necessary.

JET Program
Shimane Prefecture, Japan
2 years straight out of university

Telecom company bilingual support desk
Tokyo, Japan
1 year

Marketing and Business Analyst at Loan & Real Estate Asset Manager.
Tokyo, Japan

General Manager at Media Company
Tokyo, Japan

Country/Asia Manager

Build language skills early on. Get yourself immersed and put the effort in to really understand a foreign culture. You will gain money and business skills later on.
Put yourself out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. It is the only way you learn. Create a niche skill set that separates you from the competition. No matter how small the market, if you are the expert, you will be in demand.

Sheffield gave me a very good grounding academically and in general. I was a keen squash and hockey player while at university. It is thanks to both these sports that I was introduced to my current position and several others before.