Takuma Goto
INTERVIEW
Major: Statistics and Spanish
Intern in Human Resources Development Department
Takuma is from the United States and is currently studying at the Ohio State University. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences. Takuma interned in our Human Resources Development Department in Osaka for ten weeks.
Why did you want to intern at Sumitomo Electric?
I have family members at Sumitomo Electric who discussed the benefits and flexibility that their jobs provide, which interested me in this internship in the first place. Being able to do an internship at one of Japan’s biggest corporations was a great opportunity to kick-start my career. Additionally, the position in the Human Resources Development Department aligned with my interests working with people of different cultural backgrounds and using my language skills to communicate with others.
What was the most interesting thing you learned from this internship?
Aside from the direct skills that I learned over my ten weeks of webpage development and graphic design in creating an e-learning site, the sheer scale of the business and the importance of transparent communication among our peers to ensure that things run smoothly. Seeing my coworkers facilitate meetings to coordinate plans for Sumitomo Electric Group employees around the world motivated me to better understand how my work is not just a standalone project. Rather, my project would be seen by the same people and have a direct impact on the growth of the employees and, by extension, the company itself.
What was a typical workday like for you as an intern at SEI?
After arriving at around 8:00 AM at the Sumitomo head office (I wanted to arrive early to account for any delays in my commute), I headed to the Family Mart in the basement floor of the office building to pick up some coffee or a drink. I would review my work for the upcoming day and joined in on the radio calisthenics along with the rest of my coworkers to stretch and to stand up. This would then be followed by a morning meeting to check up on everyone’s progress with their work.
The first few weeks were to understand the project I was working on, and to code a basic skeleton of the website that they wanted me to create. The next few weeks, where I had a basic understanding of the project and its timeline, were to polish the code as well as to start creating graphics for the website. I would spend time brainstorming ideas with my coworkers, implement their ideas through programming or through a design tool, and share my progress with them to further improve these ideas.
How has the internship help shaped your career?
As someone born in the United States with a Japanese background, working in Japan had always felt like an attractive opportunity. I felt that this internship, being able to fully immerse in the day-to-day lifestyle of someone working in Japan, was the first step in better understanding the differences between working in Japan versus the United States. Through my time at Sumitomo Electric, I learned more about the business culture of Japan and the usage of formal Japanese within the workplace. I feel more comfortable using Japanese in a business setting now than I did before the internship.
My time at this internship has made me consider working for Sumitomo Electric in the future. Specifically, their accommodations for mental health within the workplace was an extremely appealing aspect of the company. Their efforts to be ahead of the curve in de-stigmatization make me feel seen and understood as someone who has dealt with mental health issues.
What advice do you have for other students considering this internship?
I wish that I took more advantage of the fact that this internship is in Osaka. I took it for granted that I was in Japan and regret not making more out of my weekends compared to my fellow interns. I think that the weekends for this internship are equally as valuable as the weekdays in the time spent sightseeing as well as making bonds with fellow interns and coworkers. This is a chance to acquire lifelong skills while learning a new language and meeting people along the way.
