New Graduate Recruitment: Working in University Administration

"What do I really want to do?" After some sincere self-reflection, Mika Kondo joined Keio University as a new graduate. Drawing on her own campus life experiences, she now supports the university from behind the scenes, aiming for better university management. We asked her about her job satisfaction and work environment.

I originally graduated from the Faculty of Business and Commerce at Keio University. Since I was in a seminar on corporate finance, I initially took recruitment exams for companies in the financial sector when it was time to look for a job. Looking back, I think my reasoning was rather simplistic, like "If you're in the Faculty of Business and Commerce, you go into finance." Gradually, I began to feel that a job in finance didn't suit my personality, and I couldn't bring myself to say "You are my first choice" in interviews. As a result, the selection process didn't go well. When I took the time to think about myself again, I realized that I was better suited for a job where I could achieve goals by making my own plans, organizing tasks, and tackling them one by one, rather than desperately chasing numbers in sales or having my performance dictated by clients. So, I decided to aim for an administrative job. I think it's very important in job hunting to sort out what you like and what you don't like.

After changing direction, I took recruitment exams at other universities as well. However, since I didn't know the reality of other universities, I think my suggestions in interviews, like "It would be better if you did this," lacked a sense of realism. Ultimately, I was hired by Keio University. This was in the spring of 2015. Because it was my alma mater, I was able to weave my real hopes for improvement, like "I wish it could be more like this," into my statement of purpose, drawing from my actual campus life experiences. Perhaps that made it easier to convey my passion.

There are 26 of us who joined at the same time. I think that's a large number for a university recruitment class. My on-the-job training for about a month and a half was in the Academic Affairs Office at the Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC), but my permanent assignment was to the Human Resources Department at the Mita Campus. I had a very good impression of SFC, where both staff and students seemed to be thriving in a relaxed atmosphere. Currently, I am in charge of staff work management and recruitment. What I find particularly rewarding is the task of personnel dispatch for major events like the entrance and graduation ceremonies. I am responsible for coordinating the requests from various departments for the number of staff needed to run the event and organizing those people. I don't perform my duties directly in the public eye, but it's deeply moving to think that my work contributes to these major ceremonies. I feel a great sense of satisfaction in supporting the university from behind the scenes, and it gives me strength every day.

When people think of university staff, many probably picture someone in academic affairs, but I realized after joining that there are many other people supporting Keio behind the scenes. I often find myself thinking, "Wow, a department like this exists too," so I'm very much looking forward to experiencing various departments over the next few decades.

I think Keio University is a very easy place to work. There is no particular distinction made between being a woman or a man; each individual carries out their assigned duties. Perhaps because of this, there are quite a few women in management positions, meaning female staff at the section chief level or higher. As someone in HR, I handle arrangements and systems related to childcare leave and reduced working hours, and I think Keio University makes it easy to use such systems. By law, childcare leave is available until a child turns one, but at this university, it is available until the child's third birthday. It's not just women; some men also take childcare leave, and everyone returns to work and continues to be active after their leave. In addition, for full-time administrative staff, reduced working hours can be taken until the child finishes the first grade in September, and many people also take nursing care leave when their child is sick. The systems for childcare are particularly robust, making it a university that is kind to both its staff and their children.

When you are job hunting, I think it's very important to know about these kinds of systems in advance, thinking about your career five or ten years down the line.