Interview with Seema Dhumale, a Sr. Product Management Professional in Fintech in Japan

This is the 19th interview in the “Interviews with Foreign Information Technology Engineers in Japan” series. “ EJable.com’s Ryoko Nagai talks to Seema Dhumale, a Senior Product Management Professional in Fintech in Japan. You may check out more interviews with IT professionals in Japan.

Video Interview with Seema

Transcript of Seema’s Interview

Ryoko: Hi, Seema. Thank you for joining us today at EJable. I’m very interested in hearing your story.

You’ve been here quite a long time, about 11 years, and I’ll be very interested to hear your introduction and we can begin the interview with that.

Seema: Thank you so much for setting this up. Thank you very much for your time, and a very good evening to everybody. So, in my introduction, what would you like to know, just a generic one?

Ryoko: Yeah 😊.

Seema: OK. So, as you mentioned, I’ve been here for around 11 years. We moved to Japan way back in 2013. It is because of my husband’s transfer. So, since then, we’ve been in Japan.

 When I came to Japan, it was initially tough because I didn’t speak the language. But these ten years have been a great experience living and working here.

Ryoko: Hmm.

Seema: Before we moved to Japan, I was working in India and had to quit that job to come here. So, these past 10-11 years have mostly been focused on building a career and a family life in Japan.

Ryoko: OK, amazing. And so, you mentioned that you work in product management in Fintech in Tokyo. Could you elaborate a little bit about your position?

Seema: That’s right.

I have experience working in multiple domains and in multiple different positions. I started my career in engineering in QA and then moved into product management. Then, I moved back into program management and then again into product management.

So, I’ve been doing multiple things up until now in my career and in different domains.

I’m new to Fintech, so I’m still learning. It’s been a very interesting field for two and a half years since I started working in Fintech. Every day, you get to learn something new, and that is what I like the most about it in my role as a product person working for a fintech.

So, that’s my brief introduction to my professional background. Working on a product in a different domain allows you to learn more about that particular domain, how it impacts different stakeholders and end users, and how we are making money out of what we’re building. It gives you a complete overview of why we are doing what we should be doing and how we should achieve that particular goal.

Ryoko: Over the past ten years that you’ve been here in Japan, do you feel that the need for product management people is increasing?

Seema: I think Japan is no different from the world, right? So, I think Japan is doing really well in keeping up with what’s happening globally.

So, if we see a global trend that more and more people are required to understand how products should be taken to market, what type of products should be built, why they should be built, and how much money they should be built for, what will be the return on investment, how to have a proper focus on the goals and the KPI. Moreover, try understanding how it will impact different stakeholders or end users. This is what product managers do.

Eventually, Product management has to be able to create value for all these stakeholders and your end users.

Ryoko: Yeah.

Seema: So, if the world feels that there is a need for such a role, then obviously, you’ll see more and more people being wired in this Product Management in Japan as well.

Since I joined, I have seen many product management roles and job opportunities created in Japan. I think earlier, there were fewer opportunities, but in the last three or five years, the product management role has been widely accepted and valued for the contribution the product managers can make to the entire product development, go-to-market, and then maintenance of those particular products.

To answer your question, I also see a very positive and bright future for product managers here in Japan.

Ryoko: Great. Then you mentioned that it was a bit hard for you when you first moved here in 2013 because you didn’t speak Japanese. So, over the years, did you have to learn Japanese to be able to work in Japan? And do you speak Japanese well?

Seema: Well, visiting Japan just for a week or two doesn’t give you an idea about what it would take to live and make a career here.

However, when you move to Japan to make a living here, you quickly realize that language is a barrier for some reason if you don’t speak the language. Yeah. So, like everybody else, I think, or at least a minority of people, I, too, found it difficult.

Initially, even shopping at the supermarket was a challenge. Say, for example, you want to ask for the appropriate detergent; it was a big task, right?

Similarly, conveying what you want to the person at the ‘regi’ (case register) was a big task.

Not knowing the language and Japanese culture was a big hurdle in the beginning, and I’m not going to deny that.

So, I very quickly realized that it wouldn’t work for me if I didn’t speak the language.

Thankfully, my husband is pretty proficient at speaking Japanese. So, as a family, as a whole unit, it was fine, but as an individual, it was frustrating.

I thought my education up until then was a complete waste because I couldn’t speak Japanese. But then, when I realized it was important to start speaking this language, it was very easy.

After that, I quickly decided to quit my job and invest one to two years in learning Japanese at a professional Japanese school so that I could speak Japanese and, at least survive in a professional environment.

So, I quit my job and went to a Japanese school for one and a half years. I learned the basics and wrote all those tests. I got frustrated with the low marks that I got, so it was a good learning experience to go back to school.

It took me around one and a half years, close to two years, to learn Japanese, which would allow me to survive in this environment. By surviving, I mean I can read and write emails, participate in meetings, converse with neighbors like the nichijou kaiwa (daily conversation), etc. But if you ask me to work in a customer-facing role where Keigo and Sonkeigo are mandatory, then I can’t really do it as my Japanese is not of the native level; I can use some keigo/sonkeigo, but it’s still up to the required level. So, I’d say that I can survive. However, life became much easier and more fun after I learned the language.

Ryoko: OK.

Seema: While learning a language, you can’t just learn ABC, the words, vocabulary, and grammar, and put a sentence together to learn a language. You end up learning the culture, why certain customs exist, why people behave in a certain way, what is required of you in a certain situation, and the reasoning behind that.

So, you should also try to learn about the country’s culture and customs, right? Oh, the history, a little bit of history also helps. So I think those two years were good investments in my career and personal life. It would look like a career gap but that made the life much easier. I could participate in many events and community gatherings. I could make friends with my neighbors, especially with all those oldie goldies 😊. They always have good life advice for you. So now I have friends ranging from young to eighties, and nineties to whatever. So, it was a good experience learning the language. Life became much easier.

Ryoko: OK, amazing. And in your daily life at work, do you use Japanese more than English?

Seema: Well, the company that I work for is very global. There are people from 30 plus different nationalities—and I’m saying plus right—different nationalities who work at my workplace, so it’s quite a cross-cultural, cross-language, cross-country situation. So, we have English as the official language.

Ryoko: OK.

Seema: But certain departments prefer to do most of their work in Japanese, and rightfully so. So, when I’m working with those teams or those departments, it’s mostly in Japanese. However, it’s mostly English if you work with cross-cultural teams like the engineering team. So, it’s like a mixed bag.

Ryoko: OK. Well, I guess it would give you an advantage if you knew Japanese.

Seema: Certainly.

Ryoko: Yeah. So, would you advise people looking to work in Japan or considering moving to Japan to study Japanese beforehand?

Seema: Yeah. I mean, beforehand, or if they can come here and learn while working or take a break in their career as I did and then learn it full-fledged, full-time, whatever works for you. But investing in learning the language is not going to be a waste. It will be a very, very useful and very, very relieving investment for you.

Ryoko: Yeah, for sure. OK.

Ryoko: You mentioned that while learning Japanese, you also learned about Japanese culture and what people expect from you in different scenarios. Were there things that you learned to adopt in the work setting compared to back in India because you see a difference in culture or even in working culture?

Seema: Yeah, it is. I mean, obviously, because we’re all brought up differently. Being brought up in Japan is not the same as being brought up in India.

So clearly, the work cultures are different in some ways and the same in others. For example, everybody in India has a drive to make it to the finish line, just like here. That is something very common in both countries.

In India, many people at work are focused on the overall background—I mean, the overall picture of what they’re building and why.

Here in Japan, though, many people are focused on the overall setup; sometimes, there is a little less focus on conveying the background as to why we’re building it, but there is a lot of focus on details. So, everybody here in Japan is very, very detail-oriented.

Ryoko: Yeah.

Seema: And the love documentation 😊. I mean, I think Japan beats every other country in that 😊.

Creating good documentation and being prepared. Everybody here in Japan likes to be prepared. I think that is another difference. Sometimes, I feel that some of these things impact the speed. I mean, this is my personal opinion. But, yeah, there are pros and cons, right? There are Yoshi-ashi (良し悪し) for all. But these are some of the differences that I have seen.

Ryoko: Hmm.

Seema: Also, in Japan, I think one has to be much more patient and learn communication skills that are super different, right? Completely different from India or any other country.  You have to be a very good listener. You let the other person complete what they’re saying before speaking.

Ryoko: OK.

Seema: Yeah. And if you, for example, want to say ‘no,’ you better have a strong reason for that, or you can take a step back, think, and then come back with a proper answer. I think it is for any culture; it’s just not a nice communication tactic.

Ryoko: Yeah.

Seema: One has to be transparent and clear in communication, wherever it is. But if you can learn or change yourself to adapt to these communication styles, then communicating and collaborating with people in Japan at work will be much easier.

Ryoko: OK, amazing.

In general, do you have any advice for people looking for work in Japan? Do you have any advice you could give them when they interviews in Japan? Any tips?

Seema: First, it’s good to be prepared for an interview. Anticipate as many questions as possible while reviewing the company’s background and why they are hiring a certain person. But that is true for an interview in any other country.

Then, as I said earlier, even during an interview, listen to the question first; don’t be in a hurry to answer. Let the interviewer finish their question. You can take your time to answer; just make sure that your answer is well-framed. That makes a lot of difference here, especially in Japan.

Ryoko: Hmm.

Seema: Thirdly, if you speak the language, be honest about the level.

Many people I have interviewed here in Japan would say, Oh, we’re native-level speakers, but they’re not.

So, the moment you do that, it gives the wrong impression, right? People will not trust you.

Instead, if you say that I’m not a native-level speaker, I can survive, depending on the situation. I try to work hard, which fits with Japan’s culture. Your skill may not be enough, but you’re showing an openness to learning.

So, try to be honest; it doesn’t hurt to be honest. And if it won’t work because you’re being honest, then so be it. However, if you end up joining by giving a wrong impression, you will be expected to perform at that level, and then you will be in the soup. So, it’s best to be honest.

Ryoko: Yeah. Yeah, sure.

Seema: While giving an interview, especially in Japan, try to show openness to change, work hard, and learn, especially to be fit for the job. I think culturally, it fits very well with Japan.

Ryoko: Mm-hmm. Great. Thank you. Then, I have a few questions regarding your social and family life. You mentioned that you were also trying to build a family life here in Japan. Was it difficult to manage and balance your work and family time?

I’m sure many people think that people overwork here a lot, and if you work, you don’t have much time to spend with your family. Do you have any opinions on that?

Seema: Well, I am a working mother. So, it was tough for me; I’m not going to lie.

But I’ve also been lucky enough to work with global companies that offer flexible working hours and work from home. These facilities have helped me ensure I can achieve a work-life balance, if not a complete one, at least a partial one.

Ryoko: OK.

Seema: Beyond that, achieving work-life balance is another whole or different skill, right?

I think, irrespective of the country, you must put some mindful thought into how you want to achieve work balance.

Sometimes, people get offended when you say, oh, after 6:00 PM, I won’t be able to do this, or I won’t be able to come for a nomikai because of my family situation. And you might have to take a hit back in your career because of that. Yeah, but it is what it is, right? So that is what work-life balance is. Sometimes, you have to make the hard decisions and navigate between the kind of work you have and your culture at the workplace.

Ryoko: Yeah.

Seema:  Then, try to find an opportunity that best suits you. Sometimes, you might have to compromise, and sometimes, you might have to make hard decisions. But. Well, that’s that. I’m not going to lie. You have to do that, and it’s part and parcel of creating a work-life balance.

Ryoko: As a mother. Do you think Japan is a good place to raise kids?

Seema: Absolutely. I am 200% convinced that Japan is a very good place for raising kids. And I’ll tell you why. My daughter has been traveling in public transport since she was six years old—yeah, to and fro between home and school.

Seema: From the age of seven years, she’s been taking densha, the train with one norikae, to go to school and back. Of course, we’d had to train her yeah, but eventually, she became extremely independent.

She’s now thirteen years old and a mini adult roaming here and there.  And yeah, she can go and experience the places by herself. She’s not dependent on anybody.

She’s never felt unsafe. There is a lot of awareness in society, and children are taught at school how to escalate the situation very quickly if they feel unsafe here in Japan.

Ryoko: OK.

Seema: I think it’s a very good place in that sense. There are a lot of playgrounds and opportunities for children to explore the outdoors, explore what kind of sports they like, and then independently go and pursue them, right?

So, you don’t have to go and drop them off to the swimming classes twice a week or whatever.

Of course, when they’re kids, they can’t do that alone but quickly become independent because everybody here in Japan cooperates.

For example, if a kid travels by themselves on public transport and it’s their first year doing that, they get a yellow flap to put on their backpacks, right? This tells everybody that this kid is traveling for the first time, so please make way.

I have seen in trains that people actually make way for these kids to get in and out, sometimes some.

So yeah, I think it’s a very helpful case for kids to explore things independently. For example, they can’t count coins or money very quickly when they’re kids, right? So if they go to a combini (convenience store), I’ve seen my daughter struggle with it; oh, my God, how much, wait, wait, when she was a kid. Right. And the cashier would wait very, very patiently.

Ryoko: That’s true.

Seema: Yeah, with a smile on their face and encouragement to make her try and manage the thing on her own. So that kind of thing, I think, makes a lot of difference in building confidence. Kids can do simple tasks by themselves. So, I think that Japan is a great place for kids to grow up in.

Ryoko: Great. It’s amazing. That was my last question. Do you want to share anything with the viewers or your final thoughts?

Seema: Well, I think. People still think of Japan as the Far East. It’s not that far, especially from India.

It’s just eight or nine hours by plane, and Japan is a great place to experience different cultures or lifestyles, including a more mindful lifestyle and a completely different type of history.

So, coming here and working and making money is just one part. You won’t be able to do that with a sound mind and a happy heart if you are not up for learning all these new things.

So, if you want to explore something new and see how it benefits your life, Japan is a great place to make a living. By living, I mean the complete set: family, work, and your individual life. Eventually, with the family and the work, you also want to have your own me time. I think that it is a great place.  

Ryoko: Yeah, that’s true.

Seema: You can pursue a sport, if you like some sort of fitness activity here in Japan, many people will encourage you to do that.

I think it’s a great place. So, to all the youngsters or anybody who wants to explore Japan in that sense, I would say go for it, go for it 😊!

Ryoko: Right. Amazing. Thank you for your time today. It was amazing to hear from you. And, uh, yeah, good luck with your future, and all the best. Thank you.

Seema: Thank you so much, thank you so much 😊.

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