Recruitment ‘Hacks’ with Andrew Hankinson of Zwilling J.A. Henckels Japan

This week on the podcast we are doing something different. I wanted to share with you an interview I did with Andrew Hankinson from the first podcast that I ever recorded. Developing operations in Japan to be efficient and profitable can be a challenge when you run six top brands, over 30 retail shops, and a factory of the German company, Zwilling J.A. Henckels. For over 30 years, Andrew has been a true leader in Japan, a sales guru, and a business leader. He is undoubtedly one of the most exceptional business people I've had the honor to know. In this episode you will hear:How Andrew worked his way back to the Land of the Rising Sun after studying in Japan in high schoolThe importance of hiring people who really know how to sellWhy it’s so important to really study resumes, and interview questions Andrew likes to ask when recruitingWhat quality good recruiters need to have and Andrew’s own recruitment ‘hack’Why Andrew would choose lunch with his grandparents over Columbus and AristotleThe book Andrew recommends for every business professionalAbout Andrew: Andrew Hankinson is Senior Managing Director at ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS Japan Ltd. Andrew has 27 years of professional experience in Business Development, Sales Training, and P/L Management. He has 17 years of managerial-level leadership skills as Director of Sales & Marketing, General Manager, and Managing Director. Andrew has a proven track record of surpassing target expectations, motivating both team-based management styles and start-up ventures, and managing budgets / forecasting. He has excellent bilingual (Japanese – English) communication skills honed through 20 plus years of sales / business presentations, negotiations, and public speaking, to Fortune 500 firms, industry conventions, and team building. Andrew has also had managerial experience in business alliance development, service/product rationalization, corporate/event planning, and Japan new market entry.Connect with Andrew: Website: zwilling.jpLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andrew-hankinson-09b89Podcast: https://www.nowandzen.jp/Links of things mentioned in this episode:The First 90 Days book by Michael D WatkinsConnect with David Sweet:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focuscore/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/focuscorejpFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/focuscoreasiaDoin’ the Uptown Lowdown,” used by permission of Christopher Davis-Shannon. To find out more, check out www.thetinman.co. Support independent musicians and artists.Mentioned in this episode:Find out more about salaries, the job market, hiring and what's important to both companies and individuals looking for a job specifically in Japan. 2025 Salary Guide