ZK Key Member Interview: Yusuke Ueno

Hiring Is About Winning, Not Filling.
Why Strategic Hiring is Key in Today’s Organizations

Interview Date: 2025/11/10
Interviewee: Yusuke Ueno, Client Solutions Lead, ZooKeep
Interviewer: Fuminori Gunji, Head of Marketing, ZooKeep

Executive Summary

In an increasingly competitive and constrained talent market, simply filling open positions is no longer a sustainable hiring strategy. Yusuke Ueno, Client Solutions Lead at ZooKeep, explains why modern recruitment must focus on helping organizations win, by directly supporting business performance and long-term growth.

Drawing on more than a decade of experience working with companies of varying sizes and industries, Ueno highlights structural challenges within Japanese hiring practices and shares a strategic perspective on how talent acquisition can evolve into a true business function.

From Early Influences to Recruitment Leadership

How did your upbringing shape your approach to work and results?

I grew up in Yamanashi Prefecture in a family where entrepreneurship was part of everyday life. My grandfather and parents both ran their own businesses, so from an early age I learned that results matter and that nothing comes without effort.

Whether in sports, academics, or work, rewards only followed performance and achievement. That mindset strongly shaped how I think about professional success today, especially in recruitment and talent strategy, where outcomes must clearly connect to business objectives.

Career Path and Turning Points

What were the key turning points in your career before joining ZooKeep?

Early in my career, I aimed to work in strategy consulting or finance. After experiencing multiple rejections, I pivoted into recruitment through a new graduate placement service at Recruit.

There, I saw firsthand how data-driven decision-making and disciplined execution could dramatically change outcomes. I learned how to break performance down into specific, measurable actions. That experience formed the foundation of my belief that hiring should always be directly linked to strategic business impact.

Understanding the Root Causes of Hiring Challenges

Why do many Japanese companies struggle with recruitment?

There are several structural reasons. First, many organizations lack clarity around who they truly need to hire in order to achieve their business goals. Second, recruitment is often isolated within HR, with limited connection to broader business strategy.

Third, success is frequently measured by surface-level metrics, such as hitting headcount targets, rather than by whether the right leaders or specialists were hired. Finally, many companies rely heavily on external recruitment agencies without building internal hiring capability or developing a strong understanding of the talent market.

Talent Acquisition as Change Management

How does ZooKeep approach talent acquisition differently?

At ZooKeep, we approach hiring through what we call Talent Acquisition Change Management. This means moving beyond transactional recruitment and focusing on building long-term internal capability.

We work with organizations to clearly define who they need to hire, why those roles matter, and how to attract the right talent directly, rather than depending entirely on agencies. Only when this foundation is in place can initiatives like employer branding or an EVP (Employee Value Proposition) be truly effective.

Making Tools Work: Process Before Technology

Why do tools like ATS or AI sourcing often fail?

When ATS platforms or AI sourcing tools are introduced without a well-defined process, teams often revert to spreadsheets or legacy workflows. Technology alone cannot fix structural issues.

We emphasize process design, stakeholder alignment, and consistent adoption, along with ongoing support after implementation. Sustainable results come not from tools themselves, but from embedding those tools into a coherent and strategic talent operation.

Long-Term Perspective on Hiring

How should organizations think about talent acquisition over the next 5–10 years?

I believe hiring will continue to shift away from high-volume, undifferentiated approaches toward more focused and strategic acquisition. Quality will matter far more than quantity.

As labor shortages and demographic changes accelerate, simply filling roles will no longer be viable. Organizations will need to clearly identify which roles and individuals drive performance and growth, and elevate HR into a central strategic function within the business.

Insight

What final message do you want to share with HR leaders? Imagine a giant billboard that could be seen by all CXO and HR leaders.

If I could place one question on a giant billboard for all leaders to see, it would be:

“What do you really want to achieve?”

Recruitment should never be about filling headcount alone. It should be about enabling the business to win. When hiring is guided by clarity around corporate mission, business impact, and financial outcomes, everything else begins to change.

About the Interviewee

Yusuke Ueno is Client Solutions Lead at ZooKeep, where he works closely with organizations to transform recruitment from a transactional activity into a strategic advantage. With over a decade of experience supporting hiring initiatives across industries, he specializes in aligning talent acquisition with measurable business outcomes.