As Hiroshi Ohata from Japan realized that he couldn´t fully develop his skills when working for a company, he became a freelancer. He has developed his skills in the field of SAP and is an expert in troubleshooting, PMO role, MM team leader SAP implementation and S&P process consulting. Moreover he is fluent in Japanese and English and plans to work in Europe as soon as his VISA is approved…1) First off, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I started my career with SAP JAPAN in 1997 and specialized in the MM APO(DP) BASIS area. After becoming a freelancer, I worked on my English and got FI, PP certification. Right now I am based in Japan, but I hope to relocate to Europe in the coming years.
2) If you would search for your profile on Google, which are the three keywords you would type in the search bar?
SAP – Japanese bilingual – Roll-in(out)
3) What was your inspiration and when did you actually decide to become a freelancer?
As Japanese companies are not very good at fostering employee skills and assignments, I really felt that I could do better by myself.
4) What kind of services have your clients asked you to provide?
Most of the clients ask for troubleshooting or PMO role. Also frequently requested are MM team leader SAP implementation and S&P process consulting (using SAP APO DP).
5) Do you use other freelancers or companies to provide skills that you don´t possess?
I usually don´t employ other freelancers full time, as I can figure out most of the problems by myself. But I sometimes ask my freelancing friends for help if I have questions to specific topics.
6) Now tell us, how do you find new clients that are interested in your services?
I really like using platforms to find new clients. Most frequently I use freelancermap.com, DICE and Assign NAVI, which is a local site in Japan to allocate new clients.
7) What about freelancermap.com? Can you tell us a little bit about your experience with our IT-network?
I already got some consulting offers from German clients, which really surprised me. As I cannot speak German I never imagined to get inquiries from there. I fact, freelancermap.com made me notice that Germany is a really interesting market for international freelancers.
8) How do you set yourself apart from your competitors? What makes you special?
I am working hard on my English at the moment, because I noticed that there is a huge demand for bilingual consultants who are fluent in English and Japanese. Moreover I am getting a SAP certificate, that will prove my robust knowledge in the area.
9) What are the top three books, blogs or magazines you read to stay up to date in the IT-market?
My absolute favorites are: Nikkei Computer, an information technology magazine, Nikkei Information Strategy about IT solutions for managers and the ITpro Special Reports.
10) Freestyle! Is there anything you would like to tell our readers?
I really hope to work together with employers that appreciate my skills and my experience. For those who are interested please have a look at my CV and don´t hesitate to contact me. Right now I am applying for a VISA to be able to work in the EU.
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Pic: © Hiroshi Ohata
