Prestigious Cram School "Tetsuryukai" and Career Design Firm "Concord" Jointly Host Career Seminar for University Students Who Graduated from the Cram School

On Sunday, June 21, 2026, Concord Executive Group Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) and Tetsuryukai (Operated by: Tokyo Kyoyu Ken Co., Ltd., Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) jointly held a premium seminar for graduates of the cram school, titled "Career Strategies for Leaders Who Will Shape the Future - Contributing to Society Through Your Passions and Aspirations."

Tetsuryukai is a prestigious cram school known for its overwhelming track record of successful admissions to the University of Tokyo and other top medical schools. This seminar, aimed at university students who are graduates of Tetsuryukai, delivered insights into career development in two parts.

Nearly 100 students from prestigious universities, including current students from the University of Tokyo and medical schools, participated, offering a glimpse into their high level of awareness regarding career development.

Part 1: Keynote Speech by Kazukazu Watanabe, President of Concord, "Career Design Methods Practiced by Business Leaders"

In the first part, Kazukazu Watanabe, CEO of Concord Executive Group, delivered a keynote speech titled "Career Design Methods Practiced by Business Leaders." He explained key points of career design that students who will lead the future should grasp as we enter the AI era.

- Value your "likes and dislikes" when choosing work (Brand/Employment Competitiveness Score x) - Build a "career ladder" to realize your desired future - "Sharp Career" vs. "Well-Rounded Career" (Being mediocre at everything x) - Work hard early in life to increase "career flexibility" (WLB Supremacy x) - "Prepare for entering society" and get on the "virtuous cycle" after employment - Don't be a bystander in the "era of cutting-edge technology"

The participants responded with various reactions to the numerous insights on career design, which are not typically taught in high school or university.

Part 2: "Career Experience Talks" by Tetsuryukai Alumni

In the second part, a panel discussion was held with business leaders who are Tetsuryukai alumni, joined by Mr. Watanabe. The panelists included an alumnus who has experience in a foreign consulting firm and an alumna currently active in a foreign investment bank. They shared their work, its appeal, what is important for success as a working professional, and their approaches to job hunting, based on their real-life experiences.

Student Feedback Received After the Seminar (Excerpts)

I learned that when considering future careers, it's important to understand "what I like," "what I'm good at," and "my true self," rather than just looking at company names or income. In particular, the importance of building connections and relationships with people, and developing my strengths, left a lasting impression. I used to think vaguely about my future, but after hearing these talks, I want to understand myself more deeply and think from a long-term perspective. I want to apply this to my university life and future career choices.

I finally feel like there's a light shining on my future, which I've been constantly worried about since entering university. In particular, learning the concept of "building a career ladder" has become a great pillar for my future choices, especially as I had doubts about living my life as a doctor. Hearing that my experience as a Tetsuryukai instructor is also a great asset has made me want to dedicate myself even more to my life as an instructor.

I learned the importance of "liking/disliking" essence analysis in career design and the strategy of creating "stepping stones." I decided to start preparing for entering society by honing my "sharp strengths" without being swayed by employment competitiveness scores, for example, by participating in internships.

In the panel discussion, I was very impressed that both speakers based their daily interactions with clients on the idea that "work is about utilizing one's strengths and abilities to contribute to others." Through internships, I want to raise my awareness about job hunting with students from other departments and universities, and first, I want to identify my own strengths that I can use to contribute to a company.

Although I entered medical school, I was anxious because I wasn't clear about what I truly liked or what kind of career I wanted to pursue in the future. However, by attending the seminar, I was able to learn how to find my "likes" and how to leverage them in my career. I want to actively try various things from now on, find my own "likes," and work hard to utilize them in the future.

Hearing that "working life accounts for 53% of one's life" made me realize that I really can't continue if I don't do what I truly want to do for work. I want to start working on self-analysis and studying as early as possible so that I can do what I like for a living.

Drawing a career with a long-term perspective, starting from your "likes" and aspirations. What I conveyed to the students at this seminar was a way of thinking about building a career towards the future you desire, without being swayed by brands or employment competitiveness scores.

In today's developed labor market, it has become easier to achieve the life you desire by designing a career that aligns with your values and pursuing it proactively. Furthermore, with the advancement of AI, it has become easier to create new value and for individuals to give shape to their aspirations, as skills and abilities can now be complemented. Therefore, facing the question of what you like and what you are passionate about will hold the key to your future career.

We hope that this seminar will serve as an opportunity for the participating students to re-examine their futures and take a positive step towards entering society.

Concord will continue to dedicate itself to career education activities to deliver career design concepts to students.

Speaker Profile for Keynote Speech

Hidekazu Watanabe (Watanabe Hidekazu)

Representative Director, President & CEO, Concord Executive Group

Visiting Professor, Hitotsubashi University

Graduated from Hitotsubashi University, Faculty of Commerce. Joined Sanwa Research Institute (now Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting) in the strategic consulting division as a new graduate. Promoted to project leader, the youngest in the company, and handled numerous new business development projects.

Established Concord Executive Group in 2008. The company has supported career changes for tens of thousands of business leaders, including those moving to consulting firms like McKinsey and BCG, investment banks and PE funds, startup executives, and entrepreneurs.

In 2017, he served as Course Director for the regular course "Career Market Design" for third and fourth-year undergraduate students and graduate students at the University of Tokyo, responsible for course design and lectures. He also became the Representative Director of Concord Academy, which handles career education business, and launched "CareerPod," a website that conveys career design insights to students. In 2025, he was appointed Visiting Professor at Hitotsubashi University, where he teaches courses that systematize the theory and practical knowledge of career design, working to nurture next-generation leaders.

Received the first MVP award in the consulting division of the "Japan Headhunter Award." His major books include "Career Lessons to Build the Future" (Nihon Keizai Shimbun Publishing) and "Career Strategy for Business Elites" (Diamond, Inc.).

About Concord Executive Group Co., Ltd.

Concord Executive Group is a career design firm that received the first MVP award in the consulting division of the "Japan Headhunter Award." We have a strong track record in "consulting転職" (career change to consulting firms) such as McKinsey and BCG, and "post-consulting転職" (career change for executives who were formerly consultants).

Our "Career Strategy Theory" has been published in books by Diamond, Inc. and Nikkei Shimbun Publishing. Furthermore, we are actively engaged in career education activities to support "leaders who will shape the future," including career design courses at the University of Tokyo and Hitotsubashi University, and speaking at business conferences.

Concord Executive Group | Corporate Site

Career Support Sites Operated by Concord Executive Group

▶ "Consulting & Post-Consulting Career Change"

▶ "Investment Banking & PE Fund Career Change"

▶ "CareerPod" - A Slow Job Hunting Site Available from First-Year University Students

Operates the largest student life portal sites at major universities

▶ "UTmap" - University of Tokyo

▶ "Kyodai Map" - Kyoto University

▶ "Hitotsubashi Map" - Hitotsubashi University

Related Books

Designated as a "Textbook for Career Design" by the University of Tokyo and Hitotsubashi University

"Career Lessons to Build the Future"

(Nihon Keizai Shimbun Publishing, 2017)

Hidekazu Watanabe, winner of the Japan Headhunter Award MVP, reveals "career strategies" that can elevate your life, which have not been publicly disclosed until now. We encourage everyone who wishes to "enrich society through their aspirations and passions" to pick up this book. In 2017, it was designated as a textbook for the course "Career Market Design" for third and fourth-year undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Tokyo. Furthermore, from 2025, it has been designated as a textbook for the course "Career Management" at Hitotsubashi University.

Ranked #1 in the University of Tokyo Co-op Ranking (Job Hunting/Civil Service Division)

"Consulting Industry Research Vol. 9"

(Sangakusha, 2026, Co-authored)

This is the latest edition of a standard book on consulting career changes and job hunting, with over 250,000 copies sold in the series. It comprehensively covers the structural changes in the consulting industry in the AI era, changes in job content, careers after consulting, and selection strategies to win job offers. Following the previous edition (Vol. 8), it recorded the #1 position in the monthly ranking of the "Job Hunting/Civil Service Division" at the University of Tokyo Co-op Hongo Bookstore (February 2026). It also ranked #1 in the "Social Sciences" weekly ranking at Junkudo Bookstore Ikebukuro Main Store (announced April 20, 2026).

Related Links

Tetsuryukai Official Website

Inquiries

Concord Executive Group Co., Ltd.

President's Office (Contact: Suzuki)

[email protected]