HR-consulting-to-designer path, CICCC in Canada, then product design at LITALICO after return
Built roughly 1.5 years of Japan design experience, studied UI/UX at CICCC during a tough hiring market, then returned to Japan and joined LITALICO as a product designer—applying Canada job-search lessons at home.
プロダクトデザイナー（帰国後就職） · リタリコ
Profile
Yoshika is in her 20s. Attributes: experienced designer, college route, theme return-to-Japan; current company LITALICO; role product designer (hired after return). City for Canada employment not applicable as final outcome is Japan-based.
Current role
Product designer at LITALICO in Japan after relocating the job search back from Canada. She credits Canadian portfolio/interview practice with improving later Japan search and day-to-day craft.
Japan experience
Graduate school, then new graduate at an organizational HR consulting firm. Moved into design via internal transfer (not a self-initiated title change), after prior personal interest in design. By departure she had about 1.5 years of design work—more graphic/web-oriented than application UI/UX. First Frog contact December 2021 while newly in the design seat; old TOEIC 550 (from ~8 years earlier) raised to ~850 in 3–4 months of focused study plus online conversation practice.
Path to Canada / North America
Chose Canada largely by visa practicality versus US/others. Selected CICCC for a one-year Co-op design path (few alternatives). Decided around spring 2022 and departed in 2023 after ~1 year prep. During college: Japanese freelance/client work, some Japanese restaurant shifts, portfolio building, and one unpaid volunteer/internship. Local job hunt intensified around January–February 2024 in a recessionary market; she weighed staying versus returning given skill/English confidence and desire to build career momentum.
Outcome
Returned to Japan and secured product design role at LITALICO. Canadian local full-time hire is not stated as achieved; Canada experience is framed as preparation that strengthened the Japan restart. Months-to-offer not stated.
Based on Frog’s Japanese-language interview. English summary for scanning (partners / employers). Original interview (Japanese)
Outcome is Japan return hire. Canadian FTE offer not stated in provided facts.