TALENT TALK with Jan Steinert – Senior Director HR at Takeda

Jan Steinert has had an impressive career path – from lawyer to Group Chief HR Officer, always open to the next exciting challenge and the next development step. He is now Senior Director HR at Takeda, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. There, he is responsible for the HR area and, for example, has just launched a detailed career path project with his team to give employees perspective and motivation on their career journey. In our TALENT TALK, he spoke openly about learnings and tips for young professionals as well as career decisions, mentoring, and selecting young talent.Jan, thank you for the exciting conversation!Here you can find the summary and the key aspects from the interview:

1.        Question: Choosing the right employer

Niki: “Jan, how do you know if an employer is a good fit for you?”

Jan: “I’ve always also oriented myself by the hiring personality. That’s the decisive factor. Does the chemistry work, do I get along with them, and do I have a good feeling? Only then do I look at the tasks, the environment, and the business case.”

For Jan, four things matter:

• Fit with the manager

• Tasks

• Environment/culture

• Development perspective

He checks these in the interview with questions such as:

• “Why are you at this company?”

• “How would you describe your leadership style?”

• “What is the most exciting aspect of the role?”

• “What’s going well after 100 days, what’s going badly?”

💡 Tips for choosing an employer:

• The chemistry with the manager has to be right

• Exciting tasks

• Positive cultural environment

• Development opportunities

• Clear answers to targeted questions

💡 Stay tuned: We’ll soon be publishing the article “The Perfect Job Interview” on our career blog, including a free downloadable guide to help you be perfectly prepared to land your dream job!

2. Question: Where should you start your career?

Niki: “What’s better for starting a career – corporate or startup?”

Jan: “At the end of the day, the question is: What do you want? What do you bring to the table? How do you tick as a person? In a corporate, you may be a small cog in the wheel, but you can still move to smaller structures – up to the point where you’ve stayed in the big corporate for too long.”

Corporate means: processes, security, learning curve. Later switching to a startup or SME is easier. The reverse is more difficult – without structure and governance experience, the path from startup to corporate is tricky.

Of course, well-managed startups also have structures and perspectives – here, you have to ask specifically about them in the interview.

The deciding factor is your development perspective: “If I ask in an interview, ‘What development opportunities do I have?’ and the answer is, ‘Do your job first, then we’ll see,’ then I know it’s not going to be a good long-term fit.”

You should watch out for these red flags both in corporates and in startups, because it’s about whether you’re offered a perspective and supported and challenged in your development.

💡 Key Takeaway:

• Corporates offer structure, security, and learning opportunities

• Switching from corporate to startup is easier than the other way around

• Development perspective must be clearly visible

• Be cautious with vague answers in interviews

3. Question: What should applicants bring to the table?

Niki: “What do you pay particular attention to when recruiting young applicants?”“I want to see genuine interest in the business, the company, and their own development. No empty talk. If the questions are only about work-life balance and wellness, then I tend to see that as the wrong focus.”

For Jan, what matters is: authenticity, curiosity, willingness to develop, and honesty. Answering uncertainty about career goals with “I don’t know” is okay, if it has been reflected upon.

💡 What Jan looks for:

• Show genuine interest in the business

• Be honest and authentic

• Actively develop yourself

• Don’t focus solely on benefits

Conclusion: Those who are prepared and ask smart questions have a very good chance of landing a job with perspective.👉 Our question catalog in our application guide will help you ask the right questions!

4. Question: How important is mentoring?

Niki: “What role have mentors played in your career?”

Jan values mentoring – proactive, personal, and on equal footing. He also sees reverse mentoring as a very useful way for all involved to benefit:Jan: “In the IT field, for example, I learned a lot from young people and maybe also gave something back to them.”

He also recommends not being afraid of the senior level. You can learn a lot from them, and “a CEO also enjoys having a coffee with someone who shows genuine interest – so definitely take those opportunities.”

💡 Key Takeaway:

• Mentoring is a career booster

• Ask for exchange, not for “help”

• Reverse mentoring creates mutual value

5. Question: What are your career tips?

Niki: “What are your top 3 career tips for young talents?”

Jan: “I’ve never let myself be put off from jumping in at the deep end. Not even by tasks that didn’t seem tailor-made for me. That’s what has developed me in every way.”

💡 Jan’s top career tips:

• Accept challenges

• Actively seek mentors

• Think outside the box & seize opportunities outside the typical career plan

Conclusion:

Career is no coincidence, but the sum of bold questions, clear decisions, and honest relationships. Those who stay curious, show commitment, take on challenges, actively learn from others, and stay true to themselves make the difference.

👉 Did you learn something? Then share this interview, send us your questions, and check out our career blog full of tips from career experts to take your career to the next level!