* This post is translated from its original Japanese Version into English.

Japan has a unique working culture that traditionally centers around lifetime employment in a single company with deep hierarchies. However, as work styles are becoming more diverse, freelancing and side gigs are gaining popularity. Despite rapid change in the last few years, there are still relatively few public examples of the potential for deep collaboration between companies and freelancers in Japan. We’d like to change that, and transparently share both corporate and freelancer experiences to set a high bar for future freelancing.

Introducing Anti-Pattern, a software business support services company, and freelance engineer Yosuke Sato – who were able to connect and get started on a project via Sollective. They’ve now been working together for over 6 months. Sato-san currently provides support and mentoring for programming-inexperienced university students working on Anti-Pattern’s community business: POSSE

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Sato-san, Yuki Ozasa (CEO of Anti-Pattern), and Yuichi Kotani (Director) to discuss their experiences and offer advice for other companies and freelancers looking to forge successful opportunities.

👤 Yosuke Sato (Freelance Engineer) After working as a temporary English teacher, he started working as a bridge engineer at a major bank in 2007. He has experience in frontend/full-stack development, management, and consulting at startups, Rakuten, Expedia, and BitFlyer. He switched to Freelancing in 2020 and is currently active as a freelance engineer.

🏢 Anti-Pattern (Anti-Pattern, Inc.) With the philosophy of "bringing Japan's software engineers to their dream companies," Anti-Pattern supports the growth of software companies from three components: product, funding, and organization. Currently, they operate in four business verticals with engineering at its core: engineer matching, BizDevOps support, community formation support, and up-skilling support. https://anti-pattern.co.jp/

An Ideal Collaboration between Businesses Focused on Development and Education Started in a Week

– What were your challenges and needs before collaborating?

Sato: As a freelancer, I wanted to do more comprehensive work. I had been through many job changes during my time as a full-time employee and had seen various worlds beyond the engineering field. I thought I could provide value in areas other than development, such as negotiation with clients and education. I wanted to do a wider range of work, not just development.

Ozasa: We were looking for someone with the perfect skills for this project. In addition to development skills and knowledge, the job of "POSSE" also requires educational skills to teach students. The challenge was how to meet someone with both development and education skills.

– How did you meet each other?

Ozasa: As we read through various profiles on Sollective, we came across Sato. Sollective has a screening system, which means the profiles contain quite comprehensive information. Based on that information, we thought, "This person is perfect!" and sent a connection request.

Sato: I originally graduated from the Faculty of Education and worked as a teacher at a junior high school before becoming an engineer. When I received an invitation from Anti-Pattern to work on "POSSE," I immediately became interested, as I felt this job would allow me to utilize both my teaching and engineering skills.

Sato: It was quite fast for the decision to be made. We talked through chat, met, and quickly came to an agreement.

Ozasa: It took about a week in total. Since we were able to interact directly, which makes communication much faster compared to freelance agents. The speed of finding the right person is important, so we were very grateful for that.

Anti-Pattern President Ozasa-san (right) and project director and board member Kotani-san (left)

An Ideal Expert for Anti-Pattern; an Unexpected Career Opportunity for Sato-san

– What benefits did each of you have from this collaboration?

Kotani: As Anti-Pattern, we have been able to entrust all specialized tasks to one person. Sato has both development and education skills, so we can trust him with the work.

Ozasa: It's also nice that he has blended in so well, even though he's only been with us for six months, to the point where we have barbecues together (laughs).

Sato: I am happy to be involved in a wide range of work. I can support students using my background and use my business communication skills to negotiate with companies that request development from students. I feel happy every day that I can showcase my abilities.

– Has your approach to hiring, work, and career changed through this collaboration?

Kotani: It's not so much a change, but we have reaffirmed that by expanding our hiring targets to include freelancers and part-timers, we can meet ideal team members.

Ozasa: We originally had the idea of wanting excellent people to work for us, even if it's only for a short time, while running the company.

For instance, elementary school students can't solve university-level math problems, no matter how much time they spend on them. However, people with the right skills can solve them quickly. Since engineering work is similar, simply increasing the number of full-time employees isn't always the optimal solution.

We feel that by expanding our target to include part-time and freelance workers, we have a much higher chance of meeting excellent people, like Sato-san.

Sato: In my case, my approach to my career has changed. I have always been interested in education, and I often find it more enjoyable than doing development myself. Through my work with "POSSE," I have started considering focusing on mentoring and education as a career.

Also, I have learned a lot from the students' questions. While teaching, I often wonder if what I'm saying is really correct, and I have started to feel the need to study again.

Ozasa: It's true that students' pure questions can often surprise you!

Sato: That's why I've recently been reviewing my knowledge while watching basic programming courses. I've been reminded of the importance of thinking deeply about the basics, and it's very refreshing.

Sato-san chatting with a student

Only Sollective Provides Instant Access to this Level of Opportunity

– Lastly, please share your message for companies and freelancers who want to hire freelancers and meet companies, respectively.

Kotani: I want to convey that it's better to have an excellent specialist work for a short time rather than having a person with standard skills work full-time. I think hiring activities based on full-time employment may inadvertently narrow the range of choices.

Ozasa: I think Sollective is perfect for companies that want to hire freelancers efficiently. Sollective is not suitable for recruitment that involves sending a large number of template scout emails and conducting a lot of interviews. Instead, it is very suitable for targeted recruitment, where you scout the person you think is right.

Sato: As a freelancer, the appeal is the speed at which you can start projects with companies. Also, I've realized that by going through Sollective, I can be involved in projects that I wouldn't come across on other platforms.

– Thank you for your time today!

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Sollective is a startup that provides both access to and services for a hand-picked group of freelancers. Our mission is to "Prove the real value of freelance” in Japan. We not only help freelancers realize their ideal careers, but also guide companies in Japan to create agile organizations that incorporate freelance. For more information, check out sollective.jp.