Keiko
Bachelor of International English
Joined in 2017
Sales / Vice Manager
EC Consulting Department
Marketplace Business
What are your current responsibilities?
My mission at work is to maximize sales for stores on Rakuten Ichiba in the sports and shoes categories. My specific job responsibilities are quite diverse. They include consulting with merchants on ways to maximize sales, training team members and formulating and coordinating plans to make the sales environment even better – which includes negotiating internally. It is never easy to prioritize and perform multiple tasks at the same time, but I find it very rewarding to work in an environment where I can interact with many people, both inside and outside the company. In order to make better proposals, I also value the opportunity to get to know our merchants and to visit actual work sites to see products and logistics systems firsthand.
Why did you join Rakuten?
Rakuten Group offers the best environment for me to challenge myself and grow professionally. In business negotiations with merchants, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to make proposals directly to company presidents in my first year. I worked on developing closer ties with many merchants and that significantly helped my professional growth. Rakuten Group has a “One Team” corporate culture, in which the entire team works together and supports each other to achieve our goals. Even younger employees are entrusted with assignments requiring a degree of responsibility and in our work environment, we support each other as a team. I am now a manager and would like to continue creating this environment for myself and my team. Another major reason why I continue to enjoy working at Rakuten Group is that I have met various wonderful colleagues at Rakuten, with whom I hope to remain connected long into the future.
What has your career path been like, and how have you grown?
I have been working at Rakuten for six years and I started out providing consulting services for our merchants, such as on measures for increasing sales. During these six years, I have worked twice in Tokyo and twice in Osaka. I also made the switch from food to sports, a completely different sector from the one I had been involved in since joining the company. Initially, with the changes in both my living and work location, I was so busy trying to achieve results that my efforts didn’t lead to the outcomes I desired. After multiple transfers and experiencing work in another sector, I have come to understand that the answer is always with our merchants. This is something that will never change, even if my own base of operations or sector I am working on changes.
Message to students
During my job search, I was having trouble figuring out what exactly I wanted to do. At the same time though, I really wanted my job – which makes up a big part of life – to be something that would allow me to achieve results even if I made mistakes along the way. I eventually decided to join Rakuten Group, which offers an optimal environment for growth and has a philosophy of empowerment that resonates with me. Now, six and a half years after joining the company, I still find myself attracted to the environment this company provides and I feel rewarded in my job every day. It’s far beyond anything I could have imagined at the time of my job search. Rakuten Group is such an exciting company that not a day goes by without inspiration and stimulation. I believe this is a great place for those who want to work in this kind of environment.
SCHEDULE
- 08:15
- Arrive at the office. Check emails, confirm the schedule for the day. Prioritize tasks and start the day.
- 10:00
- Prepare and check materials for the afternoon business meeting. Discussion at the department meeting.
- 12:00
- I often have lunch with colleagues who joined the company at the same time I did. After lunch, it’s my daily routine to go out, buy a cup of coffee and take a walk.
- 13:00
- Go out for an appointment. A representative and I visit a shoe manufacturer, a new client of Rakuten Ichiba. Propose advertising, product plans, etc. to meet sales targets after store opening.
- 17:00
- Return to the office. Check remaining tasks and create to-dos for the next day.
- 18:00
- Leave the office. Go home after refreshing over drinks with friends or a trip to the sauna. On days off, I enjoy traveling, camping, and watching movies at home. I have enjoyed spending a lot of time with colleagues who joined the company the same year I did.
*This article is based on information provided at the time of the interview.
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- Applications Engineer
- Infrastructure Engineer
- Data Scientist / Researcher
- Security Engineer
- Information Security / Privacy Governance Specialist
- Technology Management
- Product Management
- Development Support（Q&A, etc.)