Odno
Master of Economics
Joined in 2014
Director / Assistant Manager
Marketing Event Design Group
Ichiba Creative & Web Design Department
What are your current responsibilities?
I direct a team that manages projects such as the production of promotional web pages, primarily for the “Shopping Marathon” and “Rakuten Super SALE,” which are major sales events on Rakuten Ichiba. In particular, I am in charge of creating in-page content for large-scale promotional activities held more than 20 times a year, proposing new content and release. I find this job very rewarding, as we provide visually attractive and easy-to-use promotional pages for users to enjoy shopping while allowing them to learn more about products available from Rakuten Ichiba merchants. I would like to help empower both our merchants and users by introducing products from even more stores to our users through web pages.
What do you find challenging and exciting about your job?
We repeat A/B testing (testing to optimize a website) to ensure that users have a pleasant shopping experience and I am always happy when the results are successful. When adding new parts to the site, I work in cooperation with people from various departments, such as the development side and the marketing side and listen to their advice. This has been a great learning experience for me. I really like the idea of “Always Improve, Always Advance,” which is one of Rakuten Group's principles for success and I try to keep these words in mind in my own work. I believe that this “can-do” attitude to work, coupled with a work environment where you can freely discuss things with supervisors and colleagues, leads to rewarding and interesting experiences at work.
Where do you feel you have improved since joining Rakuten?
When creating web pages, I was often told by a senior colleague to “think about things from the other person's point of view.” At first, I found this difficult to do, but after thinking about projects and creating various pages, I gradually became able to think from various perspectives, first for the team and then for our users. Also, when I am asked to work on a new piece of work, I try to think first about how I can make it possible. It's easy to say, "I can't," but that leads nowhere. Even if it is a difficult challenge, I discuss it and clarify issues one by one with my team and related departments, before considering how they can be resolved and whether there are any alternative solutions. Although this is a lot of work, I find it enjoyable.
How is your background incorporated into your work?
I came to Japan from Mongolia when I was 20 years old and graduated from a Japanese university and graduate school. Two motivations that guided my job search were a desire to learn more about Japanese culture and to work in an English-speaking environment. My search led me to join Rakuten, a global company with a passionate atmosphere. In my third year with the company, I joined the International Organization Department for 2 years, where I gained experience in applying know-how from Rakuten Ichiba seasonal events to overseas branches. At that time, I collaborated mainly with our Taiwan and France offices and tried to make proposals tailored to the characteristics of each country's services. As director of my current department, I bridge the gap between the business side, which mostly has Japanese employees, and the development side, which mostly has non-Japanese employees. In this role, I feel that I am able to make a lot of use of my experience thus far.
SCHEDULE
- 09:15
- Arrive at the office, check emails and schedule for the day then begin my work.
- 10:00
- Team huddle to review the tasks each member will perform.
- 10:30
- Check progress of the next new project and confirm other minor details.
- 11:00
- Meeting with the manager to confirm and report on the overall project progress that I lead.
- 12:00
- Lunch time. Once a month, I go out to lunch with colleagues for a change of pace.
- 14:00
- Confirmation meeting for ongoing projects. Check progress and adjust next steps. I also check emails, prepare documents and verify new pages during this time.
- 17:30
- Confirm the next day's schedule and leave the office. On days off, I relax and refresh myself by traveling to hot springs, doing Pilates and other activities.
*This article is based on information provided at the time of the interview.
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- Information Security / Privacy Governance Specialist
- Technology Management
- Product Management
- Development Support（Q&A, etc.)