就職活動終わり：I'm officially a Future Rakuten Employee!

My life as a student is coming to an end, and I have long been wondering about what I want to do when my last semester is over. Although I might be finished as a student I didn't want to go back to Norway just yet, and decided to look for jobs in Japan starting from my previous semester.

One thing is doing 就職活動 (Japanese job hunting) while living in Japan, another thing is doing job hunting for a job in Japan while living abroad. The companies usually expect you to do at least three interviews with them, which means that you have to commute to their office in order to finally get a job offer. In addition to all of this most people apply to a large number of companies; some of my Japanese friends sent up to a hundred applications before they finally got accepted at one of the companies.

Since I'm living in Korea my last year in University I knew right away that it would be impossible for me to follow the normal job hunting schedule as the other students. Some of you might remember that I went to Boston last semester for the annual Boston Career Forum, and this is where my job hunt began.
I had already signed up for interviews with some of the companies before I went there, and one of these companies was the Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten.

What I really like about this company, is its focus on empowering society. Rakuten works closely with the merchants who sell their products through Rakuten's page, and helps them both set and reach their goals in terms of sales. In the future there is also a possibility that I can work in one of Rakuten's offices abroad, as the company is expanding to countries all over the world. This includes many developing countries, where Rakuten thus is helping to increase people's opportunities to empower their local communities. My biggest trouble about finding a job in Japan was that most of the companies did not have any goals like that; their focus was limited to making as much profit as possible. Of course profit is necessary, but a company should also give something back to its community! Also, in addition to work for the empowerment of the society Rakuten is also a very ambitious company, aiming to become the world's number one in e-commerce. 私も頑張らなくちゃ！

It took me many months of interviews and tests (2 essays, 3 written tests, one oral Japanese test and 4 interviews) before I finally got a job offer from them. But although the process has been long I am very pleased with the flexibility the company showed me, as all the interviews after I came back from the career forum have been conducted through Skype! Fantastic!! :D
My only regret now, is about my TOEFL test.. Two years ago when I applied for Ritsumeikan's master degree program I had to take this test to prove my English abilities. However, I knew it would be fairly easy for me so I didn't study for it at all, and got 108/120. Now it turns out that Rakuten demands 110 or higher, so my test score isn't good enough >< oh, the pain.. Haha.. So I'll be taking the TOEIC exam some time before or right after entering the company. But at least I get to take the test for free through Rakuten^^

Anyway, when working in a Japanese company it is normal to go through a period of introduction courses where you learn more about the company and the different types of jobs they offer. So although my main interest would be to work as an e-commerce consultant it is possible that they'll find me better fit for some other roles within the company.

I'm really exited about my future work in Rakuten. It seems like a great company!! Now I just have to make sure that I can finish my thesis and graduate in time this summer!! *Back to writing thesis*
Ciao!

Rakuten's Mission

To empower people and society through the Internet, and to transform and enrich society through its own success

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About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.