My Rakuten Experience: Miho
Miho is an account manager for Rakuten Rewards in Japan.
Current job
I am in charge of sales and advertising for users for Rakuten Rewards in Japan. My title is Account Manager, but communication with representatives in sales and advertising is my primary duty. We have a mission to increase revenue for each app in Japan that has the Rakuten Rewards service included in it. We need to deliver advertisements to targeted users at the best time, therefore we are always thinking about the targeted segments that use the service. We work to implement policies that benefit users and make our customers happy through the discussions we hold with them.
Why Rakuten?
After graduating from college, I worked in sales for 8 years. I started thinking about my future career when I was about to turn 30. I started doubting whether working in sales was the right fit for me, and I wanted to try working in different fields and utilizing the English skills I learned in college. I joined Rakuten because I was fascinated by the corporate philosophy of English as the company’s official language and the fact that Rakuten has a broad range of projects and opportunities to develop at work.
I love this environment where I can challenge myself in advertising while utilizing the communication skills I learned in sales. I work with team members of different nationalities so the meetings we hold are conducted in English, and I enjoy working in a global environment.
Developing skills
I realized I was good at organizing things and coming up with optimal solutions to challenges through the work I do in advertising and marketing. I also think that my problem-solving skills have improved while working here. The projects are fast-paced, and sometimes I face issues in moving the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle faster. Rakuten has a culture of facing challenges with a positive attitude — “how can we solve the problem” — and we support each other to solve problems proactively even if we are not managers. I was afraid of facing difficulties before, but after gaining experience by helping people and being helped by people, I became tougher even when a problem arose. I feel that this environment has brought out a talent that I did not know I had.
The appeal of working at Rakuten
I found the work to be a great fit for me after switching jobs to Rakuten. One of the appeals of working at Rakuten is that the company has a wide variety of services and frequently recruits for new roles internally. The corporate culture is to encourage growth and high flexibility so you can jump into any field you want to try. Rakuten is filled with opportunities to expand your potential. In addition, they have great benefits. In Japan, many women return to work after maternity leave because they have a great system and an environment that can help them balance their careers and family life.
What is your current goal?
To continue to improve the products that I manage. Also, we will soon merge with another team due to an organizational change, so ensuring a smooth transition for all is my immediate goal.
What do you do on your day off?
I recently got into making bread, and lately, I’ve also been playing golf. I feel energized and refreshed by consciously taking time off from my projects.
For more information about available positions click here.
