I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Rakuten (Salt Lake City, UT) in Aug 2014
Interview
They've recently hired on a recruiter because they are planning to ramp up in size very rapidly in the near future. Summer is very personable and easy to work with in the process- very on top of things in my experience.
I had two interviews, in the first I spoke with Summer and the hiring manager. Very conversational tone, but we delved into my experience and personality pretty deeply- a good sign in my mind. The second interview was with the hiring manager and his boss. That interview involved more in depth questions about project management and personal preferences to fit the role to me specifically. At the end of that interview I was essentially offered a position.
The company offices are open layout, and have a large break area that people actually use(as in I actually saw people hanging out in them). They have a number of fun things, like the occasional catered lunches and team lunches(eng does it with a presentation on new tech) as well as beer/soda Wednesdays, where everyone stops work a little early and just mingles with company provided refreshments...not such an easy thing to find in Utah. Overall the feel is fairly relaxed in regards to culture- but it's definitely going to be work hard play hard!
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The questions were pretty much expected/easy in my mind, however the reference check is a bit more stringent than I think it is for most companies. 5 references required, 2 of which must be managers. Some of them may be called, but all of them will receive a survey asking some in depth questions about how you handled the positions responsibilities previously. Mostly multiple choice.
It's good that they screen employees that rigorously, but I definitely owe my references a little something in return on this one!
The whole recruitment process was straightforward and fast, there were level of interviews. First was HR interview, then a user interview, and finally the final interview. The whole interview process took about 1 month from scheduling, but was about 2 months from application.
Referred by Rakuten employee and got up to 3 positions to apply. After HR checked your resume and fit, totally 3 interviews came: hiring manager, team leader & senior manager.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What kind of project have you ever led? Scale and responsibility ?
I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Rakuten (Tokyo) in Dec 2025
Interview
One interview with 2 members of the team. The questions were related to the job scope and background to understand if both my background and personality could be a good fit for the role
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What was a difficult time you had to face in your current role and how did you react to it
