Applying to Rakuten

10 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

   —

   **Applying to Rakuten**

   Hello Reddit community,

   I want to move to Japan and work as a software engineer, and working at Rakuten sounds like a good entry point. I am considering enrolling in a coding bootcamp in my country and applying to Rakuten afterwards. So I would like to ask how difficult is it to land a job at Rakuten for someone with no work experience and is from overseas?

   I’m also a little bit confused about the application process. Should I apply as a new graduate or should I apply for [mid-career positions](https://japan-job-en.rakuten.careers/search-jobs)? If I am to apply as a [new graduate](https://global.rakuten.com/corp/careers/graduates/recruit_engineer/?l-id=/graduates/header-e), it looks like I have to apply like a year in advance or so before I actually start working there, and I’m not sure if this is how most foreigners are able to land a job at Rakuten. If you are a foreigner and have landed an entry level software engineer position at Rakuten, I would like to know how you applied to Rakuten and what the application process was like.

   Also do you have any other tips for landing a job at Rakuten? Like for example, any specific coding skills that I should have, any tips on the coding test or interviews? I appreciate any advice, tips, and personal stories you can share.

   Thank you!

   *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*

2. LOL

3. Rakuten has a bit of a bad rep. Search this and other subreddits, and check out Glassdoor and Blind.

4. >So I would like to ask how difficult is it to land a job at Rakuten for someone with no work experience and is from overseas?

   This is a question only you can answer (or someone who really knows you). Many have been successful starting from a similar situation and many have failed as well, in the end it depends on your skills and level of competence

5. average-coding-bootcamp-attendee.txt

6. tbh, bootcamps are dying off for many reasons, mostly a mixture of oversaturation and knowledge gaps (they tend to focus on specific tooling and skip a lot of the problem solving, design patterns, algorithms and such). Also, you’ll still need a proper degree for the visa. So, if you don’t have one, get a CS degree instead.

   As for job prospects… Mid-career would assume 3-5 year in a software engineering job. Entry-level software jobs are usually directed towards domestic university students. You might still apply for them, but you may never hear back. It may be easier to work through a recruiter in Japan, but that’s still no guarantee.

   Your best bet is to get some experience in your home country and try to find work in Japan once you have a few years under you belt.

7. Bro why bank it all for one company? Btw it’s probably better for you to just find work in your home country and/or just get a CS or Software Engineering bachelors degree and also ideally get some work experience before coming to Japan. Despite Rakuten being a mixed bag to work at, its sorta competitive because of the # of applicants. pretty much everyone else who can and can’t speak Japanese apply there.

   Also do you already have a degree? If you don’t, get a C.S. or Software engineering degree. The age of going to a bootcamp and easily finding a tech job after are over imo

8. What is your background? Do you have a degree? A bootcamp will not suffice for immigration.

   Rakuten _is_ a good entry point, but at this point we don’t know whether you’re at the starting line.

9. There’s you and a million other people doing the exact same thing.

   Like you might succeed going this route, but man it’s gonna be a fierce time. Rakuten has also become stricter with their recruiting and Japanese language proficiency is slowly becoming a bigger requirement there. I think only R Mobile is still pretty chilled, but supposedly it’s also the worst Rakuten entity to work in.

   Honestly if you want to go the programmer route, go for a comp Sci degree if you don’t have one and start off junior somewhere and build your way up. Think about Japan after having at least 3 years under your belt.

   If that’s too long, you can also study in Japan I think, look at programs like MEXT.

10. Rakuten is a huge company with many departments and teams and the culture varies between them. I have had a good experience so far (working as a front end engineer). My department doesn’t require Japanese so we have a lot of foreigners from different places, but then again that might differ based on the role you are applying for. I would say Rakuten is definitely a good option you can consider.