Process
This was for a mid-career position!
- Got recommended by a friend.
- Online interview (Codility test plus HR interview) – rather easy.
- They made me take an English test onsite since I didn't have TOEIC.
- First interview – around 1 hour with 2 engineers from the team I applied for:
- Core Java questions
- JVM-related questions (including performance testing)
- A little bit of algorithms
- Whiteboard coding exercise (nothing too hard)
- OOP/design patterns
- Some basic Linux questions
- Questions about my previous jobs/work experience
- After this, I was supposed to have 2 more interviews, but I got rejected straight away after the first one.
Questions
Nothing really out of the ordinary. I don't like questions like "What was your biggest challenge?" etc. They seemed to care only about my work experience and didn't ask about my university (graduated 1.5 years ago) or after-work projects.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 75 interview experiences for the Rakuten Software Engineer role in Tokyo.
Success Rate
24%
Pass Rate
Rakuten's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Tokyo is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive51%
Neutral33%
Negative16%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Rakuten's Software Engineer interview process in Tokyo.
Rakuten Work Experiences
2.0
More pressure in recent years
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
August 14, 2024
Pros: A good way to start working in Japan.
Cons: Rakuten Mobile issues impact all the other departments, which now have way more pressure.
Salary is lower than competitors.
3.0
Great Culture, Incompetent Managers
Software Engineer • Former Employee
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
December 23, 2024
Pros: Good culture, freedom to explore and grow.
Cons: Managers are idiots sometimes.
1.0
No direction, no thought
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Brighton, England, United Kingdom
January 24, 2018
Pros: Food, drink, community. The same thing everyone says. You get free food and drink, and everyone is fun to be with. But then everyone is in the same boat.
The food and drink isn't a pull at this point since most tech companies do that.
Cons: - No clear business direction: Management is flip-flopping. They kill products one minute, change their mind, then change it again. They seem to be making it up on the spot and do not instill confidence in knowing what they are doing.
- False economy: Poor software infrastructure ethos. They look into buzzword tech and then buy the cheapest off-brand available. The systems are designed so poorly that they break non-stop. You will be fighting fires non-stop. Don't even think about development environments. You will always be building software on quicksand. The flagship product is a copy/paste legacy code job.
- Short staffing: Account managers are worked to exhaustion in the hope that they will leave, as they try to phase out old products. Then, the work is loaded onto the others with no relief.
- 2.0More pressure in recent yearsSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeTokyo, Tokyo, JapanAugust 14, 2024Pros: A good way to start working in Japan.Cons: Rakuten Mobile issues impact all the other departments, which now have way more pressure. Salary is lower than competitors.
- 3.0Great Culture, Incompetent ManagersSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeBengaluru, Karnataka, IndiaDecember 23, 2024Pros: Good culture, freedom to explore and grow.Cons: Managers are idiots sometimes.
- 1.0No direction, no thoughtSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeBrighton, England, United KingdomJanuary 24, 2018Pros: Food, drink, community. The same thing everyone says. You get free food and drink, and everyone is fun to be with. But then everyone is in the same boat. The food and drink isn't a pull at this point since most tech companies do that.Cons: - No clear business direction: Management is flip-flopping. They kill products one minute, change their mind, then change it again. They seem to be making it up on the spot and do not instill confidence in knowing what they are doing. - False economy: Poor software infrastructure ethos. They look into buzzword tech and then buy the cheapest off-brand available. The systems are designed so poorly that they break non-stop. You will be fighting fires non-stop. Don't even think about development environments. You will always be building software on quicksand. The flagship product is a copy/paste legacy code job. - Short staffing: Account managers are worked to exhaustion in the hope that they will leave, as they try to phase out old products. Then, the work is loaded onto the others with no relief.
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