I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Rakuten (Tokyo) in Feb 2015
Interview
The whole process is strictly time consuming. It takes almost 3 months.
I applied for the new grad position (software engineer) on their official recruitment website.
First you need to register an account and upload your resume to their recruitment website. One or more weeks later, you will receive their email to let you take the online programming test and pre-recored video interview. The programming test seems keep unchanged for many years. The questions of the pre-recored video interview has been written in the email.
If you pass the first round screening, you will receive an email to let you take the second interview from their HR after one or two weeks. The interviewer is one of their engineers. No difficult technical problems. Most are the questions about your past experiences and behavior questions.
After that, you will be required to take third interview. The interview can be conducted via Skype. The interviewer is also an engineer with higher position. Behavior questions.
Final interview seems like a company culture introduction. No more questions.
I am still waiting for the final result.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why Rakuten?
If a system problem occurs at midnight, would you like to work out the problem immediately?
What is your impression of Japanese?
Applied online. Initial screening with the hiring manager. Questions from resume. Technologies used. Java basic questions. Salary expectations. About the role and team. Leetcode question - no coding - just mention the approach. System design question.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Leetcode question - no coding - just mention the approach. System design question.
Disorganized, no HR reached out to discuss about the administrative details and salary and benefits, the hiring manager reached out directly, scheduled a meeting and asked about HR questions(visa, RTO etc.)
The hiring manager was late for over 5 mins minutes, no apologies, no greetings. Negative experience
The interview covered Python libraries, networking, and my software engineering experience. While questions were basic, they can be tricky for seniors. Review your definitions alongside your past projects to succeed.