Graduate Interview
Kao Corporation
ARICHI, Takuya（Graduated from the School of Human Sciences in 2017）
A book I found in the library became a turning point in my life
I became interested in the world of marketing—something completely different from my major—all because of a book I happened across in the university library. I started to read lots of books related to marketing after finding that one, and as I did so, my interest in it as a possible career option grew. During the summer vacation in my third year, I used Waseda’s official internship program (WIN) to do work experience at a venture company that also had business in the field of publicity and PR.
My job was to publicize student-participation-based media operated by the company I went to work at. I thought about ways to increase the number of social media followers and responses to posts, and was also given opportunities to actually try my own ideas out. I’d only studied marketing through books until then, but getting to actually do it deepened my understanding and changed my vague interest into a clear goal.
A part-time job got me interested in products that are close to everyday life
Another experience that influenced my career choice was a part-time job I did at a clothing store while I was at the university. Attracted to work that handled products that are closely connected with everyday life, I directed my job hunting toward a career at a company that was strong in the B-to-C arena, and ultimately chose Kao Corporation. Since joining the company, I’ve been part of a data analysis team dedicated to marketing, where I’m responsible for supporting product development and marketing strategies by analyzing things like consumer purchasing data.
When I first started at the university, I wasn’t sure what field I wanted to study or which direction I wanted to go in the future. However, gaining practical experience through various subjects and programs helped me form a clear idea of what I wanted to do. Please do make the most of all the schemes and facilities the whole university has to offer. I particularly recommend the Central Library, which boasts one of the largest collections in Japan. Like me, you too might have an important encounter there that will affect which path you choose in the future.
【Encounters at WASEDA】Two of the things I acquired through seminar activities: a proactive attitude toward learning, and the ability to convey my thoughts
Belonging to an educational engineering laboratory, I had a lot of opportunities to take turns reading past research papers and related literature and exchange opinions about them. This required me to convey knowledge I’d gained after organizing it properly in my head. “The habit of learning proactively” and “the ability to organize my thoughts and convey them in an easy-to-understand way” are required on a daily basis in my work, too. So, although my major isn’t directly related to my current job, I’m definitely drawing on the experience I gained through it. I did more than ten internships, including some I applied for myself. However, the most meaningful one for me was the one I did through WIN. Because it lasted a long time, it gave me the chance to experience doing work that was close to the real thing while communicating closely with people in a company setting. That left a deep impression on me.
- I visited MIT and saw cutting-edge research
Visiting the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States as part of my laboratory activities and interacting with local students also left a tremendous impression.
- I gained hands-on experience of reporters’ work through a workshop
I participated in the Professionals Workshop held in collaboration with the Nikkei Inc. I tried my hand at gathering information and writing an article.
- Working up a sweat and feeling refreshed through sports
One of the great things about Waseda is that each campus is home to an abundance of circles. I also joined Tokorozawa’s basketball circle.
【Current Job】Don’t just look at the surface of numbers—always remember the people behind them
When I work on data analysis, I always make an effort to actively discuss it with other team members, so I can output an objective and detailed analysis. I get a sense of achievement when I’ve successfully visualized consumer needs from analysis results and made suggestions based on them that could be put to good use in product development and marketing initiatives. When I’m working, I always keep in mind something my boss once told me: “There are people behind the data.” These words prompted me to not just stop at the surface of the numbers, but delve deeper and think about the people behind them, what they do, and why. The quality of my analysis really improved once I started to do that. In the future, I want to make use of the objective way of viewing markets and products I’ve cultivated as an analyst, and be involved in marketing from the position of being in change of a brand.
※This article is reprinted from Future Design Guidebook 2021.
