It seems that Rakuten recruitment is very traditional process, which for innovative company such as Rakuten should be more efficient and nnovative. So, when a candidate’s job application is shortlisted the recruiting team will offer either a Skype or personal interview, which they like to call 1st interview. This 1st interview is very easy, yet from my point of view after more than 7 years within global HR experience, this interview is either done randomly so recruiting team will keep update their database as one of the regular tasks they have to do and which is related to one of the matrixes at which their performance will appraised, or it is done subjectively. Still very rarely an objective one may be asked for.