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This post was submitted by a user and reflects their personal experience or opinion. The publication date is not an employment or interview date.
This is a company I would still miss after leaving. Although I was not here for long and did not contribute much to the core business, I was educated, accompanied, encouraged, and helped by many people during my time here. That inspired me to come up here and share what I saw and experienced, hoping it might be of some help to those who are interested in this place and happen to read this post. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the people who patiently guided me step by step, wholeheartedly encouraged me, worked alongside me and carried me, and were willing to spend time looking after me—aka the people I miss.
About the position-
I joined as an advertising operator. Before joining, I had never actually managed ads, although I had self-studied and understood the basic concepts. The main responsibilities revolve around adjusting and optimizing advertising media, as well as reporting performance to clients or account managers when appropriate.
As for soft skills, this position requires someone who is detail-oriented and patient. Since the role also involves some business-development responsibilities, it would be ideal if you were highly sociable, while still treating people sincerely. For hard skills, having a background in ad operations would be a great advantage. Basic Japanese communication skills would also be helpful, but this depends on the interviewer for each team, the company’s current hiring needs, and the qualities they are looking for. Perhaps your personal strengths—such as expression and communication skills—fit the role very well, in which case you could still be hired.
In terms of mindset, I sincerely hope you are willing to learn and have a strong sense of responsibility. People may learn at different speeds, but as long as you are willing to learn and are reasonably quick on the uptake, the people here will be very willing to teach you selflessly.
Regarding accounts, once you get up to speed, you will need to take responsibility for performance figures, and there will be a certain volume of cases. However, my supervisors would not forcefully pressure me to hit the numbers. Instead, they encouraged and accompanied me, adjusting to my pace as much as possible and helping me reach my targets. That said, we still need to maintain a proactive attitude toward achieving our numbers, both for ourselves and so that our supervisors can give the company a proper account of our work.
As for working hours, since this is an advertising agency, it is not a civil-service-type job where you can work strictly from nine to five every day. This depends on each person’s previous work habits. If your current job is already not strictly nine-to-five and, although tiring, you are able to keep going, you may have a better chance of adapting well. If you currently leave and arrive almost exactly on time and have already been working that way for several years, adjusting to the hours here may be somewhat challenging. Still, it is hard to say for sure, as it also depends on your efficiency once you get up to speed. Working hours tend to be longer while you are learning, but once you are familiar with the work, some people can leave earlier.
In terms of risk, ad operations involve manual tasks such as submitting materials and turning ads on and off, so there is inevitably a certain error rate. Examples include incorrect copy, incorrect landing pages, ads not being turned on or off at the right time, and so on. Naturally, when mistakes happen, you will need to report the reasons and explain how they can be prevented in the future. After all, this is an agency, and clients care about service quality. You need to consider whether you can accept a job with this possibility of human error. No one is perfect, and there will be times when you are tired or unable to concentrate well, so try to avoid handling accuracy-critical tasks in those states. My supervisors encouraged me to be as accurate as possible without putting excessive pressure on me—it is like skating; no one gets through it without falling. My team would also help check my work before I got up to speed, so you can approach this aspect positively and do not need to be overly afraid.
About the interview-
Before the interview, in addition to learning about the position through friends in the industry, I continually searched online and researched information about the company—its people, work, and other aspects—and watched courses on online education platforms. Making this effort to understand the role was extremely helpful during the interview.
Regarding interview questions, there is a large amount of scattered information on other relevant websites, so I suggest spending time researching thoroughly. The company’s website has profiles of its people, and I recommend reading them. These people may become your future supervisors and colleagues. Through the introductions, you can get to know them and understand their values, which can be helpful both in the interview and in future interactions.
As for interview attitude, the members here are relatively young but still highly professional. You may encounter an interviewer who is younger than you; if so, do not worry about it too much. After joining, I immediately rose to one of the top spots on the age rankings—at most, people called me “uncle” or asked whether my metabolism had slowed down, haha. But I hope you maintain an egalitarian outlook. Even if you have more years of experience or are older, you should not carry yourself with an air of superiority. Instead, continue to preserve the mindset of a newcomer. This will help you and everyone else.
About salary and benefits-
In general, the company is quite willing to offer good compensation, provided that you are responsible, kind, willing to learn, and committed to continuous improvement. These are the foundation of everything anywhere. Whether in starting salary or raises, the company offers compensation within a certain market range and scale. There is also a monthly performance bonus for meeting targets, as well as regular bonuses. You can research industry salary levels and compare them afterward.
There are also regular group meals and activities, such as new-hire gatherings, team gatherings, and company-wide events. Under the current system, there are also various allowances and subsidies. You can get to know one another better through these activities, enjoy good food, and there is also a snack cabinet.
Under the current system, when working at the office, you can freely choose any corner of the company to work in during the afternoon. You can work standing up, use a high chair, work side by side with a good friend, and so on. You can look up photos of the company’s interior and see whether you like this kind of environment. The key is simply to produce results and maintain efficiency. Also, the laptop I received was a Mac, which was very convenient for work—whether you like that is up to you.
About leaving-
This resignation was essentially a product of the pandemic. My start date was the very day the government announced the move to Level 3 restrictions, so I began working from home, learned remotely, handed over work remotely, and submitted my resignation remotely.
The premise is that the company handled remote work very thoughtfully. During the initial training, my mentor taught me with extraordinary care and adjusted the instruction according to my learning progress. For example, since I might have lacked basic concepts, before teaching a section of information she would explain its main purpose and structure. During the process, she would also give a brief summary and highlight the key points at the end of each lesson section.
Even when sharing her screen for training, if the screen froze, the audio stuttered, or the mouse cursor disappeared, she would wait appropriately for my response. She even enlarged the mouse cursor on her screen to an astonishing size, which was a thoughtful accommodation for older eyes.
BTW, after submitting my resignation, I did work at the company for a period of time. Although I did not have many opportunities to talk with my mentor afterward, I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for everything you taught me, for mentioning me in your farewell remarks, and for thinking ahead and reminding me so thoughtfully. That period was exhausting but happy, and I was truly lucky to be taught by you. Thank you so much.
Another thoughtful person was my team leader. After I took over the accounts, she began guiding me step by step. Every day, she set aside time to answer my questions, helped check the status of my accounts, and cared about my learning progress. When new cases came in, she carefully explained every important point and detail I needed to watch for. She continually encouraged and supported me, and also told me not to work so late and to get proper rest.
When dealing with clients, she stood with me and helped answer difficult questions. When I was discussing my resignation at the end, she objectively analyzed the situation from various angles to help me make a decision. A supervisor like this is truly rare. Thank you so much for continuing to encourage me even after I said I wanted to log off. Thank you for answering my questions quickly, for always stepping in to help at critical moments, and for everything you brought to me and the team. You were my main source of security there. Thank you for everything. Thank you.
Returning to my resignation, the main reason was the insecurity I felt during the later period of working from home. This insecurity came from feeling that I had not yet mastered everything, as well as from not having real, in-person teammates around to encourage one another. The team and the company had already done their best, arranging a suitable work-from-home model for everyone. However, remote training, handovers, and everything else inevitably differ from meeting and communicating in person, and there will always be gaps in information transmission and teaching. Since I had no prior experience and was facing all these unfamiliar things alone entirely from home, after thinking it over for a while, I chose to log off first.
However, I probably would not encounter this particular situation again. The pandemic has eased, and a staggered office-work system has begun, so loneliness and insecurity should be alleviated by the different environment. If you are considering interviewing here, you do not need to worry too much about this. You can view it optimistically, and perhaps ask about it during the interview; I believe it could lead to a positive exchange.
BTW, although there was later a sudden rumor that I wanted to leave because I had already found another job—apparently I was “riding a donkey while looking for a horse”—wherever there are people, information of all kinds will circulate. That happens everywhere, so there is no need to take it too seriously. Only the people who accompanied someone through the process will know everything that person experienced, and that person is genuinely grateful to everyone who was there for them.
Unfortunately, I did not spend much time actually working at the company in person. That is the more regrettable part. The atmosphere here is great, and the physical environment feels a lot like a café. Unless something unexpected happens, you will probably come to like the environment here.
About the people-
Lastly, I want to mention some of the people I communicated and interacted with. I want to thank you all~
I want to thank you for being willing to talk with me at such length and, after fully understanding my thoughts, actively suggesting directions for my future while still giving me room to think. As you said in your message, perhaps being close in age helped us understand each other better. If I could return to my student days, I think I would look for you to play basketball and eat ice cream together. Thank you.
I want to thank you for trusting me, sharing all your thoughts and feelings, and continually encouraging me. Thank you for being willing to talk with me for so long despite being busy. We later discovered many things in common. But please do not eat such good food at every meal, because you really will gain weight. I hope your uncertainty gradually settles. As always, let’s get together again if there is a chance.
I want to thank you for giving me a great sense of security during this period. Although I lose to you in many areas, I still think you lose terribly when it comes to handsomeness. Keep it up—whatever you are trying to lose, I hope you can live well. It’s okay, haha. I’m okay too, so don’t worry.
I want to thank you for giving me opportunities to change toward the end, allowing me to separate myself from the problems I was facing with a more objective perspective. You also thoughtfully and kindly reminded me of things before and after. That is why I wanted to make an equivalent effort. I hope you can hold on, and, just as you frighteningly said that day and followed through, go achieve the goals you mentioned!
I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts when you were going through a difficult state. Now, in turn, you are the one continually offering analysis and insights, and you still kept supporting me to the end. Perhaps kindness really does come full circle. Thank you.
I want to thank you all for suddenly appearing at the end and bringing up some new opportunities or ideas that happened to be things I had also considered. I truly do not know what will happen in the end, but I will do my best!
I want to thank you. Although we were both a little confused at first, we gradually found a suitable way to communicate, and things became smoother and smoother. You also gave me many new ideas about how to express myself. I truly benefited a great deal. But during video calls I thought you were very tall; after meeting you in person, I realized—呵呵. Haha, thank you so much!
I want to thank you for being inexplicably so polite when communicating with me, which made me feel a little lightheaded with pride. Thank you for replying promptly and encouraging me when I messaged you late at night. Thank you for continuing to care so thoughtfully at the end and for sharing your difficulties and the directions you were adjusting toward. Uh, but do beautiful people really all have facial outlines like that? Hahaha. I’m grateful to you.
I want to thank you for always kindly telling me what needed to be done at each stage of the business process. Although the client was somewhat urgent, you always helped digest and organize the information for us. Thank you for your courtesy, politeness, and emojis every time—they made people feel respected. As the message said, since our communication was mainly about work, we can chat about other things another time. Thanks!
I want to thank you. At the beginning, for some reason, we would inexplicably chat for a few lines. Maybe you were just being polite, hahaha, but it was still pretty fun! Although after we met in person, the first thing you said to me was “eo4!”—not an invitation to sing. It did not seem particularly friendly or polite, but I still felt very warm. Hahaha, 3Q!
I want to thank you. I have forgotten whether we started talking because of a case or something else, but afterward we stayed in close contact and even found time to share what we were each doing. You are truly from the go-getter school. Although we are still only online friends and I did not give you advance notice about the final part, I’m sorry—but you really helped me a lot. Thanks, and you worked hard too!
I want to thank you for continually keeping up with everything about me, and for helping me get to know more people during the pandemic through various means. You also kept encouraging me with this kind of inspirational message: “You’ll definitely learn quickly.” But it really worked! I hope you get through this Ghost Festival safely and steadily in July, haha. Thank you!
I want to thank you for opening with the question of whether I was part of the community. Although the outcome disappointed you, you were still willing to chat with me, hahaha. Although we did not have much chance to work together, but truly, thank you!
I want to thank you for always saying that my voice was very low. I had no idea what you were getting at, hahaha, but it was pretty funny. Also, thank you for privately messaging me reminders about what I could do and how I could do it, which gave me more direction. I hope the budget for your projects can be increased without limit. Many thanks.
I want to thank you. Although I said “Gemini,” so that had nothing to do with you, haha—just joking, so I hope you did not take it to heart. Thank you for your kind suggestions at the beginning, which helped me at critical moments. I’m truly grateful!
I want to thank you for checking in with a few caring words whenever we interacted. It was truly warm. In the end, you also gave me appropriate space and advice. After thinking about it, I feel that perhaps not disturbing you was my final act of kindness, haha. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Truly, thank you.
I want to thank you for saying, when we had the chance to meet face-to-face at the end, that you could feel how seriously we took things when working with you. That was undoubtedly the greatest encouragement! Thank you for your rationality and thoughtfulness all along. Thank you!
If you are someone who wants to join this company and has read this far, you may feel that this post has not addressed the interview questions, interview techniques, salary figures, or whether this company is actually good. But you might consider, based on what I wrote, why I wanted to thank these people; why someone who has resigned would spend time organizing and writing down their experience; and why I would be willing to take the slight risk of being deliberately or excessively misinterpreted by posting this.
Think about it: usually, when we willingly give back, it is because we have been treated kindly, cared for, and valued. Therefore, we want to do something to thank those people. I hope this answers your question. If you have any questions, you can message me privately, and I will do my best to answer what I can. Best wishes to you.
Since I was not at the company for very long, I can only do my best to describe what I saw and heard. If there are any errors in the article regarding the system or definitions, please be understanding and feel free to point them out. Thank you. Also, everyone’s circumstances, time period, and perspective here are different, so what you are reading is my subjective account of what I saw and heard. You may need to filter the information to find what is more objective or useful to you.
That is all. I wish all interviewees the best of luck, and I hope there will be opportunities to interact with the people and things here again.
Thank you to everyone here who treated me kindly. May the goodness in your hearts and the breadth of your spirit make the road ahead ever wider, more fulfilling, and more radiant. Love you guys! C u!
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