In June 2022, Bic Camera launched the “DX Declaration”, aiming to become a home appliance mass retailer that fully uses AWS and Salesforce and makes full use of digital. From the recruitment of new graduates who will join the company in the spring of 2023, the company is eager to recruit IT human resources, such as setting up a recruitment course for “IT specialists” separately from career positions. We asked Masataka Nohara, Executive Officer and General Manager of the Digital Strategy Department, who oversees the digital team, about what kind of IT personnel the company is looking for, the attractiveness of working as an IT personnel at Bic Camera, and the training and career paths after joining the company.
We have set up a new recruitment quota for “IT human resources” in new graduate recruitment.
We declared DX (Digital Transformation) in June 2022 and are now in the process of increasing the number of digital units. In parallel with strengthening mid-career recruitment, we have also started hiring IT personnel, even from new graduates. In the past, a certain number of general-track hires were assigned to the digital department, but I thought it would be better to set up a separate framework in order to properly hire students who aspire to become IT engineers. If you join us as an IT talent, we promise that you will continue to build your career in the digital sector. We will not transfer you to another department unless you wish to do so.
We plan to hire about 20 new graduate IT personnel who will join us in 2024. We plan to start holding company briefings in March 2023, and to offer job offers from around April. Interviews are scheduled for at least two times, online and in person.
What is the appeal of working as an IT human resource at Bic Camera?
I think the appeal of working as an IT human resource at a business company is that you are involved in IT systems that are directly linked to your own business, rather than “client work” that creates things requested by customers. In Japan, IT engineers may have a strong impression of SIers (system integrators). However, recently, like in Europe and the United States, there is a growing movement in Japan for operating companies to directly employ IT engineers to create systems in-house. Our company is also focusing on in-house production, and I think it is rewarding to be able to develop IT systems that are directly linked to the growth of the company together with the site.
In addition, we are actively incorporating globally popular technologies such as AWS and Salesforce. I think that students who are highly technically oriented will find this kind of environment where they can learn technology attractive. We also plan to support the acquisition of qualifications and provide allowances for those who have obtained qualifications.
What kind of student are you looking for?
Our company is a retail business, and we are a “customer delight business” centered on stores. I would like to see people who find it rewarding to use IT to make customers happy, and to make it easier for colleagues who serve customers in stores to find it rewarding.
Because we value such motivation, IT skills are not required at the joining stage. I plan to provide a thorough education about technology after I join the company.
