[Employee Interview #1] The deciding factor for joining was the "warmth of the people." The reality of Marks Life as seen by Rookie of the Year, Ms. Ogawa
This time, we will delve into an interview with Ms. Chiyuki Ogawa from the Saitama branch, who achieved excellent results among the 2024 new graduates and was crowned "Rookie of the Year"!
Ms. Ogawa is a woman with a dignified impression and firm convictions.
Through this interview, we were able to see Ms. Ogawa's personal charm, including the hospitality she values in her work and how she was able to become "Rookie of the Year."
(1) The deciding factor for joining Marks Life is the "people"!
Q: Please tell us the deciding factor for joining Marks Life as a new graduate.
A: The biggest reason is the "people" is. Seeing the seniors, there were many people I felt I wanted to work with at this company. Before joining, I was followed up by Mr. Goto and Mr. Sasao from HR, and even at that point, their "kindness" and "good atmosphere" were already coming through.
Also, the way I found out about this company was an event called "President Job Hunting" event. It was an event where the president himself shares the vision and corporate philosophy and matches with the job-hunting students who gathered, and our boss (employees call our Representative Director and President, Koji Hanahara, "Boss"!) spoke very passionately.
At that time, even though he had the title of president, he had a very approachable atmosphere, and it was conveyed that "the company itself must have that kind of atmosphere," so I decided to join because I wanted to work with people like that.
Also, because we handle "Jobutsu Fudosan" (properties where someone has passed away), which other real estate companies don't do, and inheritance cases that are difficult for other companies to handle, I felt attracted to the fact that they are close to the bereaved families and customers.
(2) The first contract was the sale of a family home that had been dormant for 10 years
Q: Please tell us about an episode with a customer that left an impression on you!
A: What left an impression on me is the client who led to my first contract where I was the main person in charge. It was a consultation about wanting to sell their family home, but that house was where the client's mother had passed away indoors 10 years ago, and because the client lived far away, the discovery was quite delayed, so specialized cleaning called special cleaning had been performed. I remember that the floor of the living room on the first floor had been completely stripped away by the special cleaning.
The client also had a lot of attachment to that property and their mother, so they had kept it for a long time thinking, "maybe I will return and live there someday," but after 10 years, they couldn't see a future where they would live there, so they consulted with us. Since the client lived in Tokyo, I traveled to Tokyo many times to have meetings.
Since it was a house with sentimental value, the client hoped to sell it under the best possible conditions, so I did my best to respond to their wishes. As a result, we were able to sign the contract in the best way for the client, and I remember how very happy they were.
We also arranged for the organization of the deceased's belongings, and when I found albums and graduation certificates among the items and sent them by mail, they were very happy. I was very happy to receive praise on Google reviews, including my name and the name of my senior, Mr. Kudo, who was in charge with me.
(3) "Hospitality" of adding a handwritten letter
Q: What are you conscious of doing when serving customers?
A: I try to build a close relationship with the customer I keep in mind.
I keep in touch frequently, and in my case, since I still have more time than my seniors, I try to include a handwritten letter when sending documents after a meeting. Sending it as is feels a bit sloppy, and I have always done things with a letter when giving gifts to friends, so it became natural for me to attach a letter when giving something to someone.
I think that is also why the client from my first contract mentioned earlier liked it.
Even for a single contract, I try to attach a cover page to the customer's contract, and since I think that for a customer, a real estate contract itself, whether it's a sale or a purchase, is something that happens only a few times in a lifetime, I want to attach a proper cover page and sign the contract with a sense of weight.
(4) "Honesty" learned from seniors is the secret to being Rookie of the Year
Q: What can you say you worked hardest on after joining the company?
A: I don't know if I should call it effort, but when a senior says "Why don't you try this?" or "Let's do this together," I always try to do it honestly.
As first-year employees, I think there are things we learn on our own, but I think it is very important to gain things by accompanying seniors and learning by watching, so I was conscious of accompanying them whenever possible and learning from that.
(5) "Thank you" Conveying gratitude through words and attitude
Q: Please tell us the words Ms. Ogawa values!
A: What I value is words of gratitude. I value the word "thank you" the most, and as it is in our code of conduct, "conveying gratitude through words and attitude" is a motto for me, or rather, it is what I keep in mind the most.
Q: Is there any system in the company that you think is good?
A: Since the word I value most is "thank you," I think the "Thank You BOX" system, where we can share feelings of gratitude within the company network, is really good.
Seeing that someone was made happy by doing something like this makes me feel really good, even if I wasn't involved, and if I were involved, it would make me happy, so I think it's a really great system.
(6) My dream is to become a "cool" person
Q: Please tell us about your future goals!
A: I believe this "Rookie of the Year" award was something I was able to win thanks to the support of my seniors and those around me, so my goal is not to be a one-hit wonder, but to keep working hard consistently and keep it going so that it doesn't end there.
As for a dream further down the line, it's a bit vague, but I want to be seen as "cool." I want to become a person who can teach others various things and share my own knowledge. Also, I want to become a woman who can balance work and private life!
(7) Marks Life is "not like a typical real estate company"
Q: From your perspective, what kind of company is Marks Life?
A: In a good way, it doesn't feel like a typical real estate company; it's not overly aggressive (laughs).
I also have the impression that there are many kind people when we meet at general meetings.
The Saitama branch where I belong has a large number of people, and there are always several seniors in the branch, so it's easy to ask questions. They make time for me without ever looking annoyed, and if I'm standing while asking a question, they even think about the person asking and say, "Why don't you sit there?"
The seniors also invite the new graduates who joined this year to accompany them on sales calls, so I think it's a really great atmosphere.
Q: Do you have a message for job seekers or those who are hesitant about joining the company?
A: Marks Life has many partner corporations, handles a wide range of properties, and deals with a diverse variety of customer concerns, so I think you can gain a lot of experience and enrich your own life.
The company atmosphere is also really good, and there is an air of welcoming new employees, new ways of thinking, and people who don't know things yet, so if you are hesitant, I hope you will gather your courage and take the plunge!
(8) Finally | After the interview
Ms. Ogawa, thank you very much!
What I felt after interviewing Ms. Ogawa this time was "consideration".
Just as she said herself, she values the word "thank you," and even after the interview, she properly thanked me by saying, "Thank you very much!"
Because she is the kind of person who can clearly convey such feelings of gratitude, I felt that her seniors also thought, "I want to teach her, I want her to grow," and that the result of that was her becoming Rookie of the Year.