Senior Employee Interview

The store manager is a “small business owner.”
A store where everyone can be happy
I want to make it.

Kyoto Sales Branch
Joined in 2016

Tomoo Iwanami

What is the decision to join the company?

Diverse business development and hospitality
The full atmosphere is decisive.

Based on the desire to work with many people, I went around a wide range of companies, including manufacturers, retailers, and developers, without narrowing down the type of industry and occupation. I became interested in West Japan Railway Daily Service Net Co., Ltd. because I worked part-time at Heart Inn when I was a student.
Originally, I had a good impression that there was only an affiliate of JR West, and it was very attractive that I could be involved in a variety of businesses while being at one company, such as convenience stores, station building development, and hotels.
In the selection process, one of the decisive factors was that the recruitment staff answered detailed questions, sent off after the interview, and greeted each other by employees who passed each other.

What have you been involved in?

After working and personnel affairs, he returned to the scene as a manager.

In the first and second years, he experienced convenience store operations at JR Kyoto Station Higashishiokoji and several other stores. One of them, the Seven-Eleven Heart Inn Kyoto Subway Kyoto Station South Exit Store, was also involved in launching a new store. It was good that I was able to experience the creation of stores unique to sightseeing spots, such as serving foreign customers and selling souvenir products at a time when inbound tourism was increasing.
After that, he worked for manager support at the Kyoto General Affairs Department, and then went to the Human Resources Department Labor Group at the head office.
From June of my third year, I have been engaged in labor management for about two years, and in personnel affairs such as recruitment of new graduates, personnel management, and appointment and dismissal for about three years. During this time, the biggest event was the recruitment of new graduates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
All recruitment events, such as joint briefings where people gather closely, were canceled, and it was at a loss how to have a point of contact with students. Through trial and error, we embarked on online recruitment activities, but one-sided online communication will inevitably weaken connections. Therefore, we plan and hold internships incorporating online group work as a solution, and online roundtable discussions with senior employees. By providing a lot of opportunities to get to know more about our company, we have resulted in very good recruitment. It was really hard, but it was worth the effort.
This year, the eighth year, I returned to the site as the manager of Seven-Eleven Heart Inn JR Umekouji Kyoto-Nishi Station front store. Originally, I liked the scene and was looking forward to returning, but in fact, the manager is very fun. The appeal of convenience stores is that the results of their efforts can be seen in a short span. It is rewarding to be able to feel the response every day, and every day is fulfilling.

Joining to the present 
Step up of business
  • 1st year

    Joining and on-site training

    Receive new employee training.

  • 1st year
    May

    On-site training

    Experienced customer service and sales at multiple stores, including Seven-Eleven Heart Inn JR Kyoto Station Higashishiokoji Store.
    After being involved in the launch of a new store at Seven-Eleven Heart Inn Kyoto Subway Kyoto Station South Exit,
    Worked for six months at Seven-Eleven Heart Inn JR Yamashina Ekimae store.

  • 2nd year
    October

    Worked at the Kyoto General Affairs Department (currently the Kyoto Sales Branch)

    As an administrative staff, he is involved in the manager support of the area store.

  • 3rd year
    June

    General Affairs Department (currently Human Resources Department) Belongs to the Labor Group

    In charge of labor management and welfare services.

  • 5th year
    August

    General Affairs Department (currently Human Resources Department) Personnel Group

    He is also involved in personnel management, etc., focusing on hiring new graduates.

  • 7th year
    February

    In charge of appointment and dismissal within the Personnel Group of General Affairs Department (currently the Personnel Department)

    Involved in personnel changes, personnel evaluations, personnel evaluations, etc. He was promoted to the supervisor in April.

  • 8th year

    Kyoto Sales Branch
    Seven-Eleven Heart Inn JR Umekouji Kyoto-Nishi Station Store Manager

    In charge of the store manager of Seven-Eleven Heart Inn in a city area near JR Kyoto Station where hotels are densely populated.

What is your job worth and commitment?

We want to create a workplace where the stores and employees can work vigorously.

Labor and human resources operations tend to be difficult to see results in initiatives. However, both are tasks that can be said to be the backbone of supporting the company fundamentally, and my motivation was that I was in charge of important tasks that I had to do.
The challenge of store operations is to be able to work while communicating with various staff regardless of men and women of all ages. You can directly feel the pleasure of various business, such as when customers are pleased, when products are sold, and when staff grows up. In addition, it is often said that "the manager is a small manager", but I am studying the management of "people" that I feel the most important of them while feeling with my skin.
In the future, we will leverage our experience in working and human resources at the head office to manage the entire store from a higher perspective, thereby creating stores that customers demand and creating workplaces where employees can work lively.

What is the charm of this company?

A company that loves people and values connections with people.

It is a company where both vertical and horizontal connections are made naturally, such as bosses and subordinates, seniors and juniors, and synchronization. Even if you are a boss subordinate, it is easy to talk casually, and I feel that there are many people who like people.
I was impressed by the response of human resources in job hunting, but when I stand on the side I hire, I feel that there are many employees who respect the students as individuals and bring out their personal stories. After joining the company, all employees have been working at stores at convenience stores, so I am familiar with how to interact with students and other people of all ages, and this may lead to "like people."

Messages to job hunters

When you become a member of society, you can't get a lot of time, so please do what you want to do among students. Have a lot of student-like experiences, such as traveling, bytes, qualifications, drinking with friends until morning, as well as traveling. I enjoyed myself as a student, so I had no regrets saying, "I should have done it before I became a member of society." The experiences and feelings at that time will always be utilized somewhere in future working life, whether it is learning or playing.