4 things to not do when you write a Japanese resume
Are you thinking of applying for jobs in Japan but don’t know how to write a Japanese resume? This article is for you! I have more than 4 years of freelance experience building professional Japanese-style resumes for international friends and clients. Here I’d like to tell you what mistakes to avoid when writing a Japanese resume.
Applying for a job in Japan while overseas
Before getting into this topic, first, I’d like to share a successful story of getting a job by submitting a Japanese resume to a Japanese company while overseas. My American fiance, Hannah applied for a bunch of small companies in Japan in 2020, while she was in the US. She started looking into small english schools to become an English teacher in the greater Tokyo area, however, most of them required that applicants already be located in Japan. This is because there is more risk in hiring someone from overseas and paying to sponsor their visa. If the employee ends up not staying for a decent amount of time it is a huge loss and ultimately not worth it for the company.
Two important things to get a job in Tokyo
So how did she end up getting a job in Tokyo? Two things, a personal connection and a Japanese style resume. Something she learned from a personal connection of Yuki’s in the English teaching industry is that applicants that submit western style resumes tend to not know very much about Japanese culture. In a situation when you are applying from abroad your resume is super important because it’s hard to get a real idea about someone from just a Skype interview. If someone comes off as not knowing about Japanese culture the company is very unlikely to want to take the time to hire them from overseas. (Click here if you want to know tips for interviewing at a Japanese company.)
Hired as an English teacher in Tokyo
As a result of submitting a Japanese resume to companies, she got replies and interviews. She successfully got a teaching job at a small English company in the middle of Tokyo. The company mentioned that she stood out amongst their other foreign applicants from overseas because she submitted a Japanese resume. They could tell she was serious about getting a job in Japan and that she cared about learning about Japanese culture.
Important note: while Hannah used her Japanese style resume to get an English teaching job, it is just as, if not more, important to use a Japanese style resume for other kinds of jobs in Japan. I honestly cannot think of an industry in Japan where taking the time to format your resume in a Japanese style wouldn’t be beneficial or appreciated by recruiters. (If you want a Japanese style resume but don’t know how, please shoot a message to Yuki on Fiverr.)
What are Japanese Resumes?
When you apply for full time jobs in Japan, recruiters and companies will require you to submit two documents called rirekisho (Japanese resume) and shokumukeirekisho (Japanese CV.) If you’re a student applying for a job, you most likely won’t need to prepare for shokumukeirekisho (Japanese CV.)
What is Rirekisho?
So what is a rirekisho? Rirekisho is mandatory for applying for work in Japan. Like a resume a rirekisho is a brief overview of your education, work history, skills and personal information such your residence address, phone number, email, and date of birth. It only shows basic yet important details about yourself such as your graduation dates, companies you have worked for and the duration of your employment. It is almost a more informative business card for job seekers. All rirekisho follow a specific format. There are templates available online.
- Rirekisho1 (Rikunabi Next)
- Rirekisho2 (Doda)
What is Shokumukeirekisho?
Shokumukeirekisho is equivalent to a CV. Traditionally it is attached to a rirekisho; it contains more information such as detailed previous job duties, positions, skills, and professional pitch. This is the opportunity to explain thoroughly why your past experience makes you qualified for the position to which you are applying. There is no default format for the shokumukeirekisho.
- Shokumukeirekisho template (Doda)
What Not To Do
1) Don’t forget your picture
You need to include your professional photo on your Japanese resume. You want to put your picture on the top right of the resume as shown below.
2) Don’t put your picture before copying
The company wants an original professional color photo attached, not a photocopied version. A few years ago, I applied for some Japanese companies with my Japanese resumes with copied photos because I was busy and did not have time to print out colored photos. I never heard back from any of them. This is my personal experience applying for jobs in Japan. What I recommend is to print your resume without a picture and attach a passport sized color headshot with glue.
3) Don’t use a casual picture
To make a good impression, use a professional photo on your resume. It is important to choose the right clothes, traditional business wear. Make sure your hair is styled to look clean and that you wear a suit. For men, a suit and tie is basic. For a dark suit, a bright tie such as red, blue, yellow, or light gray will look good. Women should wear a blouse and blazer.
4) Don’t make your Rirekisho/Shokumukerekisho too long
If it’s rirekisho, the length is ideally 1-2 pages and no more than 3. If it’s shokumukeirekisho, the length is ideally 2-3 pages. Recruiters don’t have time to read your resume, so you want to express important information clearly. If your resume and CV have more pages than ideal, you should consider cutting some earlier experiences like high school education history, part time jobs or short term internship experiences.
5) Misspellings, omissions, and abbreviations are not acceptable
Typos and omissions are a major problem. A hiring manager who is looking at many resumes will immediately notice even small typos and omissions. Be careful of abbreviations that you use out of habit. The company might think you would make a small mistake daily which isn’t good in business.
6) Don’t use multiple fonts
Your resume will look more professional and sleek if you use the same font. When you create documents for the company, this is one of the most important factors to check. Therefore, you want to stick to one font to make sure a recruiter won’t think your work is not precise.
7) Don’t add certificates or skills which are not relevant for the job
If you have many qualifications, you can make your resume more appealing by not listing all of them, but only the ones that match the company or position you are applying for. You can list your qualifications in either chronological order or in order of appeal and importance.
8) Don’t write too much in the self-PR section
In rirekisho, there’s a self-PR/skills section. My clients tend to write general wide things explaining hobbies, skills, or experiences while in college and at work. However, these things are pretty boring and recruiters can assume them from other sections on the resume. You want to stick to one thing and explain in depth. You can write about your previous jobs and what you learned, how you interacted with your past coworkers, and what value you can provide to the company you’re applying to, etc.
For example, I wrote about 3 months of volunteer work I did in the US and what I learned working with people from different cultures, how I interacted with them, and what skills I can provide to the company from my experience working in a diverse environment.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope this post will make it easier for you to write your Japanese resume and learn what not to write on your resume. If you have any questions, feel free to message me on Fiverr about your Japanese resume! I currently offer the service of rewriting/editing rirekisho and editing shokumukeirekisho. Have a nice day and good luck with your job hunt!
Message me on Fiverr: yukihannah
Please also check out this article about how to get an English teaching job in Tokyo from overseas. Hannah explains her experience of getting an English teaching job while she was in the US from applying for a job to successfully getting hired with visa sponsorship at a small Japanese company.