How to Write a Japanese Resume

Japan takes a very different approach to resume writing than what we might be used to back home. There are two major hiring seasons in Japan: early spring and late summer. However, it is never too early to start working on your resume.

When creating a Japanese resume, most companies prefer resumes to be handwritten. If you feel your kanji skills are not up to scratch, there are websites that allow you to enter your information and have it printed and emailed. You can actually buy blank resume forms at convenience stores or bookstores. Or download a template from the internet — just google 履歴書 “Rirekisho.”

Japanese Resume Template

A Japanese resume follows a strict uniformed format, unlike resumes in the West. It includes a professional photo alongside personal information, educational background and employment history. Some resumes also ask for salary expectations and availability to start work.

1. Date of Application

In a Japanese resume, the Western calendar is used instead of the Japanese era. For example, you would write the year as 2025年.

2. Name, Birthday and Gender

The first line at the top is to write your name (last, first) in furigana. Here, you should write your name as it sounds in hiragana. Then, in the section below, write your name in Japanese. For foreign names, katakana is acceptable. 

For this template, you will need to write your birth year according to the Western calendar. To the right, write your age. Finally, for the right bottom section, write 男 for male and 女 for female.

3. Photo

The more professional and presentable you look in the photo, the greater your chances are of being called in for an interview. The photo should be glued to the top right corner of the resume.

Men typically wear a dark suit with a conservative tie. There are plenty of photo booths, not unlike the popular purikura, that specialize in taking photos just the right size for resumes and passports.

4. Contact Details

Contact information is important for employers to easily reach candidates, so make sure that all details are up-to-date.

5. Education and Work History

This section is for education and work history. Each school that you attended should be written in chronological order with the dates of entry and graduation. For universities, make sure to be specific and not the name of the branch, along with any special certificates or awards that you earned while attending that school.

The work history is written chronologically, just like the school history. Unlike most Western resumes, you don’t need to elaborate on the duties and requirements of all your previous jobs or try to explain how it is useful for the job you are seeking.

After completing your job history, skip and write 以上, showing that you are finished, but if you are still currently working, note by writing 現在に至る.

6. Licenses and Certification

List any accomplishments that you have achieved over the years such as licenses or certificates. This even includes a driver’s license. If you are searching for an English teaching position, this is where you would put any teaching certifications you have earned.

7. Reason for Applying

Next is the section that is arguably the most important because it includes the reason why you are applying for the job. This is your opportunity to be creative and really appeal to the company by mentioning any special skills (特技) or interests (好きな学科).

If you are applying to many companies at once and would like to use the same resume, it is acceptable to write the common phrase for resumes “営業経験を活かして、 [field of work] の仕事にて活躍したい” which basically says that you would like to use your past skills and experience to work in a certain field.

8. Personal Requests

The rest of this section asks for more personal information, such as desires, hopes and dreams, which includes talking about the kind of salary that you want. If you would rather negotiate the salary face-to-face, you can write “ご相談させて頂きたいと思っております.” 

The most important thing to remember is to be polite on your resume.

No matter how confident you may be in your Japanese skills, it is always a good idea to run your resume by a close friend who is a native speaker and also has experience writing resumes.

For help finding a job in Japan

• Check out GaijinPot Jobs for the latest job postings across a variety of industries.
• Living outside of Japan? Take a look at these jobs that accept applicants from abroad.
• Can’t speak Japanese just yet? These positions don’t require Japanese ability.

Do you have any other tips on how to write a Japanese resume? Let us know in the comments!

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• Daniel Joseph says:

  September 16, 2023 at 6:44 am

  Can this “現在に至る.” or “以上” be written outside the table if all the rows have been filled? Also, I think I need a more precise clarification on when to use either or both of them. It doesn’t seem so clear with your explanation in the article.

  Thanks
• Khanjan says:

  July 22, 2016 at 9:17 pm

  I am looking for Japanese professional terms for investment banking (M&A/PE) sector. It would very helpful if I can get some info on the above.
• Den Sharma says:

  September 25, 2015 at 12:24 am

  Some one kind enough to support me to build up my Japanese resume. I would be very grateful! Thank you !
• Hanten says:

  November 7, 2014 at 9:33 am

  I haven’t sent resume on paper for years. Doesn’t everyone do it electronically these days?

  Which brings me to my question – when you take a resume photo in the photo booth is there a USB port so I can store the photo electronically? Or at least an option to email the photo to myself?
• maulinator says:

  October 31, 2014 at 11:28 am

  This is a good primer. Bear in mind this result is only good for pretty old-fashioned companies. Tech companies, foreign companies and most service oriented companies (legal, consulting etc.) would also like the classic “American-style” resume. For example, I have interviewed hundreds of candidated throughout my career, and I do not even look at the Japanese resumes. They are meaningless. While in Japan information like marital status is considered OK, US companies cannot ask such personal questions like age, marital status, number of dependents etc, so I do not like looking at the Japanese resumes to begin with.
  With companies that are associated with the “new” economy, having a resume in Japanese that is “American-style” is important to get the interview. If you decide to do that, definitely have someone look at your Japanese resume before sending it over.
  • Samantha Cosby says:

    June 22, 2015 at 12:28 am

    It may gradually be changing, but using the Japanese-style resume is still very much the norm even with foreign companies in Japan. I would assume if they don’t mention the type they want specifically it’s safer to go with the Japanese style.
• papiGiulio says:

  October 29, 2014 at 1:47 pm

  I really hate filling out the resume, takes a lot of time and I don’t want to make a mistake, if I make one mistake I have write a whole new one otherwise it looks really bad and dirty in my opinion that is. Dont want to use the ‘im a gaijin ‘ excuse.

  But ive used printed out ones and never ever received a positive reply on them, so writing increases your chances by 80% at least.
  • Samantha Cosby says:

    June 21, 2015 at 11:29 pm

    I think only at the really traditional Japanese companies you have to do that. Most of my Japanese friends that are job hunting now don’t hand write their resumes.