Japanese CVs, explained履歴書・職務経歴書の書き方

The two documents2つの書類

Japanese job applications usually need two documents. They do different jobs, so they are written differently.

履歴書 rirekisho

A fixed form with your personal details, education and job history as dates only, licences, motivation and requests. Every applicant fills in the same boxes, so the recruiter can compare people quickly. Needed for both full-time and part-time jobs.

職務経歴書 shokumu keirekisho

A free-format document that explains what you did at each job and what you achieved. It is where you sell your experience. Needed for full-time jobs and career changes; part-time jobs rarely ask for it.

Format today

• A4, made on a computer, sent as PDF is accepted almost everywhere. Some traditional companies still prefer handwriting; the job ad will say so.
• In 2021 the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published a recommended 履歴書 form. Gender became optional, and the boxes for commute, dependents and spouse were removed. Rireki Studio uses this form by default. You can switch to the classic JIS form in Settings.
• Use the same date style (2026年 or 令和8年) and the same facts in both documents. Recruiters compare them.

履歴書, box by box履歴書の書き方

Date 日付

The day you send or hand it in, not the day you wrote it. An old date suggests you send the same paper everywhere.

Name and reading 氏名・フリガナ

Write your name as in your passport, family name first. Capitals for the family name make the order clear. The reading goes in katakana. If the heading says ふりがな the convention is hiragana, if it says フリガナ katakana; Rireki Studio switches the heading for you.

Photo 写真

• 30 × 40 mm, taken within the last 3 months, plain light background.
• Suit or smart clothing, face the camera, no hat. A neutral expression or a light smile is fine.
• Selfies and holiday photos look careless. A photo booth (証明写真機) costs about ¥800–1,000 at most stations.

Address 現住所

Japanese addresses go from largest to smallest: prefecture, city, district, block, building, room. For an address abroad, do the same in Japanese and add the original on a second line. 連絡先 is only for a second address; otherwise it says 同上 (same as above).

Gender 性別

Optional on the 2021 form. You may leave it blank.

Motivation and self-PR 志望動機・自己PR

The 履歴書 box is small: about 150–250 characters for motivation and a short self-PR. Rewrite the motivation for every company. See Self-PR and motivation.

Requests 本人希望記入欄

Only write conditions you really need. If you have none, write 貴社規定に従います。 (I will follow your company's rules). If the company has several openings, name the role you apply for. Foreign applicants should mention visa support here.

Education and work history学歴・職歴

One table, two blocks. Write 学歴 centred on the first line, list education, leave one empty line, then 職歴 and your jobs. Oldest first.

Education 学歴

• Start from high school entry (or junior high graduation). Each school gets two lines: 入学 (entered) and 卒業 (graduated).
• Write official names in full. Translate the school type and add the country: Ole Vig高等学校（ノルウェー）.
• Still studying: 卒業見込み (expected) with the planned month, or 在学中.
• Online and vocational schools count. Name the course exactly.

Work history 職歴

• List every employer, including short jobs. Gaps are fine but be ready to explain them.
• Company names in full: 株式会社, never ㈱ or (株). Foreign companies keep their own name; add what they do in the 職務経歴書.
• Joining: 入社. Military: 入隊. Freelance: 活動開始 or 業務委託契約.
• Leaving: 一身上の都合により退職 if you chose to leave, 会社都合により退職 for layoffs or closures, 契約期間満了により退職 when a contract ended.
• Current job: write 現在に至る on its own line, then 以上 aligned right on the next line to show the list is complete.

Licences and qualifications免許・資格

• Official names, oldest first, with the month you passed.
• Licences end in 取得, exams in 合格: 普通自動車第一種運転免許 取得, 日本語能力試験N3 合格.
• Foreign licences: add the country, e.g. 普通自動車運転免許（ノルウェー）.
• Expired certificates are usually left out or moved to the skills section of the 職務経歴書.
• Studying for something relevant? You may write 現在、〇〇の取得に向けて勉強中 on the last line.
• IT applicants: the Japanese 情報処理技術者試験 (for example 情報セキュリティマネジメント or 基本情報技術者) carries weight with employers and immigration. Vendor certificates such as CCNA or AWS are welcome too.

Writing the 職務経歴書職務経歴書の書き方

No fixed form, but recruiters expect this order. One or two A4 pages; three at most for a long career.

1. Title, date, name at the top.
2. 職務要約: 150–300 characters on your years of experience, field and main strengths. Many recruiters read only this, so make it count.
3. 職務経歴: one block per employer with period, 事業内容 (what the company does), employment type, your role, main duties as a list and results with numbers.
4. 活かせる経験・知識・スキル: tools, languages, methods, grouped.
5. 資格 and 語学.
6. 自己PR: 2–3 strengths with evidence.
7. 以上 at the end, right-aligned.

Order

逆編年体 (newest first) puts your most relevant job on top and suits most people. 編年体 (oldest first) suits a straight career. A third style, キャリア式, groups by skill and is rare.

Style

• Prose in polite form (〜しました, 〜しております). Lists in short noun phrases (体言止め): 利用者からの問い合わせ対応.
• Numbers make claims believable: cases per day, team size, % improved, ratings.
• Foreign companies are unknown in Japan. One line on what they do helps a lot: ノルウェー最大のオンラインマーケットプレイス.
• Confidential work (military, security): say so in one line and describe the type of work only.

Self-PR and motivation自己PRと志望動機

Self-PR 自己PR

Use the same three steps for each strength:

1. Strength in one line, often in brackets: 【不正対策の実務経験】
2. Evidence: what you did, with a number.
3. Use: how it helps this employer.

Two or three strengths, 200–400 characters in the 職務経歴書; a shorter version for the 履歴書. Avoid lists of adjectives (真面目、明るい、責任感が強い) with nothing to back them.

Motivation 志望動機

Answer three questions: why this industry, why this company, and what you will contribute. Mention something specific to the company (a product, a value, a market). Write a new one for each application.

Japanese level

Be honest. Overstating your Japanese is found out in the first interview. State the JLPT level you passed and that you study daily.

Tips for foreign applicants外国籍の方へ

• Name order: family name first, as on a Japanese residence card. Katakana reading under it.
• Nationality and residence status: add 国籍, and once you live in Japan your 在留資格 and its expiry. Employers must check you are allowed to do the job.
• Visa: if you need a work visa, say so politely in 本人希望記入欄. Many employers support it, and saying it early avoids surprises.
• Education abroad: translate the school type to the nearest Japanese one (videregående skole → 高等学校, university college → 大学, fagskole → 専門学校) and add the country.
• Military service: list it under 職歴 with 入隊 and 任期満了により退役 (or 除隊).
• Proof: keep certificates of employment (在職証明書), diplomas and transcripts in English. Visa applications need them.
• Get a native check. A Japanese friend, teacher or a free service at Hello Work (外国人雇用サービスセンター) can read it through.

Part-time jobs (アルバイト)アルバイトの場合

Part-time employers usually only want the 履歴書. They look at three things first: when you can work, how far you live, and whether you are allowed to work.

• Work permission: students on a 留学 visa need 資格外活動許可 before they start. You can apply at the airport on arrival. It allows up to 28 hours a week during term and up to 8 hours a day in long school holidays.
• Not allowed: the permission excludes adult entertainment businesses (風俗営業), which includes host or hostess bars and pachinko parlours.
• Hours: fill in the weekly table honestly. Shops plan shifts from it. Rireki Studio warns you if the total goes over 28 hours.
• Nearest station and commute: employers pay transport costs and want staff who live close.
• Motivation can be simple: "I want to use Japanese at work while studying" is a fine reason. Add one thing you bring: customer service, English, physical work.
• Japanese level: with N5–N4, look for kitchen, hotel, warehouse, cleaning or English-speaking customer jobs.

Sending your application応募書類の送り方

• Save each document as a PDF. Name the files so the recruiter knows whose they are: リンドクヴィストエマ_履歴書_2026.pdf.
• Re-check the date, the company name and that the motivation matches this company.
• Email in Japanese with a clear subject. Send on a weekday during office hours if you can.
• Some companies ask for a password-protected ZIP; follow their instructions.

Email template 送付メール

Replace 〇〇 with the company and role. Your name, email and phone come from your CV.

Final checklist提出前チェックリスト

• Date is the day you send it, in the same style in both documents.
• No empty boxes. Write なし (none) if you have no licences.
• No abbreviations: 株式会社, 高等学校, 大学 in full.
• Photo is recent and formal.
• Motivation names this company and this role.
• Numbers in the 職務経歴書 are true and you can explain them.
• Both documents tell the same story: same dates, same job titles.
• Run the Check tab in the builder; it catches most of these.

Glossary用語集