CV vs. Japan’s Rireki-sho: Your HR Guide to Winning Jobs
Hi there! I’m Aki—now decoding Japan’s job game as a former HR head. Job hunting? Your CV’s your ticket—but in Japan, it’s a whole different beast: Rireki-sho (履歴書) and Keireki-sho (経歴書).
Foreign firms usually want an English CV, but Japanese companies? You’ll likely need these quirky formats. One foreign firm in Japan demanded a Rireki-sho in Japanese—wild. Some Japanese firms take English CVs, but don’t bet on it. ChatGPT or Grok can draft ‘em, but double-check. Let’s crack this code!
1. Rireki-sho (履歴書): Japan’s Resume Staple
Think of Rireki-sho as your life snapshot—rigid, formal, Japan-style. Grab a free sample from MHLW (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare): mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_kouseisaiyou030416.html.
Here’s what’s inside:
Personal Info: Name, address, phone, birthdate (age!), gender, and—yep—a photo. MHLW says gender’s optional, but that picture is a standard ID check—I’ve seen firms insist. U.S. vibe calls this discrimination; Japan shrugs. Please ask the company if picture can be skipped. —I’ve had hires slide by without!
Education History: Final school up—high school, college (e.g., “Tokyo U, Computer Science”). List Bachelor, Master, Doctor—separate lines. I’ve seen grads cram it; space is tight!
Work History: Start month/year, company, dept + title; end month/year, “一身上の都合” (personal reason)—keep it vague, explain in interviews. Top-down, first job to now—I’ve tossed CVs with gaps unexplained.
Licenses/Certs: JLPT N2, driver’s license, home-country wins—add ‘em! Things like U.S. CPA wowed us —why not flex?
Motivation & Skills: Free text—why this job, talents (e.g., “programing”), subject matter experts (SME). Sell yourself—I’ve hired off a killer “Why Japan?” pitch!
Requests: Salary, hours, location—tread light. “I’ll follow company rules” is safe—I’ve seen demands tank hires.
Extras: Commuting time, marital status, dependents—Japan’s nosy! However, later on, to calculate your payroll, those information is required anyway.
Space is tiny—draft first. Try templates at :
tenshoku.mynavi.jp/knowhow/rirekisho/template/
Japanese-only, level 3 skills needed. As for English teachers, some schools skip Japanese.
2. Keireki-sho (経歴書): The Deep Dive
Rireki-sho sketches you; Keireki-sho paints the details—final education plus every job, duties, and wins. Japanese firms love it—foreign ones, less so.
Free template here:
hellowork.mhlw.go.jp/doc/oubosyorui_pamphlet_02_202306.pdf
Japanese, but worth it. I’ve seen bilinguals ace this—list “Led global project, boosted sales 20%.” Space is yours—flex those achievements.
HR Insider Tips
Consistency: Font, size—match ‘em. I’ve ditched sloppy Rireki-sho—screams careless!
No Typos: Overlapped dates? Red flag, unless it is true. Double check and triple check before you submit it.
Part-Time? Skip It: High school part time job doesn’t count—internships (e.g., gov office)? Add if they sell.
Transfers & Gaps: Secondments, acquisitions—note employer changes. If you remained at the same firm, you can skip it, unless it’s a win. Dropped out? “Entered 2018, withdrew 2020”—explain later.
Date Drama: Wareki (令和7年 = 2025) vs. Seireki (2025)—some firms fuss. Ask—I’ve seen “Ugh” fights over this!
Story Time
Usual mistake is to send one CV to 10 jobs—old dates, generic. Ghosted—I could tell. Another gem: a PhD listed all degrees, squeezed “AI research”—landed a Tokyo startup gig. Tailoring wins—I’ve seen it a hundred times!
Wrap-Up
Rireki-sho and Keireki-sho are your first handshake—time-suck, sure, but worth trying it, and you’re in. English CVs work for most foreign firms, but Japanese companies may require it. Need a template tweak? Hit me up!