Writing a Japanese Resume: The Rirekisho and Shokumu Keirekisho, Explained
Updated: 2026-09-02
Quick answer
Hi, I'm Miya, and I help newcomers find their footing in Japan. When you apply for work here, you'll usually be asked for two separate documents: a rirekisho (履歴書), which is a standardised personal-history form, and a shokumu keirekisho (職務経歴書), which is a free-form summary of what you've actually done in your career. They're not the same thing, and sending one when the employer wanted the other is one of the most common early stumbles.
Think of the rirekisho as the fill-in-the-blanks form that tells someone who you are, and the shokumu keirekisho as the story of your work that shows what you can do. Most professional applications in Japan expect both. Below I'll walk you through the layout, the photo, the little conventions around dates and personal seals, and the mistakes that trip up first-timers.
The two documents, and how they differ
The rirekisho is a fixed template. Whether you buy a paper version at a stationery shop, download one, or fill it in on a job platform, the fields are broadly the same: your name and furigana reading, date of birth, address and contact details, a photo, a chronological education-and-work history (学歴・職歴), licenses and qualifications (免許・資格), and a free box usually labeled motivation or self-introduction (志望動機・自己PR). Because the format is standardised, recruiters can scan it quickly, so neatness and consistency matter more than flair.
The shokumu keirekisho has no single fixed layout — that's the point. It's where you describe each role you've held: the company or industry context, your responsibilities, the scope of your work, and concrete things you accomplished. It's usually one to two A4 pages, written to highlight the skills relevant to the job you're applying for. If the rirekisho answers "who are you," this one answers "what have you done, and why does it fit us."
The layout and the photo
On the rirekisho, entries go in chronological order (oldest first), and there are conventions for how you write them: education and work history often share one section, each dated by year and month. A common tidy touch is to write 以上 ("that's all") on the line after your final history entry to signal the list is complete. Qualifications go in their own box; if a license or language test is relevant, name it exactly as it appears on the certificate.
The photo is more formal than people expect. The usual size is about 4cm tall by 3cm wide, taken recently, front-facing against a plain light background, in business attire, with a calm neutral expression. Photo booths across Japan have a setting sized for exactly this. Attach it in the marked box (glue or tape a printed one; job platforms let you upload). Requirements can vary by employer or platform, so check the employer's or platform's guidance if you're unsure about size or dress.
Dates, hanko, and handwriting conventions
Dates in Japan often use the Japanese era calendar (和暦) — for example Reiwa years — as well as the Western calendar (西暦). The important rule is to pick one system and use it consistently across the whole document; mixing them mid-form looks careless. Fill in the "date prepared" field near the top with the day you'll actually submit it, not the day you started drafting.
Traditionally a rirekisho carried a personal seal (hanko) in a small marked circle, though many modern templates and online applications no longer require one — check the employer's or platform's guidance. If you do handwrite, use black ink, write neatly, and don't use correction fluid: if you make a mistake, start on a fresh sheet. Many people now type the rirekisho instead, which is widely accepted; just keep the formatting clean and the fields complete.
Common mistakes first-timers make
The most frequent slip is leaving the furigana blank or filling only part of it — the reading of your name and address helps staff pronounce and file things correctly. Others include gaps or inconsistencies in the history dates, forgetting the 以上 closing line, writing the era and Western calendars in a mix, and submitting a casual selfie instead of a proper ID-style photo. A blank or generic motivation box also stands out; even a few honest, specific sentences read far better than an empty space.
One more that's easy to overlook: your contact details have to actually work. Recruiters in Japan very often call rather than email to confirm receipt, ask a quick question, or arrange an interview time. If the phone number on your rirekisho goes unanswered or doesn't exist yet, the process can quietly stall right at the first step — no matter how strong the rest of your document is.
Before you apply: a working Japanese line
That last point is why, before you start sending documents, it's worth having a Japanese phone number with data already sorted. The templates you download, the job platforms you register on, and the forms you fill in all run on your phone — and just as importantly, that number is how recruiters reach you to schedule interviews. Putting a real, reachable line at the top of your rirekisho makes the whole thing feel solid.
Setting one up is refreshingly simple: you can apply online with just your residence card, and if your phone supports eSIM you can often be connected in around fifteen minutes — no store trip needed. Have a look at our setup guide for eligibility and the step-by-step, and confirm the current terms on the page before you apply. Get the line in place first, and then you can focus on the writing. I'll be cheering you on!
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