We covered how to write the first page of your 履歴書 or Japanese resume here, and now here is a tutorial on how to write page 2.
① Licences · Qualifications – As the name suggests, here is where you write down all your licenses and qualifications.
The most common examples for foreigners would be the JLPT and/or the TOEIC/TOEFL. You can also include your teaching license if you have one, or even your driver’s license. However, before you include it, make sure it is a license that is recognized in Japan. For example, even if you have a license from your home country, as long as you can’t drive in Japan, it will be information the company doesn’t need.
② Year when License/Qualification was acquired
③ Month when License/Qualification was acquired
④ Type of license
⑤ If there is a score, write it beside the type. In case, with the example of JLPT, you took N4 before and passed N3 recently, it is not necessary to include when you passed N4. Just your most recent level for each type of test is necessary.
⑥ This area is where you put your special skills you want your interviewer to know about. You may also include hobbies, interests and favorite subjects/topics
⑦ Closest station from your home
⑧ Which Station (For example Shinjuku St.)
⑨ Which Line (For example Yamanote Line)
⑩ 扶養 in english stands for Dependents. Your dependents are people, most commonly your family, who depend on you for financial support. Hence, under 扶養家族(配偶者を除く) you need to write down the number of people who are listed as your dependents excluding your spouse.
⑪ If you are married, write down 有(あり) for “yes” and 無（なし） for “no”. If your spouse has dependents, write down 有(あり) for “yes” and 無（なし） for “no” in ⑫ as well.
⑬ Below 志望動機 is where you will write down your reason for applying to a certain job opening. That means that what you write down here will differ based on what kind of job you are applying for. Rather than a general reason (I want to have a career in Japan!), it is more appealing for the company to see your strong interest in the certain position (I believe in your company’s mission and vision, I am interested in this position because I have a strong passion for this kind of work, etc.)
⑭ Here is where you can write your preferences. Because most people don’t want to sound arrogant, they would just put「貴社の規定に従います。」or 「特に希望なし」, which only means they have no preferences. However, especially if you are applying to a company and not a job per se, you can list down here which jobs within the company you would like to work at. Of course this might lessen your chances of an interview, especially if you are not very qualified for that specific position, so it is seen as a risk by other people. My advice is to play it safe for now. Once you get an interview, they will ask you anyway, so you can tell them your preferences after you have explained your background and skills to them.
⑮ This area should only be filled out if you are below legal age in Japan, which is 19 yrs old and below. If you fall under this category, you will need to write your guardian’s name on the space of ⑯, their address on ⑰ and their phone number/fax beside it. If this doesn’t apply to you, you can erase the entire thing to save space.
Having seen so many talented people rejected because of a bad resume, I cannot stress enough how important it is to work hard on your resume. You may think you can charm a company once they call you in, but you might not even get that far if they don’t like your documents. A lot of foreigners freak out when they see a Japanese resume template but it’s actually not that hard to make! Give it a try and see how much difference a good resume will make!
Good luck! I hope this helps you in your job hunting!!
For more tips on job hunting, check out one of our earlier blogs here.